Whatever It Takes
by Mooka333
Summary: Unlikely relationships form in a world gone mad. Linney groups up with two of the toughest men alive, the Dixons, and ties her fate to theirs. Starts after the outbreak, but before we meet the group in Season 1, and continues on from there. Rated M for language, violence, and adult situations. AU but not necessarily OOC for those involved.
1. Chapter 1

*****LINNEY IS MY CREATION IN A UNIVERSE I DON'T OWN - THE WALKING DEAD IS NOT MINE AND I KNOW IT!*** Read and review, folks - I've got more where this came from *****

She had killed her father that morning. Glaring at her blurred reflection in the mirror above the bathroom sink, she wondered if that made her a murderer. The sun shining through the window behind her lit up the room, casting shadows where it had to shine through the sagging parts of the screen.

Leaning closer to her own face, her gaze fixated on her own image, she tried to find some sign of her old life in it. Her soft green eyes were red and tired, dark shadows smeared beneath them. Her hair was scraped back in a braid, the greasy strands of it a far cry from the gleaming cap it used to be. Her eyes roamed slowly over the dull brownness and she wondered how anyone had ever thought she had pretty, full, hair.

Pale skin created a look of ill health. A split and puffy lip skewed her features, and a quick glance down at her neck and collar bone revealed the livid bruises her father had left there. She closed her eyes tightly and spun away from her traitorous reflection, leaning her back against the dirty, rusted sink. She gently ran a hand over the sore spots, flickers of his attack playing behind her eyelids.

One moment she had been asleep, sweating in the hot discomfort of her non air-conditioned room, the next he had staggered through the door, his arms reaching for her as he growled and gnashed his teeth. Exploding off her pillows, she had used the mattress to force her lower body through the air at him, her small, bare foot connecting with his neck. It had barely fazed him and he had grabbed her neck, squeezing and pulling. His entire weight came down on his hands, nearly crushing her chest, as his terrifyingly hungry face had leaned closer and closer to hers.

She pleaded with him to stop, screaming and squirming, knowing he was too far gone to hear her. Sobbing and shrieking, one hand managed to reach down the side of her mattress to grab the hunting knife he had insisted she keep nearby for self-protection, during more normal days. Blindly, she slashed at his neck, his hands, his chest, anywhere she could reach and, although the wounds poured blood, he never stopped. With one last ear-piercing scream she plunged the wickedly sharp knife through his eye, burying it to the hilt. A thick burble came from his throat and he finally ceased his attack, slumping heavily on top of her. His corpse stank and was heavier than she had thought it would be. Squirming out from underneath it took longer than she could stand and ended with her being unceremoniously dumped to the floor, panting, retching, and sobbing.

Linney shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. The door to the bathroom stood open and she could see straight down the dim hallway that ran through the center of their trailer. The cracked linoleum on the floor created dark chasms in the yellowed pattern there. Moving slowly, she left the washroom and walked into her room. The lurid splashes of blood were still everywhere, but she had managed to drag his body outside, laying him in the yard. She had felt like the threads holding her sanity together were being pulled out one by one and knew that attempting to bury him would cause everything to fall apart instantly.

She reached down and grabbed her knapsack, slinging it up onto her slim shoulders. The padded canvas straps settled heavily onto her sore collarbone and she winced, wishing there was another way to cart her things around. She walked to the bedroom door and paused, looking back to drink in the sight of her room. This had been her safe haven for as long as she had been alive. There was a time when her furniture had been new, the bed linens crisp and bright, a time when the floor didn't sag in the middle of the room, when the window wasn't held together with duct tape. She breathed out heavily; that was a time when they had been a family, before her mother was ripped away from them by cancer.

Linney's gaze landed on the picture standing in the silver frame on her dresser. Her mother and father were caught in their best moment in this picture, both of them young, beautiful, and happy – newlyweds with a sweet baby daughter. She walked over quickly and tore the back off the frame, yanking out the picture and folding it up, before stuffing it into the pocket on her worn, dirty jeans. The monster she had killed that morning was hardly her father anymore, at least not if you compared him to the warm, smiling man in the picture. A decade and half of drinking, drugs and dangerous living took their toll on him and he died looking exactly like society expected him to: dirty, scruffy, paunchy, and poor. The unfortunate side effect of his descent into darkness was dragging Linney along for the ride.

She knew what poverty was. Drug money and welfare were not enough, not to properly raise a little girl. Her mother was dead when she was just three years old, and Linney learned quickly how to feed, bathe, and dress herself. Her father didn't enroll her in school until "those assholes at city hall" made him (so he said to her one day, slurring his words as he slouched in his filthy armchair, waving a bottle of Jim Beam around in front of himself). She had to assume that he loved her. There were moments when he seemed to genuinely care for her. He had never been abusive, or deliberately cruel.

Walking back into the dim hallway, listening to the creaks and groans her feet made on the floor, she considered that his exposing her to his clientele was a form of abuse. Most of them scared her, the rest terrified her. Stopping at the door to his bedroom she stared down at the battered chest sitting at the end of his bed. She knew that within that large, scarred box were thousands of dollars' worth of drugs.

The lid was left unlocked (which never happened), sitting partially open, and her eyes remained fixed on it, suddenly piecing together what had happened. Her father, unable to cope with their new reality, had helped himself to copious amounts of his own wares and had OD'ed. Cursing out loud she kicked the chest, feeling a sharp pain in her foot at the violent contact. She knew now that when he had awoken again, as the monster who tried to attack her, he had no memories of the fear, worry and panic that had plagued them both as the world fell apart around them.

"Nice, Dad. Thanks," she muttered sarcastically, dropping down to sit on the box. She stared at the doorway, wondering if anyone besides herself was still alive. Her mind idly ran through the roster of residents in the dinky Georgian shithole she called home. There were only a couple names that stood out as potential survivors. Considering what she knew about at least one of them, she guessed that it was very likely they were alive. A plan began to unfold in her mind.

Leaping to her feet, she ran over to her father's closet and tore the door open. On the wall hung an array of guns, knives, brass knuckles, and other weapons. Linney slid her bag to the floor and pried it open, selecting a couple of the smaller, easier to handle guns and their accompanying boxes of ammunition, and stuffing them inside. She strapped a large knife to a sheath designed to wrap around an ankle and fumbled with it for a few moments before she was able to fit it properly to her own slender ankle. She found a couple other knives, one on a strap she fit to her upper arm, another two for her waist. She grabbed one last pistol, a weapon her father had loved. The soft leather belt that held the holster for the gun felt smooth and thick in her hands and she was struck with a powerful memory of her father teaching her how to shoot many summers ago, before she hit puberty and became an alien to him.

Without ever discussing it, she knew that her father had this arsenal as a means to protect them both if anyone tried to steal from them by force. He was generally not considered a threat to anyone in town, just a sad, stupid drunk running a two-bit drug operation from his home. She knew people felt bad for her, but there were always more of them who assumed she was some kind of trailer trash slut. Securing the gun belt, Linney surprised herself by laughing out loud. She supposed that surviving this long meant she wasn't as stupid as people thought someone like her should be.

Comfortable with her weaponry, she hoisted the backpack up onto her shoulders once more, grunting at the additional weight. She closed the closet door and then closed the lid on the trunk properly, piling dirty clothes on top of it. A trip to the kitchen revealed the same goods that had been there last night, one crushed packet of crackers, one bottle of water, one can of diet cola, and a dented can that had no label on it. It was definitely time to move on. There was nothing for her here anymore. Glancing out the kitchen window she saw the body of her father lying next to the three bodies they had dropped there yesterday, after they had shambled into their small yard, groaning mindlessly, their dead eyes glaring at everything.

Linney stepped outside onto their rotted back deck and knew that she couldn't do this alone, and as much as it pained her, she knew she needed to group up with others. When she thought about her available choices for those "others", her stomach twisted uneasily.

Linney walked around to the front of the house, listening carefully for the sounds of anyone looking to attack her. In the distance she heard a familiar grumbling roar and knew that her instincts had been right. He was definitely still alive, and almost as if he'd been summoned by her thoughts, seemed to be heading in this direction. Linney looked around the yard, trying to think where she might hide. Her sight snagged on their now defunct air conditioner and the blue tarp they had laid on top of it.

Without wasting a moment she darted over to it and slid beneath it, taking her backpack off and tucking it behind herself. Hunched over on her knees, she arranged the tarp so she could keep an eye on the small dirt driveway. From her hiding spot she would be able to see him approach. The front door was to her right, an easy two steps leading up to a tiny, porch with no railings. Linney began to plot in her head how she would stop him when he inevitably tried to enter her home.

She began to sweat inside her plastic hiding spot; the sun was beating down from a cloudless sky. Her breath was ragged as she tried to find an angle under the tarp that allowed her to breathe cool air. The grumbling roar grew in volume and suddenly he was there, driving up her driveway on his motorcycle. Linney smiled at his predictable nature; Merle Dixon could always be counted on to think of himself, and his own vices, first and foremost. Her grin withered on her face and died when a battered grey pick-up pulled up behind Merle. She gaped as the driver climbed out, slinging a crossbow over his shoulder. _Damnit_, she thought, _I forgot about Daryl_.

Daryl sauntered over to his brother and they stood next to each other, surveying the house. Linney's mind raced as she tried to re-organize her plans. Her limited knowledge on the younger Dixon told her that he wasn't as dirty and ruthless as his criminal older brother. He lived a simple life, mostly above the law, working as a mechanic. In fact, he lived in the 'nice' trailer park across town, making her lower on the social ladder than he was. They moved slowly towards the house, their heads and eyes swiveling around, drinking in everything.

"Looks like ole Kev bit it," Merle said, his voice cracking in a sardonic tone at the sight of her father's baking and bloody corpse. Daryl's face wrinkled in aversion and he moved carefully over to look at the body. He poked the corpse with the butt-end of his crossbow and turned to his brother.

"Merle! Get over here," He called softly. Casting a longing glance at the front door, Merle jogged over to his brother.

"No way he killed himself," Merle said, his voice low. Daryl looked up at his brother briefly before sinking to his knees next to her father. He reached out and grabbed the hilt of her knife, yanking sharply on it. Her father's ruined eyeball was impaled on the blade, resting by the handle. Daryl grunted in disgust and stabbed the knife into the dirt.

"You think whoever did him is still around?" Daryl spoke softly, getting to his feet and wiping his hands on his pants. Merle shrugged before turning to walk back towards the door, he spoke over his shoulder to his brother before putting a foot on the bottom step of the porch.

"He had that little girl, but with Daddy dead, she's most likely dead, or one of _them_." Merle's voice twisted in anger on the last word. Linney's heart beat fast and hard and she heard Daryl mutter, "Poor kid," before starting towards the stairs too. Licking her lips, Linney decided it was now or never, and burst from her hiding place, gun in hand.

Both Dixons looked over at her in shock as she tore up the porch and barrelled into Merle, knocking him backwards off the side of it. When they hit the ground she realized she had been screaming the entire time and still was. She rolled to her feet as Merle was just getting to his and she darted over to him, jabbing the barrel of the gun into the side of his neck, having to reach up to do so.

"Don't. Fucking. Move," She growled, panting. Merle froze still and said nothing. A quick glance up to the porch and she saw that Daryl had his crossbow aimed at her.

"Put it down!" She shrieked. Daryl's eyes glanced quickly over to his brother's face. "Now! Put it down now or I'll blow his head off!" Daryl complied, moving slowly to put the crossbow on the ground. He stood up slowly, holding his hands up to show her they were empty.

Linney knew she sounded like she was on the ragged edge of sanity and realized that she probably wasn't that far off.

"He put it down, sweetheart," Merle said, his voice pleasant. "Now how about you get that thing outta ole Merle's neck? Hey?" Linney glared at him, her chest heaving. She bit her lip, not sure what to do next. She was in shock that her plan had worked thus far and her mind raced trying to catch up. Merle turned slowly towards her, his eyes popping open wide in surprise when he saw her face clearly.

"Your Kevin's little girl, ain't ya?" He spoke carefully and slowly, like he was trying to calm a wild dog. "Yeah, you are. Linney, right?" She nodded at him slowly, her eyes moving quickly between him and his brother. Daryl slid a foot slowly to the side, trying to move towards the stairs. Her eyes locked on him and she glared.

"That's enough! Stop moving!" Her voice hurt from screaming and her cry came out strangled and rasping. Daryl stopped moving. She looked back at Merle who stood still, his adams apple moving beneath the scruff on his neck.

"It's ok now, Linney, we ain't here to hurt you." Linney pressed her lips together and pulled the gun back an inch, so it was no longer digging into his skin.

"I know what you're here for, Merle Dixon," her voice was angry. He smiled slowly, raising an eyebrow at her and winking. "Oh, you got me, sweetheart."

Linney shifted on her feet and swallowed hard. She narrowed her eyes at him and continued on, her voice scathing, "I don't care how much of his shit you want, you're welcome to all of it. You're welcome to die like he did from taking too much, if you'd like." Her eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears come. Merle's features settled into grim understanding and he nodded at her.

"Then how about you let me get what I want and I'll get out of your hair?" Linney shook her head and glanced back over at the porch. The exact second she realized it was empty, it was already too late, and she felt a pair of strong arms close around her neck and chest and Merle struck like lightning, wrenching the gun out of her hand hard enough to make her cry out in pain. She squirmed and kicked at Daryl, trying to connect with his shins.

"Calm down!" He shouted in her ear. Merle stepped forward and slapped her across the face so hard her head felt like bells were tolling loudly inside of it. She sagged in Daryl's grip and groaned. Her lip throbbed anew and she knew he had broken open the cut on it.

"Dammit, Merle, did ya have to do that? I got her!" Merle cocked an eyebrow and glared above her head, at Daryl.

"Oh-ho, little brother! Not gonna stand up for me?" Merle stepped closer, bending a little to put his face on her level, speaking his next words angrily and deliberately into her face. "She had a gun to my head! You was gonna kill me, right?" Linney glared back at him and let her hands fall from their scrambling grip on Daryl's forearms, to hang limply at her sides.

"No, I wasn't going to kill you," she said, her voice choked with ire. Merle raised an eyebrow at her and took a step back. He walked a couple steps away and then spun back around, pointing a dirty finger in her face.

"You know where dear old dad kept his stash, right?" Linney pressed her lips together and stared him down, fighting to keep her fear off her face. When she didn't answer, Merle lunged forward, and Daryl jerked her backwards, out of the path of Merle's fist, tossing her roughly to the ground behind himself.

As she hit the ground, she rolled again, and tried to get to her feet. The wallop to the face she'd received from Merle was a little too much for her balance and she was only able to drop into a defensive crouch. Daryl dove into Merle's chest and shoved him back, screaming at his brother to calm down. Linney grabbed the knife from her hip strap and held it in her hand tightly. When Merle saw her hunched with the knife, ready to attack, he surprised both her and his brother by bursting out in gut-shaking laughter, stopping his angry rush towards her.

"By god, you're a little spitfire, ain't ya?" He chuckled some more and Daryl stood cautiously in front of his brother, putting himself between Merle and Linney. Merle finally straightened up, a grin on his face. He glanced at his brother before putting his hands in the air in a make-peace gesture.

"Alright, I give up, kid. What do you want for your dad's stuff?" Linney got to her feet slowly. She took a step forward, lowering her arm with the knife. She looked over at Daryl before meeting Merle's blue-eyed gaze.

"Take me with you."


	2. Chapter 2

*****LINNEY IS MY CREATION IN A UNIVERSE I DON'T OWN - THE WALKING DEAD IS NOT MINE AND I KNOW IT!*** Read and review, folks - I've got more where this came from *****

Both Daryl and Merle stared at her in slack jawed shock. Merle put a hand over his eyes and chuckled. Linney held the knife by her side, swaying a little as she prepared for his next move. He was so volatile, she couldn't tell if he found her genuinely amusing, or was laughing in anger. Her gaze took in Daryl's impassive face and she realized by the tightness around his eyes, that he was as unsure as she was.

"You're tellin' me that you'll let me take what I want, if you can come with us?" Merle laughed hysterically, bending over and slapping his thighs. Linney grit her teeth and took a step closer.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," her voice was tight, and despite her best efforts, the desperation in her statement was evident. Daryl looked at her closely, as if trying to figure something out. Merle looked up, too, and walked quickly over to her. He glared down at her, all laughter gone.

"What if I just take what I want and you can go to hell?" He spoke softly, his breath stinking of alcohol and garlic. Linney held her ground and glared back just as angrily.

"Then I'll gut you like a fish," she said in a level voice. She brought her knife up, quickly and smoothly, and held the tip of it to his throat. They stood staring at one another, until Daryl came over and put a hand out, pushing the blade away from his brother's neck. He shoved her back and got between them again, facing his brother.

"Merle," he said, once. Merle's eyes shot over to his brother's face, and he returned the grim stare. Closing his eyes briefly, he turned away from Daryl with a grunt, pointing at Linney again.

"Fine, sweetheart. You wanna come on a trip with me n' Daryl? Fine." Linney nodded carefully, tucking the knife back into the sheath at her hip. Merle moved swiftly and grabbed her wrist, wrapping his fingers around it tightly. He held her arm in the air between them and spoke threateningly.

"You ever pull a knife or a gun on me again and I'll kill you m'self," he growled menacingly. Linney nodded and tried to pull her arm back. He gripped it tighter, making her flinch, and raised an eyebrow at her. She huffed out an exasperated breath and met his eyes again.

"Fine!" She exclaimed, wrenching her arm from his grip. He smiled at her and turned to walk away.

"Don't make me need to pull on you and we'll be fine," she spat out to his back. Merle paused and glanced back at her and her insides tingled, worried that he might attack her again. But he surprised her again by chuckling and grinning.

"You got a deal," he said. Linney nodded and jogged over to the tarp, pulling out her bag and slinging it onto her shoulders, wincing yet again at the pressure on her bruised body. She climbed up the stairs and pushed the front door open. Holding the door wide, she turned back to the Dixon brothers standing in the yard, watching her. She waved a hand at them.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked them. They glanced at each other and made for the stairs.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Oh man, oh baby, he's got some good shit in here." Merle rubbed his hands together as he stared down into the chest rammed full of drugs. Linney stood by the door and gestured with one hand at the closet.

"There's a bunch of weapons in there, too." Daryl looked over at her in surprise, walking quickly to the closet. When he threw the doors open he exclaimed, "Holy shit!" Linney watched as he grabbed a duffel bag from the floor of the closet and began to pull everything down, cramming it all into the bag. She glanced over at Merle and saw he was doing the same with her Dad's stash, using a large cloth shopping bag. She rolled her eyes at him, amazed at how out of whack his priorities were.

As soon as they were both busy, she turned and walked from the bedroom, heading straight outside into the bright sunlight. She jogged to the grey pick-up and was stopped short when someone grabbed the backpack and jerked her to a halt. She cried out when the sturdy straps dug into her bruises and nearly collapsed from the flash of pain. Daryl stepped around to her front.

"Calm down, girl, I was just seein' what you were up to," he said, his face irritated. She rubbed her left shoulder, under the strap, gingerly.

"I wanted to get in the truck before you all were done," she replied, trying to be calm. Daryl nodded and picked up the duffel full of guns before turning towards the truck. He tossed the guns into the bed and turned to her.

"Gimme your bag, I'll stick it back here," he said, not unkindly, waggling a hand at her. Linney nodded and trotted over. She reached up to remove the bag and hissed as a strap wrenched the wrong way, pulling on her tender skin. Daryl's face drew together in dark concern. He reached out and pulled the bag off her shoulders, tossing it carelessly into the truck.

"What the hell happened to you?" He demanded, pointing at the shoulder she was favoring. She swallowed and shrugged.

"I just hurt myself, pulled a muscle or something…" She trailed off as his eyebrows bunched up in a glare. He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.

"Did you get bit?" He asked loudly, shaking her a little. She cringed and tried to pull away, unsuccessfully.

"No! He didn't bite me!" She retorted angrily. Daryl's other arm grabbed at the neckline of her blouse.

"You got bit, didn't you?" He insisted, yanking at the shirt. She shook her head and pulled back, trying to get away.

"What's goin' on?" Linney's eyes closed in resignation, hearing Merle come up behind them. Daryl shook her again and pointed at her shoulder.

"She got bit!" He yelled, and Merle was suddenly in front of her, shoving her back against the side of the truck. She looked desperately between them, her eyes wide.

"I swear to god I wasn't bit, he just hurt me!" They glanced at each other, clearly not believing her. Daryl released her arm and gestured at her shirt.

"Show me," he said, his jaw tight. She swallowed and undid the first three buttons on the linen blouse. She held a hand on either side of the neck.

"I swear, he just squashed me, it's just bruises!" Merle reached out, his face angry, and swatted her hands away, pulling the shirt open. She felt her face blaze red and looked away, hot with shame as she heard them both choke on gasps of horror at the swath of purple and red bruises splashed across her chest above her bra, and on her collarbone, shoulder and part of her neck. Some of them were clearly in the shape of human hands; but most of them were just blotchy and ugly.

"Holy fuck, sweetheart," Merle breathed. He looked at her, bending his head to force her to look in his eyes. She yanked her shirt closed and glared at him. His eyes were hard, but not crazed, for once. He gestured at her chest.

"Did your daddy do this?" She nodded once and then began to button up the shirt. Daryl turned away abruptly and walked around the truck, yanking open the driver's door with a loud creak. Merle placed a heavy hand on her head and then turned back to look over at her father's body, his brow furrowed in a glare.

Linney stepped away from him, her hand sliding down the side of the truck until she found the handle of the door. Wrapping her fingers around it, she turned back to Merle who was giving her an unreadable look.

"It was after he died," she managed, closing her eyes against the visions of the morning. "He came into my room and tried to… he tried to…" Her voice trailed off lamely and she opened her eyes to find Merle nodding at her.

"I hate those fucking _things,_" he growled. She nodded at him. "Me too." Without another word he turned around and got on his bike, making it roar to life. Linney climbed up into the truck, settling herself into the passenger seat. Daryl didn't look at her as he started the truck, idling for a moment as he waited for Merle to turn himself around. He pushed it into drive and followed his brother out slowly. Linney twisted in her seat, suddenly needing to see her home one last time. It looked just as dank and miserable as her memories said it would and she sighed before settling back into her seat, Daryl watching her movements out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm sorry about your dad," Daryl said into the silence. She nodded once and then replied, "I'm not sorry about attacking your brother." Daryl was silent for a moment before he started to laugh, a rough, pleasant sound, slapping the steering wheel with both hands, once. She looked at him with a sly grin of her own and chuckled quietly.

"You are one strange little person," he laughed, glancing over at her. Linney raised an eyebrow at him and then looked back out the front window again, watching as Merle pointed to the left, indicating they were going to turn. Daryl followed him and they rode in silence for a few minutes.

"It occurs to me that I should probably ask where you guys are going," she spoke into the silence. Daryl nodded without looking over at her. One hand reached over to the glove box in front of her. He pulled it open and pointed inside.

"Grab that map there," he instructed. Linney reached forward and pulled out a battered map that covered this part of Georgia, and saw that someone had circled Atlanta with a big red marker and marked a route there as well.

"Atlanta," she said, "Makes sense." Daryl nodded.

"If there's any survivors, or any place that'll have food and guns, it's gotta be there, right?" Linney nodded, and Daryl poked a finger at the circled city on the map, his finger jabbing into her thigh underneath. "CDC's there too, ya know," he spoke confidently. Linney nodded again and pushed the map off her legs. Drawing them up onto the seat, she wrapped an arm around her knees and rested her chin there. Daryl glanced over at her before turning right, after Merle did.

"Don't you worry that Atlanta'll be, you know…" Her voice trailed off. Daryl's face was still and she worried that she'd pissed him off. "I don't want to shit on your plans, but it's such a big place, so many people." Daryl nodded slightly.

"We thought about that," he said quietly. Linney nodded again and leaned her exhausted body against the door. She rested an arm on the windowsill, and pillowed her head on it. Linney closed her eyes and let the jolting of the truck on the back roads rock her to sleep.

She must have slept for hours, because when Daryl grabbed her calf and shook her awake, the sky was nearly dark outside. She opened her eyes and moved slowly to sit up. Daryl sat in the driver's seat, one of her feet pushed into the side of his thigh, the other just barely resting on top of his leg. She yanked her feet back quickly and apologized.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to –," She began, stammering and glad for the dark so he couldn't see her face turning violet. Daryl opened his door and slid out.

"It's alright, you were tired." He slammed the door and she took a moment to compose herself before opening her door and sliding out. They were parked in front of a motel. Garbage and cars were everywhere and Linney gasped and stepped into the side of the truck with a thunk. There were three of the dead shambling around the abandoned lot, not twenty feet away. Daryl reached into the truck bed and pulled out his crossbow, nocking a bolt and sending it flying into the nearest one before she even had time to reach for her gun. Her hand patted the empty holster and she looked up at Merle as he stepped in front of her.

"I still got it," he spoke quietly over his shoulder, "You don't want to be firin' a gun anyhow; it attracts 'em like a dinner bell." Linney nodded at the back of his head and yanked out the largest knife at her waist. Merle darted forward and lunged at one that was approaching from their left and slammed the knife through its face. Linney watched as the creature, what used to be an old woman in a dirty, flowered dress, groaned and collapsed to the ground. That left one of them, moving towards the truck slowly, dragging a broken leg behind it. She swallowed hard and glanced over at Daryl, who had his foot planted on the head of the one he shot, he yanked the crossbow bolt out smoothly and nodded at her.

"Do it, kill it," he said quietly. Linney changed her grip on the thick wooden handle of the knife in her hand and stepped towards the monster in front of her. One step, _sorry buddy_, two steps, _it's you or me,_ last step, _and it isn't going to be me. _With a grunt she forced the knife through the thing's temple and the knife was pulled out of her hand as it slumped to the ground and landed with a meaty thump. Linney bent over and carefully pulled the weapon out.

She wiped the gore from the blade on the lapel of the dead figure's coat and then turned to the two men behind her, both of them giving her small smiles. She smiled back, sheathed her knife again, took two steps towards them, and then bent over and vomited with enough force to bring her to her knees. She kept retching and gasping as a hand clapped her on the back.

"You'll do, sweetheart," Merle's voice was jovial. Linney glanced up at him sickly and he chuckled as he walked away, towards the nearest motel room door. Daryl helped her to her feet when she started to get up and he handed her a bottle of water.

"It gets easier," was all he said. She nodded weakly and washed her mouth out with water before drinking deeply. Daryl pulled her bag and a couple others out from the back of the truck, piling their gear on the ground. Feeling like a baby, Linney screwed the cap back on the bottle of water and tucked it into a side pocket on her bag. She decided that would be the last time she'd show such weakness. Merle returned and said, "It's clear," and both men started loading up on all the bags. Linney reached for the strap on her backpack, but Daryl put an arm out and pushed her hand away.

"Just leave it, we can get it, your shoulders are all bruised up," he said gruffly. Linney glared at him and shoved his arm out of the way, pulling up her bag and slinging it over shoulder. "I'm fine," she replied, her voice firm. She headed towards the open motel room door and heard Merle chuckle at Daryl.

"You heard her, get movin' little brother."


	3. Chapter 3

*****LINNEY IS MY CREATION IN A UNIVERSE I DON'T OWN - THE WALKING DEAD IS NOT MINE AND I KNOW IT!*** Read and review, folks - I've got more where this came from *****

Linney kept her eyes trained on the door, watching as Merle shut it, and locked all three locks on it. Daryl was checking the locks on the door that led to the adjoining room. Satisfied that the door was secure, Merle moved to the window and made sure that the one lock there was also clicked home. He pulled the blind down and then drew the curtains closed firmly.

"All locked up." Merle said, almost to himself. Linney nodded from her perch on the edge of the bed closest to the shut door that lead to the restroom. Their room was nearly pitch black and Daryl dug through one of their bags before withdrawing a propane lantern. Turning it up, he propped it on the dresser at the foot of the beds.

"Let's eat, man. I'm starvin'." Merle said, stretching his arms above his head and turning his neck this way and that. Linney cringed at the cracking noise the movements made. Merle grinned at her and mock-bowed to her.

"I'm so sorry, princess; I forgot we got a lady here with us now." Linney quirked her lips up to one side, making an irritated face at him.

"I'm definitely not a princess." She said flatly, Merle chuckled and threw himself out on the bed opposite her. Daryl was pulling food out of the bag the lantern had been in and lined up three cans on the dresser.

"We got beans, beans, and spaghetti loops." He declared, unenthusiastically. Linney got up off the bed and made for the restroom, as she pushed the door open, Merle spoke from his spot on the bed.

"Ain't no runnin' water anymore, sweetheart, try not to wreck it for everyone." He laughed at his own joke and Linney froze with her hand on the door before turning around and shooting him a dirty look. Inside, when she shut the door, it was so dark she literally could not see a thing. Heaving a sigh, she opened the door and asked Daryl if there was a spare flashlight she could use. He nodded at her and pulled one from another bag, a tiny black flashlight that normally would have hung on keychain. Linney caught it when he tossed it to her and she sighed when she saw how weak the light was. Back in the restroom, door closed again, Linney went about her business as quickly as she could.

The darkness frightened her. She had to admit that to herself. It always bugged her, ever since she was a little girl. She didn't like knowing that the whole world existed around her, but that she was blind to it. She glanced over at the closed shower curtain and felt her heartbeat pick up when she thought she saw it move. _You're being a baby_, she told herself, _Merle said he cleared the room; it's all in your head. _She stood and drew her panties up.

As she reached for her jeans, to pull them up too, she heard a soft, guttural breath from behind the curtain and saw a dark hand clutch at the side of it. Whining softly under her breath, Linney stumbled backwards toward the door, her hand fumbling at the handle. She turned the knob and pushed the door, her heart stopping in her chest when it didn't budge. Part of the curtain was torn aside as a dark body squirmed around the edge. Linney awkwardly tried to reach through her jeans, puddled around her ankles to grab at a knife. The thing in the tub was fully alert now and started to growl and rasp at her. It yanked itself out of the tub and Linney finally screamed.

_It has no legs, no legs!_ Her mind screamed at her. _They've been eaten… oh god get out get out get out! _She heard Daryl and Merle calling her from the other side of the door and felt the door push into her, almost knocking her into her new friend.

In tears and panting, Linney wrenched the door open, pulling it open properly, and stumbled through it, tripping on her jeans. She fell to the floor, at Merle and Daryl's feet. Clawing at their legs, she backed up, using her hands and feet. Merle charged past her and she heard him swear from inside the restroom and then the harsh, bloody noise of him stabbing the thing in the head.

Breathing in gasps and shaking, Linney grabbed the dresser and tried to get to her feet, nearly falling backwards onto the bags when her pants tripped her up again. Daryl grabbed her arm and steadied her and she bent as quickly as possible, yanking her jeans up. She caught Daryl's eye and moved quickly to the other side of the room, doing up her pants and trying to buckle the belt up with trembling fingers. Merle emerged from the restroom and shoved her shoulder, forcing her to sit on the bed. He crouched in front of her and grabbed her arms, looking them over. Without a word, he grabbed her legs and shoved the pant-legs up as far as he could, turning them this way and that.

"I didn't get bit." She answered his unspoken question. Daryl walked up to Merle and looked ready to hit his brother.

"What the hell, Merle? You said it was clear! Jesus – she could've been bit!" Daryl ran a hand through his hair in frustration and charged over to the restroom. He grabbed the flashlight and shone it around. Linney could hear the sound of the shower curtain being swished around. He finally stepped out and shut the door behind him. Merle sat in the armchair next to the bed she was sitting on, still slightly stunned. He looked over at her, his eyes hooded in the dim light of the lantern.

"I didn't check behind the curtain." He finally said, his voice gruff. Linney nodded. Merle poked a finger at her knee, making her look up at him again.

"I'm sorry, kid. I should've looked." She nodded again and swallowed before replying, "Its ok, I never would've thought to check, either." Daryl grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him. His face was angry and serious.

"You sure you're good?" He asked. Linney nodded and scooted backwards on the bed, moving away from them both, towards the headboard. Daryl went back to opening the cans and Merle picked at his nails with his knife before chuckling. Linney looked up at him, in astonishment. He looked over at her and waved a hand in her direction dismissively.

"Aw, you're fine." He laughed a little harder, slapping his knee. "But you got the worst luck I ever seen, sweetheart!" Linney gaped at him for a minute before she started to laugh quietly along with him. Daryl looked back and forth between the two of them like they were crazy.

"It ain't funny." He grumbled, snapping the metal lids off the newly opened cans. Linney looked over at him and pressed her lips together before laughing harder.

"What a story that would've made! 'Oh, how'd she die?'" She spoke in as deep a voice as she could manage, "'She got eaten on the can.'" She bent over and grabbed her feet, bending low over her bent knees, giggling. Merle laughed with her and then turned to Daryl.

"Oh, lighten up, little brother, she's fine, it's dead, and now we can eat!" Daryl rolled his eyes and handed out the food, giving Linney the spaghetti loops. They ate in silence for a few minutes. Linney wasn't able to finish the whole can and shook it in front of her.

"Who wants the rest? I'm full." She said. Daryl and Merle looked at each other, a silent argument being waged there. Merle reached out and snatched it from her hand.

"I'm bigger n' you," He reasoned, "I'll finish it. Next time, you can finish." Daryl stared at him for a moment before putting his can back on the dresser. Linney watched while he got down to his hands and knees and checked under each bed with the flashlight carefully. He got to his feet and pulled open the small closet, checking in there too.

"I told ya I cleared the room." Merle reasoned from his seat. Daryl glared at his brother.

"Yeah, well pardon me for doin' a little checkin' of my own." He shot back sarcastically. Merle finished Linney's leftovers with a smack of his lips and tossed the can across the room. Linney flinched a little at the clanking noise it made when it connected with the wall.

"Jesus, Merle! Are you tryin' to tell every one of them things we're here?" Merle waved his hand at his brother and got to his feet, sauntering casually over to the other bed. He threw himself down on the mattress and spoke from the pillows.

"Wake me for my shift." Linney stared at him and was surprised when she heard him snoring within a couple of minutes. Daryl turned the lantern off and then came around to the armchair and sat in it, pulling the blinds and curtains open a couple inches. In the dim light from the moon outside, she could see as he propped his feet up on her bed. He looked over and gestured towards her with his chin.

"You go to sleep now." She nodded and lay down; trying to find a way to sleep that didn't make her chest sing with pain. She lay there watching Daryl for a few minutes before he spoke.

"I know you're starin' at me." His voice was so quiet she could barely hear it.

"I can't sleep." She responded, just as quietly. Daryl folded his arms across his chest and looked over at her.

"Well, I ain't havin' no slumber party, quit starin' at me and go to sleep, kid." His voice was rough and she rolled her eyes at him before turning over onto her side and huffing out an exasperated breath.

"I'm not a kid." She muttered to herself. She thought she heard Daryl laugh once, quietly, but she wasn't sure and before she realized it, she was asleep.

_Linney sat on the toilet, playing with the flashlight in her hands. A shuffling noise from the bathtub drew her attention and she looked over to see the shower curtain rippling and shaking with whatever was behind it. Her stomach clenched and she reached for her panties, getting to her feet slowly. She pulled them up and tried to step away from the tub, but found her feet were stuck to the floor. She looked down at her jeans and saw they were gone. A pair of hands stuck out from the floor, holding her firmly in place. _

_She grunted and pulled harder, only to have the hands grip tighter. Panicking, Linney looked back at the curtain and saw her father's face peeking around it. His skin was dark and rotted, one of his eyes were missing and the gore inside made her insides swirl sickly. Crying now, she pulled harder, trying to get away. The hands gripped tighter and she felt the nails on them break her skin. She stared in horror as her blood began to pool out and onto the floor. _

_Linney struggled harder, crying out. Her father lumbered over the side of the tub and grabbed her neck. He started squeezing it tighter and tighter. Clawing at his hands, she moaned as his face sank closer to hers and he leaned down to kiss her cheek. She relaxed for a second before she realized that the kiss had turned hard, painful even. Linney started screaming as her dad bit into the soft skin on her face, calling her name softly in between bites. _

_Linney. Linney. Linney…_

"Linney!" Daryl's voice was anxious as he shook her awake, one hand gently placed on her shoulder. "Linney! Wake up – it's just a dream, wake up now." Linney opened her eyes with a gasp and looked around the dark room. She flinched away from the face looming so close to her own and almost fell off the bed. She closed her eyes tightly and pulled herself into a sitting position. Opening them again, she saw Daryl sitting on the side of her bed, the dark blue light from the night sky lighting him up enough for her to see the concern on his face.

She swallowed and reached blindly for the bottle of water she'd left beside Merle's bed when they first arrived in the room. She drank half of it in a few deep swallows.

"You ok?" He asked carefully. She nodded and turned away from him, her free hand pulling up handfuls of bedding and clenching it in her fingers.

"Nightmare?" Linney nodded at his question. Daryl placed a hand on her shoulder again and patted her gently. "It's alright now." She nodded again and lay back down as he moved to his watchful position by the window.

Linney curled her legs up and tried to push the dream memory of her dad eating her face from her mind. She let a few tears drip out of her eyes and felt them roll over her nose and down the side of her face, collecting on the pillow, making it damp. Daryl glanced over at her and whispered, "You sure you're ok?" She wiped angrily at her face and nodded again. Daryl watched her, his face expressionless.

"Your dad?" He asked. Linney nodded again, unable to bring herself to speak. Daryl narrowed his eyes and looked away. "It's alright, Linney, go back t' sleep, it's done." Linney didn't go to sleep right away though, she lay in bed and stared at the pillow next to her head for a long time, until finally her exhaustion pulled her under and she slept a dreamless sleep.

*****This is a shorter chapter, but I really wanted to have the first night play out in it's own segment - if there is a next one, it'll be longer! *****


	4. Chapter 4

*****LINNEY IS MY CREATION IN A UNIVERSE I DON'T OWN - THE WALKING DEAD IS NOT MINE AND I KNOW IT!*** Read and review, folks **

The morning came, bright and hot. Linney sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, looking around the small motel room. Merle was sitting at the armchair now, gazing placidly out the window. Linney glanced over at the other bed and saw Daryl laying on his side, his back to them.

"You know," she stated quietly, "I can stand watch too." Merle glanced over at her and raised his eyebrows before looking out the window again.

"You could try sometime, maybe." He answered. Linney didn't think that sounded too hopeful. She scooted down to the bottom of the bed and got to her feet, stretching the sleep from her joints. She looked over at the closed restroom door for a moment wondering if she'd be able to use it with the body in there. Her bladder told her she could, but her mind wouldn't let her go anywhere near it.

Merle got to his feet and spoke to her, "If you gotta go, I'd say next door is your best bet." She nodded over at him and checked that her knives were still in their sheaths. She stepped over the bags and unlocked the door that led to the room next door, opening it carefully, and found the door belonging to the other room behind it. She stood close and put her ear against it, listening. She didn't hear anything, but that didn't necessarily prove it was empty.

Linney glanced back over her shoulder at Merle and saw he was sitting with his feet propped up again, watching her intently. He shooed a hand in her direction.

"Go on, you got this." She nodded at his words and her stomach flip flopped. She pulled her largest knife out and put a hand on the door knob, turning it and easing it open slowly. The room was bright and stale; the curtains were wide open and the sun was beaming in strongly. A quick glance around the room didn't show any dangers. She left the door open wide and stepped into the other room, moving lightly on her feet.

It was obvious something had happened in here at one point, the bedding was torn and strewn about the room, bullet holes were in the far wall, and there were smears and splashes of blood all over. Linney breathed in and out slowly. It certainly smelled like one of them was in here. She peeked behind the furniture and under the beds and found nothing. She made her way over to the open door of the restroom and saw the shower curtain and rod had been pulled down, laying in a mess on the floor. The room was clear. She spun back towards the adjoining doors, preparing to let Merle know the room was clear when she heard the distinctive heavy breathing and slow shuffle of one of the dead moving around.

Her eyes darted to the closet, she saw the doors were shut, bloody handprints on the handles. She tapped lightly with the blade of her knife on the closet doors and heard the grumbling intensify. Linney took a few steps back and gave herself as much space as possible. She stood in a ready stance, swaying back and forth, counting down to five and trying to prep herself for what she knew must done.

"A dead one is a good one," she whispered to herself. Before she could chicken out, her hand darted out and yanked the door open. A short, heavy figure lumbered out and she swallowed hard, gripping the handle on her knife so hard that it squashed against her bones. The dead man in the closet had been shot multiple times in the chest and had bloody hands, as well as a bloody mouth. Grimacing, Linney dashed forwards and moved quickly, plunging the huge knife through his face. It was jarring against her wrist and she felt a spasm of disgust ripple through her body as his glazed eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed. She paused, hovering over him, catching her breath, trying to calm her hammering pulse before she had a heart attack.

Linney put a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes for a second, controlling her urge to vomit. She heard the sound of a slow clap and light chuckling from behind her. She whirled around to see Merle, leaning casually against the door frame. She held his eyes for a moment before dropping down in a quick curtsy. He laughed and shook his head, turning to go back into their room.

"Don't forget to grab that knife, sweetheart." He called over his shoulder. Linney felt herself grinning stupidly and reached down, yanking the knife out and cleaning it on the dead mans shirt. She drove it home at her hip and stepped over the dead man to use the restroom.

Sitting inside, she left the door open, thinking to herself that she would probably have issues with closed bathrooms for the rest of her life. She heard footsteps in the other room and then Daryl spoke from a few feet outside the door.

"You alright in there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'll be done in a sec."

"K, fine, we're packin' up." He said shortly. Linney finished and stepped over the dead man again on her way back to their room. Everyone was loaded up with bags and she saw hers sitting on the bed. Daryl held a hand out towards it.

"Didn't wanna touch it, risk you bitin' my head off again." He spoke in a sarcastic voice and she grabbed the bag and slung it on her back, making a face at him. She walked over to the head of the bed and grabbed her pillow and tucked it behind her back, crushed between the bag and herself. She moved over to the partially open door Merle was holding. He put a hand out to the door frame and blocked her way forward.

"Here," he began, handing her the pistol he'd taken yesterday, "You can have it back, but ya gotta promise me that you ain't gonna use it unless you really have to." She reached up and took it from him, nodding. His hand settled on her shoulder and he squeezed, forcing her to look up at him. His eyebrows were drawn together.

"Promise me." He growled. She nodded again and then cleared her throat and answered quietly, "Jeez, Merle, I promise." He inclined his head to her and yanked the door open, looking around and moving quickly to their vehicles. Daryl pushed Linney out after his brother and closed the door behind himself.

They trotted to the truck and Linney was relieved to see nothing around them. She passed her bag to Merle and he tossed it into the truck bed. They relieved themselves quickly of the bags they were carrying, dumping all the gear in the truck. Linney took her pillow and climbed inside through the passenger door. Daryl and Merle spoke for a moment before Merle climbed on his motorcycle and got it going. Daryl climbed up into the driver's seat easily and started the truck.

"We're pushin' pretty hard today, as far as we can get with the gas I got in here." He said, turning the wheel to follow Merle out of the cluttered parking lot. Linney nodded at him, saying, "Sounds good to me." She settled the pillow against her door and rested up against it, her feet up on the seat between them. They rode in silence for a long while, the only noise coming from the truck's engine and the further off rumble of Merle's bike.

"So, you killed one this morning." He stated suddenly, not looking over. Linney winced a little at the memory.

"Yeah, it was gross." She replied. Daryl shook his head, "Ya don't have to clear rooms like that, Merle shoulda done it. Next time -" She cut him off, tapping the tip of her shoe against his hip, he glanced over quickly.

"Next time, I'll do the exact same thing." Daryl shook his head at her answer.

"Nah, that's not true. You can't jump in thinkin' you can do everything, inexperience gets ya killed." Linney rolled her eyes at him and rolled her window down a bit, letting the warm breeze blow against her face and through her filthy hair.

"I've done fine so far. I'm not going to come running every time something freaks me out, how does that help anyone?" Daryl glanced over at her and then back at the road.

"I'm just sayin', you don't haveta prove nothin', if you need help, let me know, don't try to be some kind of asshole hero and get yourself killed just because Merle says it's ok." It was the most he'd spoken all at once and she realized that he very seriously meant what he was saying. She glanced up ahead and took in the sight of Merle smoking something as he drove along. By the smell wafting back at the truck, she knew what it had to be.

"Ew," she grimaced, rolling her window back up, "I hear you, I'll keep it mind, ok?" Daryl nodded and they continued on in silence.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

A few hours later, they stopped in a small neighborhood, to get some gas and take a break. Linney slid out of the truck carefully, her eyes darting around. Daryl grabbed a jerry can and loped off in the direction of a bunch of parked cars. Merle watched his brother go and then turned to Linney.

"Climb up there." He pointed up to the roof of the truck cab, "I'm gonna go watch his back, you watch everything else." She nodded and used the back wheel to climb into the truck bed, wading through their gear to scramble onto the roof. Linney stood up and watched the area carefully.

Merle trotted over to his brother and she saw he had another reason for leaving her there. He was taking something else from the haul of stuff he'd grabbed at her house. She grimaced and looked away, deciding that she shouldn't judge, she just hoped he wouldn't get too messed up and wreck his bike.

She watched Daryl move quickly from car to car, siphoning gas like he'd done it a million times. She paused thoughtfully, and considered that he may have, even before everything went to hell. He checked quickly in the trunks of a couple of the unlocked cars and took a few things, and came back with his arms fairly loaded down with loot. Daryl dropped the jerry can to the ground and tossed a couple sleeping bags, a shopping bag filled with food, and a first aid kit into the truck.

"Open that up and do something about your lip." He said gesturing at the red first aid kit. He grabbed the jerry can and opened up the gas tank of the truck. Linney crouched down and slid off the roof. She reached down and grabbed the bag, putting it on the hump over a back wheel. Kneeling down, she unzipped the bag and pulled out an alcohol wipe and swiped at her lip, hissing as it burned the wound splitting the side of it open.

"Clean it properly." Daryl's disembodied voice floated to her from over the side of the truck and she rolled her eyes in that direction. _Duh_, she thought, making a face. She grabbed a small tube of medicated ointment and dabbed it on the cut carefully. It cut the sting and numbed her lips where it touched. Wiping her hands on her pants, Linney zipped everything back up and pushed the kit to the floor. She stood up and looked around again.

"Where'd Merle go?" She asked, seeing that he was no longer in view anywhere. Daryl stood up, one hand twisting the gas cap back on. He looked around briefly.

"He's fine." Was all he said. Linney rolled her shoulders and looked around. Her eyes caught on something in the distance and she squinted, trying to see it more clearly. When she realized what the blob in the distance was, she quietly called Daryl's name. He looked up from Merle's bike, which he'd been gassing up. Seeing the look on her face, he trotted over quickly, leaving the jerry can on the ground.

"Look," she said, pointing in the distance in the direction they'd driven from, "What does that look like to you?" Daryl shielded his eyes and stood a moment, fixed on the group of figures moving towards them.

"Shit," he swore, quietly. He looked around and called out quietly, "Merle! Let's go!" Linney stood up straighter, looking around for the older man. She didn't see him anywhere and she could see the blob more distinctly now. It was a group of about 25 of the dead. Daryl grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the side of the truck.

"Jump down, now!" He whispered urgently. She stepped up on the edge of the truck bed and Daryl grabbed her waist, helping her to the ground. They stood next to each other and Daryl was sweating.

"What do we do? Where is Merle?" She asked quietly, her voice tense. He shook his head and looked around. Suddenly he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the nearest house.

"I don't know, but we have to hide, quick." They ran towards the rancher nearest to the truck and Daryl boosted her up onto the roof of the porch. He swung up easily and moved to climb up onto the roof of the house, dragging her along after him.

"Lay down!" He urged. She dropped down onto the hot roof, the tarry smell making her feel woozy. They lay silently, side by side on the roof, and watched in horror as the pack of dead things made their way up to the truck and swarmed past it, slowly. Linney was urgently looking around for Merle, she couldn't see him anywhere. Daryl had his eyes fixed on the group, as he breathed in and out, slowly and quietly. Movement caught her eye and she saw Merle step out around the corner of a house across the street. She flinched hard and before she could say anything, Daryl snaked his arm around her head and held his hand over her mouth. He looked over at her and held her eyes, shaking his head slightly.

Linney's eyes darted over to Merle who stood still for a moment before realizing what was in the street around him. He dropped quickly into a crouch and reversed course, heading back around the side of the house. She watched as he hunched over, silently evaluating the scene before him. The moment he saw them on the roof he backed up completely and disappeared around the house. Linney's heart hammered in her chest as two of the dead broke off from the pack to meander towards the house Merle had gone behind. She knew they must have heard something, but their movements were slow and curious, rather than predatory, and she prayed that would be a distinction that wouldn't draw the rest of the group.

Daryl lay tense beside her, his arm frozen around her neck, his hand clutching at her face. The pressure on her lip hurt, but she was too terrified to say anything. Her whole body grew limp when she saw Merle pop his head up on the roof across the street. He pulled himself along quietly and lay in the middle of it, watching the crowd as they did. The two that had gone to look behind the house never emerged and Linney wondered if he'd killed them.

The three of them lay on their respective roofs and watched as the pack made it's way down the street and, finally, out of sight. When it was clear that they were completely gone, Daryl released her face and flopped over on his back, closing his eyes against the glare of the sun. Linney lay her head on her hands for a few minutes until Daryl's boot poked her leg. She turned on her side to see him on his feet, towering over her. He extended a hand down to her.

"Come on, let's get out of here." She nodded and he pulled her up. They made their way carefully to the edge of the roof where he hopped down to the top of the porch and turned around to help her. She dropped to her behind and slid down to the next roof on her own, standing next to him. She glanced up at his face and saw him rolling his eyes and smirking. He hung down over the edge of this roof, his feet finding the railing easily. He dropped down to the ground and turned to her.

"Let me help you this time, don't be stupid." His voice was low and serious. She nodded and turned around, laying on her stomach and clutching the roof with her arms and hands as she lowered her body over the side. She was worried about getting down suddenly, having visions of crushing Daryl or breaking her neck. She felt an arm wrap around her knees and squeeze tightly.

"K, just let go, I gotcha." She heard Daryl's voice and breathed in slowly before releasing her death grip on the roof. Daryl held her up by the knees and used his other arm to steady her at the waist before lowering her quickly to the ground. She shook her limbs out and chuckled nervously. Daryl was already heading towards the street.

"Merle!" He called softly. Linney trotted after him and almost kissed the truck when they got back to it. "Merle!" Daryl called again, heading towards the house that his brother had taken refuge on top of. He turned and pointed at the truck.

"Get inside and shut the door." His commanded, his voice tight. Linney nodded and climbed into the truck, sitting anxiously in her seat as she watched Daryl sling his crossbow into his hands while he slunk around the side of the house. She waited for a few minutes, growing more and more nervous. Finally, she decided she'd had enough and put her hand on the door to open it. Before she pushed it open, the two men emerged from behind the house, Merle with a huge grin on his face, weaving slightly.

Linney's heart sank when she saw the bottle of liquor in his hand. Daryl looked supremely pissed off and Linney climbed out of the truck. She slammed the door behind herself and stood with her hands on her hips. Daryl shoved his brother away from himself and Merle stumbled a bit before falling to sit hard on the ground. He grinned stupidly up at her.

"God dammit, Merle!" She spoke angrily, images of her father in her head. He dipped his head at her and shook the bottle at her.

"Wan' some?" He asked drunkenly. She glared at him and pushed the bottle away from her leg before stomping over to Daryl, who was putting the jerry can back in the truck.

"How much did he have?" She asked him angrily. Linney felt her jaw tighten and scowled at Daryl like it was his fault. He shrugged in the face of her irritation and she shoved his shoulder. He spun towards her and nearly shouted, "Hey! Don't you take this out on me, he's the asshole who got wrecked, not me!" She gaped at him in disbelief.

"He's your brother!" She spat out. Daryl drew his eyebrows down as he narrowed his eyes at her. He pointed a finger at her chest.

"I didn't do this to 'em, he's a big boy and he must've found a bottle at that house back there." Linney put her hands on her hips again and paced for a moment before angrily stalking back over to Merle.

"What did you take, Merle?" She asked him, her voice quiet and serious. He held up a finger, and then dug in his pockets, pulling out a little baggie. He shook it at her.

"A lil of this," then he laughed in his gravelly way and held the bottle up towards her. "An' a lot of this!" Linney snatched the baggie from his hand and looked at it closely before throwing it back at Merle's head. She turned on her heel to go yell at Daryl some more and nearly banged into him. He was standing behind her, glaring at his brother, his face a mixture of anger, regret, and frustration. Linney grabbed her braid and pulled on it absent-mindedly. Calming down in the face of Daryl's apparent upset, Linney re-thought her next actions.

"He's high as a kite, and mixed with alcohol, he's totally fucking useless for the next 12 hours or so." She explained quietly to Daryl. His eyes moved to her face and he narrowed them at her again.

"How d'you know?" He asked suspiciously. Linney huffed out a breath of frustration and shoved him in the arm this time.

"Shut up, Daryl. I don't have anything to do with that shit, I've just seen enough of what it does." He nodded and rubbed his arm for a second before moving to stand next to her.

"Sorry." He said, as they both stood glaring down at Merle, who was sprawled out on the ground, half snoring, half-chuckling to himself in some kind of internal conversation. Linney nodded and then kicked Merle in the foot.

"Wake up, asshole." She demanded. Merle slit his eyes open and smiled at her.

"Don' be so mad at ole Merle, sweetheart." He slurred. Daryl reached down and hefted his brother to his feet, dragging him over to the passenger-side door and cramming him in the truck cab. He slammed the door and pointed at his brother through the window angrily.

"Don't do nothin' Merle, just stay there til we find a place for the night." Daryl growled. Merle nodded vaguely before tipping over on his side and laying across the seats. Linney folded her arms across her chest and turned towards the house they'd hidden on top of. She gestured with one hand at it, her features still tight with irritation.

"Let's go clear it, this day's shot to shit and we may as well get comfortable." Daryl glanced over at her, nodded, and together they jogged towards the house.


	5. Chapter 5

***** I own nothing and all that stuff, Linney is my creation but nothing else belongs to me and I don't benefit from it! *****

The house was surprisingly empty. Linney and Daryl moved slowly through every room, including the basement, checking closets and bathrooms along the way. When they reached the main bath, Linney had swept the shower curtain aside while holding her breath. When all she was greeted with was shining porcelain, she chuckled nervously and turned back to see Daryl smiling.

Back at the truck, they both helped Merle out of the passenger seat and across the street, into the house. Daryl pushed his brother down onto the large bed in the master bedroom and they left him there to sleep off his drunken high. Linney crisscrossed the space between the house and the truck with Daryl, helping him cart their gear inside. When the doors were closed and locked, they split up, moving in different directions through the house, making sure all the windows were closed and locked, and all the curtains were pulled closed.

When Linney reached the master bedroom, she tiptoed across the room to shut the window above the bed. Merle was sprawled out on his back, snoring with his mouth open. She pinched her lips together, trying to decide how best to reach the window without waking him. Kneeling on the bed was the only option and she reached up past Merle to grab the window and slid it shut. The lock closed easily and she drew the curtains closed, before climbing slowly off the bed, trying not to disturb it's occupant.

"Ya know, I got a kid, I ever tell ya that?" Merle mumbled from the bed. Linney jerked to a stop and turned around to find Merle squinting at her from his prone position on the bed. She walked slowly back to his side and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You don't say." She muttered. Merle nodded vaguely, his eyes opening and closing a few times as he smacked his lips. "Yeah, she'd be older n' you though." Linney stood still, staring down at him, not sure what to say.

"Her mom was just some bitch, ya know the kind, dime a dozen at any shithole bar." Linney cleared her throat and said, "That's nice. What happened to her, your daughter?" Merle lay still for a moment before answering, in a slurred whisper.

"Only met her the once…just a lil kid then. Bitch never let me see 'er." Linney sat slowly on the edge of the bed, feeling bad for the drunk in front of her. "She was smart, better n' me, ya know? Coulda been better, at least." He rolled over on his side and his snores started again, quietly. Linney reached a hand out, almost put it on his shoulder, but changed her mind and got to her feet.

She paused at the door and looked back at Merle. "What happened to her?" She asked in a voice so quiet it was nearly a whisper. She didn't expect an answer and was two steps into the hallway when she heard him answer her.

"She's dead, wha d'you think? She's dead." Linney closed her eyes and turned back to pull the door closed, leaving Merle to his dreams and his stupor.

Walking back into the living room she arrived just in time to see Daryl return from the kitchen. He threw himself down on the couch with a huff. He glanced up at her and smirked.

"No food, no water; these people ran and took it all with 'em." He explained flatly. Linney went back into the kitchen herself, just to confirm it. She dug around in the pantry, in all the cupboards, and all she came up with was a 6 pack of orange soda. She carried it back into the living room and tossed it down onto the couch next to Daryl. He looked down at them and smiled and then scowled at her for a moment.

"You shook 'em all up now." Rolling her eyes, Linney sat in the large, puffy armchair across from the couch, putting her feet up and over the side. Daryl tore the box open and tossed her a can, grabbing one for himself as well. They each popped them open and Linney sighed when her can did indeed foam up and over the sides, dribbling onto her shirt. Shaking the drops off her hand she held the can out to Daryl.

"Cheers?" He looked at her like she was crazy before reaching his can out and clinking it against the side of hers. They sipped at the sugary drink for a few minutes, the house silent. When Linney was done, she put the can on the floor next to the chair and really looked around the house. The décor was beautiful, matching, fresh, and new. She marveled at it and wondered how much it must have cost. Her nose crinkled when she thought about money.

"What?" Daryl asked, watching her face. She turned to look at him and smiled ruefully.

"I was just thinking about money. Spent my whole life wishing we had more, and now I can have as much as I want. I can own anything I want." Daryl leaned back on the couch and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Not much point, is there?" He replied. Linney shrugged and looked around the room again, finally laying her head back on the other arm of the chair, so she was staring up at the ceiling.

"It's just a thought," She chuckled, her eyes fixed on the flat white ceiling, "Don't suppose I can cart around a new mattress with me now, anyway." She laced her fingers together and rested them on her stomach. She heard Daryl moving around on the couch and suddenly he was there, standing over her head, looking down at her, his face upside down in her vision.

"One of the rooms here was for a girl, 'bout your age I guess. I shut the window in there." He pointed back towards the hallway and Linney sat up. She looked to the hallway and then back to Daryl's face. He shrugged and moved back to the couch.

"Just thought you might want some clean stuff, your clothes are a wreck, all covered in blood and they don't smell so good neither." He lay back on the couch and put an arm over his eyes. Linney got to her feet slowly and looked down at her clothes. They were stained beyond repair, dirty and torn. Casting an irritated glance over at Daryl, she sniffed her shirt and realized he wasn't being a jerk, she really didn't smell good at all.

Linney turned away slowly and walked towards the bedroom, she knew it by the nameplate on the door, pink, with rhinestones in each corner. "Cara" it read, in large sparkling letters. Linney pushed the door open and realized immediately that Cara was (or had been) around 13, five years younger than Linney. She paused for a moment and thought about the season and realized she'd be 19 in a couple weeks, if she had the passage of time correct in her head.

Shaking her head, Linney walked into the room regardless and looked around. Cara liked pink, and rainbows, and sparkles. Linney paused in front of a movie poster; sparkly vampires, too. Cara read a lot of books, about magic and make-believe. Linney inspected the shelving in the room, decorated with knick knacks and sweetly framed pictures. Cara had a lot of friends. Linney picked up a framed photo of a group of preteen girls, all dressed up, crowded into a limo. She knew Cara as the same girl who was in all the other pictures. She didn't understand the life that Cara had led, but she understood it was definitely over and she was suddenly much more depressed. Linney tossed the picture onto the bedspread (pink to match everything else) and turned away.

Standing at the dresser, Linney got a good look at her face and grimaced. Her bottom lip was fat on one side, like she was pouting. The gash through it was red and angry. It was nothing compared to the big fat bruise she had running from her top lip to her eye. _From when Merle smacked me_, she thought, poking at it gently. Her eyes were less bloodshot, but the darkness underneath them hadn't changed. I really don't belong in here, she thought with a small chuckle, looking from her bruised, filthy appearance to the clean, bright, pink room all around her.

She moved towards the closet and opened it up and stared in disbelief at the wall of clothes inside. Floor to ceiling shelves, each section with its own designated purpose, and two rows of clothes on hangers. Linney spun around and eyed the three large dressers in the room and wondered how Cara managed to wear so much clothing before she inevitably grew out of it.

Linney realized that she and Cara were pretty nearly the same size and sighed heavily, glad she was in here alone. She would have to omit Cara's age from any retellings of this. She'd been bugged about her size her entire life, and standing at exactly 5'2, she knew she was short. When she was younger, close to Cara's age, she'd been embarrassed about her size, even though she'd been slim her entire life. She found that pictures of her mother were comforting to her when she saw the same slender figure there as in the mirror.

When she hit puberty, her father had started to avoid her more than normal. The curves that had developed, seemingly overnight, had irritated her and scared him; she was no longer a kid, she was something else altogether and the absence of her mother was much more palpable for them both. Linney shook her head, bringing herself back to the now, disturbed by how easy it was for her to drift away in her mind these days.

After digging around in the closet, Linney discovered that the clothing in there was a little more fussy than she was used to and she moved to the dressers, pulling out clean underthings, thick, clean white socks, and a clean pair of jeans. She changed out of her filthy clothes, carefully transferring the picture of her parents into the new pants. Pulling on the clean socks was heaven. She felt wonderful. Pulling her sneakers back on, Linney then reattached all the straps for her knives and pulled her own worn leather belt off her blood-stained jeans, to wear on the clean pair she had on now. Linney reached back into the drawers and withdrew a grey, cotton tank top, pulling it over her bruised chest carefully.

After liberally applying the deodorant she'd found, she tucked it into her back pocket to take with her. Linney helped herself to a blue hoodie in the closet, tying it around her waist for now, and turned to walk out of the room. Cara's cosmetics caught her eye and she saw a spray bottle of dry shampoo. She snatched it off the dresser and grabbed a hairbrush that was next to it.

Linney trotted back to Daryl in the living room and found him reading a magazine, his face twisted in disgust. He threw it to the ground when she walked in, and a glance at the cover told her it was a gossip magazine.

"Doing a little light reading?" She asked, tossing herself back down onto the armchair. Daryl levelled a stern face at her and nodded at the things in her hands.

"What're those?" She held the bottle of dry shampoo up and wiggled it in his direction.

"This is wonderful, is what it is." She said and yanked the elastic off her braid, pulling the strands apart. She winced as she brushed her hair, the snarls and snags making her want to hurl the brush across the room. She shook the bottle and sprayed the contents all over her hair, lifting sections up and liberally applying it along her roots.

Daryl was wearing a skeptical face as he watched the procedure. She nodded at him, "You should use some, its dry shampoo." He made a face and leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Not a chance." He said. Linney shrugged and brushed her hair again, smoothing it back, and re-braiding it carefully down the centre of her head, the tail of it falling just below her shoulder blades.

"There." She said with utter satisfaction. "I feel a lot less disgusting." Daryl raised an eyebrow at her, indicating it didn't seem like a big deal to him. Linney put the products on the floor next to the chair and curled her legs up underneath herself on the chair. Daryl lay back on the couch again, his head on the pile of flowered pillows there. Resting on the arm of the chair she enjoyed the companionable silence. Every now and then she could hear Merle snore from the other side of the house.

"You don't think him snoring will attract any of those dead things, do you?" She asked Daryl, her face lined with sudden worry. He turned his head on the pillows to look at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"Serves 'im right if they do." He replied casually. Linney gaped at him until he winked and then looked up at the ceiling again. She smiled and relaxed; if Merle snoring was a problem, she had no doubt that Daryl wouldn't have hesitated to toss him in the basement. Linney twisted her head, allowing her braid to slide over her shoulder. She grabbed it and squeezed it absent-mindedly.

"Daryl," she began, "did you know that Merle had a kid?" Daryl face was frozen for a moment before he let it fall into a more laidback expression. He nodded. She played with the end of the braid for a moment and then looked over at him again.

"He woke up when I was shutting the window, told me she was dead." Daryl nodded again, saying nothing. After a few moments, when Linney had mentally moved onto a different topic altogether, Daryl said quietly, "She died; her mom turned 'n got her." Linney's face felt frozen in a mask of horror, realizing how closely that resembled her own story.

"Jesus, Daryl…" She trailed off. Daryl sat up, bracing his elbows on his knees. He nodded, his face blank.

"Merle found her first, and then came to get me. He wasn't right for a while, s'why he wanted to get your dad's stash." Linney looked over her shoulder, as if she could see straight into Merle's head from there.

"Don't talk to him 'bout it though, got it? He'll just get pissed. I'm surprised he said anything to you." Daryl warned her off, a serious expression on his face. Linney nodded, that matched up pretty closely with her own plan to never mention the moment of weakness to the man who hated weakness, and she got up to walk around, her joints feeling tight and restless. She walked away from Daryl, back into the kitchen, pausing at the basement door. She thought she remembered seeing a few cupboards around the bar down there and wondered if there might be some more food.

"I'm just going to go downstairs, look around, see if I can find any food or something." Linney walked back into the living room and grabbed the large flashlight from the backpack next to the coffee table. Daryl cracked an eye open and looked up at her when she spoke and then nodded and rolled onto his side, facing away from her.

Linney flicked the flashlight on and off a couple times, making sure it worked and pulled the basement door open, in the kitchen. Shining the light down the stairs, she was again reminded of how pleased she was that it was a plushly finished basement. An unfinished basement would have been a little too much for her jumpy nerves.

Making her way slowly downstairs, she reminded herself again that she and Daryl had checked the basement and there was nothing hiding down here. At the bottom of the stairs, the room was mostly visible, thanks to the two small windows, high up on the walls. Linney looked around at the tastefully decorated, comfortable room. It was some kind of entertainment room. She stared in disbelief at the television hung from the wall like art. It was the biggest tv she had ever seen. She walked slowly over to it and touched a hand to it, feeling the smooth surface on her fingers.

Linney shook her head and wandered over to the bar area. She found a lot of liquor there, and with a thought to Merle upstairs, she started opening up all the bottles she could get her hands on, dumping them into the sink. When everything was empty, she stacked all the bottles in the sink and wiped her hands on the small towel hanging by the sink. He wouldn't get more to drink from this house.

She pulled open drawers and cupboards in and around the bar and was pleased when she started finding things. Clearly when this family had packed to go, they hadn't considered their recreational area. Linney found a case of water, a pack of juice boxes, bags of chips and pretzels, cans of nuts, bags of candy, and a jar of olives. Her mouth watered staring at the huge jar she'd found on a shelf. She was pretty sure they didn't need refrigeration until after they'd been opened and she hadn't eaten an olive in longer than she could remember.

Linney decided she needed to bring this all upstairs and walked over to the storage room she and Daryl had found earlier. She shone the light around until she saw a pile of luggage and pulled a duffel bag into her hands. On her way out, she saw a shelving unit packed floor to ceiling with camping gear. Linney paused. As her light trailed over the stuff there she grew excited. Really good camping gear!

She began to grab things, dragging them out to the entertainment room. Air mattresses, huge family-sized tents, thick, high quality sleeping bags, even special camping sized pillows. She carried over lanterns, a box filled with little propane canisters, a brand new camp stove, cookware, dishes, utensils. There was so much that as Linney labored, back and forth between the shelf in the concrete storage room and the heap building outside, she was working up a sweat, but excited at the same time.

When she'd grabbed all she thought they'd need, she sat on the cold, concrete floor of the storage room, her legs sprawled out in front of her, soaking up the cool relief from the heat that the floor provided. As she lay there, she looked off to the side of the shelving unit she'd plundered and saw a huge deep freeze sitting there. She frowned when she realized the lid looked funny.

Linney climbed to her feet and saw it moving up and down. She took a step closer, pulling her knife out in her other hand. Something inside was pushing at the lid. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, knowing she would find one of _them_ inside. She reached out with the knife hand and unclasped the handle, pulling the lid up quickly.

When the beam from her flashlight shone at the contents of the freezer, her heart sank and her stomach turned. She'd found Cara.


	6. Chapter 6

***** I own nothing and all that stuff, Linney is my creation but nothing else belongs to me and I don't benefit from it! *****

Linney was frozen completely still for a few seconds. The girl in the freezer groaned and reached for her, a far cry from the pretty blond in the pictures upstairs. There was a huge bite on the girl's neck, and Linney was willing to bet anything that after the girl had been bitten, and died, that her family had put her body in the freezer. It was easy to remember that when things really started to go to hell, the morgues, hospitals and paramedics had stopped being groups anyone could count on for help, leaving people to fend for themselves; to deal with their dead by themselves.

Moving quickly, Linney thrust her knife into Cara's forehead, wincing at the sound it made as it tore through to her brain. The girl went still and sagged back into the freezer. Her parents had obviously not known about hitting the brain, perhaps thinking that locking her in a cold freezer would keep her from turning. Linney wiped the blade off on a ski jacket hanging on a hook next to the freezer, unable to tear her eyes from the body. Feeling somewhat sad, she closed the freezer door, latching it shut again. She had enjoyed imagining that the girl and her family had escaped and were starting over at a refugee camp somewhere.

When her knife was put away again, she walked quickly from the room, shutting the door softly behind her. She was greeted by the large stack of camping equipment in the middle of the carpeted room. She sighed and grabbed the duffle bag, carrying it over to the bar to load up all the food and drink she had located for them. Back upstairs, in the warm living room, she found Daryl sorting through the bag of weapons he'd taken from her father's closet.

"I found one of them down there." She said softly, dropping the bag on the floor. Daryl jerked up in surprise, appraising her quickly. She held up a hand to stay his concern.

"It's dead, I'm fine." She told him. He nodded and looked at her for a few moments longer, clearly still concerned. Linney moved back into the armchair, absently wiping the blood on her hand onto the side of the chair, marring the soft tan fabric. She met Daryl's eyes and bit her lip before sighing.

"It was the little girl, the one who lived here." Daryl nodded, his face twitching momentarily with the reflex of sadness that she knew one day would leave them all, once the amount of death started to numb them permanently. He bent back down to the bag, examining a shotgun closely. Linney looked at her hands in her lap.

"Her name was Cara." She offered. Daryl nodded without looking up and said, "Not that it matters anymore." Linney clenched her teeth at the harshness of his words, but eventually decided he was right. What did it matter what her name was? She was just a body in a freezer, a body that had died twice.

Linney watched calmly while Daryl sorted the weapons out. He explained to her what each one was as he went, how it should be used, what ammo it might need, if any. She nodded throughout the lesson. She hadn't asked him for the information, but he apparently had decided she needed it.

When he had the bag rearranged to his satisfaction, he excused himself to go check on Merle.

"Gotta make sure that dumb bastard hasn't choked on his own puke." He grumbled as he left the room. Linney laughed aloud. Somehow she was absolutely certain that it would require a lot more than puke to take down Merle Dixon. She got up after a couple of minutes and decided to start carrying the camping gear upstairs, just for something to do.

Back down in the basement, she walked past the pile of gear and stood in front of the storage room door, her hand resting on the handle. Her mind drifted to the girlish bedroom upstairs. She thought about how hard such a horrible change in the world would have seemed to a girl with a room like that. Cara was used to everything being perfect and tidy and pretty in her life. Something like the dead rising to eat the living would have driven a girl like that crazy. She felt sad for Cara, for what her final days alive must have been like.

Linney stared at the white door for a while, until she heard noise behind her and turned to see Daryl descending the stairs. He nodded at her and moved towards the pile of gear.

"How's Merle?" She asked him. He didn't look up as he responded, "He's fine, and I wouldn't waste time worryin' about him, if I were you." Linney moved away from the door, hoping he wouldn't ask any questions about why she'd been hovering outside it.

"We can definitely get some use out of this stuff." He said abruptly, after perusing the pile for a few minutes. Linney considered finding the loot the high point of the day. They made a few trips to get everything back up the stairs, Daryl leaving behind the things he said they wouldn't need.

As the sun began to set, they ate a dinner of chips and beef jerky, followed up with orange soda. Linney made a point of taking a soda, a bottle of water and a small plate of food into the bedroom to leave on the nightstand for Merle, who didn't move while she was in there.

Before she left the room she stood by the door again, staring at the dark outline of his shape, sprawled on the bed. She couldn't say she liked him. She wasn't absolutely sure she could trust him, although she was growing more and more certain that he wouldn't let her die purposefully. One thing she felt sure of was that her decision to ambush him and bribe him into letting her travel with them was the best choice she'd ever made.

When the sun finally disappeared outside, Daryl had insisted all the lights be turned off, and pulled the curtains open about a foot.

"You're gonna have to take a shift watchin', with Merle being down." Linney nodded. Daryl pointed at the window. "We need to keep an eye on what's goin' on out there." She moved to sit on the couch next to him, pressing her stomach up against the back of it so she could see outside.

"The back yard is fully fenced, n' it's locked up, none of them are gettin' in that way." He gestured out front again. "But the front…" He paused and she said it for him, "The front is where they _could_ get in." She could feel that her eyes were huge when she turned to look at him and he held her frightened, wide-eyed gaze for a moment. Finally, Daryl nodded and gestured at the couch.

"Go to sleep, I'll take first watch." Linney nodded at him and began to lie down and then paused and looked up at him warily.

"What?" He asked, his voice belligerent. Linney narrowed her eyes at him before sitting up again and pointing a finger at him.

"You're not going to wake me up! You're going to let me sleep all night and take the whole watch yourself." She spoke with conviction, gesturing at him. He shook his head at her and waved a hand in her direction, urging her to lie down.

"Just go t' sleep." He ordered. She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest in refusal. They stared each other down in the dark room, only the light from the night sky providing visibility.

"You go to sleep first," she said calmly, "I'll take first watch and wake you up in a few hours." He glared at her and then shrugged.

"Fine, whatever - have fun." His voice was irritated and Linney smiled as he lay down on his end of the couch, immediately turning to face the living room, away from her. Sitting by his feet, Linney made herself more comfortable, leaning an elbow on the back of the couch so she could rest her head in her hand.

As the night wore on she saw more and more of the dead emerge, moving slowly up and down the street. After the first few she saw, she stopped getting jumpy. She watched them paw at the truck, almost languidly, as if they smelled remnants of the living on it, but not enough to cause a stampede. A few of them wandered onto the lawn of the house they were in, but they mostly stared stupidly at the ground, a few glanced towards the house, but she stayed absolutely still, secure in the knowledge that the darkness provided ample cover.

Daryl turned out to be a fairly restless sleeper, albeit a silent one. He jerked and kicked in his sleep, occasionally connecting his boots with her shin or ankles, making her rearrange herself to stay out of his way. She knew they could have chosen to sleep elsewhere, but she felt sure that he needed to know there was someone alive nearby, as much as she did. The kind of comfort another living, breathing person provided, simply by being there.

Linney woke Daryl up after he been asleep for six hours, reasoning that if she got less sleep than he did, it would be fine since she could sleep in the truck. Climbing down off the couch she crouched by his head and shook him gently by the shoulder.

"Daryl," She whispered, "Daryl wake up, it's your turn." He opened his eyes and sleepily glared at her. Before he could move she grabbed his arm and leaned closer to his face. "There are a whole bunch of them out there; they get real active at night apparently, probably because it's not so hot." He nodded and she moved back carefully, staying low to the ground. He crawled off the couch and sat on the floor next to her. He leaned over and spoke in her ear, his breath warm and tickling.

"Any of 'em try to get in? Come up to the window?" He voice was so quiet she had to strain to hear it and she shook her head.

"No, some stood on the lawn, a couple times one or two of them would look over at the window, but none of them have come near." Daryl nodded and crawled to the end of the couch, taking up the position she'd been in. He gestured at the spot he'd slept in and his expression brooked no argument. Linney nodded at him, not intending to argue. She pulled on her hoodie, zipped it up, and then climbed up on the couch and lay on her side, curled up. It took her only a few minutes to fall deeply asleep.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

_The street was empty. It was the middle of the night and the street was empty. That didn't make sense, weren't there dozens of them out here before? Linney looked up from the truck she'd been leaning against and peered around the street which was dimly lit up by the moon. Where was everyone? Why was she outside? She spun around and saw the house. Checking again that there were no dead around, she headed towards the house, her limbs moving slowly, stiffly. The night was silent and she felt the absence of sound pressing down on her ears, making her feel like the quiet might crush her._

_When she got to the house, she found the door locked. Why would Daryl leave her out here? How did she manage to get out of the house without him noticing? Had something happened? She tried to turn the knob again, but her hand only fumbled against it. _

_Frustrated, she pulled her hands back and made her way over towards the living room window. She peered inside and saw nothing, just an empty room. Their gear was gone, Daryl was gone. Had they left her while she slept? When she backed away from the window, she saw a fleeting image reflected next to her face in the glass. Someone was behind her. _

_Linney's hands dropped to her waist, instinctively going for her knives, but there was nothing there. She turned and saw the dark figure of a man standing several feet away from her, pointing a weapon at her. She tried to call out for help, to call for Daryl, for Merle, for her father, but all she could manage was a low, throaty groan. The figure moved forward and she prepared to attack, hunching over. _

_Right before she was about to lunge, the man stepped into a beam of moonlight and she realized the man was Daryl. He was pointing his crossbow at her head and his face was twisted with anger and grief. _

_Linney stood up straighter and reached for him, trying to say his name, trying to make him recognize her before it was too late. When she looked down at her hands, at her arms, she saw putrefying flesh, rotted skin stretched over bones and gore. She tried to scream and only a rasping moan escaped her dead lungs. She was a monster. She was one of _them_. She looked back up Daryl, and she saw him squeeze his eyes shut._

_Right before he shot the bolt at her head, he spoke softly, "Please forgive me."_

Linney woke up with a gasp and nearly started shrieking when she felt the great weight of someone holding her tightly, a leg draped over her own to hold hers still. An arm was tucked under her body, wrapping around her front, holding her arms to her chest, that hand gripping her forearm securely. A second hand was pressed over her mouth tightly and she struggled, still in a half-stupor from the dream.

"Shh, Linney it's me, shut up and be still." Linney froze, her mind trying to figure out what was happening. Daryl had slid down beside her on the couch, his head on the pillow next to hers, whispering in her ear. His back was against the back of the couch, her back pressed up to his chest. He had an arm over the top of her body, around her shoulder, clutching at her face, keeping her quiet.

"You were cryin' in your sleep, I couldn't get you to wake up." He whispered, his voice a thread of sound in her ear. She nodded slightly against his hand. "A couple of 'em heard it, I think." Linney shuddered at the notion and nodded again. Daryl continued on slowly.

"One minute nothin' was there, next second, two of 'em walk up to the side of the window. Nearly shit myself. Barely had time to drop down here to try n' shut you up." He removed his hand from her mouth and she lay still. Linney could hear them at the window, the rasp of their skin on the glass, the low groans and growls. They were looking for some sign of life. She and Daryl lay on the couch, the one place in the room that the dead wouldn't be able to see them from the angle of the window.

"If we stay quiet long enough, they should lose interest n' go away." Linney nodded and didn't move, terrified to even risk a whisper back at him. Daryl rested the hand that had been covering her mouth, on top of her own hands, which were clutched together under her chin, on her chest. She was desperately trying to get them to stop shaking and when his larger hand rested on top of them, he squeezed them reassuringly.

"Quit shakin' like that you little coward, you'll shake the whole couch. They'll know we're in here for sure." Linney was hurt for a second before she felt him vibrating with silent laughter. _He's making fun of you, you idiot._ Linney laughed silently along with him and lay still, feeling comforted by the weight of his arm over her shoulders, holding her hands, of being hugged against him. She wasn't sure how it was possible, but she managed to fall asleep again, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest on her back, as he breathed in and out.


	7. Chapter 7

***** I own nothing and all that stuff, Linney is my creation but nothing else belongs to me and I don't benefit from it! *****

The next morning came, hot and uncomfortable. Linney shifted irritably on the couch, feeling like she was lying in a sauna. When she opened her eyes, she had to blink a few times before she was able to see past the bright sunlight coming through the window. She was lying on her back on the couch, alone. Turning her head slightly to the side, she saw Merle sitting in the armchair across from the couch, his face tired and his eyes fixed on her.

Linney pushed herself up and gave him a weak smile, "Morning." She managed. He nodded at her and replied in his crusty voice, "Mornin'." Linney looked down and realized she was zipped up in her hoodie. Grimacing in disgust she unzipped it quickly and tore it off irritably, tossing it to the couch next to her. She looked over at Merle and realized he was still watching her. Cranky from the heat, she made a face at him and demanded, "What?" Merle leaned back in the armchair and gave her an evaluating look. She raised her eyebrows at him and he smirked. Linney got to her feet and tied the hoodie around her waist.

"Fine, whatever, let me know when you feel like talking again, Sleeping Beauty." She stomped past him and he reached out and snatched her arm, stopping her. She tensed up, expected him to yell but he only smiled drily at the name and then asked, "Did I say something to you, yesterday?" Linney immediately smoothed her face out, to hide the lie she knew she'd have to tell. She held his blue eyes and shook her head, Daryl's warning to never mention Merle's daughter running through her mind.

Merle nodded slowly, suspiciously. "You sure? 'Cause damned if I don't remember chatting with you about somethin'." Linney decided to steer the situation away from a serious topic. She shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly.

"Well, you did apologize to me." Merle's face twitched in mild shock, before he exclaimed, "For what!" Linney laughed and said, "For pissing yourself after you got down off that roof." He leapt to his feet and as a reflex looked down at his crotch in mild alarm, then towards her, his face warring with whether or not to believe her. Linney tried to hold it together, but his mounting anxiety about it was too funny and she finally let a small grin slip out. Merle saw it and his brow drew down.

"You little shit." He said in disbelief. Linney started to laugh and luckily so did Merle. He clapped her on the back and shoved her towards the hallway, "A'right, A'right, go on and get ready to leave, we wasted enough time watchin' you sleep." Linney chuckled and trotted into the hallway.

As she glanced over her shoulder to shoot Merle one last cocky grin she banged directly into Daryl when she wasn't looking. He was knocked back a step in surprise, having just turned out of the bathroom door into the hall, directly into her path. Linney rebounded off his chest and fell to her butt on the ground. He impassively looked down at her as she blinked up at him from the ground and then he reached down without saying a word, grabbed her forearm, and hauled her to her feet.

"Sorry." She mumbled and Daryl shrugged. He moved around her, into the living room and she stood for a moment in the baking hallway wondering why the encounter made her feel bad for some reason. She shook her head and walked into the bathroom, to use the stinking facilities before they left.

After applying more deodorant, Linney went quickly into Cara's room and grabbed a bunch of underthings and tank tops, to change into over the next few days if she wanted to. When she thought back to her involvement with Cara, she wished she'd never gone into the bedroom the first time. She decided the only way to avoid weird emotional entanglements with dead people and their things from now on, was to avoid their bedrooms. This armful of clothes would help her avoid the bedrooms of others.

"At least until I quit have feelings about everything," she mumbled to herself. The front door was open and she could see Merle and Daryl taking trips out to the truck, piling everything on the ground next to it. They had a lot more gear than they did before. Linney knelt to her own backpack and crammed her bundle of clean clothing into the bag. She stooped and slipped it onto her shoulder and checked to make sure she had all weapons in their proper places. She grabbed the duffel bag of food from the day before as well and staggered out the door with her load of gear. She nearly bumped into Merle as she charged out the door and he steadied her, grabbing her shoulders to keep her from pitching into the bushes next to the front door.

"Whoa there, sweetheart, watch where you're goin'." He said. Linney nodded and he gave her a little push towards the car, out of his way, "On your way, kiddo." He turned and walked inside the house. Linney looked around quickly to check for the dead and then made her way over to Daryl, who was standing next to the open tailgate, trying to load everything up. He nodded towards her without looking at her.

"Just drop that stuff on the ground 'n I'll get it loaded up." He instructed. Linney nodded, then realized he couldn't see her, so she just dropped the duffel bag on the ground. She slid her now bulgingly full backpack to the ground and groaned in relief when the tremendous weight was off of her back. Daryl glanced up at her once and then looked back down at the box he was trying to slide underneath a tarp. Linney rubbed her shoulders and knelt beside the duffel. She peered up at Daryl from her place on the ground, shielding her eyes against the sun with her hand.

"Hey, did you two have breakfast?" She inquired. Daryl shook his head in answer. Linney ignored his silence, determined to adapt to his penchant for quiet and general moodiness. She dug around in the duffel and pulled out three juice boxes and three bottles of water. Merle came back out then and dropped a large bag onto the ground. She looked down at it, and back up at him questioningly. He responded to her unspoken question with two words, "Big tent," before heading back into the house. Linney nodded and zipped the duffle up. The only food in there was of the salty snack variety, the basement hadn't held much else. She didn't want them living off chips and jerky so she carried the bag over to the end of the truck, dropping it beneath the tailgate.

Daryl had hopped into the bed of the truck to get things loaded up better. He looked over at her when she stood at the back of the truck, the tail gate coming up to near her shoulders. She pointed up at the pile of gear.

"Which one has food?" She asked him. He looked away and gestured vaguely at a small collection of backpacks.

"It's one of them." He said. Linney waited for him to pass it to her or something but he went back to tying down the stove and cooking supplies. She grumbled in irritation and hooked her arms over the edge of the tail gate, pulling herself up. Her feet kicked at the air and she turned herself sideways in her efforts to climb. When she finally dragged herself up, she rolled to her knees and glared at Daryl, who had watched the entire procedure with amused interest.

"You coulda asked me for help." He spoke to the bungee cords in his hands and Linney wanted to smack him. She pawed carefully through the bags instead, trying to find the one with the food without messing up the order in which they were packed. When she found the one she was looking for, she yanked it open and dug around until she found a small box that proclaimed to be the healthiest breakfast bar EVER! She pulled out three of them and closed up the bag. Without a word to Daryl, she climbed down off the truck and gathered up their drinks, laying hers and Daryl's out on their seats inside the truck and began placing Merle's on the seat of his bike.

As she was balancing the water bottle on the seat, Merle emerged from the house, a slim wooden box in his hand. He shook it in the air and called out to Daryl.

"Hey, little brother, look what I found!" He sniffed the box lovingly before continuing, "Some of the sweetest Cubans you ever saw!" Daryl replied with a quiet, but appreciative "Nice" from the truck. Merle looked over at Linney and raised his eyebrows at her.

"What're you doin' to my bike?" She looked up at him in surprise as he stalked over to her. When he saw her putting food and drinks out for him, his eyebrows quirked up.

"It's breakfast, what did you think I was doing?" She asked him, her voice slightly defensive. Merle held up a hand to quiet her.

"Nothin', calm down. Just didn't know why you were fiddlin' around my bike." She nodded at him and turned away towards the truck, slightly irritated with both Dixon brothers now. Their different kinds of moodiness were a little irritating. She climbed into the truck and rolled her window down, before reaching over and rolling the driver's side down as well. There was a slight breeze blowing comfortably through the open windows and she put her feet up on the dash while she ate her food, listening to Merle and Daryl get the remainder of their things packed up.

A few minutes had passed by when Merle came by her window and smacked her arm lightly, where it rested on the sill. She looked over at him and he said, "Thanks for the breakfast, sweetheart." Before winking and walking away. Linney gaped at his back. Five minutes ago he was angrily snapping at her for supposed motorcycle sabotage and now he was genially thanking her for breakfast. She shook her head and stabbed her straw at the juice box. The straw jabbed ineffectually at the tinfoil covering and then snapped in half.

"Fuck." She mumbled, grumpily. Daryl swung into the truck, slamming his door behind him, "What's wrong?" He asked, his voice faintly amused at her sullen expression. He started the truck up and waited for her to answer. As he started to drive down the street, behind Merle, she held up her broken straw.

"Stupid thing snapped in half." She huffed angrily and Daryl paused for a moment before pointing at his own juice box. "Just take mine, don't get your panties in a twist." She glared at him and threw the broken straw at him. It bounced lightly off his arm and he looked over at her in surprise.

"Did you just throw something at me 'cause you can't figure out how to open a juice box?" Linney glared at him and reached over to her upper arm, pulling out the knife there. Daryl gave her a cautious look and she picked up the juice box, pulling up the side to form a spout and then hacked the spout off violently. She tucked the knife back in the sheath on her arm, tossed the cut-off piece of box out the window, and drank deeply from the fruit punch box. Daryl kept glancing over at her. When she was done, she sat quietly, her stomach sloshing around a little bit at having downed the juice that quickly.

It was silent until Daryl broke it by saying, "You're a little weird, ya know?" Linney looked over at him and frowned.

"Gee thanks." She muttered. Daryl shook his head, "I can't figure you out." She glanced over at him a little more cautiously this time. He was staring out the window calmly now, his eyes focused on the road. She decided to chalk his comments up to his generally strange behavior and looked away; enjoying the sunny countryside they were driving through.

They didn't speak for nearly an hour, and Linney finally remembered last night, his attempts to quiet her down while she had a nightmare; lying together on the couch, hiding from the things lurking at the window. She glanced over at him quickly, taking in his still face.

"What happened after I fell asleep again last night?" She asked clearly. Daryl didn't look over, so he spoke to the windshield.

"They hung around at that window for a couple more hours, I guess. Assholes are persistent…" His voice trailed off and Linney sat and waited for more. _Huh_, she thought, _and that's that_.

"Well, thanks for keeping me from attracting those things." She said, trying to put a half-laugh into her voice. Daryl nodded and they drove on in silence for a little while longer.

"What were you dreaming about last night?" He finally asked, his voice curious, "Was it your dad again?" Linney shook her head and cleared her throat.

"I was trapped outside, and I couldn't find you guys. Then you showed up and I realized I was one of the dead." Daryl's hands tightened on the steering wheel and she saw his jaw was clenched as well, beneath his tanned skin.

"Shitty dream." Daryl spoke quietly, his voice rasping slightly and Linney smiled at him.

"Yeah, but it's ok, you came along and killed me, so no harm done." She chuckled a little and looked out the window. When she happened to look back over at Daryl, he did not look happy at all. He glared at her, his eyes moving back and forth between the road and her face.

"It ain't funny." His voice was terse and she smiled at him, "Oh come on, it's just a dream." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You didn't look to be enjoyin' it none last night." She grimaced and looked away.

"I won't let you turn." He spoke into the silence after a few strained minutes of it. She turned a shocked face to him. He nodded once at the road ahead, before elaborating. "If you or Merle get bit, I won't let ya turn." Linney nodded slowly, guessing this was a form of apocalypse kindness. "I expect that ya'll would do the same for me." She licked her lips before replying softly, "Yes, of course." Daryl tapped the steering wheel once, as if that closed the conversation and Linney leaned against the window, watching the scenery move past. _That was a wonderful morning chat_, she thought, sarcastically, and a little sadly.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

They took a quick break to eat lunch, relieve themselves, and stretch, sometime during midday. The sun was directly overhead and Linney just knew a sunburn wouldn't be far off if they sat out in the open for long, so Daryl had pulled off to the side of the rural highway, parking on the shoulder that sat at the base of hill. The top of the hill was covered in tall trees and Linney had truly enjoyed kicking back underneath it, snacking on beef jerky and dried fruit.

Everyone was fairly silent while they ate, each of them off in their own thoughts. Linney tried to push all logical thought from her head and enjoyed the sound of the light breeze in the trees, the bugs buzzing around and the occasional bird chirping. If she closed her eyes, leaning back against the warm bark of the tree, she could imagine this was just a regular early summer day. But when she opened her eyes again, and saw her companions and the beat-up pick-up truck below them loaded down with gear, she was snapped back to reality fairly quickly.

"Let's get back, I want to make it a little further today, don't wanna camp out in the open like this." Merle said, getting to his feet. Daryl got up next to him and stretched his arms over his head, before heading back down to the vehicles. Linney looked around sadly at the comfortable little picnic spot and reluctantly got up; this place was nice now, but she knew it would feel terribly exposed in the dark of night.

Back on the road, Merle swung on to his bike and Linney joined Daryl in the truck. He turned the ignition once, twice, three times and nothing happened. Linney's eyes were wide as she looked over at him.

"Uh oh." She whispered. Daryl shot a glare over at her, making her flinch back at the anger he directed at her in that look.

"Yeah, 'uh oh'," he started, his voice quietly furious. He tried to start it a few more times and nothing happened. Daryl smashed his hand against the dash and then against the steering wheel and swore loudly.

"Motherfucker! God damnit!" Flinging his door open, he leapt from his seat, popping the hood on his way out. Linney pushed her door open and slid out of the truck slowly, stung by Daryl's anger, but knowing better than to pout. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach about the truck and she knew that whining about hurt feelings was not going to help this legitimately bad situation.

She leaned against the side of the truck, staring up at the trees and listened as Daryl muttered to himself under the hood. Merle had turned his ignition off and was casually seated on his bike, smoking a cigarette while he waited. Daryl finally slammed the hood closed and looked back and forth between the two of them.

"It's the damn battery." He spoke through gritted teeth, his frustration evident. Linney turned to him and felt compelled to ask, "But you can fix it, right?" He nodded and swatted a hand through the air in frustration.

"Yeah, I can fix it, but it means I haveta go get a new one." Linney glanced over at Merle who shrugged his shoulders, his eyes moving back to his agitated brother. Linney took a step closer.

"So, we can go get one then." It seemed simple enough to her. Daryl looked up at her and shook his head.

"How? How're we gonna go get one? Merle's bike carries two people, Linney, only two. Someone has to stay here." Linney chewed her lip for a moment. She could see the problem with that.

Merle climbed off his bike and walked over to Daryl.

"You n' I can get on the bike, head towards whatever town is that way," He pointed in the direction they were headed in originally, "Linney can lay low in the truck." Daryl shook his head.

"Nah, Merle, it's too dangerous, what if a group of those fuckers come along? She can't be here alone."

"If I saw them coming, I'd go climb one of those trees and stay put until you got back." Linney reasoned, pointing back at their picnic spot.

"She's got a point, little brother." Merle added. "You n' I can move quick n' handle whatever we come across shoppin' for that battery." Linney moved to stand next to Merle, nodding at Daryl.

"He's right; I'll just get in the way. It's nice and flat here, I'll see anything coming really easily and can hide if I need to." Daryl looked back and forth between Linney and his brother, and when his shoulders slumped she knew that they'd won. Suddenly Daryl grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back towards the truck. When he had her up against the side of it, he bent a little, to look directly into her eyes.

"Listen, sit on top of the truck and don't move unless you have to," He pointed up at the roof of the cab, "Keep that bag of guns with you." Linney nodded and he gripped her shoulders tighter, making her wince when he squished her bruises. He pointed down the road, "If you see anything – _anything_ – grab the bag n' get up a tree n' hide."

"I will, don't worry." She spoke calmly, trying to ease his worry. Daryl released her shoulders and took a step back.

"Don't worry 'bout anything else in the truck, just the weapons, we can replace all that other shit." He was so deadly serious that Linney swallowed and nodded again. She turned her head when she heard Merle start up his bike. Daryl grabbed her chin and turned her face back to look at him.

"Linney," he started, and then stopped, staring her directly in the eyes. She didn't say anything, just watched him warily and he let go of her chin abruptly, turning to walk over to Merle.

"Don't do anything stupid." He instructed, gruffly.


	8. Chapter 8

***** Sorry for the delay in updating! I'm chock full of time to write now, though, so enjoy! I'll probably update again later today, if all goes well. *****

The sun was hot. Linney reached her hands up to gently pat her shoulders and upper arms, testing for a sunburn. She considered putting on her long sleeved shirt, but it was so hot she knew that it would make her miserable. Sighing, she scanned the road around her again, briefly noting that she should try and snag some sunscreen at the next house they camped in. She thought of the Dixons and was fairly certain that she would be the only one using the sunscreen, and Merle would definitely mock her for it.

She readjusted her position on the roof of the truck and wondered how long they had been gone for, it felt like forever, but she knew it was probably closer to three hours. Linney arched her back, trying to stretch the stiffness from it, wincing at the pull on the bruises that covered her shoulders, chest and neck.

She thought she heard a slow rumbling noise and stood at absolute attention, turning her head this way and that. _What is that_? She thought, a slow burn of mild panic starting in her stomach. After a moment she realized it was a man-made sound, not a sound that the dead could possibly make. In the distance ahead of her, a shape appeared on the road, growing larger as it got closer.

Linney hopped down off the roof and stood at attention in the bed of the truck. She hadn't really given much thought to what she would do if she were approached by the living, instead of the dead. Slowly, she unholstered her gun and made sure the safety was off. Holding the gun at her side, Linney watched as the large vehicle slowly approached her. She wiped her free hand across her brow, feeling the sweat there. _Easy now, stay calm_, she cautioned herself, willing her body to look larger and tougher than it did.

She couldn't see the driver of the vehicle as it approached her, the glare from the sun was too bright on it's windshield. She briefly considered making a run for it, but decided that their possessions shouldn't be risked just because she was nervous. When the RV finally pulled up level with the truck and slowed to a halt, Linney could hear her heartbeat thudding in her ears and felt like the people in the RV must be able to hear it as well. When the window on the driver's side slid open, Linney was surprised to see the grey-haired man driving, stick his head out with a smile on his face.

"Hi there." The older man said. Linney put his age at about 60 and wondered how someone that age had managed to survive what had happened so far. She nodded at him, "Hello," she managed tightly. She was still tense, alert to the point of nearly panting, wondering what, or who, was concealed within the vehicle.

"Are you alright?" The man asked, turning the RV off. Linney nodded at him slowly, her eyes twitching up and down the RV, trying to see in the windows. "Are you sure? You're all on your own here. Do you need help?" Linney glared at the man.

"I'm fine, my people are around." The man looked about, at the road and empty field around them, then glanced up the hill to the trees. "Are you sure? I don't mean to alarm you, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to be out in the open like this." Linney licked her lips and said nothing, her sweaty hand rearranging itself on her gun. When she heard a door open on the other side of the RV, the driver suddenly whipped his head towards the door to shout at the person who'd opened it.

"Andrea! What are you doing!" He called, his voice worried. A blonde woman emerged around the front of the RV and the driver scrambled to follow her out. Linney took a step back and stared down at the woman, Andrea, she thought the man had said.

"What are you really doing out here?" Andrea asked, her voice curious and calm. Linney blinked at her and the woman smirked, "You really don't need to be afraid of us," she said, matter-of-factly, "We don't want to steal your stuff or hurt you or anything. Just surprised to see a little girl on her own out here." Linney glowered at her, bristling at the term 'little girl'. She put a foot up on the side of the truck bed and vaulted over the edge, landing solidly on the ground in front of the woman. The quick move had the desired effect and Andrea staggered backwards, running into the older man. She held a hand up to Linney, "Hey, calm down."

Linney made her way slowly to the front of the truck, her gun trained on the couple in front of the RV, her eyes narrowed in concentration. "How do you know you shouldn't be afraid of me?" She growled at them, trying to square her shoulders and stand tall. She had to hope that the gun was enough of a deterrent, because both the woman and the man were at least a few inches taller than her, and definitely heavier than her. The man slowly put his arm in front of Andrea and pushed her back behind himself.

"Listen, we're just trying to get to Atlanta, we don't want any trouble. You're obviously alone, and you really shouldn't be, we just wanted to help you, honestly." The man's voice was reasonable and he smiled at her in a kindly way. Linney licked her lips again, wondering what she should do next. At that moment the door on the RV popped open again and a second blonde woman bounced down the steps, younger than the first, closer to Linney's age, with a huge grin on her face.

"Hey! Who are you? You're getting a sunburn, you know." She exclaimed, her face sweet and happy. Linney lowered the gun as the girl bounded towards her, her hand extended.

"I'm Amy, and you are...?" She grabbed up Linney's free hand and shook it exuberantly. Linney stared at her, stunned, and weakly shook the girl's hand back, thrown completely off-guard by her friendly attitude.

"My name's Linney." She managed. Amy nodded and smiled, "That's a weird name." She turned back to her companions. "That's Andrea, my sister, and Dale, our friend." Linney nodded at them, swallowing hard. Andrea had a wry look on her face as she turned her wide eyes from her sister to Linney. "Amy's just happy to meet another living person, we haven't seen any since we found Dale a week ago." Dale smiled at them both, and Linney relaxed when she saw the fatherly expression on his face.

Linney cleared her throat and decided to take a risk, gesturing at the pick-up behind her. "I'm traveling with a couple people, we stopped for lunch and the battery died on this. They've run into the next town to get a new one."

"And they decided to leave _you_ here alone?" Dale's voice was tight with disbelief and disapproval. Linney raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She replied tersely, waggling her gun. Dale's eyes darted to the gun and back to Linney's face and his expression softened as he took in the bruises on her head and chest. "I imagine you are." He said in a low voice. Amy walked over to Linney and gently poked her shoulder.

"Ow!" Linney yelped, jumping away from the girl, "What the fuck's wrong with you?" She snarled. Amy smirked at her, "Don't be a baby, I just can't believe the size of that bruise." She explained. Linney jammed her gun into the holster and put her hands on her hips.

"And jabbing at it does what?" Linney said indignantly. Amy's face grew inquisitive and she took a step closer to Linney. "Who did this to you?" She asked softly. Linney glanced over at Andrea and Dale and saw their faces suddenly twist at the question. They both stepped towards her with expressions of concern on their face.

"Oh my god, Linney, did the people you're with do this?" Andrea asked, her face showing horror and worry as her blue eyes fixed on the particularly nasty handprint-shaped bruise on her throat. Linney felt her face grow warm with embarassment and took a few steps back from them, not enjoying their invasion of her space.

"No, I was attacked by one of _them_." She choked out, horrified with herself when she felt tears pricking at her eyes. _The sun must be cooking my brain_, she thought, _get ahold of yourself._

Amy's face was sympathetic, "I'm sorry." She said. Linney nodded at her and rubbed brusquely at her eyes. She noticed Dale's face pale with horror. He wasn't looking at her but she guessed what he must be thinking.

"Don't panic, I wasn't bit." Linney said. Dale shook his head and pointed behind her. "Everyone get in the RV, now." Amy and Andrea looked over Linney's shoulder and they blanched. Andrea grabbed her sister's shoulder and started to shove her back towards the RV's door. Linney swung around and saw a group of five of the dead lumbering towards them, obviously having come down the hill a ways past the truck. Dale tugged on her shoulder.

"Linney, now, get in the RV, now." She shrugged him off and looked back at him in irritation. "What are you talking about? They need to die." She snapped. Dale shook his head and pulled on her arm, more forcefully this time.

"Let me go!" She shoved him and he stumbled back into the RV. She turned away from him in disgust and yanked out her huge hunting knife in one hand and pulled the longer of the two knives strapped to her arms out of it's sheath. She gripped them tightly in each hand. Linney heard Dale pleading quietly with her from behind. She ignored him and studied the group coming towards them.

The one in front seemed fresher and faster than the others and as he lumbered closer, Linney spread her legs a little, dropping into a defensive crouch. She mentally replayed Merle's movements when he had knifed that creature in the motel parking lot, the way he darted forward, then to the side, and lashed his arm out, quick as a snake, stabbing the creature in the head.

When it was close enough, it's arms stretched out as it snarled and gurgled at her hungrily, Linney didn't pause to think, she just acted. She leapt forward, ducking out of the reach of those rotted arms and slammed her knife into it's eye socket, crying out with effort as she did. It slumped to the ground, the manic light behind it's eyes going out. She pulled the knife free and turned to see the next one almost upon her. As it bent down towards her, she lunged upwards, jamming the huge hunting knife up into it's gaping open mouth. She grunted as she felt the blade tear through the roof of it's mouth.

When that body was down, Linney tore the knife out it and charged forwards toward the remaining three. The next one was smaller, probably just a teenager younger than herself, she couldn't really tell because it was missing a huge chunk of scalp and face. She skittered to the side and slammed the blade home, right through the kid's temple. Pulling the knife free, she heard Dale cry out in warning behind her and turned to see the next one almost upon her, Linney threw herself to the ground, out of the reach of it's grasping claws and rolled across the pavement, grunting as her shoulders jarred against the hard ground.

She saw heard gunshots and realized that Dale was trying to shoot it. One of the bullets skipped with a spark across the ground near her head and she screamed, "Stop! Stop! Dale, you'll kill me!" Linney rolled to her feet and kicked out at the dead man trying to grab her, his teeth gnashing. He clumsily tumbled to the ground and she threw herself down on his closest arm, pinning it to the ground, and stabbed the dead guy through the forehead.

Linney's face twisted with disgust when a gush of disgusting gore came exploding out of it's face as the thing's rotting head came apart. She turned her face to the side just in time, but could feel the warm and stinking stuff hit her neck, chest, and hair. She rose to her feet, panting and grimacing at the blood and brain matter dripping off her, trying desperately not to vomit. She was drenched all down her front and her braid had gotten a thorough coating as well. The last thing staggered right past her, it's face intent on Dale, still crouched pale and frozen in front of the RV. Linney could hear Andrea screeching at him from inside the door of the RV.

Linney's face twisted in confusion. _Why didn't it come for me_? She thought, her brain trying to figure it out, even as she got to her feet and kicked the thing to ground from behind, knocking it to the ground. Planting her foot squarely in the monster's spine, she raised the knife above her head and brought the blade crashing down into the back of it's skull. She panted in exhaustion. Her deadly dance across the road had taken less than two minutes, but she was out of breath and suddenly weary to her bones.

She turned in an aggressive crouch, growling in a nearly feral way, and flipping the knife in her hand towards the noise behind her; a loud roar of noise that she hadn't heard in her murderous state. She saw Merle and Daryl sitting stunned on Merle's bike. Linney stood up slowly and drove the huge hunting knife down into it's sheath at her hip. She gave them a grim smile and said, "Welcome back."

Daryl threw himself off the bike, his eyes darting around the road, taking in the still bodies. He jogged quickly to her side and grasped her arm, pulling her to her feet. He looked past her for a moment, at Dale and the RV. His grip tightened on her arm as his eyes glared down at her.

"What the hell happened here?" He grumbled. Linney pulled back, swaying a little as the adrenaline left her body. She looked up when Merle joined Daryl. His hand grabbed her chin and turned her head to look over at him. He stared steadily at her before one of his eyebrows popped up quizzically.

"You do all this, sweetheart?" He said, his voice laced with a trickle of humor. Linney smirked and nodded, bending to drop a sarcastic curtesy. Her foot caught on the edge of the dead man she'd been straddling and she stumbled, and would have tumbled to the ground if Daryl hadn't still been holding her arm. Merle clapped her on the back.

"Nice work." He stepped past her, his eyes locked on Dale.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked rudely. Linney turned to look at Dale, as Daryl pulled her away from the body at her feet, half-dragging her to the passenger door of the truck. Dale gaped at Merle and Linney realized that she must be growing desensitized to the way Merle looked. To anyone else he looked like a redneck hard-ass, Daryl too, and she could see Dale swallow hard as he tried to stand up straighter.

"We found this young lady sitting all alone here as we were driving by and we stopped to see if she needed help." Dale sputtered, his voice disapproving. Merle glanced over at Linney, who Daryl had shoved onto the passenger seat. "I don't think she needs your help." Merle's voice was sarcastic. Andrea made her way down the steps of the RV and walked over to Dale's side. She glared at Merle.

"She didn't need help with those things," she said nodding at the dead littering the road, "But what if there had been more than five? What if we had been a huge group, intent on doing her harm?" Andrea looked ready to argue, her arms crossed over her chest. Merle chuckled.

"I dunno Blondie, pretty sure she would've done what we told her to do in that case." Merle looked over at Linney and glared at her. Daryl had pulled a bandana from his back pocket and wet it with a bottle of water and was wiping off Linney's arms and neck, checking for bites she was sure.

"What?" She snapped at Merle's expression. He spat on the road and took a step towards her and Daryl. "Pretty sure he told ya to climb a fuckin' tree if anythin' happened." Linney glowered at him and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

"Gimme a break, Merle, it was an RV, not a tank, I figured I could handle it, instead of abandoning our shit." She griped. She moved to get out of the truck but Daryl shoved her back in.

"Stay put, girl, you got their fuckin guts all over you, and I ain't sure you're not bit yet." He said, his voice gravelly and irritated. Linney sighed in exasperation, pushing his arms away from her.

"I'm f_ine_." She insisted, sliding off the seat to the ground. Daryl didn't budge an inch and she was uncomfortably wedged between him and the truck seat. "Move, Daryl." She growled. He glared at her until Merle called to him, "Aw, let 'er go little brother, she wants to get sick from that shit, let 'er." Linney shoved past Daryl and he let her go this time, grumbling something under his breath.

She made her way over to Merle and moved to stand in front of him, glaring up into his smirking face.

"You're welcome for keeping everything safe." She said, her voice strained. Merle rolled his eyes at her and looked over at the people standing in front of the RV.

"So, ya gonna introduce yerselves or should I guess?" He snapped.

***** I plan to introduce people, familiar characters, bit by bit, but if the chronology of their meetings is a little off, please remember this is AU! *****


	9. Chapter 9

***** As promised, another update today :) Not much to do today, we're all snowed in! Thanks for reading! *****

Linney grimaced as she flushed another cupful of water over her bare chest, watching the streaks of water run red as they met the blood on her skin. The rivulets ran down to the floor of the small shower stall inside Dale's RV. She could hear Daryl and Dale talking outside, while Daryl installed the new battery he and Merle had found. She smiled to herself; it was actually more Dale talking _at_ Daryl and receiving grunts in response.

When Amy had yelled to Andrea from inside the RV, asking if she could come out again, she had completely ignored Daryl and Merle and made a beeline for Linney, exclaiming at her appearance.

"God, you stink, Linney!" She'd said bluntly before urging her to use the shower stall to wash herself off with a bottle of water. Daryl had objected until Merle agreed (grudgingly) to sit inside the trailer with Andrea while Linney cleaned herself. Daryl yanked her bag out of the truck and carried it and her washing water inside the RV, while she followed him, Amy telling her as they went that her shirt was garbage now. Daryl had dumped the bag on the ground outside the accordion doors of the tiny bathroom and nodded his head at it.

"Go on, get cleaned up," he narrowed his eyes at Amy and Andrea behind her, the trailer getting crowded as they filed in, "I'll be out by the truck." Linney had nodded and stepped back so he could walk by.

Linney used the lightly soapy washcloth that Amy had given her to scrub gently at her skin. She was pleased when all the stinking gore was washed off her and she bent over, unravelling her braid to soak and scrub it, using a little shampoo she found sitting on a shelf in the shower. It smelled like one of those cheap shampoo-conditioner combos she used to hate so much, but right now, it was heaven. When she was clean, she grabbed a towel from the little cupboard Amy told her the bathroom linens were kept in, and dried herself off, rubbing at her hair.

Sighing, Linney looked down at the ruined shirt and bra she'd been wearing before. She grabbed another bra from her bag, pulling the item out from the bottom, silently thanking her past self for packing it. Her pants were mostly ok, only a small splash or two on the legs, which she wet and scrubbed with a little shampoo to clean it off. Linney dug out a navy blue tank top, similar to the grey one she'd been wearing before, again, happy with herself for grabbing extras from Cara's room.

When she was redressed and ready, Linney jammed the closed bottle of water into the side of her backpack and put the shampoo back in the shower. The towel was hung on the rack outside the shower stall and she bundled the washcloth together with her ruined clothes. Her hoodie was a goner now too. She swore under her breath at the loss of the warm top, knowing the other long sleeved tops she had were not going to be nearly warm enough when it got cooler at night.

She stepped out of the stiflingly hot bathroom and breathed in and out deeply, in relief. The warm trailer felt positively refreshing in comparison.

"Feel better now?" Andrea asked her kindly from her seat at the table, where she'd been reading a book. Merle was sprawled across the small couch behind her and didn't look up. Linney smiled back and nodded.

"Thank you so much," Linney replied, her voice suddenly quiet with shyness. She looked down at the bundle of stained clothing in her hands and grimaced. "I'm sorry, but your washcloth is ruined now." Andrea smiled and got to her feet reaching out for the bundle.

"No problem, let me toss those for you." She pulled the bundle from Linney's hands and left the RV to get rid of them. Linney walked over to Merle and nudged his shoulder with her knee.

"Hey, you dead down there?" She asked, her voice teasingly hopeful. Merle cracked one eye open at her and made a face.

"Haha, nice sweetheart. Don't nobody love ole Merle." He rolled to his side, away from her, "Now fuck off n let me nap, you ain't the only one had to kill some of those undead fuckers today." Linney rolled her eyes at his back and climbed down the RV steps. Outside, she saw Daryl slamming the hood on the truck.

"Try it!" He called to Dale, who was sitting in the driver's seat. Dale turned the ignition and they all smiled as the truck rumbled to life.

"Nice." She said, walking over to the truck and hurling her bag into the bed. She saw Andrea and Amy leaning against the driver's side of the RV, in the shade it provided there. Amy looked up and grinned at her. _God, that girl really needs to calm down_, Linney thought, but she couldn't keep herself from giving the blonde a small smile in return. Dale walked over to her after turning the truck off, Daryl following slowly behind him. Linney smiled briefly at Dale before stepping a little closer to Daryl.

"Do I look ok? Gonna stop freaking out now?" She teased him. Being clean put her in a good mood. It seemed however that Daryl didn't care for good moods as he barely glanced at her before leaning against the side of the truck, his arms crossed over his chest. Linney huffed out an exasperated breath at him and turned back to Dale when he said her name.

"So, I've been chatting with Daryl," he stated, glancing over at Daryl, "And I think it's a good idea if we travel together from now on." Linney raised her eyebrows at him.

"Did you talk to _Merle_ yet?" She asked, wondering what the surly man's response had been to Dale's suggestion. Dale pursed his lips and shook his head.

"No, I spoke to Daryl." He said. Linney glanced past him to Andrea who looked irritated. Amy moved over to stand next to Linney.

"Well, I think it's a good idea, it'll be nice to have some company my own age." She said, smiling over at Linney. Linney looked blankly over at Amy, not really sure what to say to that.

"I'm not great company," Linney said, taking a step back from the smiling girl. Daryl laughed from behind her and she didn't turn back, knowing she'd probably want to hit him if she did. Amy's eyes jumped from Linney's face to Daryl's and then back again.

"Do you know what our pool of available friends is like, now? Almost everyone's dead; I'm glad we met you all." Amy said, spreading her hands before herself. Linney raised an eyebrow at her. She knew in the old days, before being eaten was a real daily possibility, that a girl like Amy would literally have not given Linney the time of day. Andrea laughed.

"Amy's a social butterfly, just ignore her if she gets too eager." Amy rolled her eyes at her sister, but Andrea just looked back at her lovingly. Linney turned away, to avoid the emotion their simple looks conveyed, and walked over to Daryl. She looked up at him and he glanced down at her, his face impassive.

"So, what, are we going to travel with them? Should we still be here? Where are we going to camp for the night?" Daryl widened his eyes at her onslaught of questions and stood up straighter. He hollered at the RV without taking his eyes off hers, "Merle? Get out here ya dumb asshole!" Linney glanced back at the RV and chuckled when she saw Merle's hand pop up at the window, giving his brother the finger.

"Let's make sure he ain't gonna go apeshit at the idea." Daryl muttered. Linney nodded at him and tapped his arm lightly when he turned away to glance over at Dale and the girls. His blue eyes swung back to her and he raised an eyebrow at her expectantly.

"I'm hungry." She said, laughing when his face twisted with impatience. "Me too." Merle said. She heard him walking up behind them and turned to see him wink at her. He shoved Daryl's shoulder.

"What're ya waitin' for, let's get goin'. Need to find a camp n' eat some damn food."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, we'll follow you." Dale said from behind them and Linney, Merle and Daryl all turned to look at Dale. "Well, now that we've found you, we're not leaving. The three of you are sharp enough to keep everyone safe, and we'll share our goods and the RV with you in exchange for traveling with you." Andrea looked like she might want to disagree with her group's weakness, but one glance over at the heavily armed group Linney was part of seemed to change her mind. Amy clapped her hands once and said, "Great! Let's get going!", before running back to the RV.

Andrea shook her head and followed her sister. Dale waited, staring at them firmly, to see what they said. Linney looked up at Merle and saw him holding his brother's gaze over her head. She turned to look up at Daryl and he nodded to Merle before stepping away from the truck and walking around it to the driver's side.

"Fine, whatever." Merle said, like he didn't care. Dale nodded, with relief on his face, before turning to get back inside the RV. Merle nudged Linney's shoulder.

"Get in the damn truck and quit staring like an idiot at everyone." His voice came in a growl, but when she turned to look up at him, ready to get angry, she saw his eyes sparkle with humour.

"Asshole." She muttered at him, smirking. Merle turned and walked away, chuckling. "Little shit," he replied. Linney turned to the truck door and saw Daryl leaning on the wheel, staring at her impatiently.

"Seriously, Linney, get in the truck."

"I am, calm down." She said, climbing up into her seat and slamming the door. Daryl started it up and followed after Merle's bike, the RV behind them keeping pace.

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"And then, thank god, we found Dale and he agreed to let us travel with him." Andrea said, concluding her story. Linney leaned back against the log she was using as a back rest, Daryl seated on the same log next to her and Amy crowded in next to her on the ground. The fire they'd built crackled merrily in front of them.

Linney looked around the yard they had camped in. The house behind them was old, falling apart, obviously ready to be demolished, with a thick, metal builder's fence around the whole property, closing it in. Merle had broken the locks on the gate quickly enough, and they filed their vehicles in, parking the RV in front of the gate. Daryl had nearly had to yell at her to stay in the truck when he and Merle had searched the property, killing the one dead man they found roaming around the back. After clearing the house, everyone climbed out of the vehicles and Merle had gruffly ordered them all to walk in a slow circle around the fence, making sure it was sturdy, with no weak spots.

The fencing had obviously been put in securely, to avoid theft most likely, and the big grins on Dale and Andrea's faces when Merle declared the place good for the night had made Linney realize, with pity, just how frightening this all must have been for them, before they found her and the Dixons. Amy had happily heated up dinner for them all, over the camp stove, serving out steaming bowls of canned stew. Linney wolfed hers down quickly, burning her mouth in the process. When everything was cleaned up and they were taking a moment to relax around the warm fire, Linney found herself surprisingly grateful for the presence of other people.

"How'd you meet these guys, Linney?" Dale asked from his lawn chair, his eyes moving from her face to Daryl's. Merle grunted from his spot across from Linney, where he was leaning against a pile of bags full of supplies on the ground.

"I've known 'er since she was just a lil kid, ain't that right sweetheart?" Merle drawled. Linney raised her eyebrows and looked over at him.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." She replied.

"Went to steal some shit from 'er daddy, and there she was, wavin' her gun in my face, threatenin' to kill me if we didn't take 'er with us." Merle laughed and Dale did too, although not as enthusiastically.

"Is your dad dead?" Amy asked, tapping Linney's arm. Linney stiffened and felt her eyes prick at the question, silently cursing herself for being so weak; the memory of her father's attack still too raw and fresh in her mind.

"Amy!" Andrea scolded, her voice horrified, "You can't just ask people stuff like that." Amy shifted and put both hands on Linney's arm. Linney looked over at her and saw the apologetic expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say." Amy said. Linney nodded and gently pulled her arm away, scooting back a little, until her back connected with Daryl's leg. She expected him to jerk away from her too, but he stayed still and she leaned on his leg.

"Her daddy tried to eat 'er." Merle said, his voice gravelly. Andrea and Amy gasped and Dale's eyes widened to comical proportions. Linney shifted uncomfortably again, looking down at her hands and briefly contemplating throwing a shoe at Merle. She jumped when she felt Daryl's hand drop down on her shoulder, squeezing gently to comfort her.

"Shut up, Merle, ya stupid dick." Daryl grumbled. Merle chuckled and drew his legs up, hooking an arm around one of his knees so he could lean towards the fire.

"What?" He asked, his voice sounding truly surprised, "She took care a' herself; she killed the stupid fuck before he got 'er. I'd like to see any a' you able to kill yer own daddy, dead r' not." Linney looked up at him, surprised. Merle nodded at her, gesturing at her with one hand.

"Them bruises are all she got from 'im." He finished, and then leaned all the way back onto the bags, closing his eyes and tilting his face to the dark sky. Andrea nodded and she and Dale shared a look. Linney felt Daryl's hand tense on her shoulder and she looked up at him. He was glaring across the fire at Andrea.

"What? Ya thought we did it, am I right?" He challenged her. Andrea had the good grace to look ashamed and shrugged a shoulder at him.

"We don't know you, two men traveling alone with some little girl who's all beat up - what the hell did you expect we'd think? That _anyone _would think?" Linney felt her mouth twist to the side, suddenly aware of the huge bruise on her face, the one that Merle had put there. She glanced over at him and saw him crack one of his eyes open to look over at her. They held each other's narrowed gaze for a moment, Linney certain that he was thinking of her face too. She said nothing though, and shot him the finger, from next to her hip, where only he would see it. Merle smirked and shook his head before closing his eye again.

Daryl grunted in response to Andrea, before lifting his hand from Linney's shoulder and getting up.

"I'm gonna go set up the tent." He muttered, heading over to the truck. Linney felt the absence of his leg at her side and shivered a little at the cold swiftly replacing the warmth there. Suddenly a thick glob of fabric smacked her head, draping down over her face.

"Here," she heard Daryl say from the truck, "Put that on 'fore ya catch a fuckin' cold." She reached up and pulled the sweatshirt off her head. It was black, hooded, and ratty looking, with the faded emblem of the mechanic shop Daryl had worked at on the front.

"Thanks, mom." She replied, not looking back at him. But she gratefully pulled it over her head. It was vastly too large for her, but when she pulled the hood up and tucked her hands inside the long sleeves, she was warm again and disconcertingly comforted by the smell inside the hood. It smelled like the inside of Daryl's truck, and like him. She heard him grumble at her flippant response and smiled to herself.

Talk switched to Dale's life, before everything went to hell. Linney half-listened to him and despite the discomfort of the questions from before, found herself lulled and momentarily at peace. Amy was leaned up against her and Linney was less irritated with the girl than before, realizing that she must have felt smothered by her much older sister and their nearly-elderly traveling companion. Linney wished she had more social verve, that she could truly appreciate how happy Amy was to have found a prospective friend, but she honestly couldn't think for too long about something like making friends.

She jerked when she heard Merle let out a snore and realized that she had momentarily nodded off. Dale got to his feet and stretched, wincing when his joints cracked audibly. Daryl came back and joined them then.

"It's all set-up." He said in a low voice. Dale nodded and pointed to himself.

"I'll take first watch if you folks want to get some sleep," he gestured towards the RV, "There's a ladder on the back, I've been climbing up top and taking watch from up there." Daryl nodded and reached down to yank Linney up to her feet. She looked up at him in irritation.

"I can get up on my own." She complained and Daryl shrugged at her before turning to Dale.

"Y'all go to sleep, I'll take first watch, Merle can take second, you can take third." His voice made it clear that the issue wasn't up for debate. Dale and Andrea glanced at each other before they turned to head towards the RV. Amy got to her feet and leaned over to give Linney a hug. Linney froze and stuck her arms stiffly out to her sides, not really enjoying it.

"Night guys." Amy said pleasantly before heading after her sister. Linney stood stock still and glared over at Daryl who looked like he was suppressing a smile. "I don't like how grabby she is." Linney muttered and Daryl shrugged, "Yer like a puppy," his voice teased her. Linney frowned at him and then nudged Merle with her foot.

"Get up Merle." She said, nudging harder. He looked up at her and shoved her foot away from him.

"A'right, a'right, don't get yer panties in a knot, kid." He grumbled, climbing to his feet. Merle kicked dirt over the fire, casting a large swath of darkness across the yard, the only light shining faintly from inside the RV and an even smaller one from the tent. Daryl turned away from them and headed back to the large tent he'd set up for them. He pulled back the door, hooking it open, before walking towards the truck.

Linney took her shoes off at the door, leaving them outside and stood glaring at Merle, blocking the door, until he did the same, a long-suffering look on his face. She stepped inside and saw that Daryl had laid out two beds, each on a cot mattress, a sleeping bag rolled out on top. The lantern sat in the middle of the big space and Linney saw her motel pillow on one of the beds, indicating it was hers.

Merle yanked off his leather vest and tossed it, his belt, and his weapons on the ground next to the other bed and he immediately climbed inside the sleeping bag. Linney hesitated a moment before putting her shoes back on and closing the door on a sleeping Merle.

She wandered over to the truck and saw Daryl grabbing himself a thick army fatigue patterned coat. She watched him put it on and gather up some weapons before he turned around to her and said, "Why're ya always just starin' at me? It's fuckin' creepy." She rolled her eyes.

"It's cause you're so fuckin' cute, Daryl." She said in a false soprano, clasping her hands next to her face like she was swooning. He glared at her for a moment before shaking his head and smiling a little.

"Go to bed."

"I'm going to, I just wanted to say thanks for setting up the tent."

"Yer welcome, now go to bed." She nodded and headed back towards the tent, only pausing when Daryl called after her in a low voice.

"Try not to have any nightmares, little coward, Merle ain't much for cuddlin'." Linney watched him climb up the side of the RV and resisted the urge to stick her tongue at him. In a few minutes she was snuggled inside her sleeping bag, her belt, gun holster, and knives removed. She lay in the bed, slowly warming up and listening to Merle snore quietly next to her. She stared up at the black roof of the tent and it wasn't long before Linney was also asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

***** Hope you all enjoy! Reviews are appreciated, but it's still nice to see that people are at least reading this - I'm having a ton of fun writing this story, and since I'm down and out with the flu right now, on top of being snowed in - I can devote lots of time to writing *** As per usual, I OWN NOTHING AND I TOTALLY KNOW IT!**

_The RV was out of control, barreling down a hill, with no driver behind the wheel. Linney clawed forward, fighting against a thickness in the very air, desperately trying to get to the wheel. _

_The vehicle collided with a guard rail and bounced off, flying in the other direction. Linney was thrown through the air, landing in the bedroom at the back. She groaned in despair, she was now that much further from the wheel, from stopping this headlong rush into disaster. _

_She clambered off the bed and realized that the mattress she was pushing against was lumpy and firm. A dark hand reached out from under the blanket, the fingers rotted and displaying ragged bone beneath. Linney tried to scream but found the sound locked in her throat. She thumped to the floor, banging around with each bump of the RV on the road. She heard a now familiar growling from under the blankets and tried to get to her feet, only to find that the floor had become sticky, miring her down as if she were in a swamp. _

_The figure sat up with hideous slowness, the blanket covering it slowly dripping from it's face to pool around it's waist. Linney was flipped over on her back from a monstrous jump the RV took, and she began trying to crawl backwards. When the figure turned to look at her, it was Amy, a long dead, rotting Amy, who grinned at her from a torn and bloody mouth. Linney gained an inch and looked over her shoulder towards the front of the RV, trying to scream again when she saw that they were on a collision course with a huge wall of thousands of the walking dead._

_She turned back to the bed and Amy was suddenly right there, standing over her, blood and drool dripping from her mouth. Linney whimpered as her new friend seemed to collapse in on herself in twitching, jerking motions, lowering closer to Linney's body. The floor held her completely captive now and she couldn't do anything but scream her silent scream over and over again. Amy hovered inches from her head and reached up a clawing hand, pressing it down on Linney's mouth. Amy's twisted, red mouth opened and screamed down at her:_

_Shut up, Linney, shut up!_

"Linney, for Christ's sake, shut up!" Merle hissed at her, his hand pressing down over her mouth. She came awake in a panic, kicking and clawing at him, trying to escape. "Holy shit, kid, calm the fuck down." He growled, grabbing her hands in one of his and holding them steady. She blinked and strained to see in the dark and realized that she was awake and safe, and Merle was trying to calm her down. When she finally stilled, Merle released her and sat back on the floor, his back against the edge of his mattress.

"Merle?" She asked quietly, hating the weakness in her voice. "What." He answered flatly, his voice strained and angry. She started to say something and stopped.

"Never mind," she mumbled, "I'm sorry I woke you up." Merle grunted and climbed back into his bedding. Linney turned over on her side, facing away from him and curled up in a ball inside her sleeping bag. _These dreams have got to stop_, she thought, her heart still racing from the lingering fear.

She lay as still as possible and quietly shed a few tears of self-pity. Her dreams scared her, the world scared her, her companions scared her, sometimes. She found her mind rolling back to memories of her father, almost like it wanted to purposely dredge up everything painful for her all at once. She suppressed a sob, breathing slowly through constricted lungs. She was surprised with the force of how suddenly she missed him. But she did truly miss him, good or bad, he'd been the only family she had, her only constant. She gasped in a quiet, shuddering breath and tried to bury images of him.

Linney nearly screamed when she felt something heavy grab her mattress and drag it across the slick canvas floor.

"God dammit, kid, I can't sleep with ya blubberin' like that." Merle whispered, his voice hoarse with irritation. She half expected him to smack her as he pulled her mattress up next to his, and she rolled over to look at him, her eyes huge as she tried to see in the dim light. She realized that Merle must have switched the lantern on, but it was so low the wick was barely burning.

"Quit cryin' n' go to sleep." He said gruffly, laying on his back and turning his head away from her. He reached out to the lantern on his side of the tent and flicked it off. His arm closest to her lay across the side of her pillow and his hand rested heavily on top of her head. Linney was shocked into drying up her tears. She lay there, stiff as a board, thinking in amazement that this was Merle's way of comforting her. He didn't move his hand, but the warm weight of it resting comfortably on her head calmed her nerves, and she was able to drift off to sleep.

She woke up partially a while later when Daryl came to switch watches with Merle. She was half-trapped in sleep, and didn't bother to open her eyes, but she heard when Daryl opened the tent flap and stepped inside, his socked feet crinkling on the floor. Linney was aware with a swimming kind of sleepiness, that she was curled up in a ball on her side, inside her sleeping bag, facing Merle. Her head was resting beneath his arm, and his hand was resting on the back of her head now. She could feel her knees pressed up against his side.

It didn't startle her, and in fact it reminded her of being very young and seeking refuge in her parent's bed during thunderstorms. Her dad hated being crowded in bed, but would allow her to lay on the permanently empty side of the bed, where her mother had once slept. She had felt safe and comfortable just knowing he was there, and he would usually let her hug his hand.

"Merle," Daryl hissed in a whisper, "Get up, Merle, it's yer turn." Linney faded into sleep and drifted back to the surface when she realized that Merle had gotten up and Daryl was whispering to him right outside the tent.

"What the fucks goin' on?" Daryl said quietly his voice carefully calm.

"She had a nightmare or somethin', started kickin' and whinin' in 'er sleep, woke me up." Merle sounded indignant. She heard Daryl sigh and Merle continued, "Woke 'er up, but she started cryin' n' I wanted to sleep so I dragged the little shit over near me n' pet 'er like a dog til she went back to sleep. That kid's fuckin' messed up, little brother." Merle chuckled.

Daryl stepped back inside the tent and spoke once more to Merle, "Yer a fuckin' pussy, Merle." Linney heard Merle grumble as he walked away, and then the creaks of him ascending the ladder.

Daryl zipped the tent closed and dropped his crossbow on the empty side of the tent, and she heard the sound of other things hitting the ground as he removed knives and guns as well. A moment later and she heard him mutter something unintelligible under his breath and he climbed into Merle's side of the side bed, laying on his side, facing her.

Linney could feel the waves of sleep rising higher to claim her again and just barely heard when Daryl murmured, "Little coward," and pulled her sleeping bag up against himself, so her pillow was resting below his chin. She felt the slight dip on the pillow as he lay his head on it as well, resting above hers. He rested his top arm over her shoulder and Linney finally gave in to sleep again, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

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Linney woke up before Daryl that morning. She was very glad she had because she knew instinctively that Daryl would've freaked out and probably not talked to her for days if he had. She knew he wasn't big on touching, so when she woke up with an arm hugged around his chest, her head pillowed on his shoulder, that he would've lost his mind. He had one arm over top of her sleeping bag, hugging her waist and his other arm laying on top of hers, his hand resting on her shoulder. She felt instantly guilty, knowing that it was probably her fault that they were cuddled up like this; at home she slept with a pillow she normally kept hugged to her chest, in her sleep, Daryl probably seemed like a good pillow replacement.

Linney froze completely still and wondered how she was going to extricate herself from this situation. She peeked up at the side of his head and saw his face relaxed and gentle with sleep. Licking her lips nervously, she started to slowly pull herself down and away from him, not wanting to risk removing his hands with her own. She made it out after a few minutes, her eyes always on his face. When she was on the far side of her own mattress she slithered out from the sleeping bag and carefully grabbed all her things from the floor on the far side of the tent. Tip-toeing carefully, she unzipped the tent door and slipped outside, carefully closing it behind herself.

Linney breathed a huge sigh of relief and then put her shoes on and reattached her belt, holster and the varied sheaths for the knives, underneath Daryl's hoodie. Looking around she saw it was not long after dawn.

"Linney!" Dale called in a soft voice, and she looked around before realizing he was up on the roof of the RV. She trotted over to the side of the RV, shivering slightly in the still cool morning air.

"Come on up and keep me company for a minute, Linney." Dale said pleasantly. Linney climbed the ladder quickly and when she got to the top she saw that there was a lawn chair waiting empty for her there, with Dale sitting on the one next to it. He had binoculars, a sun umbrella ready to go up, and what looked like a cup of coffee.

"Nice set-up you got up here." She said, gesturing at everything with her sleeve-covered hand. Dale stared at her hand and then quirked up an eyebrow.

"That looks a little large for you," he said, pointing at Daryl's sweatshirt, "Maybe we should try and find you something that fits at the next place we stop." Linney shook her head; she had no intention of returning this sweatshirt to anyone, not even to Daryl.

"Everything looks huge on me," she replied simply, sitting next to Dale and grabbing his cup of coffee to steal a few lukewarm sips. Linney handed it back to an amused looking Dale. "I'm sure that would taste even better hot," she laughed, the sound light and airy in the early morning. Dale took the offered cup and placed it down next to his leg. He gave her a serious look then and she felt her smile die on her face.

"What?" She asked, trying not to sound rude. Dale pressed his lips together and shook his head.

"What happened last night? Andrea and I took shifts of our own inside the RV," Linney glared at him, at their complete lack of trust. Dale raised his hands in the air, "Hey, we just met you people, we want to trust you, but we have to be sensible, this isn't like before." Linney looked away, at the brightening sky. _No it certainly is not like before_, she thought ruefully.

"Anyways, Andrea had the first half of the night and when she woke me up she said that she heard a... a... a ruckus in your tent." Linney made a face at him. "A 'ruckus', Dale?" He shrugged and raised an eyebrow at her, clearly expecting her to answer. She drew her knees up to her chest, creating a little tent under the sweatshirt.

"I've been having terrible nightmares," she began, peeking up at Dale, "Like horrible, horrible ones. I've never had dreams like this in my life, they're vivid and disturbing and I can remember them when I'm awake, which is almost worse than having them." Dale placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, a look of understanding on his face. She decided not to shove his hand off and looked down at the tips of her shoes peeping out from under the sweatshirt.

"One of my dreams almost got Daryl and I killed the other night. I started freaking out in my sleep and the noise drew a couple of those shit heads to the house we were in. Daryl and Merle are pretty disturbed by it as well." She looked up at Dale and saw pity on his face, so she tried to lighten the mood, "Neither of them is exactly a cuddle-bunny, so I'm sure some psycho girl having nightly bad dreams and spazzing out is just a wonderful addition to their lives."

Dale swallowed and looked away. "Andrea's been having a hard time sleeping with bad dreams, too," he began, not looking at her, "she's been taking something to sleep, something that holds back the nightmares, maybe she could lend you some?" Linney got to her feet, stretching and feeling her joints come awake. "That would be awesome, I'll talk to her later." Dale nodded at her and Linney made for the ladder. She paused before climbing down.

"Dale, where'd Merle get to? He didn't sleep in the tent." Dale nodded, "He's on the couch in the RV, I can hear everything from in there up here." Linney blinked at him.

"Gotcha. I think you guys have the wrong impression of them. They're not bad people. Merle's a hard case, but there's a person under there, you know?" Dale took in a deep breath and nodded slowly at her. "To you, maybe, but we don't know them, we don't mean anything to them yet, and Andrea and Amy are the most important things in the world to me; you'll forgive me if I don't take any chances with their lives." Linney held his dark eyes for a moment and then looked away; she had to understand, because she was certainly more closely bonded to Daryl and Merle than she was to any newcomers. Dale looked at her curiously, delaying her departure down the ladder yet again.

"What is it Dale? I have to go to the bathroom." She said, trying not to sound impatient. He cleared his throat and pointed at her.

"How old are you, Linney?" She blinked in response, not expecting the question. "I'm not certain of what the date is, but I'm maybe a couple weeks from turning 19." Dale nodded and replied while not looking at her. "It's hard to tell with you." Linney rolled her eyes and decided to take her leave.

Climbing down the ladder she was surprised into almost shrieking when Merle suddenly rounded the corner of the RV. He stood waiting for her to get to the ground, and she assumed that he had probably just heard everything she and Dale had said. She felt her face burning red inside her hood. He had his lips pressed together like he was pissed off and he glared at her. She glared right back at him though; her instincts with Merle always being to push back, no matter what.

"Did'ja have a nice chat?" He said, his voice low and grumpy. Linney nodded and replied, "Did you sleep ok on the couch? Next time we should just make three beds in the tent, that way we're not all separated." Merle stared back at her through narrowed eyes. He nodded slowly and then lightly shoved her shoulder, the way he did to Daryl all the time, she winced a little at the contact with her bruises.

"Try not to fuckin' wake me up again like that, sweetheart, it pisses me off when I can't sleep." He grumbled before pushing by her to climb up the ladder and talk with Dale. Linney made her way slowly away from the RV, heading towards the truck. The sun was finally up and the sweatshirt was becoming a little to warm for her liking. She pulled it off and tucked it into the front seat of the truck, on her side, determined to keep it.

Linney climbed up into the truck bed and found her backpack and rifled through it until she found one of the light and thin long sleeved shirts she'd packed. This one was light blue, a color she was pretty sure she'd ruin immediately, and it buttoned up the front and had a collar on it. She left it open and started to roll the sleeves to her elbows.

In the distance she could hear Amy and Andrea chatting in the RV and she hastily finished rolling her sleeves up before grabbing a hairbrush, a toothbrush, the small tube of toothpaste she'd swiped from Cara's house, and a bottle of water. Hugging them in one arm, she leapt over the side of the truck and trotted around to the back of the house, away from everyone.

She rested her goodies on the ground and quickly looked around, making sure the coast was clear before relieving herself as quickly as she could, worried that someone would round the corner and catch her with her pants around her ankles. When she was done, she gathered up her toiletries and continued around to the back of the house. There was a stack of concrete blocks there, sitting like gigantic grey legos and she scrambled up to the top of the pile, childishly pleased when she reached the top of the nearly 9 foot pile.

At the top she released her hair from it's braid and brushed it out, pleased that it smelled clean and fresh from the shampoo. The heat was making wearing a braid inconvenient and hot against her neck, so she pulled the thick mass of her hair up, piling it all on top of her head in a large messy bun. Linney smeared a strip of toothpaste on her toothbrush and rinsed a gulp of water around her mouth before brushing her teeth. Linney took more glee in spitting her pasty mouthfuls of water over the side of the concrete pile than was strictly lady-like. _Fuck it_, she thought, _I'll take what chuckles I can get._

"Jesus, there ya are." Linney spun around, a mouthful of water and toothpaste bulging her cheeks out. Daryl stood at the bottom of the pile. He was looking up at her like she was crazy. "We thought ya got eaten." He said, only half-serious, Linney grimaced as best she could and then held up a finger to him to ask for a moment. He rolled his eyes and waved at her to go ahead. Turning around Linney spat out her mouthful and rinsed her mouth out once more before spitting again. Tucking everything in her pockets she turned back to Daryl.

"I was just trying to hide... for a bit." She finished lamely, Daryl smirked and motioned for her to get down. Linney carefully made it down, ignoring his extended helping hand. When she got to the bottom, she looked up at Daryl, studying his face for any signs of being pissed at her. He looked only normally grumpy, so she had to assume he knew nothing about her nighttime hug-fest.

"Yer gonna break that poor girl's heart, ya weirdo." He said in a low voice. Linney grimaced at him before turning to head back to the truck. "Is it so bad I don't want a BFF right now? I'm a little preoccupied, you know." She heard Daryl grumble out a low laugh and then he grabbed her arm, turning her to look at him. His was serious now.

"You ok? Merle said ya had 'nother nightmare." Linney chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked away, trying to pull out from his grip on her arm. He tightened his hold and his other hand forced her face to look at him. His blue eyes were sharp and concerned and Linney realized she couldn't bullshit her way out of this one.

"No, I'm not ok." She mumbled, before heaving out a huge breath. "They just keep coming, and they're just..." She looked back at his eyes, and then closed hers. "I talked to Dale this morning, he said Andrea has some pills I could maybe borrow that'll knock me right out." She opened her eyes and saw the skepticism on Daryl's face. Gently she pulled her arm and he released it this time. "I'm not super excited about taking pills to quit dreaming, but I'm sick of being afraid at night and I don't want to keep waking you guys up." Daryl waved a hand through the air.

"Don't listen to Merle, he's an asshole." He said dismissively. Linney smiled, nodded, and then turned to walk back to the truck, slightly relieved when Daryl didn't follow her. She made it up into the truck bed and was putting away her things when she heard, "Linney! I made you some coffee! Come have a cup with me and Andrea!" Amy was way too excited for the early morning but Linney found herself smiling and waving back at the girl. _Oh boy, besties!_


	11. Chapter 11

***** Thanks for reading everyone *** As per usual I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, she's mine :) *****

They continued on their way towards Atlanta, the process much slower than it had been a day or two before. It seemed that proximity to the city meant roads were in worse and worse shape. Accidents littered the roads, main, highway, back roads; they had all suffered. After the first 3 days, when they had only managed 50 miles due to all the back-tracking, studying the maps to find new routes, then back-tracking some more, it was decided that they would start attempting to clear the wrecks themselves, if they could.

"I'm just saying, that last one on the highway looked like most of the cars could've been started up and moved a little out of the way." Dale insisted, looking around the crowded RV. They were in the middle of a huge parking lot, the truck and Merle's motorcycle parked close next to it. They had been unable to find a suitable house, and they were frankly all tired and irritable, so Merle had insisted they park in the middle of the lot, to get the best view of their surroundings on watch, and have everyone bunk down inside the RV for safety.

Andrea nodded in agreement from her place next to Dale at the table. She swallowed her mouthful of ramen noodles. "He's right, we really only need to clear just a big enough path for the RV to make it through, not the whole road or anything." Daryl, sitting in a lawn chair in the tiny space between the dinette and the kitchen counter, tipped his bowl up to his mouth, noisily drinking the last bits of his soup.

"I'm not sayin' it's a bad idea Blondie," Merle spoke gruffly from his seat across the table from her, "Those fuckers are goin' to be everywhere, 'specially now that we're movin' through bigger towns." Andrea shrugged and her eyes darted over to Daryl and back to Merle, before she said, "I think with the three of you, plus me and Dale, we can handle just about anything."

Linney was drooping and hunched on the booth seat next to Merle, barely awake. She'd been taking Andrea's pills for the past two nights and she wasn't dreaming anymore, but she was tired and groggy all the time now. She couldn't seem to time taking the pills right, either. Andrea said they were best to take with food, so Linney took hers at the same time Andrea did, at dinner. But unlike Andrea, she couldn't sit up and be sleepily relaxed with everyone for another two hours. Linney became a limp, drooling mess after about 40 minutes. She watched Andrea talk, barely understanding her, her vision fuzzy and her head feeling like it was full of cotton.

She didn't realize that she had nodded off until Merle was shaking her gently off his arm, where she'd slowly slumped in exhaustion, until her head had come to rest on his sleeve, her cheek mashing up against his t-shirt.

"Hey, quit droolin' on me, kid." He grumbled, pushing her into a sitting position. She squinted at him, giggling quietly as he split into two Merle's and then merged back into one. His face registered mild disbelief, coupled with brief concern. Dale and Andrea were gone, and she realized that Andrea and Amy were probably both in bed. She glanced up at Daryl, who was leaned against the kitchen counter, and with these two here, she had to assume that Dale was taking first watch. Merle got up from the bench seat and moved to the couch, pulling the cushions down to convert it into the single bed it doubled as.

"You need to get up." Daryl said. She took a moment, slowly absorbing his words, briefly concerned at how hard it was to focus, wondering if she was getting fuzzier and fuzzier the more nights she took the pills. Daryl's forehead was crinkled with worry. Linney nodded and started sliding out from the booth. She ran out of booth seat before she realized it and ended up on the floor with a jarring thud.

"Lightweight." She heard Merle mutter from his bed. Daryl loomed way above her, the lantern light making parts of his face fall into eerie shadows. Linney shuddered and tried to get to her feet again, only to fall back down.

"Dammit." Daryl muttered. He reached down and picked her up off the floor, under her arms, like a child. When he had her balanced on her feet, he gently steered her over to the couch bed and pushed her down to sit in top of Merle's shins.

"What the fuck?" Merle growled, his legs tensed. "Jus' let 'er sit there til I got this damn table made into a bed." Daryl said, his voice filled with impatience for his brother.

"Fine, whatever." Merle said in irritation. Linney looked over at him before blinking. The blink seemed to take forever and she realized as her eyes opened up that she was slowly leaning way too far in the opposite direction of Merle's face. She felt herself fall backwards, landing briefly on her side across his feet, before she continued on to the floor. Luckily she passed out completely before she fell off Merle's legs and landed face first on the tile floor, giving herself a giant bruise and a nose bleed.

When she awoke the next morning, she was wrapped up in her sleeping bag, laying in bed, staring at the wall of the RV, an inch from her face. Her face twitched and a flare of pain shot through her nose.

"Owwww..." she moaned softly, freeing a hand from the bedding to pat at her nose. She winced at the feeling of puffy, tender skin across her nose and under both eyes.

"What's goin' on? You ok?" She heard Daryl grumble from beside her and she slowly sat up and looked over at him, laying on his side inside his own sleeping bag. His eyes widened when he saw her face, just for a moment, but long enough for her to realize something was wrong.

"What happened?" She asked, wincing again as she felt momentarily light-headed. Daryl sat up and pushed out of his bedding, steadying her with a hand on her arm.

"Yer done takin' those fucking pills, is what's happened." He said, angrily. Linney looked up at him.

"I agree, I don't get it, Andrea has no problem with them." Daryl smirked at her as he got up and moved to a drawer in the kitchen, yanking out a washcloth.

"That's 'cause yer a midget and she ain't." He said, a low rumble of laughter in his voice, his back to her as he wet a washcloth with water and squeezed the excess out over the sink.

"Here," Daryl stated, folding the washcloth and sitting down on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward and gently placed the wet cloth over her nose. "Hold that there for a bit. It ain't ice, but it's cool enough." Linney nodded and put her hand on the cloth.

"So what happened though, to my nose, I mean." She repeated as Daryl bent to put on his belt and gear. He looked over.

"You were all drugged up. I sat ya down to get this bed made n' ya fell n' hit yer face." Linney's upper lip curled in distaste at her own stupidity. Daryl thought it was anger at him though, clearly, because he snapped, "Hey - I didn't know ya'd be throwin' yerself offa shit." Linney held a hand up at him.

"Calm down, it's my fault. I probably shouldn't have taken those pills at all. It's obviously too much for me." Linney met Daryl's eyes and saw the blue in his cool off at her explanation. He nodded and reached out to take the cloth from her.

"How are you feeling this morning, Linney?" Andrea spoke from the doorway to the back bedroom and when Linney looked over, Andrea grimaced. "Ouch, that doesn't look so great." She came and sat on the edge of the bed, glancing up once to Daryl before looking back down at Linney. "I'm sorry, I overheard most of your conversation," she gestured at the accordion door leading to the bedroom, where they could all clearly hear Dale and Amy snoring, "Thin walls you know." Daryl snorted and bent to lace up his boots.

Andrea cast a look at him before turning back to Linney. "How much were you taking? Of the pills?" Andrea had given Linney her own pill bottle of the pills, saying she had a huge amount of them squirreled away. Linney got to her feet and made her way to her bag sitting on the passenger seat of the RV, she dug in the bag until she found the pill bottle and walked it back over to Andrea, only wavering slightly on her feet once. Daryl was leaning against the fully re-made couch and she knew he was listening carefully.

"See? Here? It says take two with food, once per day." She held the bottle up to Andrea, showing her the label. Andrea's face went pale and she gasped.

"Jesus, Linney, this bottle isn't for these pills, it's just a bottle from an old set of antibiotics I had to take! I thought you knew that I've only been taking half a pill each night!"

"WHAT?" Linney and Daryl both yelled at the same time. Linney forced the pills back into Andrea's lap.

"Take them, I don't want them anymore, I can't believe you never thought to clarify it to me." Linney shook her head and stomped over to her pile of gear on the kitchen counter, strapping on her belt and other accessories. She found her shoes by Daryl, and threw herself down on the couch to cram her feet into them.

"I've been taking 4 times the normal amount, each night - what the hell! No wonder I feel like shit all the time!" Linney was mad, at Andrea, and also at herself for not thinking to double check. _When someone hands you some official looking pharmacy bottle, it's easy to assume the pills inside match the label!_ She thought to herself in indignation.

Andrea nodded at her, her cheeks turning red, "I'm sorry, Linney, I'm an idiot, I never thought to explain it..." Andrea rubbed a hand over her eyes, "Can you forgive me? For being an idiot? For being very, very distracted?" Linney stood up and breathed in a deep breath, so relieved at the explanation for why she'd been feeling so awful lately, she was mostly finished being mad already.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." Linney answered. Daryl got to his feet, moving towards the bed, obviously looking to put it back to a table. Andrea got up and stepped out of his way. Linney met Daryl's eyes briefly when he glanced back at her and she could see he was definitely still pissed. Linney snatched up her bag, slinging it over her shoulders and then pushed the RV door open and stepped outside quickly, happy to leave the tension of the RV. She tossed her bag into the back of the pick-up, probably with more effort than was required.

_Fucking drugs; this is why I don't take anything_, she thought, angry with herself for being such a chicken about the dreams that she had turned to narcotics. She looked around the empty parking lot, shuddering at the sight of the handful of slain walkers that the different people on watch must have killed in the night. She could hear Daryl getting mad at Andrea inside, their voices muffled, but still loud enough for her to understand that Andrea's apology didn't mean shit to Daryl.

_How'd ya feel if me or Merle gave Amy a bunch a pills and let 'er take 'em with no instructions? Let 'er fry her brains?_

Andrea murmured something in response that Linney didn't catch, but Daryl's response was much more clear. _Ya, well you keep away from her then, if you 'just can't help being distracted'!_

Linney made a face, somewhat pleased that Daryl cared enough to chew someone out over her safety, but she felt bad for Andrea; how could anyone not be a little distracted these days? She worried that this might create a rift between Andrea's group and her own, just when they seemed to really be drawing together.

She flexed and stretched from side to side, letting her joints loosen up and her muscles warm up a little bit. Stretching up towards the sky she saw dark clouds and realized that it was probably going to start raining today. _Bleh, I hate rain_, she thought, sniffing the air to see if she could 'smell' a thunderstorm. The air felt humid enough for it and she thought back to her father's boasting to his friends when she was little, about how she was so scared of them that she could smell them coming for her.

"Hey, how's 'bout you get me some coffee, sweetheart." She heard Merle call from behind her and she turned to see him relaxing in a lawn chair, his back to her. Linney shook her head and wanted to tell him to screw off, but realized she wanted some as well.

"Extra spit, coming right up." She replied, her voice overly chirpy. She heard Merle chuckle dryly as she pulled the door open on the RV and climbed back inside. Daryl was finishing up putting the table back together and Andrea was in the tiny washroom, probably brushing her teeth over the miniature sink. Amy was at the kitchen counter and Linney realized she was gathering together everything to make coffee on the camp stove outside. Dale must have still been sleeping.

"Morning!" Amy exclaimed, her face lighting up with a friendly smile. Linney nodded and smiled back at her before helping her carry everything outside.

"So, I hear today we're going back to that highway and moving some cars?" Amy asked her, as she bent to the stove resting on the tailgate of the pick-up truck. Linney nodded absently, "Yeah, I guess so." She reached up and felt the horrible rats-nest of her hair. She carefully climbed over a back tire of the truck to access the truck bed, without jostling the stove. She rummaged around for her bag and dug out her hair brush. Hopping off the edge of the truck she took a few steps away from Amy and removed her hair elastic, so she could brush her hair out.

Amy watched her out of the corner of her eyes, "You have very lovely hair, Linney." Linney glanced up at her and smiled in thanks. Amy clapped her hands and danced a step closer.

"Ooh! I know! Let me french braid it!" Linney was already shaking her head no, and Amy frowned at her playfully. "Let me finish!" She said insistently and Linney nodded slowly, forcing herself to remember that Amy was still a girl and Linney herself was some kind of hybrid of girl, street urchin, and undead killer. She grinned at the thought and Amy thought it was for her.

"Awesome! Ok, I'll do two braids, and start them up near the front," Amy reached out tentatively and tapped the spot on Linney's head, "It'll shorten the braid and I can tuck them in on themselves to avoid having it on your neck, alright?" Linney nodded reluctantly, it did sound good and she had to admit that the bun gave her headaches.

"Fine, fine, let's dole out coffee and I'll let you do my hair." Linney nearly groaned the last few words but Amy was so pleased that Linney couldn't help but be in a better mood. When the coffee was all poured out, Linney carefully carried a steaming mug up to Merle, who was to remain on watch until they left for the day. He smiled eagerly at the cup and Linney handed him a granola breakfast bar from her pocket as well.

"Hear yer gonna be visitin' the beauty parlor." He sneered at her. Linney kicked the leg of his chair, almost causing him to spill his coffee.

"Shut up, Merle."

"I'll toss ya the hell off this roof if ya ever do that again... tryin'a spill hot coffee on me, ya little shit." Merle grumbled. Linney rolled her eyes and climbed off the RV. Amy had put away the stove and coffee maker and was sitting on the tail gate, a hairbrush and two mugs of coffee beside her.

"Over here, Linney, stand in front of me and I'll get started." As Amy got to work, Linney tried to relax, closing her eyes and sipping slowly on her coffee. It _did_ feel nice to have some dragging their fingers slowly through her hair, over and over again. She had to pop her eyes open again to keep from dozing off on her feet.

By the time the braids were done, everything was packed up and they were ready to move on. When Linney escaped Amy's ministrations and sought refuge in Daryl's truck, she couldn't help but pat at her hair, feeling the woven bundle of it lining each side of her head. The tail of each braid had been neatly tucked into the main braid and the effect was tidy and rather cute, Linney had to admit to herself. When Daryl swung in his door and slammed it she patted a hand to her head and smiled at him, purposely trying to bait him.

"What do you think? Nice hair, right? I'm looking pretty good right about now, hey?" Daryl glanced over at her and rolled his eyes before looking back at the road, careful to keep up with Merle.

"You look five." He mumbled. Linney felt her jaw drop, and then pinched her lips together in consternation.

"Dick." She said, slapping the back of her hand on his arm. Daryl smiled and didn't say anything more.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Ok, only one that doesn't start is that blue one," Daryl said, pointing back at a blue Corolla, "But we can move them other ones n' toss the blue one into neutral, roll it outta the way." The group nodded, all of them gathered in front of the RV. Before them lay a mess of cars, mostly involved in fender benders, but a bus in front of all the cars was seriously damaged, looking like it had smashed front-first into the concrete barriers on the side of the road.

The bus lay on it's side now and Linney imagined that a lot of the people in there died from the collision, and then crawled out of the windows and attacked the people standing around their dented cars. She didn't say that to anyone though, not wanting to get into such gory details in this graveyard.

"Jesus." Merle said, staring at the stinking piles of human remains scattered all around the crash site. He glanced down at Linney who was standing half-leaned against his arm, deeply disturbed by the sight of a minivan, the doors hanging open, little stick-people family stickers on the rear window.

"Merle," she said, her voice low, "do you think there were ki-" He cut her off, pushing her off his arm and clapping her on the back.

"Let's get these cars moved, now." He said, his voice carrying to the rest of the group, "We don't wanna be here any longer than we gotta, otherwise we're gonna be lunch n' I ain't goin' out like that."

He headed through the maze of cars, towards the truck at the head of the crash. Linney moved towards a small red two-door that Daryl told her to move, and everyone else went towards their designated cars too. She heard the sound of many cars revving up and carefully eased her own vehicle forwards, steering away from the bulk of the other cars.

When she had pulled up a ways, over to the shoulder, Linney snapped the car off and stepped out, pleased to see everyone else had been able to get out the way too. She felt a surge of hope as she walked away from her car, along the shoulder, towards the road; they might be able to make it to Atlanta faster if they were able to clear accidents this quickly. The momentary thought of an inviting refugee centre had her pleasantly distracted.

So, when she passed one of the crashed cars and tripped over something that was sticking out from behind it, she had no time to grab a weapon, as her hands shot out to keep her head from colliding with the pavement. Scraping her palms against the pavement made her cry out, and she wasted no time looking behind herself, over her shoulder. She was just in time to see a tall figure unfold from the shadows behind the car she'd just passed.

And it moved quickly straight for her.


	12. Chapter 12

***** Hope you all enjoy! Can't promise the updates will always come this fast and furious, but since I've got the time, I'm going to keep cranking them out - there's so much story in my head I can hardly type fast enough haha *** As per usual I OWN NOTHING... except Linney, she's mine :)**

The man rushing towards her was not dead, that was the first thing that registered in Linney's mind. The second thing was that he was babbling something at her in a nearly incoherent voice. Linney scrambled backwards, gained her feet, nearly fell again, and then spun around, her back to him, and jabbed her elbow into his gut as hard as he could, to stop his head-long rush towards her. She didn't want to hurt him, just calm him down.

She could hear Merle, Daryl, and Andrea yelling things at her, as they ran over, and Linney watched as the tall, thin man she'd just hit, bent forward, her elbow having driven all the air from him in a rush. He sank to his knees and looked up at her from the ground, his expression hurt and truly baffled. She thought he muttered a name at her before he bent all the way to the ground, his long arms slung around his stomach.

Their feet pounded the cement and suddenly Daryl and Merle were there, stopping at her side. Andrea hooked an arm around Linney's stomach and tugged her back gently. The men closed rank in front of her and Linney watched in glazed horror as Merle drew his knife and moved to stab the folded-over figure in the head.

"No!" She screamed and Merle paused, he looked over his shoulder at her, startled. Linney pulled from Andrea's grip and put her hands on Merle's knife arm, trying to tug it down, feeling the muscles grow tense and stiff below her hands in resistance.

"He's not one of them! He's a real guy!" She explained, her voice high-pitched with strain. Dale jogged up to them then and Linney nudged Daryl in the side, forcing him to make room for her to stand between him and Merle. Dale walked calmly around Daryl and knelt at the groaning man's side. He gently helped the man sit up and lean against the car next to them. Linney grimaced at the pale, almost green tinge to his face. She knelt down too, near the man's feet and was surprised when Daryl did as well, close to her side.

The man coughed harshly and looked around, his eyes slightly unfocused. "I'm... sorry... didn't want to... scare you... been so long..." He leaned his head back exhaustedly and Dale placed a hand lightly on the man's pulse.

"He's weak," Dale started, meeting Linney's eyes before looking over at Daryl, "Probably hasn't eaten in days." Linney looked back to ask Andrea to grab some water and food for the man, but saw she was already jogging back from the RV with those items in hand.

"I don't give a fuck, he ain't our problem." Merle said, his voice harsh. Linney wrinkled her brow and glanced up disapprovingly at Merle before leaning forward and putting a hand tentatively on the man's arm. He opened his eyes again and looked at her.

"Miranda?" He asked, dazed and unbelieving. Linney frowned. "No, I'm Linney. What's your name?" The man's face crumpled and he looked ready to cry, then he turned his face away and mumbled the name Miranda again.

"Here, water," Andrea said, handing a bottle to Dale. The older man nodded and twisted the cap off, putting the bottle to the man's lips. "Please drink, just a little." The man pressed his lips together, his face strained with inner pain. Dale met Linney's eyes briefly and held the bottle out to her.

Sighing, Linney took the bottle from Dale and scooted closer to the man, sitting right up against his hip. She put a hand on his cheek and turned his face to look at her.

"Please, have some water, will you?" She asked softly, coaxing him as if he were a small child. He turned back to face her, his eyes lighting up briefly when he saw her face again. He drank slowly and steadily and Linney looked back when Daryl nudged a handkerchief into her hand. She smiled at him and poured a little water on it, pulling the man's grimy cap off his head. She placed the rag on his forehead, wiping at the sweat there.

"What's your name?" She asked him carefully when she'd taken the rag and started to press the cool, damp cloth to his neck. He smiled at her, "Jim, my name is Jim."

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"Look, it's hard enough with six of us, we don't need another mouth." Merle said, glaring at Linney. She stood toe to toe with him, aware that he was legitimately mad, and not about to hide the fact that she was too.

"He's _alive_, Merle." She said, angry emphasis in her tone. "We can't just leave him for dead!" She gestured back at the RV where Amy and Dale were sitting with Jim. "What the hell is the point of us going all the way to frigging Atlanta, if not to group up with others?" Merle glared hard at her.

"I'm goin' for the food n' the guns, not the fuckin' people. Don't think for a second that I give a shit 'bout anyone but Merle." Linney crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, bullshit," she said under her breath, so only he heard. His jaw jutted out angrily and he leaned aggressively closer to her. Linney held her ground and didn't look away from his eyes, even though she could hear Daryl behind her, muttering to his brother to back off.

"We need people, Merle." She said softly, looking from one angry blue eye to the other. "When he's got his strength back, it'll be another helping hand, someone more to stand watch, to help get supplies." Merle's face twitched and she wondered idly if he'd hit her or just give in and then hate her for the rest of the day. Rolling his eyes in disgust, he turned away and threw his hands in the air.

"Fine, whatever." He spun back and pointed at Linney, "If he fucks up n' gets someone killed, that's on you." Linney breathed in a deep, slow breath and kept her face unchanged.

"Yer a pushy little shithead, ya know that?" He snapped, his voice irritated. Linney smiled with one side of her mouth.

"And you're a grouchy bastard." She replied, calmly. Andrea snorted behind them and walked back into the RV. Linney could hear her announcing that Jim was welcome to stay with them, if he wanted. Merle went back to his bike and started it back up.

"Let's get the fuck outta here, we wasted too much time already." He started to slowly make his way through the path they'd cleared and Linney finally released the huge amount of tension she'd been trying to hide during the confrontation with the elder Dixon, by way of a shaky laugh.

"C'mon, let's go before he fucks off permanently." Daryl said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder and slowly urging her towards the truck. Linney went and climbed into their vehicle. She glanced back to make sure that Dale was also ready to get going in the RV and was pleased to see him in the driver's seat, starting the engine.

"You know he's just worried, right?" Daryl said to her after they'd been following behind Merle for a bit. Linney looked over at him with one eyebrow raised. "Yeah," she answered, before rubbing her hands over her eyes, roughly and tiredly.

"You feelin' ok?" Daryl's voice was concerned. Linney nodded and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes for a second.

"I'll be fine; those fucking pills have me all strung out. I've been running on fumes all morning." She said wryly. Daryl grimaced and she could see him getting angry about the pill situation again.

"Don't hate Andrea, it was an accident." Daryl smirked at her. "Oh yeah, lettin' someone OD, that's just a whoopsie." His voice was angry and mocking.

"We need more people with us, Daryl." Linney said, switching topics abruptly, closing her eyes again. She heard Daryl grunt in response.

"I'm serious, there's safety in numbers. This guy looks capable, just tired and hungry." Linney spoke softly.

"Go to sleep for a bit, we got a ways before we stop for the day." Daryl answered, his voice firm. Linney cracked an eye open and looked at him. He was glancing between her and the road. Finally she nodded and grabbed the sweatshirt she kept on the seat between them, pushing it up against the door, laying her head against it, stretching her legs out and purposely digging her feet into Daryl's leg.

"Ow, quit it, ya seat hog." He muttered at her. Linney chuckled and pulled her feet back a little bit, curling up more comfortably to nap.

When she woke, she was deeply confused, it was dark out and the truck wasn't moving. She sat up quickly and saw the driver's side of the truck was empty. She felt her stomach drop and wondered for an instant if she was dreaming. Then she looked out her window and saw the RV and Merle's bike, all crowded on a wide gravel driveway around Daryl's truck. The truck jumped and she spun around to look through the back window. She saw Daryl's back, bending down to grab something and pass it to Dale over the edge of the truck bed.

Linney blushed and looked away when she realized she was staring at Daryl's ass. She grabbed her sweatshirt and opened the door, sliding out to the ground, pleased that her head felt clear again. She quickly slipped into the sweatshirt, shivering slightly against the cooler night temperature. The air felt heavy with the prospect of rain, and Linney just bet that if she could have seen the sky, the clouds would have been dark and swollen, ready to burst and drench everything.

"Mornin' sleepyhead," Amy said pleasantly, as she carried an armload of stuff from the RV, past Linney, to an open door on the side of the house. Linney smiled weakly and walked back to Daryl. She looked up at him and smiled guiltily.

"Sorry, I'm shitty company to drive with, falling asleep like that." She said. Daryl raised an eyebrow at her. "Ya needed to get that shit outta your system, don't worry 'bout it." She nodded and reached her hands up to him.

"Pass me some stuff, let me help." He handed over two backpacks and waited while she slung one on her back before handing her a sleeping bag as well. Linney shot him a brief smile before turning away and heading towards the house.

The side door they were using lead into a small mud room, which then opened up onto a huge, farm-style kitchen. Everything looked comfortably worn from many decades of use and Linney was honestly surprised with how instantly comfortable she felt in the house. Andrea was standing at the huge oak island in the middle of the kitchen, piling things on it from the floor, two lanterns at either end of the kitchen lighting the big room up for her. She looked over and saw Linney slowly drinking in the details around them.

"Pretty nice, huh?" She said, her face happy. Linney nodded and held up her armload of stuff, a questioning look on her face.

"In the living room for now, please." Andrea pointed to the doorway to her left and Linney immediately walked into the other room. It was another huge space, decorated with old, homey pieces, worn and comfortable looking. There was a lantern on the huge, scarred coffee table in the middle of the room and it provided a dim cover of light. Jim was laying on the couch there, and Dale was sorting bags in piles on the ground next to the prone man.

Linney put her armload down and slid the backpack off with a moan of relief. Dale looked up at her and smiled while she rubbed her shoulders.

"Heavy one, hmm?" He asked her and she nodded, ruefully. He nodded towards her, "How are your shoulders doing?" She shrugged before answering. "Well, you all know the bruises are lighter," she said, knowing that everyone stared nervously at her bruises from time to time, in pity, in worry, and in Andrea's case, in suspicion, "But yeah, they still ache from time to time, I sort of wonder if he didn't sprain them or pull a muscle of something."

Dale looked at her sympathetically, understanding the vague reference to her father attacking her, and nodded, "It's hard to say, but you're handling it very well." Linney gave him a one-sided smile and walked back through the kitchen to the yard to see if Daryl needed help. She reached the truck just as he was jumping down. He slammed the tail gate shut and looked over at her.

"What?" He barked at her, and she made a face. "No need to be pissy, I was just checking to see if you needed help." She retorted, trying not to sound overly bitchy. He shook his head and walked past her, towards the house. She leaned against the truck and watched him walk away, wondering why he had to go from hot to cold all the time. _I don't think it's me, I think he's just a stupid grump_, she thought, her inner voice haughty.

Daryl paused at the door and looked back at her. His face was hidden in shadow, but Linney was willing to bet he was irritated. "What're ya doin'? Get your ass over here." He said loudly. Linney crossed her arms over her chest and decided to screw with him a little, to try and get him to lighten up a bit. So she shook her head and remained casually leaned against the truck.

Daryl, took a step forward and hissed at her, "No one's out here, we're all done, now get inside!" She grinned at him, a big smart ass smile, and moved towards the front of the truck.

"Make me." She said, tauntingly. His face was clear now, as he stepped out into the driveway, the dim light of night displaying his features in a cool, blue light. He looked confused and slightly mad. Linney chuckled quietly and ducked down behind the front of the of the truck, out of sight. She heard him laugh very quietly, so slight that she hardly caught it, and then everything went silent. Linney quickly moved, on light feet, along the side of the RV, hiding at the front.

She knew Daryl was there somewhere, but she heard nothing, just the regular soft sounds of nighttime. She moved carefully, peeking down each side of the RV and didn't seem him. She realized then that he was literally hunting her, and that made her mad, knowing she had little chance of winning this little game.

Quietly and slowly, Linney peeked around the edge of the RV again, down the passenger side, it looked empty. She quickly dropped to the ground and peeked underneath the vehicle, trying to see if she could spot his feet on the other side. The way was clear. _Where is he hiding?_ She thought, her stomach jumpy, even if it was a game. His ability to be so quiet was almost frightening.

Linney got to her feet and looked over her shoulder to make sure the way was clear and saw nothing behind her. She decided that she would make a break for the door to the house. When she turned around to dart to the house, she shrieked in surprise when he was suddenly right there, his arm whipping out quick as a flash and wrapping around her shoulders, covering her mouth so her shriek was muffled and cut off. He was laughing quietly and she struggled against his hand and finally stepped away from him.

"You can't win hide n' seek with me." He said, his voice low. Linney shoved his shoulder, her heart still frantically racing from surprise. He was standing so close, Linney could easily make out his features. Daryl had a small smile on his face and he reached out slowly to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, distracting her so much she could barely move, it was such an unusual gesture from him.

His hand lingered for a moment, and then suddenly he ducked down and scooped her up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Hanging upside down she tried to keep her giggles quiet as he ran with her towards the house. At the door he used the hand not holding her steady around the waist to crack the door to the mudroom open. He stepped inside with her and she poked him in the sides.

"Hey!" He said, "I won fair n' square, ya keep your hands to yourself." He gently put her down on the floor in front of him. Linney could feel all the blood rush out of her head and put a hand on his arm to steady herself for a second. He raised an eyebrow at her slight wobble and put a hand on each of her shoulders, holding her still.

"Last time you fuck around outside, ya hear?" He asked, his voice teasingly gruff. Linney rolled her eyes at him, but wasn't able to keep the big smile of pleasure off her face; she had succeeded in putting him into a good mood and making him laugh, which was the whole point of the exercise.

The kitchen lanterns shone dim yellow light into the mudroom and Linney realized they were still gripping each other's arms. Her chest constricted and she looked up at his face again, feeling strange about the look she saw there; regret, softness, happiness, all mingled together. They seemed to realize the mood had changed from playful game to something more charged and tense, at the same time and they both dropped their hands and Daryl shoved her ahead into the kitchen.

"Alright, little coward, make me some dinner." He joked and pushed past her to the living room without looking her in the eyes again.


	13. Chapter 13

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING except Linney :) *****

Amy and Linney were on dinner duty that night and by the time Amy had wandered into the kitchen, Linney had already set up the stove and was boiling water in a giant pot.

"I'm making pasta," she said to Amy, pointing to three long rectangular boxes of spaghetti sitting to the side of the stove. Amy's pretty face lit up and she held her hand up for a high five. Linney slapped her hand, without much enthusiasm and then added the noodles once the water was boiling. Amy got out cutlery and plates. Using a can opener she found in a drawer, Linney opened the two cans of spaghetti sauce that Andrea had found in the cupboards.

"Mmm," she laughed, showing the can to Amy. "'Meat' flavour! Sounds delish." Amy giggled and Linney joined her. A smaller pot was squished onto the stove next to the one full of noodles and she dumped both cans of sauce into it, stirring it occasionally.

"Have you looked around this place yet?" Amy asked her, hopping up onto the island next to the stove. Linney shook her head.

"It's amazing - totally untouched, everything looks clean, no break ins - doesn't even look like anyone died here!" Amy was thrilled and Linney had to admit that even she was excited. She gestured at the cupboards.

"We should take a look around, make sure to take as much food and shit as we can." Linney's voice was pleased and Amy nodded along with her.

"There's two couches out there, big enough to sleep on." Linney nodded idly and dipped her pinkie against the side of the spoon being used to stir the sauce, to check the temperature. _Nope, too cold still_.

Amy continued, "Jim will sleep on one, so he doesn't have to do stairs and the other couch is where Dale will sleep. There's another bedroom with a double, that Andrea and I can share, a tiny room with a little kids bed, and one more room with a king sized bed." Amy's voice trailed off for a moment before she added, "You three can figure out who gets what." Linney nodded, pretty sure that the kids bed would end up being hers, and then paused.

"What about watches?" She asked. Amy shrugged, "I think the consensus is that with everything locked up and closed, and the house clear, we should all be able to sleep the whole night." Amy's eyes were bright, clearly happy with the prospect of a safe house for the night.

"We'll see if that actually happens." Linney said, her voice dry. "Why wouldn't it?" She spun around and found Merle leaning in the doorway to the kitchen. Linney raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to the sauce.

"You Dixons don't strike me as 'relax and take your chances' types of guys." She said nonchalantly. Merle snorted from the doorway and walked into the room.

"What's for dinner?" he asked peeking in the pots. Amy grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away. He glared at her but she just laughed and shooed him away.

"Get out of here, you!" She said, a grin on her face. Linney watched out of the corner of her eye, surprised when Merle just held up his hands and backed out of the room. "Fine, fine, don't gotta give me the ole bum's rush." He said, his voice grumpy. Linney looked back at him and saw him wink at her before leaving the room.

Both girl's were silent for a moment, listening to the water slowly bubble in the pot. "He's really a big softie isn't he?" Amy said casually. Linney turned around and shot Amy an incredulous look.

"Merle?" She said, in disbelief. Amy nodded, "I've noticed, I'm not a total idiot." Amy brushed her blonde hair over her shoulder and continued, "He's nice to you." Linney thought back to his cursing, his name calling, his constant grouchiness, the wallop to the face that first morning; although she had to concede that she had just held him at gunpoint, threatening to blow his brains out.

"Yeah, I don't think so. He's not a monster, but he's no softie." Linney replied. Amy hopped off the counter and patted Linney's shoulder. "Oh, he's a monster." She said before beginning to dig in the cupboards around the sink. Amy turned around with a strainer for the pasta, brandishing it in the air in triumph.

"But he's a softie to you, and to me." Amy put the strainer down in the sink and turned the burner off for the noodles, using oven mitts to pick the pot up. Linney watched as she dumped them into the strainer, over the sink. Steam rose in the air and Linney wondered if she really was the exception to his normal reign of terror with everyone else.

"He treats you like his daughter." Amy said, dumping the noodles back into the pot. Linney dropped the spoon she was holding onto the counter with a loud clatter. She grabbed Amy's arm and spun her around, her face serious, her eyes narrowed.

"Don't ever say that again." Linney warned her, her tone sharp. Amy stared at her warily, her face confused.

"I'm not being insulting -" Amy started to explain herself but Linney cut her off. "You don't know what you're talking about, so just shut the fuck up." Amy looked hurt and then put the pot down on the counter with a quiet thunk.

"You three certainly belong together," Amy said quietly, her voice wounded. Linney pressed her lips together and clenched her jaw, not looking over. "You're all assholes." Linney looked over at the other girl but Amy marched out of the kitchen without looking back.

Linney swallowed and felt an unexpected surge of guilt for being so mean to Amy. She poured the sauce over the spaghetti, and stirred it together, noting that the tiny brownish lumps floating in the red sauce were probably the "meat" the label referred to. She dished up large servings for everyone and jabbed forks in each dish.

She leaned into the living room and found everyone sitting around on the furniture and the floor. "Dinner's ready." She announced, popping back into the kitchen before she had to meet anyone's gaze.

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"I had a group," the thin man began, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, "We were surprised, not prepared." Dale patted the man's shoulder comfortingly, nodding his head along with the story. Jim looked up and stared over at Linney again, making her uncomfortable; he'd been doing it all night and it was really starting to bug her. Merle shifted in irritation next to her on the couch and she tried to pull her legs up a little more, to give him more room.

Jim finally continued, his eyes far away, his expression devastated. "They were all... I mean, they all... I was the only one who got away." His eyes were shiny and red and Dale looked around the room at everyone before replying.

"I think we can all understand fear and loss these days." He said, trying to comfort the man. Jim met his eyes briefly before looking back over at Linney and then down at his hands. Linney bit her lip and looked over at Daryl, who was sitting in a rocking chair across the room. Jim's repeated stares were not getting past him either, he was glaring at the man; Linney was partially relieved that she wasn't imagining it.

"You should have some more to eat, Jim." Amy said kindly, moving from her spot on the floor next to Jim's couch. "Just little bits at a time, but consistently, remember?" Jim nodded at her, a weak smile on his face. Amy handed him the little dish of dried fruit and beef jerky she'd brought out for him after dinner. He took it and slowly worked on a piece of fruit. Amy handed him a bottle of water too.

"Drink that slowly and -"

"And steadily, I remember." He said nodding at her. Amy smiled and got to her feet. "I'm going to bed," she said, moving towards the stairs to join her sister in their room. Merle slapped his legs sharply, making everyone jump.

"I'm goin' too." He got to his feet and looked at Linney, "Need to get my beauty sleep." He said. Linney smirked at him and as he walked away she replied, "Not enough time in the world, buddy." Merle glanced over his shoulder at her and glowered. "Shoulda left ya at that motel." He said in a snarky voice. Dale and Jim were both wide-eyed with shock, but Linney just laughed. They all sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the floorboards creak as Merle made his way to bed.

Jim was staring at Linney again, his face filled with grief, longing and disbelief. Linney looked away, shifting uncomfortably. Suddenly Daryl got up and moved across the room quickly. He held a hand out to her.

"Time for bed." He said, his eyes cutting away to look over at Jim before settling on her face again. Linney nodded and took his hand, letting him yank her to her feet.

"Night guys, holler if anything goes bump." She said to Dale, purposely avoiding Jim's gaze. Dale nodded and looked over at Daryl with critical eyes. "Will do, have a good night yourself." He paused and then licked his lips, "That little bed is all made up for you, Linney. Andrea took care of that."

His eyes moved quickly to Daryl and then back to her. Linney was astounded at how transparent Dale was at times. _He might as well just say that he doesn't want me screwing around with one of them_, she thought, wanting to snark something back at him, but nodding instead, her face carefully blank.

Daryl snorted in derision and then headed for the stairs, towing Linney along after him. When they got to the top of the stairs, Daryl pointed out his room at the end of the hall. "I'll be in there with Merle," he said. Linney nodded. "This here's yours." He pushed the door open directly in front of them and Linney stepped into the room, shining her flashlight around. The beam of light settled on the bed and she held it there in disbelief.

"A race car bed, Daryl? Really?" She snapped at him and turned around to see him snickering. "Yer the only one's gonna fit in there, no need to waste a perfectly good bed." Linney pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes at him, "You're such a jerk." She hissed and he ducked his head, chuckling again. He dropped a hand on the side of her neck, holding her for a moment.

"You yell if you have any problems, understand?" His voice was serious and she wondered if he was worried about nightmares, the dead, or Jim. Possibly all three. Linney nodded at him and he let go and walked out, closing the door firmly behind himself. Linney looked around at the room and tried not to focus too much on the kid's toys.

She imagined to herself that such a perfectly preserved house meant that the people who lived there had made it to safety somewhere, while she removed her shoes, belt and weapons. Linney slipped off Daryl's hoodie and folded it up on the floor next to her things and then decided to let take advantage of her own room and took off her jeans and bra, pleased to be sleeping in just the tank top and her underwear.

She slipped under the covers and stretched out, under the light blankets, which still held the scent of past dryer sheets. Her feet just touched the end of the bed and she could see why it was decided that she would have this room.

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_Linney walked quietly down the road, her footsteps barely making a sound. She looked around at the hazy storefronts lining the street and realized she was back home. She stopped for a moment and listened for something, anything. All she could hear was the wind. _

_Shaking her head, she kept walking, not knowing exactly where she should go. She couldn't go home; there was nothing there anymore. _

_She stopped again, and this time instead of silence, she heard footsteps. They were quiet and stealthy. She spun around and couldn't see anyone. She breathed in and out carefully, trying to hear above the sound of her own breaths and the thudding of her heart. The footsteps changed position and now they were ahead of her. _

_But nothing was there. Linney suddenly began to run, listening as the footsteps drew closer. She rounded the corner up ahead and was greeted by more empty streets. She started to run again, but found her legs wouldn't obey her and she stayed in place. The foot steps were hurrying now, racing to catch her. She knew any moment her pursuer would round the corner and she would be a goner. Linney looked around wildly, hoping to find something, anything, to protect herself._

_She realized with a start that she was standing in the street right outside the mechanics shop Daryl worked at. She saw him bent over a car, fixing something under the hood. She called him, but he didn't turn around. She felt the presence of something behind her and shuddered at it's presence, knowing that if she could turn around she would be greeted by something hideous and dangerous._

_She screamed for him, again and again, her voice rasping and screeching, but he never looked up. _

_A hand touched the back of her head. _

Linney jolted awake on her own, her heart thundering in her chest, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She reached a shaking hand up and wiped at her forehead, grimacing when she found it coated with sweat. Looking around the room proved useless because it was pitch black. Linney lay still, trying to will herself to calm down.

"Stop being a baby, get it together." She whispered to herself, her voice sounding tiny in the black room. She froze solid when she heard a sound across the room, by the door. She couldn't be sure if it was real or not and she stared in that direction, trying to see through the blackness. All she could see were black outline of various shapes around the room. Linney sat up slowly and felt the blankets fall down around her hips.

When she heard the noise again, a soft, stealthy noise, like a foot sliding an inch on the floor, she felt her heart stutter in her chest. Her eyes adjusted more and more in the dark and she realized that one of the shapes across the room was swaying slightly, and she nearly peed herself. It was obvious she wasn't alone.

Without waiting an instant, she flew out of the bed, the dark shape jerking and twisting towards her with a loud exhale of breath. "_Daryl_!" She screamed, as she collided with the shape and kicked and punched at it with all her might. She heard a sharp groan and the shape collapsed to the floor in a heap. She tangled her legs up in it and fell with a thud onto her back.

Scrambling and kicking, she backed away from the shape. "_Daryl! Merle!_" She shrieked. She was disoriented now and couldn't find the door, or her weapons. She heard thumps and the sound of the other's calling her name. Linney backed away from the shape as it groaned again and said her name in a slightly strangled voice. She clawed at the floor until her back hit a corner of the room and she could go no further.

Her mind had just enough time to conjure up horrifying images of her father, back from the dead, here to get her, before the door was thrown open a few feet to her left and Daryl exploded into the room, with Merle and Andrea right behind him. They all had weapons drawn and Andrea was shining a huge flashlight into the room. They all looked down at her pressed into the corner, face pale and twisted in terror, and then Linney leapt to her feet and ran at them, throwing herself into Andrea's open arms.

"Someone's in there." She managed to choke out before she heard a thump and a cry in the bedroom. Andrea clutched her tighter and backed away from the door, dragging Linney with her.

"What the fuck man!" She heard Daryl shout before the sound of someone being struck was heard. A second later and Merle and Daryl were dragging an unconscious Jim between them, out of her room. Dale was at the head of the stairs, his dark eyes round and wild, as he took in the sight. Linney felt another arm wrap around her and realized it was Amy, hugging her between herself and Andrea.

"Jim?" Dale said, his voice disbelieving. He glanced back down the dark stairs as if he hoped to see Jim still sleeping on his couch. Daryl cast one tight-jawed look over at Linney, being protectively squashed between the other two women, and then he and Merle dragged the man roughly down the stairs and threw him on the couch. Dale followed them, his worry obvious.

Andrea turned to Linney and Amy with a severe expression on her face. "You two stay here, I'm going to go downstairs and make sure they don't kill him." Amy nodded and Linney stared at her. Andrea made her way downstairs quickly.

"Come on, Linney, let's get you some pants." Amy said, tugging Linney back to her room. Once inside, Amy switched on her lantern and pulled open a dresser.

"This was a boy's room," she explained, pulling out a pair of red and green plaid pajama pants. She looked at the tag on them and grimaced. "They're a medium, too big for you, but there's a drawstring."

Linney nodded and took the pants, slipping them on and tying the drawstring as tight as it could go. They still hung low, resting at her hips, but she pulled her tank top down as far as it would go and grabbed a small throw blanket off the end of Amy and Andrea's bed, wrapping it around her shoulders like a cloak.

"What are you doing?" Amy cried, when Linney got up and pulled the door open. Linney looked back at the other girl, her eyebrows drawing together.

"I need to find out what's going on." She replied, in a calm voice. Amy shook her head and got to her feet. "No, Andrea said to stay put."

"Amy, I'm not five. There was a strange man in my room, uninvited, watching me sleep. I think I need to go find out what the hell he thought he was doing." Linney said, firmly. Amy wouldn't be deterred.

"I think we both know what he was doing." She responded flatly. Linney's face twitched, disturbed by the insinuation. With a disgusted sigh, Linney pulled the door all the way open and made her way to the stairs, Amy following after her, a second or two later.

***** Dun dun dahhh *****


	14. Chapter 14

***** This one was harder to write, I hope I handled it well :) Might be a couple days until I can update again, so enjoy the Daryl-y goodness! *** As per usual I OWN NOTHING AND I KNOW IT - except Linney, she's mine :)**

Linney could hear Daryl growling something at Jim when she descended the stairs. At the bottom, she squeezed past Andrea, Merle, and Dale, stopping behind Daryl, who was bent over Jim's miserable form on the couch.

"Daryl." She said quietly. He turned around to her, his eyes furious.

"What're you doin' down here!" He yelled at her. Linney clenched her teeth and answered him as calmly as she could, keeping her voice level, "I want to know why he was in my room." Merle grabbed her arm, roughly, yanking her backwards so hard she nearly fell.

"I'll tell ya later, after we beat it outta him." He snarled, beginning to drag her out of the room. Linney turned back to him and gave him a cold look.

"Merle, goddammit -" She began, but Jim spoke then, interrupting her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." He started, his voice cracking with emotion. Merle froze and Linney took that opportunity to pull her arm out of his grip, she didn't push her luck by trying to go any closer to Jim though, guessing that Merle and Daryl would tackle her to the ground before she got within arms reach of the man.

"You best be explainin' yourself. Now." Daryl said, his voice dropping low and angry. Jim nodded and looked at Linney.

"I didn't mean to scare you, I wasn't doing anything perverted." He ran both hands through his hair, roughly, making it stand on end.

"You look... so much like her... it's uncanny." He was sobbing now and Linney felt herself soften, despite her accompanying sense of violation and fear.

"Miranda?" She asked softly. Jim's watery eyes shot up to hers and he swallowed hard. He finally nodded.

"Who the fuck is Miranda." Daryl demanded, shoving Jim's shoulder violently.

"My wife... she is... she was... my wife." Jim looked heartbroken and Linney looked over at Andrea, whose eyes were wide and wet, Dale standing beside her, his face burning with feeling.

Jim's dark eyes went back to Linney's face, his emotions obviously tearing him apart.

"It was just a couple days ago... she's dead, with the... others." He stared down at his hands before looking up at Daryl of all people.

"She looks exactly like my wife did, when we first met, I can't get over the resemblance, it's like she's still here."

"Well, she ain't." Daryl stated, his voice flat, "And sneakin' into her room to stare... that's just fucked up." Jim nodded. He looked up at Linney, "Please, I'm so sorry, it was just nice to pretend for a minute, to imagine she hadn't... she hadn't died."

Linney nodded slowly. She didn't know what to say. She found herself looking up at Merle, who was standing next to her, his entire body rigid with anger. He glanced over at her and she held his gaze, not saying anything.

"I'm going back to bed." She finally said, realizing how tired she was. Merle nodded and looked over to his brother.

"I'll stay down here with peepin' tom." He said. Daryl nodded and with one last disgusted look at Jim, he walked towards Linney, ushering her towards the stairs. Andrea and Amy followed them.

"I'll stay down here with you." Dale said to Merle.

"Why? So ya can not stop 'im, again?" Merle shot back. Linney stopped listening as she continued up the stairs. Andrea gave her a brief squeeze around the shoulders before heading to her room and Amy followed her without a word.

Linney headed towards her race car bed, her body achingly tired, her back twanging from falling on it. Daryl grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Where ya think you're goin'?" Linney looked back at him and squinted in the semi-dark, just Daryl's flashlight lighting the hall.

"To bed, I'm exhausted." She answered, gesturing at the bedroom. He shook his head.

"No, you ain't sleepin' alone again." He didn't say anything more, just pulled her after him into the bedroom he had shared with Merle. Linney was too tired to argue and when he pointed at the bed, she went and lay down immediately. She turned back to say something to him and he was gone, the room thrown into darkness. She lay stiffly, wondering if he meant they were switching rooms or something. But a moment later he reappeared, his arms full of her clothes and things from the other room.

Gently laying the armload on the ground, Daryl rounded the bed and climbed into the other side. The bed was so huge that Linney didn't even feel the mattress shift with his weight. There was a gulf of bed between them. Linney curled up on her side, under the blankets, facing Daryl's side. She could see him faintly through the nighttime light shining through a crack in the curtains.

"Merle was right." He said, not looking over. Linney frowned, "About what?" Daryl turned his head and looked over at her, "You're a shit magnet; bad shit just loves to come for ya." His face was serious and Linney had no idea how to respond until she felt the unmistakeable swell of giggles in her throat.

"Why're you laughin'?" He asked, his voice incensed. He leaned up an elbow to look over at her. Linney kept giggling.

"Oh god, you all really should've left me at the damn motel." She laughed more until Daryl started to chuckle with her, a smile on his face. He rolled to his back again and shook his head at the ceiling, laughing occasionally.

He turned over to her again when her laughter stopped. "Did'ja dream?" He asked, not needing to go into detail. Linney went still, the memory of Daryl being so close but not helping her, was fresh and painful in her mind. She nodded at him, all traces of mirth ghosting from her face. He swallowed, his eyes darting over her face.

"Was it bad?" He asked and she nodded again. "Fuck." He muttered and reached an arm out to her, grabbing onto her shoulder and tugging her towards him. She moved closer, and lay her head on his shoulder, still curled into a ball, her folded legs pressed up against his side, and with her arm resting over his collarbone, her hand locked to his other shoulder.

She could hear his heart beating, steady and strong, and he wrapped both his arms around her.

"Just go to sleep, it's fine now." He murmured. Linney nodded. Daryl shifted a little, pulling his hip away from her feet.

"Linney?" He whispered.

"Yeah?" She answered, in a quiet voice.

"You're fuckin' feet are like blocks of ice." He complained. Linney couldn't help laughing a little and then pressed her toes against his warm hip again. He grumbled, but didn't move this time and, feeling safe, she allowed the rhythm of his heart to lull her to sleep. She didn't dream again that night.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The morning was not as awkward as Linney feared it would be. She awoke laying on her side, her back pressed up against Daryl's side, her head on her own pillow, his outstretched arm laying below her head, filling the hollow space between the pillow and the curve of her neck. He was on his back and his other arm was flung out and hanging off the edge of the bed.

Daryl was already awake. When she started shifting around he pulled his arm back and she sat up, looking at him sleepily.

"'Bout time you woke up." He grumped. Linney rubbed her eyes and then stared at him, frowning. "What?" She asked, her voice croaky. "You stole my damn arm." He said, before climbing out of bed. Linney blinked at him and then made a face, before slowly climbing off the bed on the other side.

"I'm sure you'll survive," she replied, before yawning hugely behind her hands. He grunted and started to get his things back on. Linney stood next to the bed and started lifting her stuff up onto the mattress, patiently waiting him for to finish. He looked back at her when he was done and nodded at the pile.

"What're ya waitin' for?" He asked. Linney gestured at her pants, "I have to change, so you gotta go," she answered. Daryl's eyes moved down to her pants and bra on the bed, and then, to her surprise, darted up briefly to her chest and then away again. His face was embarrassed and he turned to leave the room hastily.

"I'll, uh, see ya downstairs." He muttered, shutting the door swiftly behind him. Linney stood frozen for a moment. _He totally just checked out your boob_s, she thought to herself, before shaking her head. _No, no, no way, he's just embarrassed for me_, another part of her mind retorted.

Linney got herself fully dressed and ready for the day, trying to ignore what she was fairly certain had just happened. As she reached for the doorknob, she found herself laughing a little bit. _The impenetrable Daryl Dixon, just snuck a peek._

Downstairs, Jim was gone, the living room empty, and Andrea was making coffee in the kitchen. Linney walked into the room, her face concerned.

"Where is he?" She asked Andrea. The other woman smiled wryly and poured a cup of coffee for Linney and slid it across the island to her.

"Dale performed some kind of magic with Merle last night and we're going to stay here for a couple days, gather some supplies, let Jim get his strength back, before we get on the road again." Linney paused, the mug at her lips and she stared in astonishment at Andrea over the rim of the cup.

She swallowed her mouthful of coffee and put the mug down.

"That's some kinda magic." Linney finally said. Andrea raised an eyebrow and nodded, "I know. The deal is that Jim stays in the RV, he's not allowed to hang around in here with you or Amy, or anywhere, for that matter." Andrea picked up her coffee cup, wrapping both hands around the warm mug, "Merle's rule," she added. Linney was surprised, but the more she thought about it, she guessed that Dale had pressed the issue using bribery and Merle instituted his own rules above Dale's desires, as a form of revenge.

She ate a breakfast bar, perched on the island counter, while Andrea drank her coffee and stared out the window.

"You know," Andrea said thoughtfully, "He's too old for you." Linney stopped chewing and turned around, bringing her knee up onto the counter.

"What?" She asked, her mouth full of food. Andrea looked over her shoulder at Linney before putting her mug down on the counter and turning to face her, leaning on her hands on the island. She trained her sharp blue eyes on Linney's surprised green ones before continuing.

"Dale tells me you're 19? Younger than Amy." Linney didn't say anything, just chewed on her mouthful of food and didn't look away from Andrea's eyes. "He's got to be at least 32, more likely closer to 34 or 35." Andrea lifted an eyebrow at her. "That's a huge age gap, Linney." Linney swallowed her food and slid off the counter.

"I'm not entirely certain what you're talking about." Linney spoke slowly, knowing full well what Andrea was talking about. Andrea pressed her lips together and gave Linney a sympathetic look.

"I'm not blind, I've seen the way it is with you two and I know it probably seems great, this big tough man comes along and saves you, promises to protect you, and actually does, all in return for a very small thing." Linney gaped at Andrea.

"Is that what you think this is? That I'm some damsel in distress?" She retorted, feeling her face growing hot. Andrea gave her a sympathetic look.

"It'll never work out, he's too old for you, and it's not ok for him to use you like that." Linney felt like hitting her. Hard. She took a couple steps towards Andrea, her face growing tight with her rising anger.

"How dare you?" She cried, "You don't know a single thing about either of them, or me!" Andrea rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Linney, it's just a little advice -"

"Advice? Fuck off! I had to nearly shoot Merle in the head and then slit his throat to convince them to take me with them! They asked me for nothing in return. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not some fucking useless bimbo. I_ can take care of myself_!"

Linney stepped closer, her face red with ire. "Also, it's none of your fucking business what we do, 'cause, in case you haven't noticed, the world fucking ended, so if I wanted to fuck everything that moves in exchange for a smile, I can, and uppity bitches like you can go to hell. It's the people like me that survive, Andrea, not useless fucking ex-lawyers, people like me, like Daryl, like Merle. We're the people that make it, because we know how to survive and we don't have all these old world restrictions limiting how we do it. You'd only make it because we dragged your ass along for the ride, and kept you alive."

Andrea said nothing, just stared at Linney, in shock and in anger, and then looked past her and clenched her teeth. Linney turned around and saw Merle and Daryl standing in the doorway to the mudroom. Merle had a sardonic grin on his face, but Daryl looked furious. Merle passed by Linney, clapping her genially on the back, on his way to grab himself a mug of coffee. There was none left in the pot, so he took Linney's mostly full mug off the counter and drank from that.

"Well said, sweetheart." He said to her, taking a long gulp from the mug. Linney smiled weakly and turned around, pushing past Daryl and racing out side. She turned away from the RV and ran around to the back of the house. She ran to the edge of the property; the back yard was huge and unfenced, the grass growing long and wild. She stopped when the yard ran into the woods that lined the back of this whole row of homes. She kept her ears and eyes sharp, listening and watching for any unwelcome guests and let her mind wander. She heard soft footfalls behind her and knew by the rhythm of their feet that it was someone living. She guessed at who it was.

"Go away, Andrea, I'm through talking to you today." She said, without looking back, her voice angry.

"How 'bout me?" She heard Daryl ask. Linney turned around and looked at him, keeping her arms wrapped across her chest. She grimaced, "Yeah, fine, I'll talk to you, just don't piss me off." Daryl nodded and walked closer, keeping a step or two away.

"I heard what y'all were were talkin' 'bout." He finally said, not looking at her. Linney grit her teeth and looked down at her shoes.

"Is this the part where you read too much into it and try to let me down easy?" She said, her voice sharp as broken glass. Her face etched into lines of irritation. He looked her in the eye and narrowed his at the expression there.

"No." He answered. Linney looked up at him, confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked, standing up straighter. Daryl shrugged and looked away.

"This place sucks." He said, waving his arm in front of him in an angry gesture. She said nothing, unsure of what he meant.

"I've only know ya a little while, Linney." He started, and picked up one of her hands. She stared at his hand in shock, before turning her wide eyes to his face. He looked at her carefully for a moment, his face impassive.

"I don't know if we live or not. Ya seemed so sure we would back there, but what if you're wrong? What if I die tomorrow, or you?" Daryl winced and looked away, his features hard.

"You're weird, probably as fucked up as Merle n' I are." Linney pulled her hand back. "Charming," she muttered half-turning away. He stepped up next to her and grabbed her shoulder, turning her back.

"I'm not sayin' never, ya little coward." He said in a low voice, Linney looked up at him, her brow wrinkling in confusion. He tentatively lifted a hand to her face and touched the back of a finger to her cheekbone. Linney stood unmoving, looking up into his troubled eyes. He pressed his lips together and stepped away.

"I'm sayin' not now, not until you're safe, until things aren't so fucked up." Linney bit the inside of her lip. She tapped his arm lightly, and his blue eyes swung back to her, glaring. "You know," she started, stepping closer, right in front of him, not touching him, "This is all based on the assumption that I feel the same way." Her tone was light, only slightly teasing and his eyes went wide before he smirked and the constant glare was back. He leaned down and put his face inches from hers. When he spoke she could feel his breath warm on her face.

"Then we can jus' be friends." He murmured. Linney nodded at him and took in a deep breath before she stepped away. He gave her a small smile and she flicked an eyebrow up at him, "Ok, 'friend'." She started to walk back to the house, feeling happy, irritated with Andrea, worried about Jim, and always, always, slightly unsure of herself. When Daryl jogged over and started to walk at her side she shoved him hard in the arm and laughed at the expression on his face.

"K, forget it, you're a pain in the ass." He barked at her and she laughed. They walked in companionable silence until they rounded the house and heard Amy screaming. Then they ran.


	15. Chapter 15

**** Enjoy, I own nothing except Linney, yadda yadda yadda :) *****

Daryl and Linney raced around the house, kicking up sprays of gravel with their feet as they ran towards where they had heard Amy scream. Linney's mind was whirling in panic, feeling a myriad of emotions: guilt that she had run off and possibly endangered Amy with her absence, anger that someone else let Amy be in a dangerous position, fear at the thought of losing a friend, and a tiny slice of regret, that her moment with Daryl was soured by whatever they were about to encounter.

When they saw Amy, standing on the roof of the truck, laughing nervously, with Merle bent over as he slowly paced the bed of the truck, Linney and Daryl glanced at each other, confused.

"What the hell's going on?" Linney demanded of Amy, the fear in her voice coming out as rage. Amy winced when she looked over at the two of them, both with their guns drawn, out of breath, with panicked eyes.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for the other bag of food... there was a spider, it was the size of my hand!" Amy said, her face slowly blushing red. Daryl made a disgusted noise in his throat and turned on his heel, to go back inside the house. Linney stared at Amy in disbelief.

"Seriously?" She asked, her voice hard. Amy nodded and they both jumped when Merle suddenly stomped down on something.

"Ha! Found the lil fucker." He said, reaching down to scoop it up with his bare hand. Linney felt her stomach shudder at the sight of the big, squished arachnid in his hand and darted away from him, knowing he'd put it on her hair or something equally gross if given the chance. Amy beamed at him from the roof of the truck, as he jumped down, tossed the carcass across the yard and headed back to the house.

"Thank you!" She said gratefully. Merle waved a hand in the air dismissively at her, without turning around. Linney climbed over a wheel to get into the truck bed, extending a hand to help Amy down from the roof.

"Which bag are you looking for?" She asked, turning to look slowly around at the mess of gear and supplies littering the back of the truck.

"You know that white grocery bag? It had those instant breakfast drinks in it?" Amy said, pushing aside a pile of towels cautiously, obviously still jumpy. Linney twisted her mouth in thought and looked towards the RV, parked directly in front of the truck, it's back end about two feet away from the front of the truck.

"Could it be in there?" Linney suggested, nodding towards the RV. Amy peered up at her for a second and shook her head.

"No, it's definitely in here, somewhere." Amy said, pushing at a box of toiletries in mild frustration. Linney sighed, certain that such a small item was going to be next to impossible to locate. They searched for the next five minutes, not speaking, bent at the waist as they slowly moved through the mess, a mess that Linney was sure was driving Daryl crazy; he organized the truck almost every day and it was was inevitably messed up by the end of the day.

When Linney heard the shuffling footstep, there almost wasn't enough time to react. She glanced up at the noise and saw, only a couple feet away, one of the dead, reaching up from his position standing next to the truck, to grab Amy's leg as she was focused on a duffle bag at her feet.

Without saying a word, Linney wrenched her knife from her belt, and dove across the truck bed, driving the knife through the monster's face, knocking Amy to her backside into the mess of supplies.

"What the - _holy shit_..." Amy's eyes were huge as she took in the dead creature slowly slumping to the ground. Linney lost her grip on her knife, the weight of the fully grown dead man pulled it from her, as he first fell against the side of the truck and then slid to the ground. She wiped her hand on her tank top and glanced back at Amy.

"Damn thing took my knife," she said, putting a hand to the edge of the truck, "I'm just going to grab it." She made to vault over the side of the truck, but Amy lunged at her, wrapping her arms around Linney, her face frozen in terror. "Don't!" She whispered in high-pitched panic.

Linney was about to push her off in frustration, when Amy forcefully turned her chin, making her look in the direction of the house. The dead were rounding the sides of the house, from each side. A lot of them. Linney and Amy backed up and she was very aware that they had no chance of making it to the house.

_Higher ground, higher ground, higher ground,_ her mind raced in panic. She looked over at the RV and clamped her hand down hard on Amy's forearm, and pointed at the ladder on the back of it. Amy nodded and they moved as quickly as possible to the end of the truck. Linney climbed over the closed tail gate and stood on the bumper, holding a hand out to Amy, to help her jump from the bumper to the RV ladder.

Linney watched her friend climb in growing anxiety. The dead hadn't spotted them yet, but they were definitely all riled up, probably having heard Amy's screaming earlier. As soon as she could, Linney jumped to the ladder and scrambled up it. Amy was sitting at the top and Linney shoved her down roughly.

"Lay down, you fucking twit." She hissed at Amy. Amy, her face as pale as milk, nodded and lay on her stomach. Linney quickly followed suit and squirmed away from the ladder.

"What do we do?" Amy whispered, so terrified her voice was nearly silent. Linney flipped to lay on her back and pulled her gun, checking her ammo. There was definitely not enough to take out the group of mindless monsters that now filled the yard. She kept the gun out and squirmed closer to edge of the RV, peeking at the driveway and yard. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound. There were easily two and a half dozen of them down there.

She looked anxiously at the house, worried that someone might open the door of the mudroom and step out to their death. She couldn't think of a way to warn the people in there. She glanced over at Amy, laying flat on her stomach next to Linney, terrified and without a weapon. Linney put an arm around Amy's shoulder, holding her tight, as much to comfort her friend as to comfort herself.

_After this, she gets a gun, no matter what the fuck Andrea thinks_, Linney thought in exasperation. She looked up at the house and saw someone yank open the curtains in a room on the second floor. She realized it was Andrea, at the window in her room. She watched the blonde woman freeze, taking in the milling bodies in the yard, her face twisting in absolute horror as her gaze darted to the empty truck, where her sister had been moments before. Andrea opened her mouth to scream when she glanced over at the RV and saw Linney and Amy flattened to the roof, unmoving, huddled together.

Linney sighed silently, in relief, when Andrea turned from the window and raced away into the house.

"She's going to tell them, right now." She whispered right in Amy's ear. The other girl nodded slowly, afraid to move too much. They stayed frozen until, for some reason, one of the beasts happened to look up and saw them, instantly recognizing them as prey. It growled excitedly and moved towards the RV, slamming into the side, growling loudly.

_Oh shit, shit, shit_, Linney thought. "Oh god, Linney..." Amy whispered in panic, as the noise from the one creature drew the rest. Linney stiffened as dozens of undead eyes locked on her and Amy and charged for the RV, their volume rising from their usual groans and moans, to a frenzy of snarling and growling. The RV rocked as they started slamming into it.

"They're going to tip it." Amy squeaked, her hands gripping the metal bar running along the entire length of the roof. Linney felt her stomach jump. "I need to shoot them." She whispered back. Amy shook her head, and hissed back, "You'll draw more." Just then the RV pitched hard, as the creatures grew frantic to get to them.

Linney glanced over the side, then peeked back at Amy. "Hang on, ok? If I can kill a couple, then that's fewer to push on the RV, got it?" Amy nodded, and squeezed her eyes closed. Linney glanced up at the house, just in time to see Daryl, Merle, Dale, and Andrea frozen at the upstairs window, obviously there to check out what Andrea had seen, before they acted. They seemed frozen until Linney met Daryl's eyes and then he jumped into action, shoving past everyone back into the house.

Linney knew she had to act fast before he did something stupid like run out into the crowd of monsters. She crawled closer to the edge and screamed when the RV shook and she felt herself pitch too far over the edge. Luckily, Amy acted fast, grabbing at the waist of her jeans with one hand and yanking her back.

"Do it!" Amy yelled, "I've got you!" She tightened her grip, so another jolt wouldn't toss Linney over the edge. Wasting no time, Linney leaned over the brink and began shooting at the creatures below.

She was a good shot, thanks to her father, and being above the monsters, and not too far away from them, made it as easy as shooting fish in a barrel; not a single shot missed. Daryl exploded through the mudroom door, followed by Merle, just as she ran out of ammo. She hurled her gun at the head of one of the dead and it smashed into his scalp, sending out a spray of blood, but not taking the beast down.

Merle opened fire immediately. One of his first shots completely obliterated the skull of the dead fellow directly below her and Linney squinted her eyes and mouth closed, while her face was drenched in blood. She spat and gagged and wriggled back to Amy's side, pulling up her tank top to wipe her face down. Amy clung to her as the RV rocked hard once more and the sounds and smells of killing wafted up to them.

Linney could hear Merle laughing as he shot them, and Daryl grunting as he stabbed and slashed the undead. When everything was silent again, she felt a heavy dip on the edge of the RV and Daryl appeared over the edge. Linney looked over at him, Amy still gripping her in panicky tightness. His face paled when he saw hers, and she realized she was probably streaked in bloody gore. He reached a hand out to her.

"C'mon, it's done." He said quietly. Linney pulled at Amy's hands, trying to release herself.

"Amy, it's ok now, let go so we can go inside." Amy opened her eyes, which she'd had squeezed shut and nodded, releasing Linney and her death grip on the bar. She scooted to the edge of the RV and Daryl disappeared, so Amy could climb down. Linney, moved to the edge, watching as Amy climbed down. When her friend reached the ground, she pushed past Daryl and raced towards the open mudroom door, where Andrea stood, crying, her arms opened wide to her sister. Linney swung around and started to climb down. When she reached the bottom rung, Daryl grabbed her around the waist and pulled her off the ladder, briefly putting her on the ground, just to turn and grab her up in a crushing hug.

"You're squashing me," She gasped, smacking his shoulder. He released her and her feet reached the ground again. His face was strained and serious, his clothes streaked with blood. "What happened?" he finally said, his voice rough.

"Amy's screaming must have drawn them," she turned and pointed at the first one she'd killed, by the truck, "that guy came first. I killed him and it's lucky he had a head start on the other ones; gave us time to get on the roof." As she watched, Merle bent and yanked her knife out of the face of the dead man, wiping the blade clean on the guy's shirt. He took the few steps over and reached his arm around her, sticking the knife back in the sheath at her hip. His hand rested briefly on her shoulder and he squeezed it.

"Quick thinkin'." He muttered, before walking away. Daryl used a finger to turn her face back to him.

"You ok?" He said, taking in the blood splattered on her face, neck and hair. She nodded and rested a hand on his arm, using the leverage to reach up and give him a quick hug, loosely, around the neck. She turned before he could return it.

Stepping away from the back of the RV, she really got a good look at the piles of the dead everywhere.

"Shit." She said quietly. Merle stood, his hands on his hips. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow, "Any ideas?" She asked him and he stared at the dead again, his face pensive, the muscles in his jaw ticking. Daryl walked up and stood next to her, not touching her.

"Maybe you should go inside, get cleaned up." He suggested in low voice.

"No." She answered, not looking over. She heard him sigh in frustration.

"How'd I know you'd say that?" He muttered. Linney took a step towards a dead man wearing a gun in a holster at his hip. Bending to retrieve it, she answered him in a wry voice.

"I don't know, maybe you're fucking psychic." Merle guffawed loudly at that and Daryl snorted at her, she could almost hear him rolling his eyes.

"Calm down, little brother, n' quit bein' such a pussy. She's fine, the other one's fine n' now we got a pile of these fuckers to deal with." Merle took the gun from Linney when she handed it to him, tucking it into his pants. "Maybe consider arming Amy, she can't just wander around without a weapon anymore." Linney spoke to Merle, without looking at him. He just shrugged and didn't reply.

The three of them stood in a row and surveyed the mess.

"We could burn them." Linney suggested slowly. "Nah, that'd just attract more." Merle replied.

"Well we can't bury 'em." Daryl said, in a disagreeable tone.

"What about using them for protection?" The three of them turned at the same time back towards the house, where Dale was standing. He flinched when they turned and he saw all the blood splattered on them.

"What the fuck ya talkin' 'bout, old man?" Daryl snapped. Linney elbowed him in the side at the rudeness.

"Excuse this asshole," Linney said, glaring back at Daryl who was holding his side and glowering back at her. She stepped towards Dale. "You're not suggesting we wear them, right?" Her tone was disgusted and worried. Dale laughed once, in a very forced way and then gestured at her.

"I recall the first day we met you. You got that one creature's insides all down your front and that last one just turned away from you, headed right for me, even though you were closer." Linney nodded, remembering how weird that was.

Daryl stepped forward, moving a pace ahead of Linney. "You're talkin' 'bout smell; she camouflaged her smell in the guts." Linney looked over at him and remembered that Daryl was typically an avid hunter. His eyes were lit up in interest. He turned back to his brother.

"He means a wall of 'em, hide the smell of the house with 'em." Daryl explained, gesturing at the house. Meryl nodded, his eyes lighting up.

"Make a wall of 'em, a fuckin' fence." The brother's turned to the task immediately muttering to each other about where to start. Linney stepped forward to help and Dale placed a hand on her arm.

"You should go inside and get washed up, it's probably not a good idea to have that on your skin for very long." Linney nodded reluctantly, certainly pleased at the notion of getting the stinking gore off of her.

"'Sides, you ain't gonna be useful anyhow, movin' these things, ya midget." Daryl spoke over his shoulder, his voice mocking her.

"Shut up, Daryl." She retorted, turning her back on him and marching into the house.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney leaned back into the bubbly water, more relaxed than she had been in weeks. When she had walked into the house, she found Amy boiling water, almost franticly approaching the task, trying to partially fill a bathtub for Linney to bathe in.

She had been unable to refuse Amy's kind offering and when she closed herself in the bathroom upstairs, letting the sunlight shine through the open window, she saw the foamy, sudsy water and immediately tore her clothes off, as fast as she could and then yanked out the braids in her hair, before taking a moment to wet a facecloth and wipe as much of the undead gore from her face and neck as possible, so it wouldn't contaminate the tub of water.

When the cloth was stained and her skin blood-free, she climbed into the water, hissing at the heat. It felt wonderful beyond words. She leaned back against the tub and felt her sore, tense muscles unwind, the strain of the past couple days leaching away.

She felt a small twinge of guilt, with the knowledge that Merle and Daryl were out dragging stinking bodies around in the heat. When she had rested long enough, she got up and pulled over the large empty plastic storage tub that Andrea had left up stairs for her, and the jug of water Linney herself had brought upstairs, using it to scoop up jugfuls of water and rinse out her hair over the storage tub. She used some strawberry scented shampoo she found on the little shelves in the shower to wash her hair, hating the struggle of trying to wash without an actual shower, but happy to smell nice for once.

She slowly dumped the storage tub of water into the sink, leaving the still slightly warm and scented water in the bathtub. She left the jug and the storage container sitting under the sink and wrapped herself in a towel, also wrapping a small one around her head. She gathered up her things and left the washroom, heading to their bedroom. She closed the door behind her with a bare foot and was beyond grateful to see that someone had brought her backpack upstairs for her. Linney stood in front of the door for a moment and looked around the room, bright now, since Andrea had opened all the curtains on the second floor.

When someone opened the door behind her, it smacked into her behind painfully and she nearly lost towel containment leaping into the air with a squawk of surprise. The person who'd opened the door didn't walk in.

"Linney?" It was Daryl. Linney rubbed her back side and said, "I'm not decent, don't come in." Daryl chuckled, "Sorry, hit ya with the door didn' I?"

"Yes, thanks, it felt great." She was sarcastic, and then remembered the bathtub.

"Oh!" She excitedly grabbed the door and yanked it open, Daryl stumbling back a step, startled by her sudden movement. "I almost forgot! There's a bathtub full of semi-warm, mostly clean, great smelling water if you all are done outside - I saved it, thought you might want to clean off." Daryl nodded, his neck flushed red as he looked at her, his eyes dancing on her bare shoulders and the towel wrapping around her body, and then darting back to her face.

He was flustered and she enjoyed being able to one-up him this way.

"Oh yeah, oops, not decent." She said overly innocently. He glared at her, his mouth pressed tightly together.

"Ya got a towel on, you're still plenty decent, _friend_." Linney smirked at the emphasis on his term. She reached up to the top of the towel, where it was tucked in on itself to stay up, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Maybe I should just -" Daryl smacked her hand away, looking at her like she was some kind of demon.

"Don't ya dare, get in there n' get dressed." She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back before hastily rearranging his features into his usual narrowed eye, tight lipped, disgruntled expression.

"Don't make me send Merle up here to get you dressed." Linney made a face at him and slammed the door in his face. She heard him chuckle darkly on the other side and then walk away. She sincerely hoped he would bathe.

Linney toweled off and yanked out clean underwear, before putting her jeans and socks back on. She picked up her bra and miserably put it on, unhappy with how dingy it was. She was desperate for some new underthings, and realized that Andrea and Amy probably were as well. Yanking out a dark green tank top, Linney thoughtfully pondered asking Merle to take her into town to look for some new stuff, possibly to also make another food run. Linney applied some deodorant and then took her head towel off, scrubbing at her scalp once or twice before starting the odious task of brushing her hair. She grimaced as she went, growling at the deep snarls and knots she encountered.

Linney considered cutting her hair short, for about the millionth time. Her mother had insisted her hair be kept long when she was very small, and after she passed one of the only things her father consistently insisted upon was her hair remaining long, as per his wife's wishes. When she was done brushing, she ran a hand down the damp length of her hair, amazed that it reached to the middle of her back. She shrugged, leaving it loose. _If it gets to be a problem, I'll hack it off_, she thought.

She gathered up her towels and headed into the hall. Andrea and Amy were waiting for her there. A wall of blonde determination standing between her and the stairs.

"I'll take those," Amy said quickly, yanking the towels from her hands and hanging them on the bannister. Andrea raised an eyebrow at Linney. "Can we chat with you for a minute?" Linney glared at Andrea and opened her mouth to saw something harsh, but Amy put a hand on her arm and looked at Linney with pleading eyes.

"I know you're mad at her, but please, just for a second?" Her friend's eyes were clear and honest and Linney sighed, feeling roped into something she didn't want to do by Amy, yet again.

"Fine." She replied unwillingly and followed them into their bedroom.


	16. Chapter 16

***** I OWN NOTHING, except Linney, she's mine :) *****

"First things first, I need to apologize." Andrea said settling on the edge of the bed. Linney watched as Amy sat on the other side of it, crossing her legs beneath herself. Leaning against the dresser, Linney nodded at Andrea to continue, her face carefully blank of all emotion.

"I way overstepped my bounds this morning and said things I shouldn't have."

"Yes, you did." Linney replied immediately, her voice level, her eyes locked on Andrea's. The woman shrugged.

"I worry about you, because you're right, I don't know them, and from the outside looking in... it wasn't pretty, so I worried about you." Linney said nothing, just continued to stare at her. Andrea continued with a look over at her sister.

"You saved Amy today, she told me about it. You saved her life, twice, and made it look easy, acting like it was all second nature to you. I don't know if I could have come close to doing that in your place." Andrea reached a hand out to her sister, resting it on her knee, squeezing it.

"I think I've always known you were capable, better suited for this world then we are, but it was easier to box you in, think of you like a kid, and I apologize for that." Linney nodded at her, and turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" Amy called out and Linney took a deep breath before turning around, raising her eyebrows expectantly at them. "Yes?" She finally asked, when neither of them said anything after a moment.

"Amy... explained to me what the dynamic is between you and Merle, which I find hard to believe, but even so, I'm sorry if I insinuated something illicit there." Linney blinked at her, repressing the mental shudder at the thought of Merle and 'illicit' together in the same sentence; he was literally the same age as her father, at least ten years older than Daryl, and he would've smashed Andrea's face in had he heard her right now, even for faintly suggesting such a thing. Finally she nodded, her hand drifting to the door knob behind her.

Andrea leaned forward, her face frankly curious now. "Is there... is there anything between you and Daryl?" Linney felt her anger rise up again, "What, you think I'm gonna have girl talk with you after how insulting you were before, when you essentially called me some kind of stupid, white trash whore?" Andrea blinked rapidly, sitting back.

"No, of course not. I apologized Linney, I went overboard and reacted badly, said things I shouldn't have." Linney held up a hand to stop the other woman.

"Andrea, let's drop it, we're not best buds, but I don't hate you. Just drop it, move on and mind your own fucking business moving forward." Andrea smirked and nodded, getting to her feet.

"Fine, sounds like a good idea." She moved past Linney and opened the door, walking swiftly into the hall. Linney glanced back at Amy who had a huge grin on her face.

"Shut the door Linney." She said slyly. Linney glanced out at the hallway longingly, wanting to escape this drama, but did what Amy asked. She turned around and looked at Amy, a grimace of discomfort on her face.

"There is something going on between you two, I can tell." Amy said, smugly. Linney stared at her.

"Not you too. Amy, please don't -" Amy held up a hand to silence Linney. "Hey, I'm happy for you." She explained. Linney paused and fidgeted, wishing she could just sink through the floor and disappear.

"You can tell me, he's pretty cute, in that dirty, bad-ass kind of way." Amy leaned back on her hands and Linney groaned.

"Amy, it's complicated and we have better things to be focused on right now, in case you've already forgotten what happened today." Amy sighed and raised her eyebrows.

"You like him." She said, triumphantly. Linney glared at her, "What are we, like 12?" Amy laughed and got to her feet, patting Linney on the shoulder.

"Whatever, Linney, I think it's great. Very romantic, love in the apocalypse and all that."

Linney felt her face twitch, torn between wanting to grin at Amy and pushing her away, "Please just shut up, Amy, don't cause me any problems here. Anything that happens is between me and Daryl, I don't need an audience or any fans or anyone rooting for us in the background." Amy laughed and turned the doorknob in her hand.

"Fine, fine, I won't say anything, and I'll keep Dale and my sister off your back." She said. Linney nodded without turning around, staring at the bedspread as she heard Amy move down the stairs.

Linney shook her head, banishing thoughts of 'apocalypse romance' and turned to walk out the door. She looked up as she stepped through the doorway and saw Daryl standing in the hall, dressed in clean clothes, his hair damp from his bath. He gave her an unreadable look.

"Have a nice chat?" He asked gruffly. Linney felt her cheeks burn and glared at him.

"That's none of your business." She snapped, pushing past him and walking down the stairs quickly. She heard him laughing quietly above her and grit her teeth, wanting to hit something.

The rest of the day passed quickly. They decided to mount a watch at night from now on and Linney silently helped Andrea go through their supplies, making lists of what they had and what they needed. Dale spent the majority of the day in the RV with Jim, who was steadily improving he reported back, despite the terror he'd experienced earlier, trapped in the RV when the dead surrounded it, rocking the vehicle in their attempts to get to Linney and Amy.

After dinner, Linney cornered Merle outside, when he slipped out the mudroom door to have a smoke.

"We need to make a supply run tomorrow, especially if we are going to be here a couple more days." Merle puffed on his cigarette and glanced at her.

"Fine." He replied. Linney nodded, "Good, and I'm coming with you." Merle grinned, and turned to look down at her.

"Nope." He answered, his voice completely matter-of-fact. She rolled her eyes. "I haveta go with you Merle, there are some things we need that you won't be able to get." He raised an eyebrow at her and blew a cloud of smoke into her face. She coughed and smacked his arm.

"Dick." He laughed mockingly at her and then dropped the cigarette, grinding it out with his weathered work boots.

"Merle, please," He sighed and looked down at her. "It ain't a good idea, ya'd just get in the way." She cursed under her breath.

"I need to get... lady things for Andrea, Amy and myself..." She said, purposefully vague. Merle glared at her for a moment, before rolling his eyes.

"Fuck, fine, but ya know my brother'll shit hisself, probably not let ya go no matter what." Linney pursed her lips in thought, realizing he was probably right, Daryl would most likely lock her in a closet, rather than let her go.

"He's not my boss, if I wanna go, I'll go." She answered, trying to sound determined. Merle shrugged and pushed past her to go back inside. He walked through the door, paused for a moment, and then reached his arm out, grabbing her hand and dragging her in after him, before slamming the door closed behind them both.

They all sat in the living room that night, Andrea and Amy playing cards on the floor, Merle sharpening his knife in the rocking chair and Daryl sprawled out on a couch, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Linney sat on the other couch, cleaning her gun and reloading it, using the coffee table as a solid surface. Jim and Dale stayed in the RV; Linney felt bad that the thin man was in exile, but remembering the feeling of waking up to a presence in her room the night before made her shudder and she tried to push away her feelings of guilt.

Dale intended to spend the night in the RV with Jim, insisting to everyone that the man had been weak, nearly starved to death, and traumatized by whatever happened to his last group, and therefore hadn't been acting in his right mind and was completely filled with remorse over his delusional actions. Linney could tell that the Dixon's, Daryl especially, had no intention of softening their stance on it though, even if Linney, Andrea, and Amy were inclined to forgive him and moving on.

"It's time for bed," Amy said, yawning hugely behind her hand, before getting to her feet. Andrea put the cards away and lay the small box on the table. Linney looked at them and cringed when Amy leaned over and squeezed her in a tight hug.

"Thank you for keeping me alive today." She said, gratefully. Linney nodded and patted the girl's back once.

"No problem," she responded stiffly, before pulling a horrified face when Andrea pulled her into a hug as well.

"I owe you forever, Linney, for taking care of Amy." Andrea said, Linney looked over Andrea's shoulder at Merle who was laughing at her silently. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Amy went up the stairs and Andrea turned briefly to the Dixon's. "Night guys." She said to them with forced pleasantry.

"Good night, sugar tits, lemme know if you need me to keep ya warm." Andrea turned and shot him a look of disgusted scorn. Linney gaped at Merle, trying to decide if she should be angry with him or laughing at Andrea. "I hear there's a race car free up there, if ya want a little comp'ny." He smiled suggestively at the blonde woman, who glared at him.

"Not in a thousand years, you pig." She spat at him before stomping up the stairs. Merle chuckled and glanced over at Linney. "Fuckin' dyke," he muttered, only half kidding. Linney rolled her eyes at him.

"God Merle, are you always that romantic?" He made a face at her and looked back down to his knife. Daryl grumbled from the couch, "Ya, he's fuckin' casanova." Merle glared at his brother before threatening him.

"I can still kick yer ass, baby brother." He said menacingly. Linney chuckled and got to her feet.

"Who's got first watch?" She asked, stretching her sore back. Merle pointed at his brother.

"That pussy's asleep on his feet, so I'll take first watch, ya'll go on ta bed." Linney nodded at the decision and made for the stairs. As she started up, she heard Daryl get off the couch with a groan, slowly following after her. Upstairs, Linney turned on a lantern she'd moved into the room that day, and then removed all her accessories, surprised at the ease with which she could go through this nightly ritual, as used to it now as she used to be to washing her face and putting lotion on her hands before bed, habits that were long gone as of late.

She sat on the bed and pulled off her shoes and socks, wincing at the blister forming on her heel; her sneakers were cheap things she'd bought at a discount store a year ago and were nearly in rags. She figured she'd have to replace them on the run the next day.

Daryl entered the room then and shut the door behind him, barely glancing over at her. He started through the process she'd just finished and Linney watched him move, unabashedly checking him out as he pulled off his jacket, and was left with his sleeveless shirt, a sight she was thoroughly used to by now, as that was his clothing of choice. But she still admired the shape and definition of the muscles in his arms.

"Quit starin' at me." He grumbled, sitting to remove his boots. Linney laughed and decided to push her luck. She bent swiftly and yanked her jeans off, and then reached behind her back, under the tank top and pulled her bra off, tossing it to the floor. She stood casually and brushed her hair, turned in profile to Daryl.

She could pretty much tell the exact second he turned around and saw her because he cleared his throat with an uncomfortable choking noise. She finished brushing her hair and decided to leave it down, fully aware that when it was clean it was a thick, shining, tumbled-down mane, her best feature as far as she was concerned.

She turned back to Daryl and climbed into bed like nothing was happening. He pressed his lips together and glared at her, his eyes running over her face and hair. "Don't think I don't know what you're tryin'a do," he grumbled, climbing into his side of the bed. She smirked at him but didn't say anything. Linney reached over and flicked the lantern off and lay on her side facing him. He lay on his back, one hand tucked behind his head, the other lying across his chest. They lay there silently for a few minutes and then he pulled his hand out from under his pillow and stretched it across the bed. He flicked his hand at her impatiently.

"C'mere." He said, reluctantly. "Not if it's gonna be such a frigging chore for you." She said, mildly irritated. He turned his head to look at her, his features dim in the faint light coming through the curtains. "Would ya just get over here?" She sighed and pressed her lips together before sliding over and laying her head on his shoulder again, like she had the night before, but stretching her legs out, so her feet pressed into his leg.

"Think ya can try n' have a good sleep tonight?" He asked softly, wrapping his arms around her. She nodded against his shoulder, figuring that the best chance she had of a good sleep was like this.

"Good. Go to sleep n' quit botherin' me then." He mumbled, turning his head away from her.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

There were no dreams that night, at least none she remembered, and when the next morning came, she was on her side of the mattress, a pillow wall lining the centre of the bed, Merle snoring away on the other side of it. Linney sat up slowly, rubbing her face and wondering briefly if Merle had said anything about them being snuggled together when he came to wake Daryl for his shift.

She stared at the pillow wall and guessed that Daryl had probably blamed it on her and her nightmares. The wall would've been to prevent anything untoward happening while Merle was in the bed. Linney realized she wasn't wearing her pants when she moved to climb out of the bed.

"Shit," she whispered, looking over at Merle. He stirred and opened one eye slowly, glaring at her. She reached and snagged her sweatshirt off the floor, pulling it on quickly. He grimaced and climbed slowly from the bed, pretty much fully dressed. He gathered his things up and then looked over at her.

"Ain'tcha gettin' up, sweetheart?" He asked, his voice mocking and mean. Linney rubbed a hand over her face and nodded, not moving. Merle walked around to her side of the bed and picked up her pants, tossing them at her head. She yanked them off her face and opened her mouth to curse him. The look on his face stopped her.

"I don't care what yer up to with 'im," he said, his eyes narrowed, "but if you gotta share a room with me, at least be decent, a'right?" She nodded at him, feeling her ears burn with embarrassment. Merle snorted and walked away towards the door, pausing with his back to her, "I don't wanna see any of that," he grumbled, waving a hand back at her, "makes me fuckin' sick."

Linney nodded, even though he couldn't see her and he left the room. She got dressed as quickly as possible, leaving her hair down again, enjoying the free feeling on her scalp. She wrenched the sweatshirt off and left it on the bed. When she got to the hallway she paused and then turned into Andrea and Amy's room, feeling a little like she was trespassing. After quickly surveying the room, she went to the closet and pulled it open.

"Perfect." She said to herself, seeing a stack of hats on the top shelf; she had correctly guessed that a teenage boy's room would have lots of caps in it. She pulled a black one off the shelf, not recognizing the logo on the front of it. Linney adjusted the size and pulled it over head and then pulled all her hair through the hole at the back, like a very loose pony tail; if she was going to keep her hair down, she wanted it somewhat manageable and out of her face.

Everyone downstairs was in planning mode by the time she got down there, and she was surprised to hear Andrea, Amy and Merle all advocating her accompanying Merle on a supply run.

"No fuckin' way." Daryl said flatly. Linney stood out of sight, against the wall, outside the kitchen, waiting to see where this would go.

"She knows exactly what we need and can grab it faster than you could." Andrea pointed out.

"No," Daryl said, his voice angry.

"She's quick n' she can take care a herself jus' fine." Merle added.

"Yeah, and one of you guys has to stay here, no one else is quick enough with a gun if something happens." Amy piped in. Linney bit her lip, hoping that Daryl would just calm down and not make this a huge fight.

"What part of fuckin' 'no' don't ya'll understand?" Daryl snapped.

"I don't think it's up to you." Dale said reasonably. _Thank you, Dale_, she thought gratefully.

"I'll go with 'er, then." Daryl finally said.

"Nuh-uh, little brother, I know this town better n' you, been here enough times before." Merle argued. Linney raised her eyebrows, wondering how Merle knew this town; she didn't even know the name of the place. She jumped when someone slammed their hands down on the kitchen island.

"Dammit," Daryl said, frustration and anger coating his tone, "If anythin' happens -"

"Yeah yeah, it'll be fine, calm the fuck down." Merle spat out, cutting his brother off. Daryl stormed through the doorway and stopped when he caught her eavesdropping on the other side of the kitchen wall.

"You been here the whole time?" He snapped, his face so angry she could barely look at him. She nodded calmly. He ran a hand through his close-cropped hair and then pointed an angry finger at her, jabbing her shoulder with each word.

"Be. Fucking. Careful." He said pointedly, she nodded at him and pushed his hand away irritably. Linney glared at him and said evenly, "I'll be with Merle, it'll be fine." Daryl grimaced, his eye twitching a little bit. He looked away for a second and then leaned his hand on the wall next to her head, bending down to put his face at her level. He used his other hand to push the bill of the cap out of the way and then he kissed her forehead, gently and quickly.

He stood up then, ignoring her stunned expression and pulled the cap back down roughly, almost to her nose before turning and stomping away.

"If he doesn't, I'll kill 'im." He growled.

***** Next chapter: the run into town, where interesting things will definitely occur...**


	17. Chapter 17

***** Newcomer this Chapter! Enjoy :) *** I OWN NOTHING, except Linney - she's mine :)**

Daryl insisted they take the truck. It made sense, they were going to be grabbing a lot of stuff: food, water, medicine, clothing, batteries. It was unlikely they'd be able to fit it all on the bags attached to Merle's bike. Plus it was much quieter than the bike.

"Be careful with 'er." Daryl said, dropping the keys into Merle's hand. Merle laughed and glanced at Linney, who was standing impatiently next to the passenger door. Daryl followed his brother's gaze and frowned.

"Be careful with 'em both." He grumbled, before walking over to Linney. He opened the door and watched as she climbed inside. She shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. She had an extra gun on her belt, as well as a huge, wickedly sharp hunting knife, so long it could barely be called a knife. Daryl had insisted she take the extra weapons, and Merle had strapped on a few extra's as well.

"Don't be stupid." He said, shutting the door. She looked at him and smiled, deciding not to snap impatiently at him.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Daryl closed his eyes and winced and then stared at her, his eyes hard. "I'll be so pissed at ya if ya get hurt," he growled. Linney laughed and Merle started the truck, pulling away quickly. Linney looked out the side mirror and saw Daryl watching them go, before turning to climb up on the RV, to take watch while they were gone.

"How do you know this place so well?" She asked Merle, after they'd been driving for a while. He shrugged, "What's it matter to you?"

"I was just asking, you know, human curiosity." She replied placidly. Merle gripped the steering wheel tightly and didn't say anything. Linney took that as a sign that there was no discussion to be had there.

She kept a sharp eye on their surroundings as they drove through the streets, feeling her stomach churn each time they passed a ripped apart body. They were strewn about everywhere. When they drove past the hospital Linney gasped in horror at the bodies everywhere, huge piles of them. Merle made a sound deep in his throat at the sight and then turned them away, down a side street.

He bumped over a curb and drove across a big parking lot to stop the truck in front of the door of a big box store.

"This place has everythin' we need, if it ain't been hit too hard." He said, waving a hand at the glass doors. Linney examined the door from inside the truck.

"The doors and windows don't look busted." She commented. Merle turned the truck off and looked over. "That don't mean nothin'," he told her. He got out of the truck and pulled out his own large hunting knife and Linney took a deep breath before doing the same. He came and stood next to her and gestured out at the parking lot.

"Truck pulled some of 'em in," he said calmly. Linney gazed around the lot and saw three small groups of the dead heading their way. She swallowed and clenched her jaw, nodding up at him.

"Let's take care of 'em, then get this shit done inside." He grumbled. They ran towards the first group of corpses. There were four of them and Linney dispatched the first one easily, kicking it in the chest to drive it to the ground, then stabbing it swiftly in the face. The knife came free with a sucking noise and Linney grunted as she got it out and then spun to knock the legs out of one coming up behind her. She leapt on it's chest, grimacing as her knee sank wetly into it's torn open guts. She stabbed it through temple just as Merle was moving on to the next group.

She raced after him and pulled out her other big knife, driving them both through the skull of a rotting woman who tottered eagerly towards her. She yanked them free and gasped as one of them grabbed her jean clad leg. Linney kicked hard at it's face, wincing when her foot tore off the lower part of it's jaw. Merle's knife burst through it's face and Linney gagged when one of it's eyes plopped out sickly onto it's lap.

"C'mon." he growled, grabbing her arm and towing her off to take care of the last group. It was bigger than the others, at least eight of them.

"We need to split them up." He panted, Linney leaned her arms on her knees to catch her breath and nodded up at him. He pointed, "I'll take everyone from fat-ass there, all the way to the left." He gestured at a hugely overweight dead man, whose ribs were fully exposed on one side of his body, creating a gaping hole.

Merle ran in, and Linney didn't hesitate, racing after him and slicing the nearest one to her across the throat. The sharp knife cut deeply and the thing's head hung off it's neck. She shoved it to the ground and stabbed the next one, a kid, through the temple. She wanted to cry, thoroughly disgusted with herself for having to kill an undead child, but didn't waste a second, dropping to the ground and rolling under the reach of the next dead person who reached out for her, it's teeth bared in a sickening way. She crouched on the ground and waited for it to slowly spin around to face her and then she lunged upwards, driving the huge knife up through the bottom of it's face, watching in horrified fascination as the blade tore all the way through, blasting out through the top of it's head.

She couldn't get her other knife out in time and had to scramble away from the next one. It was a man, older, disconcertingly dressed in only his underwear, a huge bite mark on his neck. Linney shuddered, wondering if a family member had caught him unexpectedly. She kicked him in the kneecap and his leg bent sickly in the wrong direction and he hit the ground, crawling towards her. She finally had her other knife handy, but Merle stomped on it's head with his boot. The resulting mess made her vomit on the twice dead creature and Merle laughed at her.

"Get yer knife." He said, pointing towards the one with her huge knife driven vertically through it's head. Linney swallowed the bile in her throat and bent, pulling the knife out and then spinning to slam it through the head of the thing she'd nearly decapitated.

Everything was silent again and Linney wiped her knives clean before sticking them back in their sheaths. Merle helped her to her feet and looked her over critically.

"You ain't bit, are ya?" He asked gruffly. She shook her head, and he turned her face this way and that, double checking. "Yer covered in their shit." He said flicking a glob of decaying flesh off her shoulder. Linney's cheeks puffed out as she tried not to vomit again. Merle took a big step back, his face finally disgusted.

"You killed a bunch of those things," she managed, "but it's puke that grosses you out?" He shrugged and made a pained face at her. "Doesn't say much 'bout ya, does it, sweetheart?" She rolled her eyes at him and they jogged back to the store.

"We get inside n' we clear it, got it?" He barked, knocking the butt of his knife against the window, loudly. She nodded, watching him bang the knife again.

"What're you doing?" She asked. He smiled at her and said, "Jus' ringin' the dinner bell." She laughed and they waited a few minutes, but nothing came to greet them.

"Let's go."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

They found a couple of dead ones inside the store, obviously having been stabbed through the head. Merle frowned at them and looked around the store. He turned and bent to her ear, whispering, "No dead in here, looks like, but keep an eye out for livin' ones." Linney nodded and grabbed a cart, Merle at her side, and they jogged to the food section of the store.

They wasted no time, grabbing all the water that was left, which was about half of the original stock; Merle had been right, someone else had been in here first. They grabbed bottles of juice and cans of soda and Merle took the cart from her then, pushing it quickly into the canned goods section. They moved quickly and efficiently, grabbing dozens and dozens of cans, packages of add-water meals, ramen noodles, and things like powdered eggs and powdered milk. They made a run back to the truck, swiveling their heads back and forth, keeping an eye out for more of the dead.

When they went back in they ran for the pharmacy section. Merle cleared the shelves of pain medications, cough and cold medications, and stomach remedies. Linney grabbed anything even remotely first aid related and threw it hastily into the cart. They got to the aisle with feminine hygiene products and Merle grimaced and looked away.

"Go get all the baby wipes you can lay hands on. Antibacterial hand stuff too." She said to him and he walked away quickly. Linney gathered up everything the girls had asked for, dumping it quickly into the cart. She paused in front of the shelving across from the feminine stuff and quickly grabbed a few boxes there and raced back to the cart, burying them under the heaps of stuff, hoping she could keep it hidden from Merle. When he returned, he nodded at her, watching as she cracked open a box of wet wipes and scrubbed her face, neck, shoulders, arms and hands, scrubbing off all the blood she could reach.

"That everythin'?" She shook her head, "No, I gotta go get some clothes and stuff, need some boots, too." She stuck her foot out and showed him her ragged sneakers. He sucked his teeth for a moment, thinking.

"K, I'm gonna run this shit out, n' you be quick 'bout gettin' the clothes," he pointed at the aisle running along the outside of the clothing section, "I'll be right there when yer done." Linney nodded and ran off towards the clothes, grabbing an empty shopping basket along the way.

She dug the list out of her back pocket, the one Andrea had done up for her, and she went to the men's department first, grabbing the things listed for Dale and Jim. She paused in front of the wall of men's underthings and socks and then grabbed multiple packs for Merle and Daryl as well.

Passing the shoe department on her way to the women's section, she decided to get herself work boots immediately. She trotted along the outsides of the aisles, until she found the right one and then put her basket down, yanking a tiny flashlight out of her back pocket to help her see the sizes and descriptions on the little placards for each style of boot. A few minutes later, she trotted out in thick, durable, steel-toed work boots and was pleased to find they made her a couple inches taller, as well.

Linney dropped the full basket in the aisle Merle would be meeting her in and ran back to the pharmacy to grab a second empty basket, before moving into the women's department. She yanked down cotton-filled handfuls of underthings in the sizes she and the other two women needed, and also grabbed huge packages of thick, white sport socks.

She grabbed a few articles of clothing Andrea wanted and then dug around, searching for a pair of jeans and a new t-shirt for herself. She pulled a clean set of underwear, new socks, and a clean bra out of the basket and looked around. No Merle, yet. She stepped behind a rack that was tucked up close to a shelf and beside a row of mannequins, creating a nice screen if Merle came along. Linney removed her boots and stripped out of her dirty clothes, transferring the picture of her parents into the new, dark pair of jeans.

She slid into the new underwear and pulled on the new socks and jeans, sticking her feet back in the boots. She pulled off her old bra and flung it away with a chuckle, happy to be rid of it. Linney grabbed the new bra and pulled her arms through it, hooking it together in the front, before looking around quickly to make sure Merle wasn't anywhere close. He wasn't. Her eyes passed over the mannequins and she froze, like a deer in the headlights.

One of the mannequins blinked at her, his brown eyes wide, shocked, and scared.

"Holy shit." They both said at the same time. Linney stood and gaped at the young man standing there.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She gasped, grabbing her light blue t-shirt and holding it to her chest. He blinked and didn't move.

"Holy shit, are you real?" He said, his voice amazed and disbelieving.

"Are you?" She asked, her words shaking. He nodded slowly, in a dazed way and Linney pulled the t-shirt over her head and looked down at her feet, at the weapons belt and knives lying there. The young Asian guy pulled his red baseball cap off his head and twisted it uneasily in his hands.

"How long were you standing there?" She finally asked, her face burning red. He bit his lip and looked away, then back at her, a slow red blush creeping up from his neck.

"Uh, pretty much the whole time." He replied, not meeting her eyes. Linney grit her teeth and flared her nostrils. He didn't make a threatening move so she bent and started putting all her weaponry back on.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked, when she was all put together and pulling her hair back through her black cap again. He stepped down off the mannequin stand and took a tentative step towards her, wiping his sweaty hands on his white shirt, the red strips on it all but faded completely.

"I'm uh, my name is Glenn."

"Well, Glenn, did you enjoy the show?" Her tone was sarcastic and still slightly stunned. He looked down at his feet and took a small step towards her.

"Sorry about that, I heard noise, realized it wasn't walkers and then hid. How was I supposed to know you'd come over to my hiding place and strip naked?" His voice was panicky and embarrassed and Linney had to concede that he had a point.

"Fair enough," she began, taking a tentative step closer to the harmless looking Glenn, "but, look, I'm here with someone else. It, uh, would be better if you never mention to anyone you saw me naked." He nodded slowly, looking at her like she might be crazy.

"I'm really serious, not to anyone." Glenn nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Merle popped up behind him and swung a plastic shopping basket at the back of Glenn's head and he went down like a sack of rocks.

"Merle! No!" She screamed, trying to catch her new friend before he slammed face first to the floor. Linney staggered under his weight and fell to her butt, Glenn crashing down on top of her. Merle shook his hand in the air, trying to ease the sting of hitting the other man with the basket.

"Umm, little help here, Dixon?" She growled at Merle, who laughed at her and roughly yanked Glenn off of her, pushing him to the ground. He wrapped his hand around her upper arm and yanked her to her feet. She shook his hand off and knelt next to Glenn, lifting his hat and moving his hair to see if he was bleeding. There was a large bump forming, and Linney could see his scalp turning red. She glared up at Merle.

"Why'd you do that?" She cried angrily. Merle glared at her. "Why do ya think, ya ungrateful little shit? I was across the store n' saw ya backed into this here corner with some guy blockin' ya in!" He was shouting and Linney looked around nervously, a reflex action that any loud noise brought on.

"We need to get him out of here," she said, her voice concerned, "he was a nice guy, just trying to hide from _us_ and I surprised him." Merle sighed and looked at her in utter displeasure.

"Aww, not another one!" He said, his voice close to a whine. Linney blinked at him, "What?"

"No more fuckin' strays, sweetheart, that's it." His voice was hard and he picked up her full basket of clothes and started to walk away.

"Merle!" She yelled, but he wouldn't turn around. Growling, Linney rolled Glenn onto his back and shook his shoulder.

"Glenn, Glenn, wake up." She said insistently. The younger man blinked his eyes blearily and focused on her for a second before falling backwards.

"Fuuuuuuck." She snarled, yanking him into a sitting position. His head lolled back and she bit her lip before slapping him across the face twice. He blinked his eyes open again.

"Wha?" He groggily asked her. She stood up, placing both hands under his arm, trying to pull him up.

"Come on, man, work with me here." He got to his feet shakily and leaned heavily on her. Linney locked her knees and hunched over, grabbing his arms and half laying him on her own back. She walked a few steps forward, with Glenn's feet wobbling and moving in the wrong direction. She saw shoes in front of her and looked up quickly. Merle stood there, plainly unhappy with her.

"For Christssake, kid." He grumbled, before stepping forward and grabbing Glenn around the waist and slinging him over his shoulder. Linney stood up straight and followed them as Merle walked out of the store. She opened the door to the cab of the truck, but Merle tossed Glenn into the truck bed. Linney slammed the door closed, when she heard Glenn groan at his harsh landing.

"Fucking hell, Merle!" She cried, running around the side of the truck, putting an arm up on the side of the bed, to climb up and over the wheel, intent on riding back with Glenn. Merle grabbed her around the waist and dragged her to the driver's door, stuffing her in head first, so she fell to the floor, flipping over awkwardly with her head and shoulders laying on the floor and her hips and legs half on the seat and half in the air.

"Goddammit, Merle Dixon, you stupid asshole!" She yelled. He ignored her and started the truck, squealing away from the curb. Linney flailed around for a few minutes before she was able to get herself right side up. He chuckled drily at her and she sat with her arms across her chest, as far from him as she could get. She fumed the entire way home, resisting the urge to punch him in his smug jaw.

When they pulled into the driveway and he turned the car off, she was out of the cab and climbing the side of the truck before he even got out himself.

Linney shook Glenn and he slowly came around, crying out at the pain in his head.

"Oh god, Glenn, are you alright, I'm sorry for my idiot partner." He grimaced in pain and tried to focus. She looked up briefly and saw everyone running over to them. She leaned down and squeezed his cheeks, hard, in one hand, forcing him to look at her.

"Remember what I said," she urged him, shaking him a little. He nodded and she continued in a low hiss, "Not a word to anyone about seeing me naked, it won't go over well for you." He nodded and then suddenly everyone was there. Daryl glared hard at the newcomer and the way his arm was slung over Linney's shoulder, as she tried to support his chest enough to sit up. The dazed young man, dropped his head to her shoulder and passed out again.

Linney looked up at Daryl, wincing a little at the expression there. He looked from Glenn to her and then growled, "What the fuck is goin' on?"

***** Hiya, Glenn! *****


	18. Chapter 18

***** Thanks for the reads, reviews, favorites and follows everyone - it makes me happy to see that people enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it! *** As per usual - I OWN NOTHING, except Linney - she's mine :)**

"Linney, he can't stay." Daryl insisted from his spot by the door. Linney looked up from Glenn's prone figure and pale face and said nothing. Daryl had been leaning against the wall, next to the door, the entire time Linney and Amy had been in the room with Glenn. The young man barely fit on the race car bed, his feet hanging over the edge, but it was pretty clear that it was the only room he was going to be welcome in, at least as far as Merle and Daryl were concerned.

Amy looked up from the cold rag she was laying on Glenn's forehead and glared at Daryl, "If you have nothing constructive to say, then get out." Her tone was short and impatient and Linney knew she wouldn't balk at shoving Daryl out the door on her own.

Linney raised an eyebrow at the girl, impressed, but Amy just looked back at Glenn and checked to make sure the wet rags on the back of his head weren't bunching up. Daryl huffed out an irritated breath, gesturing at Linney.

"Can I talk to ya outside?" She glanced back down at Glenn and when Amy looked up at her and nodded, Linney pushed herself to feet and walked out the door, past Daryl, not looking at him. She walked straight into their bedroom and sat patiently on the bed, crossing one leg over the other and resting her hands casually in her lap.

Daryl walked into the room a moment later and shut the door. Linney braced herself for a Dixon explosion, but was surprised when Daryl strode over to her, his face concerned. He sank to his knees in front of her and looked up into her face.

"You ok?" He asked roughly, his voice low. She nodded at him, "I'm not hurt if that's what you mean." He looked up, back and forth between her eyes, "Yeah, that's what I meant." Linney cleared her throat and yanked her hat off her head, placing it on the bed next to her. She rubbed her hands through her hair, trying to scratch her nails along her scalp to release tension. Daryl watched her every move, not saying anything.

"He wasn't trying to hurt me, he didn't do anything wrong," she tried to explain, "he was hiding from us! We scared him, then I showed up in his hiding place and found him. Nothing bad happened!" Linney kept it to herself that Glenn saw her completely naked and didn't show himself until she caught him out; she felt strongly that he'd meant nothing harmful by it.

Daryl took a big breath and got up, pacing away from her; he went back and forth between her and the closet a few times. He finally stopped in front of her and said, "The last guy we brought in, was a problem, if ya don't remember."

"Glenn's not like Jim," she began, Daryl snorted but she ignored him and continued, "He's not! He's not some traumatized guy, he was obviously on a run, Daryl, being in a store like that - he's got a group somewhere, I bet." Daryl sat down next to her and rubbed his eyes roughly.

"Let me guess, ya want us to find his group, be a big, happy family." Linney nodded, "Would that be so bad?" Daryl looked at her like she was crazy.

"What kinda group sends a little guy like that out on his own for a run, Linney? Not a good one, if ya ask me."

"We'll never know if we don't ask him. We're not just tossing him out on his ass; Merle could've killed him without waiting to find out what was going on!" She cried, her voice getting angrier and angrier.

"He didn't mean nothin' bad by it, ya know that, he thought he was protectin' you." Linney grumbled to herself and looked away.

"'Course we'll fix the little chinaman up, and taxi 'im back to his folks, though they ain't gonna be none too pleased to see we hurt 'im." Linney clenched her jaw and looked back at him, her eyes hard.

"Fine." She answered, the word clipped. Daryl reached a hand out and gently grasped her chin, turning her face back to him.

"How many did ya have to kill today?" He asked it so softly that Linney dropped her tough exterior, allowing the rush of their attack today to come flooding back. Only their driving need to complete their task, followed by all the drama with Glenn, had kept the memories at bay, especially the little monster child.

She pulled her face out of his hands and rubbed a hand over her eyes and then wiped it roughly down to her chin.

"I'm not sure, six I think," she paused and looked up into his cutting eyes and let her own flutter closed for a moment, "one of them was a kid, probably like 9 or 10." Daryl picked up her hand, squeezing it. He looked away and nodded, not saying anything.

"And you know what the worst part was?" Her voice broke and she swallowed, determined not to cry like some wussy girl. Daryl looked back over at her and raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to finish.

"The worst part was that I didn't hesitate, I didn't stop to think about what I'd done, before or after. I just did it, like a job."

"It is a job."

"I respectfully resign."

Daryl chuckled at her declaration and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, squeezing her in a one-armed hug.

"Fuck. What am I gonna do with ya, little coward?" She looked up at him and he was looking away, across the room. She admired his profile, his strong jaw, the line of his neck, but she didn't say anything.

"Let's go get yer little boyfriend fixed up n' get 'im the hell outta here." Linney snorted and pinched his side, making him jump. She hopped up and ran to the door, darting into the hall before he could grab her and give some payback, for the unexpected pinch.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"You'll have to torture me, I'll never betray them." Glenn said with almost theatrical emotion, sitting up in the race car bed, a can of cola in his hand. Linney rolled her eyes and shoved impatiently at his leg.

"Oh my god, Glenn, you're such a fucking drama queen." She griped. He tilted his chin up stubbornly and pressed his lips together, before taking another sip of cola. Amy patted his shoulder, reassuringly.

"We don't want dirty secrets, Glenn, we're just asking what your story is." Amy's sweet voice was friendly and Glenn looked over at her, definite appreciation in his eyes.

"I... I do have a group, I was on a run, I almost always go on runs alone." He said, looking back and forth between Amy and Linney's faces.

"They send ya out on yer own? Do they hate you?" Daryl spoke in acerbic tones from his spot by the door. Linney shot him a look laden with warning and he put his hands in the air, backing off.

"Ignore him," she spoke to Glenn, who looked nervously over at Daryl and then back at Amy, clearly preferring to look at the pretty blonde girl who was comfortingly rubbing his arm.

"I know Atlanta and the surrounding area really well, I can move faster on my own, without having to worry about anyone else." Linney nodded; it made sense.

"We want to get you back to your people, Glenn," she said gently. He looked at her hopefully. "If Merle hadn't overreacted, we would have exchanged greetings and parted ways at the store. We've had some bad luck recently with taking someone into our group who is a little unbalanced, so everyone is a little edgy. We never intended to kidnap you." She smiled at him, hoping to ease his fears.

"I figured that was the deal, unless you were playing some crazy sting, sending the beautiful girl in first to distract the target..." His voice trailed off at the look on Linney's face. He glanced over at Daryl fearfully, and then back to Amy, who had a curious expression on her features.

"Uh... I mean, not that I think you're beautiful..." Linney chuckled, but Daryl grumbled something by the door and Glenn kept talking, obviously nervous, "I mean, you are beautiful, but not to me, just to other people... who would think you are beautiful, and I can see that, but not to me... oh god..." He trailed off miserably and Amy giggled. Linney shook her head, a huge grin on her face and she glanced back at Daryl and could see a tiny smile on his face, which he swiftly buried, so he could glare at Glenn, menacingly.

Glenn's brown eyes went huge at the expression on Daryl's face and he stammered, "Oh man, don't kill me, I didn't mean to! She just showed up and started - ooof!" Linney shoved his shoulder as hard as she could, making no pretense to hide her actions. The room went silent as everyone looked at her with varying degrees of confusion.

"Shut up, Glenn, you're babbling." She said in a sickly-sweet voice. She gave him a look that indicated he should fear her, not Daryl, and he winced and took a deep drink from his cola.

Amy patted his shoulder again and shot a strange look at Linney. "Glenn, you should rest a bit. We have to go get dinner and guard watches organized." He nodded gratefully and put his cola on the ground, before laying back and gingerly resting his head on his pillow. Amy tugged on Linney's arm and shooed her out of the room, before looking pointedly at Daryl and waving him out after her.

"I'll be right in the hall, if ya need anything." Daryl spoke to Glenn in a voice that sounded more threatening than helpful, and Glenn nodded weakly from the bed.

In the hall, Daryl shut the door and sat with his back against it. His face was stubbornly set when he looked up at Linney and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh lord... have fun guarding the giant threat," she said sarcastically. He pinched his lips together and nodded, not looking at her, and she walked away, shaking her head.

Downstairs, Andrea was waiting impatiently for her and Amy.

"Finally!" she burst out, waving them towards the kitchen, "Come help me unload everything, Merle's in a snit and won't help." When they followed her outside, Linney saw Merle relaxing on the roof of the RV, taking his watch in comfort in one of the lawn chairs, a full bottle of whiskey in one hand.

"If you get drunk and fall off that roof, I'm going to laugh at you." She called up to him. He didn't turn his head at all, just flicked her his middle finger and took a deep swig from the bottle. Linney rolled her eyes and headed towards the pick-up.

As they approached, she realized that the items she had hidden from Merle were in there and she didn't want the girls to see them, either.

"Ok," she started, standing front of the truck, blocking Amy and Andrea's access to it, "I'm gonna hop up there and start separating stuff into bags and groups of items. That way the right stuff goes to the right people, faster." She was inwardly relieved when they both agreed.

Linney climbed up over the back tire and started handing off food and water. Digging through the clothes, she scrambled to find the boxes she needed to hide and stuffed them into the bottom of a bag, piling her clothes and personal items on top.

Glancing up, she saw Amy trotting back out the mudroom door and hurriedly got together another bag, filling it with Daryl and Merle's clothes.

"Here," she ordered, stuffing the bag into Amy's hands, "Take this to our room, it's for the guys." Amy nodded and impatiently held her other hand out.

"Come on, I can carry more than one bag," she wiggled her fingers at Linney who smirked and handed her the bag of her own items.

"That's my stuff, just stick it near my sweatshirt in my room." Amy nodded and turned on her heel, passing her sister on the way back inside. Linney did up a bag for Jim and another for Dale and handed them both to Andrea. The woman took them and nodded before pressing her lips together and squaring her shoulders, obviously not wanting to go knock on the RV door. Linney watched her go and then continued to separate everything.

Amy took a long while coming back, and Linney knew the second she saw the girl's face that she had peeked in Linney's bag.

"Oh for fuck's sake, Amy." She moaned. The blonde girl just raised an eyebrow at her and said, "_We_ are going to have a little talk, Miss Linney."

"Awww, do we have to?" Linney whined. Amy took a step closer, "We could talk now," her voice was low but Linney didn't miss the threat there and shook her head back and forth.

"No, no, I understand. Later." Linney waved her hands anxiously at the girl and peeked over her shoulder, relieved that Merle seemed as uninterested in them as before.

When everything was unloaded, Linney offered to take care of dinner and Andrea and Amy went upstairs, both eager to get changed into clean clothing. The counters were now stacked with goods and Linney was pleased at the abundance. She started to plan dinner and had to pause to do a mental count of how many mouths she had to feed tonight. Eight, she thought, _eight people, wow._

She pulled over a couple bags of instant mashed potatoes, and then a small can of cocktail weinies for each person. Getting the potatoes going was easy, just needed to have water added, and then she stared at the cocktail weinies, unsure of how to cook them. She eventually shrugged and tossed some olive oil she found over the non-functioning kitchen stove into a pan and dumped all the weinies in after them. After a couple dubious minutes, they started to smell pretty good and she was pleased with herself when she'd plated everything and the plates were pretty full.

Smiling, Linney peeked out into the living room and then looked to the opposite end of the room, to the alcove under the stairs; a room they had never bothered with up until now. She carried a lantern from the kitchen and one from the living room into the dining space, and put them in the middle of the huge, well-used, dining room table there.

_Eight chairs, that's perfect_. Linney made a few quick trips and put all the plates on the table, along with cutlery. She grabbed ketchup, putting that in the centre of the table, and grabbed eight cups, one for each spot. Finishing it off, she placed a giant bottle of water in the middle of the table, along with a couple bottles of red wine, cheap stuff that she'd snagged at the grocery store today.

Leaning up into the staircase, Linney hollered up to everyone that dinner was ready, specifically mentioning to Amy to help Glenn down. She ducked back into the kitchen before Daryl could complain about the young man joining them for dinner.

Making her way outside, she looked up in the soft evening light to Merle, who was sprawled out in his chair on the RV. Linney was about to tear into him for getting drunk, when she realized the level in his bottle of whiskey hadn't changed since she'd seen him last drink from it. _Weird_, she thought to herself.

"Dinner's ready, Merle." He barely looked over at her, but he nodded.

"I'm inviting Dale and Jim," she said it casually, hoping not to incite some kind of Merle riot. He looked sharply down at her and immediately climbed down the ladder. The way he stomped over to her, quickly and steadily, told her he was definitely not drunk; the bottle was just there to allow him the option if he wanted it.

"No, ya ain't," he said in obvious ill-humor. Linney glared back at him and gestured at the RV, "You heard Dale this morning, Jim's fine, he could contribute just as well as anyone else. He's remorseful and told Dale that looking back over the past couple of days is like a fuzzy dream." Merle clenched his teeth and looked away for a second.

"Merle, you and Daryl can't be the only ones on watch, 24-7. If you won't let me or Andrea take a shift, then freeing up Dale from his babysitting, and letting Jim help would be huge." Merle stepped closer and glared down at her.

"Yer too fuckin' bossy," he growled, "My daddy woulda known how to keep ya in line, maybe I oughta try, ya useless little shit."

Linney blinked at him, then leaned closer and snarled right back, her voice sharp and furious, "Then fucking bring it, you old, drunk shithead. I know how to deal with assholes who love the bottle more than anyone else."

"Is everything all right out here?" Linney and Merle looked over at Dale, who had stepped out of the RV, obviously having heard everything. Linney realized she was partially crouched towards Merle as if she were going to attack him, and his hands were balled into fists at his sides.

"We're fine," she lied smoothly, "You and Jim get inside and start eating before it gets cold." Merle started to grumble a disagreement and she turned to him and grabbed his forearm, trying to drag him towards the front of the pick-up, as far from the RV doors as she could get. He resisted and it was like pulling on a tree. Her feet slid through the gravel and he smirked at her. Merle shook her off roughly and she was suddenly livid.

Linney took a couple steps towards the house, as if she were planning on going inside, and then suddenly spun on her heel and launched herself at Merle with all the force she had on the first day she met him, knocking him to the ground. He fell to his stomach, skidding through the dirt a little and she stayed sitting on his back, wrapping one arm around his neck and hanging on.

"Now, you listen here, Merle Dixon: you're a violent, redneck, asshole, who hits innocent people and pisses his allies off for fun, and maybe that's not always so bad, but you are _never_ gonna threaten me like that again. This is a fucking democracy, and if you don't like what the people want, well tough shit, suck it the fuck up princess. You think I'm bossy? A pain in the ass?"

She tightened her grip and leaned closer to his ear, "Have you met yourself? I don't care what you used to be, or what you used to do, or quite frankly, what the fuck your dead daddy might have done or said in any given situation - we're on the same fucking team, you don't get to threaten me." She was out of breath and knew her face was bright red. She could feel a rumble in his chest and braced herself, waiting for the inevitable smack he was going to deliver, hoping she could hold her own and at least kick him in the junk.

He pulled her hands off his neck, without much fuss, and then got to his feet. She slid off his back as he got up and then got to her feet, preparing for his next move, wary. Merle was laughing. She felt her mouth drop open in surprise.

"I was serious, Merle!" She cried, angry. He laughed harder, smacking his leg and howling.

"Oh god, sweetheart, yer a fuckin' spitfire all right!" He was laughing until his eyes were wet and Linney felt antsy, she was almost looking forward to a fight, her frustration with his behavior today and then his stupid threat a moment ago, made her want to tear into him good. Merle stepped forward and swung a beefy arm around her shoulders, squeezing her to him, his chest still shaking with laughter.

"You was really gonna take me on?" He asked, towing her along towards the mudroom door, Dale and Jim having long gone inside. Linney nodded and laughed a little herself.

"Lord, I know not to mess with ya now, sweetheart! You think I'm so bad... if you ain't afraid of me, how bad's that make you?" He chuckled and squeezed her in a one-armed hug again, before releasing her and walking through the kitchen into the living room. Linney slowly closed the mudroom door and followed after him.

_Did I win that encounter? Or is that a draw?_ She wondered. _Stupid, irritating, complicated, Dixons_.


	19. Chapter 19

***** Enjoy folks :) I OWN NOTHING except for Linney *****

"So, how long have you guys been here?" Glenn asked, leaning on the table. He looked around from face to face and it was Andrea who answered.

"Only a few days, we were on the road before that," she pointed over at Linney, sitting next to Daryl, and Merle on the other side of his brother, "We met those three a few days before that." Glenn nodded and looked down at his hands, gripped together on the table in front of him.

"My group, we've been together for about ten days. You know, after it got really bad, everyone tried to head for the city, and we sort of found each other in that mess." Glenn picked at a loose thread on his shirt sleeve, "It's better now, we all pull together, for the most part, so it's working out ok. As best as it can when you have a camp of about 20 people."

Linney, Andrea, and Amy were absolutely rapt at his words, and Linney knew that they were all thinking the same thing: a huge, settled group, safety in numbers, peaceful sleeping. She glanced over at Daryl and his face was emotionless.

"Where in the city are you located?" Dale asked, tapping Glenn's elbow. The younger man looked up at him like he was crazy.

"The city? Why would..." Glenn paused and looked around at the expectant faces surrounding the table, "Oh god, don't you know?" Amy leaned closer to him and put her hand on his, "Know what?" Her voice was light and curious. Glenn's face drew into an expression of unhappy resignation.

"Atlanta is lost." There was utter silence around the table. Linney felt like her lungs were shriveling inside of her chest, her breath coming in rasps. Her stomach hurt and she couldn't process his words, barely able to follow as he continued on.

"They told everyone to go to the city, but we don't think they knew just how bad this thing was. Everyone living in Atlanta is either dead or a walker now." Amy sucked in a sob, and covered her face, and Andrea put an arm around her, her own face stricken. Glenn swallowed hard and looked over at Linney, who felt like her body had gone numb.

"When the military realized just how out of control it was, they napalmed the city, bombed the shit out of it." Merle growled at Glenn's words and exploded up from the table, pushing his chair back so hard that it flew into the wall behind him. Without another word, he stomped through the kitchen and the walls shook with the force of the mudroom door slamming.

Jim was staring down at his empty plate, and Dale's mouth was opening and closing as if he fought to find something comforting or right to say. Linney just couldn't believe that their plans were dashed, that there was no hope.

She dragged her eyes to Glenn's face, pleading with him, "But, the military is somewhere? Right? Someone's doing something, right?" She got to her feet, her voice coming in a near-shriek, "Is there anybody out there at all?!" Amy looked up at her and started to cry harder, and Andrea pulled her up from her chair and ushered her sister upstairs. Linney felt like the whole world had just been yanked out from under their feet. Glenn could barely look at her.

"I'm... I'm so sorry..." He stammered, his voice laced with regret. Surprisingly Daryl spoke up, reassuring the younger man, "It ain't your fault, man." Linney looked over at him and he glanced up at her briefly. He didn't make a move towards her and Linney suddenly couldn't handle the closeness of the room anymore. She stumbled back against her chair, knocking it to the floor, and blindly pushed past it, staggering into the kitchen. She leaned for a moment against the island and then headed for the mudroom door, yanking it open and carelessly closing it behind herself.

It was dark outside and she could just make out the outline of Merle, leaning against the side of the house. He turned towards her and his voice was not kind, "Go away, don't wanna fucking talk to anyone."

Linney ignored him and sat on the ground, against the wall on the far side of the door from him. She drew her knees up to her chest and tried to calm herself by sucking in huge lungfuls of cool night air, but it wasn't helping. They still felt shriveled and she realized she was close to hyperventilating.

Merle was silent and she was grateful for the opportunity to fall to pieces. Linney buried her face in her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, as she focused on breathing in and out steadily. Her mind was flickering with images that were never to be: a huge camp with sturdy walls, lots of soldiers, protection, organization, someone in charge to say, "It's ok, we're fixing it." No one was going to greet their ragged little group at the gates of a military base, clipboard in hand and wave them inside, handing out name tags and coffee.

That was when Linney decided to cry. She cried for everyone who had already died and everyone who was most likely to die, now that they were truly on their own. She cried for her father, Cara, the prior owner of the little race car bed upstairs, and the kid she'd slaughtered today. _How can we go on?_ Her mind was in a devastated jumble, her lungs finally opening enough to make room for her gasping cries, her eyes stinging from the cascade of hot tears that were pouring out.

As Linney sobbed, she was dimly aware that someone had sunk down beside her, wrapping their arms around her, pulling her into their chest so she could cry against them. She looked up, her face streaming tears and puffy, expecting to see Merle, since he was outside with her, but it was Daryl. His face was hard and when she looked over at where Merle had been, she was vaguely surprised to see him gone.

"Where'd Merle go?" Her voice was dull and toneless. Daryl looked down at her, his expression not changing.

"He came in, told me you were out here, havin' a hard time." She didn't nod, just leaned her head against his chest again, exhausted.

"We're royally forked." She muttered, Daryl surprised her by letting out a quiet guffaw, and then looked down at her. She realized how funny it must have sounded to him; it was a favorite saying of her father's, one which he'd usually utter when it came to bills, food, or her needing bigger clothes. She couldn't find it in herself to laugh. She stared at Daryl and then looked away out into the night.

"It'll work out, we'll figure it out," his voice was as soothing as she'd ever heard it, deep and rumbling. Linney didn't nod, just wiped her face on her shirt and then stared at her hands.

"What do we do? No Atlanta, no refugee centre... do we scurry around like fucking rats forever? Until we die from sickness or get ripped to shreds by, what the fuck does Glenn call them? Walkers? Til we get ripped to shreds by walkers." Daryl's arms tightened around her and he rested his chin on her head.

"Listen, ya little coward, we'll make this work. First plan went bust, so we gotta use plan b." He sounded so sure of himself that Linney finally nodded.

"They napalmed the fucking city, Daryl." He nodded and sighed, "Yeah, probably killed any who managed not to die, stupid fucks, everyone knows ya can only take 'im down with a shot through the brain." They were silent for a moment before Daryl spoke again, his voice quiet, "Least those folks that got bombed died without being eaten, without being bit, with a little dignity, never had to turn into one of 'em."

Linney held her breath for a moment, thinking of how her father died. He hadn't been bitten. She stiffened in Daryl's arms, the realization hitting her like a freight train. He OD'd, died, and came back again, no bite. She leaned away from Daryl's face to look up into his face, her eyes wide and her heart beating hard at the thought. He glanced down at her face and a look of regret washed over his features.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, I'm a fuckin' idiot, your dad got bit and..." His voice trailed off and he ran a hand down her hair and then down to her face, cupping her cheek. Linney didn't say anything.

_Maybe Dad did get bit_. She thought back to the three dead people who wandered into their yard the day before he died, how her dad yelled at her to stay in the house, and was out back grappling with them for a few minutes, multiple gunshots ringing out. When he finally came back in, he'd been out of breath, pale as a sheet and splashed with a lot of blood. Linney leaned into Daryl's hand and squeezed her eyes shut. He was probably bitten and hid it from her, not wanting to deal with her fear and her panic. Anything else didn't make any sense

"Let's go inside, it's cold out here." Daryl finally said, pulling her up with him as he got to his feet. He kept his arm wrapped around her as they walked into the house. Linney felt weak from her crying and when they passed through the living room, Jim and Dale were passing the bottle of wine back and forth, Merle was sleeping on the couch, and Glenn was nowhere to be seen.

"Guess there's no watch tonight." Daryl mumbled. Linney shrugged, they were most likely going to be fine overnight. And in light of the news Glenn shared with them, she was feeling a little reckless. Daryl finally got her upstairs and steered her to the bed and sat her down on her side.

"I'm gonna go lock everything up, make sure those assholes don't burn the place down with a lantern." He took a step towards the door and then turned and pointed at her, his voice firm.

"Get in bed." Linney nodded dumbly at him and he turned to the door, shutting it behind him as he walked into the hall. She looked down at her bag of new things next to the bed and removed her weaponry, her boots, and then all her clothes.

Moving slowly, she reached into the bag and tore the tags off the grey shorts and tank top pj set she'd grabbed for herself. It was plain, soft jersey cotton material and comfortable as sin on her tired body, and she also knew that with a built-in bra, the tank top shouldn't be considered inappropriate, by anyone in the house. Linney grabbed a handful of her hair, intending to tie it up, but she felt suddenly exhausted and dropped it with a sigh.

She rubbed her tongue idly along her teeth, while she sat on the bed and waited, and grimaced at how fuzzy they were. Linney grabbed a bottle of water, her toothbrush, toothpaste, and a lantern and walked out to the bathroom. She paused in the doorway and then took a quick step down the hall, to peek in on their guest. She opened his door and held the lantern into the race car room, and found a small smile for the worn out Glenn, sprawled sideways across the tiny bed, breathing slowly and steadily in sleep. Shaking her head, Linney quietly closed the door and turned around, jumping in fright at Daryl standing right behind her.

"Holy shit," she held a hand to her chest, her heart beating frantically beneath it, "You scared me." Daryl raised an eyebrow at her, "Little chinaman doin' alright?" Linney made a face at him, hating the term for Glenn.

"He's fine," Linney turned for the bathroom door, "I'm gonna brush my teeth, wash up a bit, be right back." Daryl moved past her into the bedroom and Linney set the lantern on the bathroom counter, getting right to work on her teeth. When she was done, she used a baby wipe to swipe at her armpits, and then another one to wipe her face clean. Daryl walked into the open bathroom behind her and pointed at the sink.

"Ya done primpin' in the mirror? Wanna brush my teeth too." Linney rolled her eyes and grabbed her things, leaving the lantern, and purposefully brushed roughly past Daryl on her way back to bed.

Feeling less grungy and filthy (although she wouldn't kid herself into thinking she was clean), she climbed into bed, and dragged her pillow and Daryl's into the center of it. She lay under the blankets, on her side and waited for him to return.

Staring over at his empty pillow, Linney realized she felt a little better. The normal act of getting ready for bed, knowing that soon Daryl would be here and she could hang on to him and sleep soundly, made her calm. Her mind cleared a little bit. _Things are shit, but it could be worse,_ she reassured herself.

Daryl finally walked through the door and closed it behind him. He stayed in his clothes and paused before climbing into bed, eying up the position of their pillows.

"Jus' took it upon yourself to do that?" He asked, climbing into bed next to her. Linney smiled at him in the dim light from the lantern sitting on his side of the room.

"Well, you're such a chicken shit, I knew you'd want to cuddle tonight." She tried to keep her voice teasing and he looked at her in outraged surprised before turning around to shut the lantern off.

"Chicken shit?" He finally said, laying on his back, pulling the blankets up comfortably around them both. Linney crept closer, resting her head on his shoulder, something she was getting used to doing. She nodded against him when she was settled, easing her arm across his chest to rest on his far shoulder.

"Oh absolutely." She murmured contentedly. He wrapped his arms around her and then flinched with a growl when she pressed her icy toes to his side, purposely putting them under his shirt.

"You need to wear socks to bed." He grouched. Linney chuckled quietly and spoke into his neck, "You should be happy I'm wearing anything at all." Daryl said nothing, just breathed in and out quietly for a minute or two. Linney was starting to drift off when he leaned his head to the side and kissed her on her bare shoulder, making her shiver a little.

"Don't tempt me, just go to sleep."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The next morning was slow, everyone still exhausted from the emotional roller coaster of the night before. Amy's face looked tired, red, and puffy, and Linney realized that she probably looked the same. Andrea seemed to have fresh worry lines deeply etched around her eyes.

They sat around the table, all eight of them, nursing cups of coffee. Dale and Jim looked thoroughly unwell, and Merle seemed to take delight in moving loudly around them, offering them disgusting options for food, just to see them turn green.

Linney drained her cup and leaned back in her chair, drawing a knee up to her chest. Amy was sitting beside her this morning and had horrified Linney by holding her hand when they sat down. Linney had whipped her head around to chew the girl out, but she saw by the lost expression on her face that Amy truly needed contact and comfort.

"I guess we need a new plan." Andrea spoke into the silence. Dale and Linney nodded slowly along with her, but offered nothing. Jim peered at the blonde woman, squinting his eyes as if the sun were shining directly into them. He groaned and lay his head on his arm on the table and Merle, sitting next to him, gave him a firm, hearty clap on the back.

"Buck up, psycho." The redneck said loudly. Dale shot him a dirty look and then looked back to Andrea, before slowly examining the faces of everyone at the table. "I'm open to suggestions, if anybody has one." Linney glanced over at Glenn, who looked sad and uncomfortable, and then shook her head at Dale. Amy tightened her fingers around Linney's hand and she shot her friend a sympathetic look.

"I got an idea." Every person at the table whipped their heads towards Merle in complete and total shock. Linney would have found it funny if she wasn't equally as surprised that he was volunteering information.

Merle raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips, stretching his arms above his head, looking smug. He finally peered over at Glenn, gesturing towards him.

"We got to return this little chinaman -"

"Dude, I'm Korean."

"Whatever, don't fuckin' innerupt me." Glenn made an irritated face and looked away, and Merle continued. "Like I was sayin', we got return this little *Korean guy*," he smirked at Glenn who snorted out a laugh, "Gotta get 'im back to his people, right?" Everyone nodded and Linney narrowed her eyes at him, certain of what he was about to suggest and immediately suspicious.

"Let's pack our shit up and throw in with 'em." Everyone was stunned. Andrea put both hands flat on the table, leaning towards him, "Are you serious?"

"'Course I am."

"Thought you didn't want to take in anymore strays." Andrea shot back and Merle chuckled.

"Why ya'll gotta be so jumpy? We'd be the damn strays this time." Linney could see by the growing hope in everyone's eyes that this plan of his was going to happen. She locked her eyes on him and glared.

"What's with the stink eye, sweetheart? Woulda thought ya'd love this idea, yer the one that said there's safety in numbers and all that shit." He opened his eyes wide, an innocent look on his face and Linney clenched her teeth.

"I did say that, it's just very weird to hear you agree with me for once." Merle pulled a hurt look.

"Ohhh, yer woundin' poor ole Merle!" He put a hand on his heart and stared steadily at her. "'Sides, I'm sick of bein' the only one takin' care a all of ya."

"Do you mean it?" Amy asked quietly, her voice hopeful, her sad face finally brightening as she looked at Merle. Linney watched as something flickered uncomfortably across his face at the girl's wistful face and he cleared his throat, getting to his feet. He nodded at her, a small, forced smile on his face and Amy sagged in her chair, all her worried tension draining out of her.

"Oh, thank god." She whispered. Merle left the room, speaking over his shoulder, "We need to get packin', now." Everyone got to their feet in a hurry, and a flurry of activity had them rushing from the room. Linney held back and looked over at Daryl, standing next to her.

"You know he's up to something, right?" She said quietly and Daryl looked down at her and nodded, his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, but it looks like we're goin' no matter what, might as well get packed, deal with his shit later."


	20. Chapter 20

***** It's time to meet some more people... and, as always, I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, she's mine :**)

"They won't turn us away, will they?" Linney finally asked Glenn, after they'd been driving for awhile. The young man twisted his mouth to the side for a moment as he thought about her question.

"I don't think so, no, I don't see that happening." He nodded at her, a smile finally spreading on his face and she gave him a tight one back.

"Get on the main highway here, man." Glenn pointed at an on-ramp up ahead and Daryl turned the truck to the right, following the curving ramp down to the huge highway. Linney shifted in her seat, in between Glenn and Daryl, and pulled a leg up to her chest, hugging it with her arms.

"Anyways, that's why we're in the front, right? The welcome crew? They might freak at the strange cars, but if I hop out with you two, it'll be ok." Glenn was talking just to stay calm, a fact that was not lost on either Linney or Daryl, and her stomach was clenching in worry, hoping her trust in him wasn't misplaced, that he turned out to be as nice a guy as he seemed.

"K, turn off here." Glenn indicated an off ramp and Daryl turned off. They wove through some side streets for a bit before heading down a dirt road that was slowly winding up the side of a bluff.

"Stop here, the other's should wait down here, so we don't overwhelm them all at once." Glenn instructed them and Daryl slowed the truck to a stop and turned it off. He climbed out and Linney followed him. They stood behind the truck, waiting as the RV came to a stop, Merle's motorcycle crunching to a halt next to it.

"He says you guys wait here, so we don't freak them out too much." Linney gestured at the RV and the bike and Merle sneered at Glenn.

"I'm on board to join up with ya'lls people, but I will burn that camp to the ground if yer tryin'a fuck around with us here." Glenn blanched and backed up against the tail gate of the truck.

"I'm not! I swear, we're aren't like that!" He cried, his face twisting with anxiety. Linney stepped over to him and put a hand on his arm, smiling reassuringly.

"Don't listen to him, he's being a twit." She glared at Merle who waved a dismissive hand in their direction. Dale stepped through the open door of the RV and looked curiously up at the curving road ahead of them.

"There's not exactly a doorbell, is there?" He asked wryly. Glenn grinned and waved behind him.

"Oh, they already know we're here," he turned to Daryl, "We need to get going, so we can meet them further up." Daryl eyed the other man for a moment and then nodded. Linney walked over to the open driver's door and climbed in, and she saw through the passenger window that Daryl had a finger poked into Glenn's chest, his face dangerous.

"I swear to god, chinaman, if this goes shitty n' anythin' happens to her, I will make sure you die 'fore I do." His voice was throaty and threatening, Glenn nodded quickly, and repeatedly, sweat dripping down the side of his face.

"I got it, man, don't worry." Daryl nodded curtly and went to the driver's side to climb in. Glenn climbed in on his side and let out a shaky breath.

"Never been so nervous about going home." He muttered, looking over at her uneasily.

"It'll be fine, Glenn, you said so yourself." He nodded again, mumbling something to himself, and Daryl started the drive up the hill, the empty truck bed behind them making a loud rattling noise. They had decided to load everything in the RV, and only send the truck up, so if things did go badly, the rest of them wouldn't be out of all their supplies.

Linney grew more and more nervous the closer to the top they got and when a jeep filled with men came quickly around the corner ahead of them, Daryl slammed on the brakes.

Glenn immediately hopped out, waving his hands around above his head, so they could recognize him through all the dust. Linney looked over at Daryl, and swallowed hard. He cast one pensive glance out of the window and then grabbed her chin and leaned in, kissing her quickly, his warm lips pressed to hers.

"Let's go say hello." He said gruffly, his hand on the door. "Daryl." She said quietly, he looked back.

"What?"

"Behave yourself, hey? Let me do the talking." He chuckled and nodded, slipping out the door and gesturing towards the group climbing out of their jeep, guns drawn. "After you."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The last thing Shane expected to see when T yelled that there were vehicles approaching was an RV, a motorcycle, and a beat up truck, far away at the base of the bluff's road. They couldn't make out who it was with the binoculars, only that it was a handful of people and when three of them climbed in the truck, leaving the other vehicles behind, they jumped into action.

"Let's go!" Shane yelled and T, Morales, and Chad raced to grab their guns, all of them climbing into the jeep.

"Who d'you think it is?" T asked him, his voice slightly strained. Shane stayed focused on the road ahead, not looking over.

"Not sure; people lookin' for a camp? Maybe they saw the fires last night, we gotta be more careful with them." Shane shook his head, thinking about Ed and his stubborn insistence on having a bigger fire than was safe. As they rounded the last corner, he saw the truck, about 20 feet ahead, slam to a stop, a huge cloud of dust billowing up. He brought the jeep to a quick halt and they all leapt out, weapons in hand, as the passenger door burst open and someone leapt out, waving their arms around.

"Hey guys! It's me!" Came Glenn's voice, Shane signaled the others to lower their weapons and hollered back to Glenn.

"Hey man! Mind tellin' me what's going on here?" Shane called out. Glenn jogged towards him, waving the dust from his face, a big, relieved smile on his face.

"Hey T," he greeted the big man and received a smile and a nod in return. Glenn turned back to Shane and gestured at the truck behind him.

"I met some people," he explained. Shane nodded, peering through the settling dust at the occupants of the truck. The first was a man, rough looking, sharp eyed, the kind of guy Shane had to deal with every Saturday night at the local dive bar, it seemed. The man's eyes grazed over all of them, measuring and evaluating them carefully. He held a hand out to the person still in the cab and Shane blinked when the girl hopped out, ignoring the hand and smirking up at the tough guy's face. She moved around the door and Shane took a breath in.

He was expecting bad guys, monsters intent on destroying or thieving, not a pretty little thing like her. She walked closer, looking over at Glenn expectantly. Her dark hair was long and loose, falling in thick waves to the middle of her back. She was small, slim, and Shane thought she was filled out in all the right places, in all the right ways. His mind guiltily flickered on an image of Lori and he cleared his throat, moving towards the girl.

The tough guy was behind her like a shadow, his glare falling on Shane as he stepped forwards. She held up a cautioning hand to the guy, and swung her large green eyes up to Shane.

"My name's Linney, since Glenn isn't going to introduce us." She shot an irritated glance at Glenn who made a face and leapt forward.

"Sorry! Sorry! Linney, Daryl, this is Shane, T-Dog, Morales and Chad." The men all nodded in turn and Linney cut her eyes quickly across their faces before stepping towards Shane, her hand extended.

"You're the leader, right?" She asked in a clear voice, her small hand shaking his firmly. He nodded at her.

"Guess I am." She glanced back at Daryl, who was tense, tightly wound, and Shane realized his worry was for the girl. As soon as she stepped back from Shane, the other man's shoulder's settled a little.

Shane noticed she was layered with weapons, knives in leather straps all over her body, two guns slung casually across her hips, accentuating the curve of her waist - _Aww shit man, get yourself under control_, he chastised himself, thinking again of Lori.

"We bumped into Glenn yesterday morning, and he spent the night with us," she grimaced a little, a ghost of sadness in her eyes, "he told us about Atlanta; we didn't know." Shane nodded, mentally shuddering at the memory of the night Atlanta fell. She closed her eyes for a second, her long, dark lashes sweeping against her sun-kissed skin, before she opened them up and took a deep breath.

"We got to talking with Glenn, he told us about you all." She took a step closer, tilting her head up to look him full in the eyes, her face serious, "We can't go to Atlanta anymore." Shane shook his head and raised an eyebrow at her, "Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it." He chuckled a little and she pressed her full lips together, narrowing her eyes at him a little.

"You don't say," her voice was sarcastic and he laughed again. Linney waved her hands in front herself a little.

"Nevermind, I think you know what I'm saying here. We want to join your group. Three of us are excellent shots, strong fighters, the rest can learn. We have a bunch of supplies we're willing to share. Hard workers. No psycho's. A couple of mechanics." She looked up at him again, disarming him momentarily when she smiled at him, "What d'ya say?"

Shane reluctantly turned away from her, looking over at T, trying to read the man's thoughts. The big guy waved a hand in the direction of the road, "Maybe we need to meet the rest of the group." Shane nodded, looking back down at her.

"Get 'em up here so we can make our acquaintances." Shane informed her. She nodded and turned back to the truck.

"Not all of you." He added. The man Daryl, flared his nostrils, narrowing his eyes even more in suspicion, "Why not?" He barked. Shane gave him a steady look, "I gotta think about my people. How do I know you don't all go down there and bring back an army?" Linney rounded on him, glaring.

"An army? What do we look like to you?" Shane pressed his mouth together in a thin line and said nothing and she finally heaved a huge aggravated sigh.

"For gods sake... Glenn!" He looked over when she called, "Yeah?"

"Go down with Daryl, get the rest of them back up here." She turned back to Shane, "Deal? He goes with Daryl, I'll stay here. Sound good?" Daryl charged forward, causing Shane's men to stiffen.

"The hell it does!" He growled. Linney turned to him and put a hand on his chest, pushing him back towards the truck, his hand latching onto her arm, to ensure she stayed with him. He looked down at her as she whispered urgently to him. Shane watched with curiosity, trying to figure out what they were to each other. Daryl made a strained face, his eyes glowering at her, but she held her ground and tugged on his shirt, making him bend down to her level. She whispered something in his ear and he gave her a sideways look, a tiny smile tugging up one corner of his mouth.

Without another word, he spun towards the truck "Glenn! Get over here, let's go!" Glenn jumped and glanced back at Shane, "See ya in bit!" His voice was forced and he bit his lip before climbing in the truck. Linney stepped back as the truck turned around and drove back down the hill. Shane strode over, standing next to her. He looked down at her, watching her watch the truck. He noticed her hand resting on the holster of one of her guns.

"We ain't monsters, you know." Shane finally said. Linney looked back up at him, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"I figured as much, but Daryl," she pointed down the road, "sees danger everywhere."

"Paranoid?" Shane asked, his eyes following her hand as she tucked a dark lock behind her ear. She shook her head.

"No, he's a hunter, his senses are always alert, on guard, you know?" Shane snorted at her response and crossed his arms. She took a step back and eyed the men back at the jeep, before looking back at up at him.

"You need a little information before you meet some of these folks." She said, showing the first signs of being nervous. Shane huffed a breath and rolled a hand at her, "Ok, give it to me." She smiled again, laughing a little, and then ticked off a finger on her hand.

"There's Andrea, and her little sister Amy, nice people," she paused and made a face, "a little nosy but nothing bad." Shane chuckled and waited.

"There's Dale, he owns the RV, older man, nice guy." She took a step away and rolled her shoulders, easing the strain there.

"Then there's Jim." The look on her face had him immediately concerned, "A'right, whats wrong with the guy?"

"That obvious, huh?" She asked sheepishly and Shane nodded. Linney scratched her nose and Shane noticed the light smattering of freckles across it.

"Well, he's a little damaged. Lost his entire group before us, really badly. We found him near dead. He's back on his feet now, but he's a little traumatized. Daryl and Merle don't like him very much 'cause he thought I was his dead wife and acted a little creepy."

"Who's Merle?" Linney's face twitched and she took a step towards him, her eyes almost begging him for understanding. _Ahh, this guy is the whole reason for this rundown_, Shane thought to himself, worry swelling in his stomach.

"He's Daryl's older brother, I met them first; we're from the same town. He's not easy to like." Shane laughed but her face was serious. "I'm totally not kidding. He likes his brother alright, for some reason he tolerates me and Amy well enough, but honestly he's mostly a huge asshole to everyone else." Shane laughed again and she laughed with him, putting a hand up to protest.

"Look, he's a redneck, a racist, and a jerk, but he's saved my life and provided for us, helped protect everyone. He'll take watches, he'll kill any of the dead that get close, he'll hunt with his brother for fresh game, and he'll absolutely piss people off." Shane stared at her, not sure what to say.

"You're not selling him real well." He finally said and she nodded, "I know, I know. But look, he's a package deal, if he can't come along or fit in, then Daryl and I hit the road with him." Shane nodded and looked down the road again. His next question came out unbidden, and he resisted the urge to look guiltily over his shoulder at his men to see if they caught it.

"You involved with any of them?" Linney blinked and then raised her eyebrow at him, "Not that it's any of your business, but Merle is more like..." She looked at the sky for a moment, casting about for a word, "Well, he's like a huge pain in my ass, but he's my friend, though they all seem to think he's like some kind of surrogate father to me." Shane nodded, not really interested, more curious about the hard eyed man she'd arrived with.

"And Daryl?" He asked, his voice low. Linney flushed an interesting shade of pink and took a step back from him, looking down at her hands, then up at him. "Me and Daryl, it's... it's, well, it's complicated, if I can say that without sounding like some stupid little girl." Shane laughed and nodded, her answer explaining the guy's behavior. She looked up at him again, her face carefully blank. "I'm definitely off the market if that's what you were asking."

Shane coughed, laughed a little, and then nodded, a smile growing on his face, "Jus' want to spread the right word, you know?" She smiled back and then turned to see the caravan of her group coming back. Shane entertained a brief vision of grabbing her and pressing a big wet kiss to her mouth, just to fuck with her friend, but decided against it when he saw the man on the motorcycle skid to a stop and hop off the bike. His movements were hard, so was his face. He had the tough, angry look of a man who's lived on the bad side of life and done things most never would.

Shane watched with surprise when Linney jogged over to him immediately and the angry man's eyes softened and he bent a little, putting a hand on her slim shoulder, asking her something Shane couldn't catch. She shook her head and said something else, making the man laugh before he stood up straight and shot a glowering look over Shane and his men. _Merle_, he thought. Glenn and Daryl climbed out of the truck and Daryl moved to her side, raising an eyebrow at her. She gave him a sly smile and said nothing.

When the others came pouring out of the RV, he saw an old man, a guy that looked like Ichabod Crane, and two pretty blondes. _Not a bad group_.

Introductions were made, hands shaken, and it was agreed they would join the group for now, as far as it served everyone well. When they all drove up to camp, there was a lot of noise, a lot of introductions, and even some smiles.

Shane let it all happen naturally, hoping they'd fit in. His gaze followed Linney's movements out of the corner of his eye, watched her make introductions for herself and the two brothers, like their spokesperson. He watched her work with them to set up a tent, laughing at something one of them said. Shane smiled to himself, pleased with his decision to let them stay. _This could definitely be interesting._


	21. Chapter 21

***** Enjoy the beginnings of camp life, not a super serious chapter, just a story builder, as we all settle in at the camp above the Quarry :) - I OWN NOTHING! *****

Neither Dixon liked the leader, Shane. Linney was withholding judgement, wanting to get to know everyone a little better. They were all full of nerves, overwhelmed by the amount of new faces and names they'd encountered.

She wasn't stupid, she could feel him staring at her, checking her out, almost from the moment they'd stepped from the truck. Instead of reacting to it, she decided to play dumb, use it to her advantage; she just wanted them to be accepted into this camp, figuring she could fade into the background once they did.

All seven of them stopped and stared when they met the kids in the group, the two little Morales kids, who hid behind their mother, the other little girl, the tow-headed one, Sophie or something like that, standing next to her mom, a shy smile on her face when Amy and Linney had exuberantly greeted her.

It was the boy, Carl, though, that Linney felt an instant kinship with. He had a mischievous little smile and boldly approached them, Linney first. He shook her hand and informed her solemnly that after Shane, he was the head honcho. She shook his hand back and heartily accepted his offer to give her a tour the following day. She was moved almost to tears to see the kids, alive, healthy, happy.

Linney smiled to herself as Daryl and Merle both groused about setting up the tent, complaining about their spot, complaining about the cots, complaining about the heat. When Merle lumbered off to get more supplies from Dale's RV, Linney sidled over to Daryl's side and spoke quietly to him while he was adjusting the pegs for the tent in the ground.

"How are we going to sleep together now?" The question was posed innocently and she paused, waiting for his response. His entire stance changed; he froze and looked up at her with wide eyes, clearly startled. She waited while he opened and closed his mouth a couple times and then she laughed and pointed at him, a huge smile on her face.

"I meant _sleeping_, Dixon. Yeesh, get your mind out of the gutter." He glared at her and moved quickly, surprising her again. He scooped her up off the ground, holding her upside down in his arms.

"Ya want the gutter?" He growled at her, tickling her side with one of the hands holding her across the stomach. She shrieked with laughter and he walked over to a ditch in the ground a few feet from the tent.

"Think Merle's gonna use this as a shitter," he grunted, and pretended to dip her to the ground. She cried out, laughing so hard she thought she might rupture something when suddenly they were interrupted by a voice from behind them.

Daryl turned to the visitor calmly, Linney still hanging upside down in his arms. Lori and Shane stood side by side, watching them. Lori looked amused, smiling a little at them. Shane looked non-chalant, as if it were an everyday occurrence for him to find people being held upside down.

"Hello," Linney said awkwardly, giving them a smile. Daryl snorted in amusement and gently flipped her right side up, putting her back on her feet. She awkwardly smoothed her hair while Lori invited them to join everyone for dinner around the fire, to get to know them all a little better.

Daryl nodded at Lori and Linney straightened her shirt, while gratefully accepting the invitation. When they walked away, Lori giggling quietly while saying something in a low voice to Shane, Linney rounded on Daryl.

"That was embarrassing!" She felt her face turning red. Daryl smirked at her and walked back to the tent pegs.

"You seemed to like it well enough." He muttered, driving a peg into the hard earth with a hammer Dale lent him. She knelt next to him and nudged him with her shoulder.

"It's weird to have you happy, that's all, I hope they didn't scare it out of you by finding out your dirty secret: _Daryl Dixon likes to have fun_." Her tone was scandalized and he looked over at her, askance.

"God, yer annoying, go bug Merle for awhile, would ya?" He nudged her back, hard enough to knock her to her butt.

"Oh, that was low," she growled at him and he turned to glare at her, with a tiny smile on his face. "You should go rat me out to the boss man, he'd come protect you." Linney got to her feet and wiped the dirt from the back of her jeans. She gave Daryl a thoughtful look.

"So you noticed it too?" She asked him casually, keeping her face pleasant and smooth. He glanced up at her, squinting a bit in the late afternoon sun.

"'Course I did, he wasn't exactly hidin' it. May as well stake my claim." Linney rolled her eyes and tapped a boot to his leg.

"I'm gonna go see what's taking Merle so long." Daryl nodded at her and went back to work on the tent. On the way to the RV, Linney passed Merle, his arms weighted down with their gear.

"Need a hand, buddy?" She asked him, and he looked around the bags stacked in arms.

"Whatdya think I am? Some kinda pussy? Get lost." She glared at him and he chuckled at her irritation, moving towards their tent. Linney continued on to the RV and saw Amy standing out front, working with Glenn to pull out the awning.

"Linney!" The girl cried out, as soon as she saw her approaching. She ran over to Linney and engulfed her in a hug. Linney was in such a good mood she let it slide. "Yeah, there, there Amy, happy to see you too." She said after a second, awkwardly patting Amy's back. Her friend pulled back and pointed at the RV.

"Dale's set it up to stay, no more driving around anymore!" Amy was thoroughly excited and Glenn smiled with her, clearly smitten. Linney eyed the two of them and wondered if either of them would get out of their own way enough to say something about it to each other. She shook her head and clapped Glenn on the back as she walked past him, up the stairs, into the RV.

Andrea was sifting through boxes at the dinette and Dale was putting things in different bags for Jim, back in the bedroom.

"Oh, hey, Linney," Andrea looked up in greeting, smiling strangely at Linney. It took her a moment to realize that Andrea was relaxed and that was why her smile looked different.

"You guys settling in ok?" Andrea asked, pulling out a huge can of peaches and frowning at the label. Linney slid in to the seat across from the other woman and rolled a can of peas back and forth between her hands.

"Pretty well, you know, as well as a foul-tempered redneck will let me, I guess." Andrea looked her in the eye and smirked then looked back down at the box.

"Well, I imagine they'll do a lot of hunting, what with that forest being right there." Linney nodded at Andrea's assumption; it sounded pretty apt to her.

"So I hear there's a watch day and night here." Dale walked up behind her and patted her shoulder briefly before putting a couple bags by the stairs. Linney nodded at him.

"That guy, uh, T-Dog? He said that tomorrow, once we've all settled in, we'll get the grand tour and they'll explain how it works." Dale smiled, happy with that plan. He gestured out the door, "Just make sure you get your private tour with that young man, he seems pretty keen on it." Linney smiled softly, remembering Carl's offer.

"God, I just can't believe there's kids, you know?" She said, looking back and forth between Andrea and Dale. Andrea smiled and patted the lid of the box she was digging through, thoughtfully.

"I never imagined that kids stood a chance, these days." Her face was a little sad and Linney got to her feet.

"Me neither, but I think this group got lucky, finding each other and then finding this place. It's safe. It's got tons of water down at that quarry, woods for game if they were of a mind to hunt any. I even heard that Morales guy saying there's _fish_ in the quarry."

Andrea's eyes lit up. "Fish, really? Amy and I love to fish." Linney nodded and then jumped about a foot in the air when Jim came up behind her and tapped her shoulder.

"Oh jesus! Jim, you fucking scared me!" He smiled ruefully, "Sorry Linney. I just wanted to apologize to you for everything that happened. I was out of my mind, please believe me when I say that I know you are not my wife. I know that. With my head clear, the resemblance isn't even that strong." Linney nodded at him, sensing the genuine feeling behind his words. She put a hand on his arm.

"It's ok, don't worry about it. Shit happens and now we're here where hopefully less shit will happen to everyone." He smiled gratefully at her and reached down to grab the bags Dale brought to the stairs.

"I'm going to take these to Shane." He said quietly, disappearing out the door. Linney looked to Dale, who smiled at her.

"He's really better, you know that, right? He's a good man -" Linney held a hand up to stop his explanations.

"Dale. It's fine, I know." The older man nodded, his face creasing in a grin. Linney looked around the RV.

"So you'll stay in here?" She asked curiously. Andrea looked up to answer, "Amy and I will get the back bedroom, Jim will get the table bed and Dale's taking the couch bed." She smiled at Dale gratefully. He nodded at her and gestured around the small space.

"It's not huge, but it'll seem wonderful now that we're stationary." He paused and walked back to the bedroom, coming back with three sleeping bags.

"We had these extra, thought you three might want them." Linney took them, the bulging items filling her arms. She looked down at them and laughed. "Anything else of ours left here?" Andrea shook her head, "Nope, Merle took it all." Linney made for the door and Dale put a hand to her arm to stop her.

"Linney, if you three need a bathroom, feel free to come use this one." Linney's eyes grew wide as his words registered.

"You got the toilet working, what about water?"

"You'll need to bring a bottle of water, but we got something rigged up." Linney grinned at him.

"That is good news." Andrea chuckled and Linney carefully made her way out of the RV, waving with her occupied fingers at Amy and Glenn, who were relaxing in the lawn chairs under the awning. Back at the tent, Merle looked over at her, from where he and Daryl were standing, talking to each other.

"What's that?" He asked, pointing at her armload. Daryl stepped forward and relieved her of them one by one, tossing them into the tent.

"Dale thought we might want them since they won't need them." Merle grunted and bumped her shoulder before walking away, heading towards the woods.

"He's probably goin' to _smoke_." Daryl put emphasis on the word and Linney grimaced.

"Ew." She said and Daryl shrugged, "Leave him be." Linney looked over at him like he was crazy.

"Since when have I ever been able to 'leave him be'?" Daryl rolled his eyes and Linney eyed his brother's retreating back warily.

"You think he'll be ok out there, getting all messed up with no one to watch his back?" Daryl stared at her like she had lost her mind.

"Merle can take care of Merle, don't you forget that." Linney pressed her lips together, not quite buying it but then Daryl took her arm and pulled her towards the tent.

His face was hard again and she wondered what was going on. He hooked the tent door open and Linney saw that the tent had been split in two, the canvas wall that provided a 'family camping home' (according to the box the tent had come in), dropped down to give a little privacy to each side. She saw, with a sinking stomach, that two cots were assembled on one side and one on the other.

"Oh," she finally said, not looking at him, "so you and Merle got your room all set-up?" Daryl pulled her into the side with the two cots, and then zipped the door closed. The tent was so huge that Daryl could stand comfortably in the center of it.

He bent down towards the two cots and looked back up at her quickly to make sure she was watching. He pushed the two cots together and then picked up two of the spare sleeping bags, unzipping them all the way open so they made flat, thick, blankets. He lay them out over the pushed together cots and then bent to a bag of bed linen she hadn't noticed until then; she realized that someone from the RV must have given them to him or Merle.

When he wrapped a fitted sheet over the sleeping bags, tucking the ends under the edges of the mattresses, she grinned, realizing that he was making a large bed, something close to a double size. He picked up two pillows and Linney quickly picked up two pillowcases from the bag and passed them to him. When he had a sheet and another blanket on the bed, he turned to her, a hesitant smile on his face.

"Whatdya think?" He asked, quietly. She looked from the bed to him and smiled back.

"I think you and Merle have a really small bed to share over there." She pointed back at the wall, indicating the small room on the other side, and he pressed his lips together, frowning at her.

"Oh, it's like that, is it?" His voice low and angry, but a tiny smile on his lips. Linney stepped towards him and gave him a quick hug around his chest before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"It's great." She finally said, her voice happy and sincere. He ducked his head, looking almost embarrassed and then knelt on the ground at her feet.

"I'm not tryin' to be an asshole ok?" He said, looking up at her. She gave him a puzzled look and he explained himself.

"I don't know if this is it, if we're good here, if it's safe," he put a hand on her knee and squeezed lightly, "but I know that I don't want ya on the other side of a wall. You'll sleep better here with me." She looked back and forth between his eyes, wondering at the expression in them. She spoke slowly, "So what you're saying is, 'don't jump my bones quite yet", right?" He chuckled and sat on the bed next to her.

"Trust me, I'm no fuckin' pansy, I want to, badly." Linney peeked a look over at him and saw he was holding a hank of her hair in his hands, twirling it around in his fingers. He glanced up at her and then continued, "But I think, for now, things are complicated enough, I just want to keep ya safe, see if this works. But I'm selfish, n' I'm askin' ya to stay here with me," he gestured around their little room, "though, I understand if it ain't enough for ya." Linney nodded and was surprised when he continued.

"We're both what those assholes on tv called, 'damaged goods', and with the whole fuckin' world bein' damaged goods, I think we oughta go carefully, not risk ruinin' anything." Linney turned to him, forcing him to look at her.

"Of course I'm ok with this, if you hadn't done this, I probably would've been creeping into your tiny bed every night anyhow, and pissed Merle off." He laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. Linney put a hand up, holding his against her head.

"Besides," she started, her voice soft and promising, "who else is going to have a belly I can warm my feet on at night and then cry like a little girl when I do?"

She only a had a moment to laugh at the expression on his face before he grabbed her around the waist and pushed her back onto the bed, tickling her and threatening to stick his foot up her shirt.

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When Daryl left to go scout around the camp and look for his brother, Amy appeared so quickly that Linney had the feeling she'd been lurking around waiting for Daryl to go.

"Nice, looks cozy," Amy said, looking around the tent. Her eyes landed on the big bed and she latched knowing eyes onto Linney's face. "That looks _especially_ comfy," she teased. Linney frowned at her, hoping to scare the blonde off with a bad mood. Amy laughed at her and swatted her arm.

"Oh calm down, Lin, you've always got a bug up your butt," Linney grunted and smirked at Amy who cocked her head to one side and continued, her voice matter-of-fact, "You may as well resign yourself to me, I'm not going anywhere and we're friends whether you like or not." Linney sighed and then gave Amy a small smile.

"Ok, fine," Linney grouched and Amy laughed again before sitting on their bed, obviously settling in for a chat. Linney sat on the floor across from her and folded her arms across her chest.

"Get it off your chest, Amy, it's obvious you're here to bother me with more than just smiles and friendliness." Amy smiled slyly and looked around the room until her eyes landed on Linney's backpack. She darted forward and grabbed the bag, yanking it open before Linney could stop her.

"Hey! Amy! That's my private -" She started to scold the girl but Amy reached in quickly, caught something at the bottom of the bag and pulled out Linney's secret item, a box of condoms. Linney felt her skin flush purple and reached out to snatch it from Amy's hands.

"Put that away!" She hissed urgently, glancing out through the net roof, hoping no one walked up on them.

"Does he know you have these?" Amy asked, her voice genuinely curious, as she shook the box a little in Linney's direction. Linney pressed her lips together and glared hard at her friend. "No." She said faintly, refusing to meet Amy's eyes.

"So... does this mean you're...?" Amy trailed off suggestively and Linney shot an exasperated look at Amy. "No! I mean... not yet... I just, I just wanted to be prepared, so the option could be open..." Linney felt foolish and stupid and stared down at her hands. Amy tossed the box to Linney, it landed with a thump in her lap. She slowly picked it up in her hands and licked her lips nervously.

"Look, Amy, please don't say anything, I don't want to seem like some kind of hormone-fueled predator to everyone, or to have him think I'm expecting... we talked about it and we're not gonna... right now, you know, it's not a good time..." Linney wished for a second that Amy didn't exist but changed her mind with after Amy's next words.

"Linney," Amy got to her feet and turned to the door, "I'm not judging." She placed a hand on the canvas and peeked back over her shoulder at Linney, winking at her, "I say, go get it." Linney surprised herself by laughing, as she shoved the box back in her bag, covering it with clothes, watching in bemusement as her friend strolled away, back to the RV

_Go get it... yeah, we'll see about that._

***** Big thanks to reader Atilia Dawn Black :) Your reviews put a huge smile on my face and lit a fire under my butt to write even more quickly, just so I could get more of your wonderfully flattering reviews! Hope you enjoy, everyone, should update again later today as I have plenty more time to write today, and hopefully this weekend! *****


	22. Chapter 22

***** I OWN NOTHING - 'cept for Linney, she's mine :) *****

"My dad's dead, you know." Linney looked in surprise over at Carl, who had sat next to her for dinner that night, in the large crowd of people sitting around the little fire pit. His face was glowing in the firelight and his features were sad, but resigned. Linney put a hand on his head and ruffled his hair gently.

"I'm sorry, buddy, that sucks." Carl nodded at her words and looked across at his mom, Lori, who was sitting next to Shane, not touching him, but obviously enjoying his presence. Linney put her hands back in her lap.

"My dad's dead too." She offered and the boy looked over at her, a sympathetic look on his face. "Was it before or after?" he asked. Linney chewed on the inside of her lip for a second, not taking her eyes from his little face.

"It was after." The boy nodded, seeming to understand exactly what that meant and how her father must have died, without needing any details. Linney sighed, it was a form of wisdom that only this new, horrifying, world could have brought out in a child his age.

"Are you all done with your bowl?" Linney looked up to see Carol bending down next to her, her hand extended for Linney's empty dinner bowl, scraped clean of the canned chili they'd had for dinner.

"Would you like a hand with the dishes?" She asked the short-haired woman. Carol shook her head, her eyes darting over to her husband, sitting sullenly at their own separate fire, his piggy eyes trained on his wife. Linney smiled encouragingly at the woman and handed Carol her dish, thanking her as she moved on to take dishes from Daryl, Carl, and Amy.

Linney glanced over at Ed again, her eyes locking on a sad looking Sophia. The girl was staring over at her and Carl wistfully, clearing wanting to join them. Linney moved as if to get to her feet and Lori said quietly, "Don't, Linney, it'll just cause a problem." Linney glanced back at the thin brunette and saw the resentment on her face as she, too, looked over at Ed and Sophia.

Shane leaned back against the huge log he and Lori were using as a backrest and looked over at her, his eyes moving slowly over her face. Linney remembered her plan to play dumb and acted like she didn't notice.

"So," he began, glancing briefly over at Daryl and Merle, before locking his gaze back onto her, "How'd ya'll meet?" Linney smiled a little and glanced over at Daryl and Merle. Merle raised an eyebrow at her and then frowned.

"I ain't sayin' nothin'," he drawled, carelessly waving a hand at her, "last time you near bit my head off for tellin' yer story." Linney rolled her eyes at him and looked across the fire at Lori, Shane, the Morales family cuddled up together next them, and then looked past Amy at Glenn and T-Dog, sitting together. Everyone else in camp had drifted back to their tents after dinner, or were on night watch.

"Well, my father died and I went a little insane and figured that if anyone in my town was still alive it'd be this crazy bastard," she pointed back at Merle with her thumb, not turning her head, and she heard a few light laughs around the fire and Merle snorted at her. She looked around and continued, "Merle and Daryl showed up at my house, wanting to take the stash of weapons they knew my dad had." Merle snorted again at this and Linney suppressed a smile at the outright lie.

"I hid and waited for them to get to my front door and then I jumped out and knocked Merle down, held him at gunpoint, threatening to kill him if he didn't take me with them." Everyone laughed at this and this time Merle laughed with them.

"So you knew them from before?" Lori asked, her voice light and curious and Linney nodded and then shrugged. "Well, Merle had known my dad for a long time, since I was little." She answered, her voice clear and calm. Merle leaned forward on his knees and gestured at Linney.

"I knew that girl from the day she was born." He said in a rough voice. Linney turned to look at him in surprise. "Really?" She asked, genuinely interested. He nodded and his eyes skated away from her's, "Sure did, long 'fore yer momma died and ole dad went nuts." Linney blinked at him, not sure what to say. Her eyes turned up to Daryl's face and he shrugged. Linney paused, looking at Lori, who was slightly confused and entirely too sympathetic.

"Anyway, I went them, we met up with those three," she pointed over at Amy, Andrea and Dale, before gesturing at Jim, "then we came across Jim, and a couple days later I bumped into Glenn at the grocery store." Glenn smirked at her and then laughed and Linney laughed along with him.

Shane slapped his hands on his legs and everyone looked up at him, "Glad ya'll found your way to us, better for us, better for you." Linney nodded and Daryl stretched a little, casually readjusting his position to sit a little closer to Linney on the ground. She noted his movements and sighed a little, understanding why he did it, but not liking the feeling that she was being marked as territory.

A quick glance up at Shane's dark eyes, which roved over her body and then her face, made her pause in her ungenerous thoughts towards the younger Dixon; perhaps some lines _did_ need to be drawn, to avoid conflict.

Lori hopped to her feet and gestured at Carl, "Come on honey, it's time for bed." Carl groaned but turned to Linney and then leaned in to give her a hug before getting to his feet. "I'm glad you guys came, I'll see ya in the morning." Linney smiled at him and nodded, "You too, buddy." She watched him walk away, still feeling his skinny little arms wrapping her around in a genuine hug and her smile was a little sad; the little fatherless kid had crawled into her heart faster than she would have thought possible.

"Looks like you got a fan," Shane said, chuckling. Linney looked at him and laughed, "I think so. He's got one too; he's pretty great." Shane nodded and looked in the direction that Lori and Carl had gone, affection softening his features. Linney had to feel slightly warmer towards the big man for the way he looked after the boy.

The Morales family got up to go to bed too, the kids both asleep already, slumped against their parents, eyes closed, breathing slowly and deeply. Morales nodded at everyone and then hefted his son to his shoulder.

"See you all in the morning," he spoke softly and they all nodded their good nights. After that, Andrea, Jim and Dale retired to bed and no one said anything, all just relaxing, enjoying the fire and the quiet.

Linney glanced over at Carol's fire pit and saw Ed had left and Carol was putting dirt on top of their fire, Sophia leaning against her log seat sleepily. With a shy dip of her head at them, Carol pulled her daughter gently towards their tent.

Shane watched them go, distaste on his features. "That guy as bad as I'm thinking he is?" Amy asked quietly and Shane nodded, glancing quickly over at her.

"He's worse. If I didn't want to risk him draggin' that little girl and her momma off with him, I'd kick his ass outta here." Linney's stomach twisted uneasily, feeling terrible for the woman and the girl. There was awkward silence around the fire.

"Tell me," Shane asked, again looking at Linney, "What was it like for you all, you know, in the beginning?" Linney drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knee thoughtfully.

"Exchanging war stories?" She said wryly and Shane chuckled, "That's all we got left to do, ain't it?" Daryl snorted behind her and Linney thought briefly how the Dixons were the absolute masters of conveying their exact thoughts without saying a word. Linney settled back, against her log a little, leaning up against Daryl's side before she began.

"Well, I'm certain a lot of the beginning is the same for all of us," she said, looking around at everyone briefly, and they all nodded, "You know, weird news stories, then slowly it was all that was on TV. Weird warnings: stay home if you're sick, avoid the sick and then the biggest one 'Don't let a sick person bite you.'" Linney closed her eyes for a second and Amy spoke up, "That was so strange, but even then we treated it like a joke, you know? Around campus it was this huge joke." Linney looked over at the girl and was pleased to see her cuddled up right next to Glenn.

"Andrea had business in Atlanta, and I agreed to go with her, she just wanted me off campus, certain that any big virus would spread quicker through close quarters." Everyone murmured agreement and Amy looked down at her fingers, "We invited my parents, but they decided to just stay at home, weather it out there." Glenn put a comforting hand on her shoulder and Amy looked over at him gratefully, before continuing, "We got here and it seemed ok for a day or two, you know, planes were even still running then." Shane nodded and stroked his chin, staring into the fire.

"But it got bad so quickly, like in a matter of hours. Lucky we were on the edge of the city, in one of the new business centers going up there. We got out on foot, ran into Dale pretty quickly afterwards, and then after, like, the scariest week of my life, we met Miss Linney over there, standing on the roof of a truck in the middle of the road, all alone." Amy laughed and so did Linney; Shane looked curiously over at the Dixons, his eyes seeming to silently judge them for leaving her alone.

"Our truck broke down, they went for the part it needed, quick run, I guarded our stuff." Linney explained and Shane looked at her disbelievingly, "All by yourself though?" Linney opened her mouth to answer, but Amy was quicker.

"I wouldn't worry about her, Shane, she's like a little warrior princess with those knives of hers." Linney ducked her head self consciously, but was secretly pleased. "We were with her not more than ten minutes before a group of like 5 walkers came up on us and she tore through them double quick," Amy smiled over at Linney, "It was pretty awesome." Linney laughed a little and looked back up at Daryl, who was looking down at her, his face steady and calm. She wondered what he was thinking.

Linney looked back at Shane and then into the fire. "I first encountered one when I went up to the 7-11 to get smokes for my dad, he was glued to the TV, watching CNN of all things, and when I got there, the store was open, but no one was in there." Linney shrugged her shoulders and dragged a finger through the dirt at her feet.

"I put the money on the counter, took the smokes and got outta there really quick, it was fucking creepy. On my way home, I saw my neighbor kneeling in her yard, bent over something. I thought she was sick, but when I got close I realized she was kneeling over her dog..." Linney's voice trailed off and she clenched her teeth, feeling the chili burn in her throat as it rose at the memory.

Linney looked up briefly at Shane and then to Daryl, holding his blue eyed gaze. "She was eating her fucking poodle, she loved that stupid yappy thing and she was eating it. When she turned to look at me, her eyes were all fucked up, you know? That way that they get." Linney shivered, remembering her blind, soundless terror in the moment.

Daryl tucked an arm around her and gave her a brief squeeze and she looked over at Shane, giving him a half smile-half grimace.

"So obviously she reached for me, a better snack than that poor rat dog, and I _ran_." Everyone chuckled lightly; her situation was easy enough to imagine, they'd all had some form of the same thing happen.

"Got home, told my dad and he looked at me like I was nuts, but we locked all the doors and windows, just the same." Linney stopped there, not wanting to go further, to talk about her dad. Glenn, though was clearly not on the same wavelength.

"What happened to your dad?" He asked, and everyone groaned. Amy shot Linney an apologetic look and explained to Glenn in a low aside, that her dad had turned, tried to eat her, and she stabbed him in the head. Glenn looked positively horrified. Shane was giving her a long unreadable look, having heard what Amy said.

Merle got to his feet then. "Gonna go take a piss n' go to sleep." He moved off into the darkness and that seemed to signal the end of everything. They all got to their feet and Shane kicked dirt over the low fire. Linney turned to Daryl, letting him know she was going with Amy to use the RV facilities.

"I'll go with ya." He said, and Linney grimaced. "I don't need a bathroom escort. Glenn is walking Amy back to the RV and while they say their goodbyes, I can go, and he can walk me back to our tent, k?" She could hardly see Daryl in the darkness, as their eyes all adjusted to the fire being out. Daryl grumbled finally and walked away, back to the tent.

Linney felt bad, not wanting to put him in his place or anything, but not wanting his worry for her to make others think she was weak. Amy and Glenn started towards the trailer and when they got there, she discovered that Shane had followed them.

Dale poke his head out of the RV, "There's a line-up for the bathroom, if that's what the crowd is about." Linney laughed and called out, "Let me know when it's free, I'll wait here." Amy and Glenn moved towards the end of the RV, out of the dim pools of lantern light hitting the ground from the RV windows. She could hear them giggling and chatting.

"You're a tough little thing, ain't ya?" Shane said quietly from behind her. Linney turned in surprise, not realizing he was still there. "Isn't everybody now?" She responded, her voice even. Shane took a step closer, just outside the warm light cast from the window she stood under.

"I think it might be fun to see you in action." He spoke in a husky voice and Linney took a step back, the double entendre not lost on her. She laughed it off.

"I hope you don't ever see me in action," she said, pausing for a moment before adding, "you know, not at camp, wouldn't be safe for anyone." They were quiet for a moment and she was uncomfortably aware of his gaze on her.

"How'd Lori's husband die? You were friends with him right?" She asked the question purposely, trying to throw him off. It worked. His eyes grew serious and his features became hard and far away.

"Known Rick almost my whole life, loved him like a brother." He said, his voice suddenly tired. Linney waited, not saying anything. "He was shot on the job, before everything happened. Went into the hospital, and never came out again." Linney closed her eyes for a moment, thinking of the dark haired little boy whose dad had been taken from him so unfairly. Her mind darted quickly to Lori, wondering what her mindset had been, when she moved from grief to Shane. The tall man shrugged his broad shoulders and turned away from her.

"Good night, Linney."

"Night."

Later, when she was in bed, curled up next to Daryl, listening to his breathing, even and slow in sleep, she wrapped her arm tighter around him. She couldn't imagine Lori's loss. Daryl muttered something in his sleep and moved his hand, tucking it around her waist. She knew he benefited from her presence just as much as she benefited from his. Linney's last thoughts before the dark slide into sleep were that she was as determined to protect him as he was her.

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The girl was like a tune he couldn't get out of his head. All through dinner and afterwards, he watched her. She was animated and pleasant, but completely blunt and to the point. He thought about Amy's description, of the 'warrior princess', and he wasn't surprised; Linney looked like she could go from cuddly to completely feral in about 2 seconds flat, it was attractive and intriguing.

Shane ran his hands through his hair, as he made his way over to Lori's tent. He saw her light on low, a signal they'd devised, meaning it was safe to come in. He slowly unzipped the tent door and poked his head through it. Lori looked up at him with a slow smile. The room divider was down, and if they were quiet, they'd never wake Carl on the other side. Besides, so often he didn't return to his tent, and fell asleep in his own sleeping bag on the ground next to Carl's cot.

Closing the door, he moved towards Lori, watching as she reached over and turned the lantern off. He stripped out of his clothes quickly and moved down to her little cot. She was so slender and fragile, he often worried she might break. As he slowly and delicately removed her clothes, he thought back to the days after they fled town, leaving Rick behind.

Lori's grief was like a living thing, eating her up from the inside. She had barely been able to keep it together for Carl, and her gratitude to him was obvious, open, and ardently given, for keeping them safe, for supporting her, for loving Carl, making him feel like it would all be alright. Shane stroked a hand down the side of her head, her hair soft and tousled beneath his fingers. His kissed her tenderly and felt torn inside.

He'd known Lori for so long, loved her for Rick's sake, and now, he was pretty sure he loved her for herself. She eagerly rose up to meet him and he moved with her, soaking in the feelings and sensations of being with her, of having someone give themselves over to him so completely. As they smothered the sounds of their love-making, Shane's mind brought up images of Linney, of it's own volition. Thoughts of her filled his head as he and Lori finished seconds apart, his hand pressed down over her mouth, to cover the sounds of her gasps.

Afterwards, Shane went back to his own tent, to Lori's obvious disappointment. He lay in his bed, in his small tent, thinking of the scene he and Lori had walked up on, the girl and Daryl goofing around, the tough man looking happy and grinning, her shrieks of laughter making it clear she didn't want to be anywhere else. Lori had thought it was adorable, thought they made a cute couple, so obviously in love with each other.

Shane thought back to Linney's 'it's complicated' statement and wondered what that was all about. Daryl had seemed detached throughout most of the time around the fire, uncomfortable with the socializing aspect of everything, but clearly content to just sit beside Linney, regardless.

He sighed, shifting in his bedding. As long as he had Lori, he could never make a move, and he knew that because of what he felt for her, and especially because of how he felt about Carl, he would never be able to pursue Linney, not on the level at least.

His mind drifted uncomfortably to thoughts of Rick, battered, sick, weak, in his bed at the hospital, the world falling down around them. His heart twisted when he remembered the horrible moment he left his best friend, without a heart beat, and ran for his life. The image haunted him until he finally sank into a fitful, troubled, sleep.

***** Thanks for the reads guys, I'll probably update again today, I'm on a roll and have ideas coming out of my ears *****


	23. Chapter 23

***** Some interesting stuff happens here, Linney does some bonding and ruffles some feathers... I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

Life at camp began in earnest when they were all up and about the following morning. After breakfast, Lori and Linney washed up the dishes, side by side, chatting about the little things that happened on any given day, and when T-Dog appeared to say he was starting a little tour, Lori waved her off good naturedly.

"Go, go! I can handle these, you need to learn all the nitty gritties." Linney smiled at the woman, slowly warming up to her. Gathered together with the rest of her group of seven, and Glenn, they followed T-Dog around.

He pointed out that during the day, there were always two people on watch, one who sat where Dale's RV was now placed, watching the road and the quarry, and keeping an eye on the front of camp, and the other did a patrol, focusing mainly on the back half of camp, the side with the woods as it's border.

"Is this the security system?" Andrea asked, poking at a low fence that went around the entire edge of the forest. T-Dog laughed and gestured at the three strands of wire strung between the trees and anchored into the ground by small metal posts here and there.

"Any walkers happen along, they won't step over stuff. Best case scenario they trip and the person on watch catches them and kills them, worst case, they hit this," he tapped a finger against one of the many cans and bottle hanging from the wires, "and make noise so anyone around can get 'em."

Daryl and Merle looked bored, in addition to looking thoroughly unimpressed, and Linney wondered if they thought the system sucked, or if they were just bored.

"At night, there are two people on patrol back here and one person up front." Dale looked over at his RV, concern on his face. "Should I be moving the RV, then?" T-Dog looked at the older man, a broad grin on his face, "No man, it's actually a good thing it's there. Person on watch can get up higher now, see more, long as you're ok with them sitting on top of the RV."

Dale smiled back and nodded, "We've got lawn chairs, binoculars, and a sun umbrella, it's all set for a comfortable watch." Glenn let out an abrupt laugh and everyone looked at him. He swallowed and then raised his eyebrows innocently.

"Sorry, I just see people arguing a lot over who gets that watch." Linney chuckled quietly and looked away.

"So where do we sign up?" Andrea asked, her face open and eager. T-Dog opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it, pressing his lips together in concern. "Uhh, you'll be wanting to talk to Shane about that." Linney's hackles were immediately up. It was obvious the large man was hiding something, and she was certain that he was blushing, although his warm brown skin made it hard to tell.

"Glenn." She said his name in a combination of seeking a favor and as a threat. Glenn turned to her, his face squishing up in regret.

"Yeah?" He answered slowly, as if he was waiting to be smacked with something. Linney crossed her arms over her chest, and nodded her chin towards T-Dog. "What's he not telling us?" Glenn squirmed uncomfortably and Andrea stepped forwards to stand next to Linney, crossing her arms as well.

"What's happening? Tell us, Glenn," Andrea insisted and Glenn made a sour face before looking at his feet and muttering, "Shane doesn't let women go on watch." Merle burst out in harsh, coughing peals of laughter at this and even Daryl chuckled at the identical looks that flashed across Andrea and Linney's faces.

"What?!" Both women exclaimed, and they looked at each other for a moment, and when Linney saw her own determination and irritation mirrored in Andrea's face, she turned at once and stalked away from T-Dog, moving quickly through the camp, Andrea on her heels.

She heard Daryl mutter behind them, "Oh, here we go..." and Merle laughed harder. _Shane's about to get an earful_, she thought indignantly.

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When the women ambushed him, he was just loading up the jugs in T's truck, getting ready to make a water run down to the quarry.

"Shane!" He turned around when Linney called him, her voice angry. He was surprised to see her and Andrea walking briskly up to him, clearly on a mission. He's gaze darted behind them and saw the rest of the new group trailing towards them, slowly, wending their way through the camp. Glenn looked shamefaced and T actually mouthed the word 'sorry' at him.

_Oh lord_, he thought, pretty sure he knew where this was heading.

"What's this I hear about you having some kind of ridiculous, macho, asinine rule against women going on watch?" Linney snapped, her tone impatient, and her cheeks blazing red. He swallowed and looked at her, his mind briefly informing him that she was even more attractive when she was spitting mad. _Walsh, stay on task here_, he warned himself.

"Who told you that?" He hedged, trying to buy time. Linney pointed back in Glenn and T's direction without turning to look at them. "They did." Shane shot Glenn a look that made the young man wilt a little.

"Well, it's not really a hard and fast rule, we just operated on the knowledge that the men had more knowledge of weapons and how these things worked." Linney gave him a look like he was speaking gibberish. Andrea nudged Linney and said, "I think what he's trying to say is that men should protect, women should cook and clean." Linney's nostrils flared.

"I'm every bit as capable as any guy here," she crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at him, "probably more so than most people." He nodded at her, "Maybe so, but the person on watch needs sharp eyes, has to be a good shot, ready to jump in and capably handle any situation; it's not me bein' sexist, it's based on skill. We have to think about everyone's safety here, not worry about steppin' on anyone's feelings or wounded egos." Linney turned away from him, looking off into the trees.

He jumped back a step with a startled cry when she ripped the knife from it's sheath on her arm and flung it into the woods. There was a huge tinkling clatter at the fence in the area she'd tossed it and he turned to see she'd thrown the small knife straight into a can hanging on the security fence, nailing it dead centre.

He looked from the can to her, her face still angry and he heard the big redneck, Merle, chuckling, and T-Dog mutter, "Damn, girl."

Shane frowned at her and trotted into the woods, yanking the knife out of the can, staring at it in disbelief. He knew that he would not have been capable of that shot and he stopped to wonder what she was like a gun.

When he returned to them, he handed the knife to her and she snatched it from his hand, stuffing it back in the sheath without looking.

"Ok, so you have good aim." He said slowly. She smirked and put a hand on her hip. "I guarantee that I could hit a moving target just as well." She lightly tapped a hand against one of her guns, "My dad taught me to shoot when I was young; I told you there were three of us who were good shots, I thought it was understood that I was one of them." She jerked her thumb back at Andrea, "She has a gun and is a quick learner, wouldn't take her long either."

She held his gaze, not looking away or blinking and he tried to be pissed but knew it would be foolish.

"Fine, you're on watch, too." She grinned at him and nodded, and he held up a hand to clarify. "Any shift you take will be from there," he pointed at the RV, "you can be a great shot all you like, but you ain't very big and we need strong people patrolling on foot." She rolled her eyes but finally nodded when she saw that this was as much as she was getting.

"What about Andrea?" He glanced over at her and the blonde woman gave him a sour look. "She needs practice and we can't waste ammo on that." He said, shortly. Andrea glowered and clenched her teeth.

"Look, you can be all for women's rights as much as ya like, but if you can't shoot, then you can't protect shit and we've got too much at stake here." Andrea took a deep breath in and turned away, stomping back towards the RV. She slammed the door behind herself and the whole vehicle rattled.

Shane glared over at Linney, "I got work to do, you're on days, check with T for the schedule." He turned without another word and threw himself into the truck. He drove away quickly, looking back in the mirror as she high-fived Glenn and T and then threw herself at her redneck boyfriend, hugging him quickly while he made a face and half returned it.

_Christ, I hope I don't regret this_.

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The rest of the morning was spent listening to T and Glenn go back and forth, trying to cover all the info they needed about camp.

"Everyone takes turns with laundry, but Jacqui, Lori, and Carol usually do it most times. You can either go down when they do, if you aren't on watch, or see if they'll do it for ya." T explained, pointing off in the direction of the quarry. Merle turned to Linney and pointed a finger at her.

"I'll make sure to getcha a pile of my dirty drawers every week, sweetheart." He said in his scratchy voice. Linney smacked him on the shoulder, "Not on your life," she replied in a dry tone.

"Meals are pretty much the same." Glenn piped up, pointing over to the cook area set-up near the big fire pit, where several camp stoves were set up on tables, sealed plastic tubs sitting around them, tubs that Linney knew, after doing the dishes this morning, were filled with dishes, cutlery, cookware, soap and rags. The food was kept locked up inside the Morale's family's station wagon, which was usually covered by a white tarp to keep the worst of the heat out.

"We make the food over there and do the dishes there too. You don't have to eat at the same time as everyone else, and you're welcome to make your own, we just ask that no one wastes anything and that you clean up after yourselves if you're eating outside of normal meal times." Linney turned to see Lori walking up to them, explaining the food situation to them as she approached.

Everyone nodded and the group broke up shortly afterwards, Dale and Jim heading off to tinker with the RV, chatting between themselves about radiators, Amy going with Glenn to replenish the firewood, and T-Dog heading over to trade off with Morales on watch for a couple hours.

When Carl came jogging over a moment later, he made a beeline right for Linney.

"Hey Linney! Want me to show you around now?" A big smile spread on his face and Linney had to smile back, she looked up at Lori and raised her eyebrows, "Is that ok with you?" Lori shooed a hand at them and smiled.

"By all means." She answered, before turning to Carl and adding, "Don't leave her side, understand, Carl?" He nodded at her and then froze when Merle barked at him.

"Ya think ya can keep an eye on her for us? My brother n' I gotta go huntin', need a tough guy to make sure nothin' bad happens while we're gone." Carl swallowed and looked up at Merle, who was glaring down at him, a forbidding expression on his face. The boy nodded, his blue eyes huge, and Merle turned without another word and walked off towards the tent, to gather what he needed.

Daryl took Linney's hand and pulled her off to the side for a moment. "Offered to hunt up some fresh meat for everyone, won't be back until after dark most likely." He explained and Linney nodded, her mouth twisting to one side. "You'll be careful, right?" She asked him and he made a sound in his throat, as if he were insulted with the notion that he might not be.

"Merle n' me, we're at home in the woods, don't worry about it."

"I don't think Merle's at home anywhere." She answered, one eyebrow raised doubtfully, and Daryl shook his head before nodding at her.

"We gotta talk later 'bout your lil stunt with the knife." He said in hard voice and she smiled at him, "Impressed?"

Daryl shook his head and looked back up at her, his eyes unreadable, "Somethin' like that, ya little show-off." Then he turned and walked away to meet his brother.

"Have fun on yer date." He said over his shoulder.

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"This is my tent," the boy said, gesturing at a huge blue and white tent, not that different from Linney's, "I live here with my mom now." Linney nodded and he opened the tent door to show her the things inside, his side of the tent with the cot and small sleeping bag, the milk crate on it's side that served as a dresser and a shelf, a little pile of toys and books on top. He walked over to the other side of the tent and dug under his mother's bed, coming back with a photo album. He took a seat on his bed and Linney sat next to him.

"That's my dad," he said sadly, pointing at a picture of himself and a handsome brown haired man with sharp blue eyes. The man was in full sheriff gear and Linney smiled at the picture of an ecstatic looking Carl, sitting on the hood of a police cruiser, his father's arm wrapped protectively around his middle.

"He looks like a nice guy." She finally said, unsure of what else she could say. Carl nodded absentmindedly and turned more and more pages. Linney glanced at the little pieces of his old life: birthday parties, christmases, school events. Lori had a beautiful smile on her face in every picture and Rick always stood solidly next to her or Carl, proud and beaming.

Carl snapped the album closed and put it next to him on the bed. He glanced over at Linney quickly, then back down at the album. "Is Merle your new dad, like Shane is my new dad?" Linney's mouth dropped open, totally unsure of how to answer.

"Umm, I don't know buddy, I think that's a question for your mom or Shane, not me." She spoke carefully, not wanting to sound dismissive, but certainly not wishing to step in anything, either. The boy heaved a big sigh.

"I can't, when I talk to Mom about my Dad, she gets real sad and Shane's the only one that can make her smile after that." He leaned against her arm and Linney put her arm around him, wondering how anyone was supposed to deal with situations like this now. Shifting family dynamics were always touchy, but pile that on top of the daily risk of being ripped to shreds by ravenous monsters and you have quite the dilemma.

"But what about Merle?" Carl pushed the issue again. "My mom says he watches you like a hawk, like he's expecting something to jump up and grab you." Linney chuckled and messed the boy's hair up, getting to her feet.

"I think I'm too old for someone to be a new dad for me, I think I only got the one." She replied, stepping out of the stifling tent. Carl followed her and closed the tent up quickly. "Don't you like him?" He asked, an innocent question that was so very loaded.

Linney took in a deep breath as they walked slowly, "Well, they're all my friends, but I've known Merle longer than any of them, he was friends with my dad," she explained, grabbing onto a chunk of her hair and twisting it around her hand. Carl nodded and pointed to a small green tent they were walking by.

"That's Shane's tent, but sometimes he sleeps over at my tent," he looked up at Linney, "Mom says it's so he can spend time with me, even when I'm sleeping." She had to smile; it was a really cute way to cover up the fact that he was in the tent for Lori to begin with. "That sounds really nice, Carl." She responded.

"Is Daryl your boyfriend?" He asked after they'd been walking along for a couple minutes in companionable silence. Linney licked her lips and laughed, "Well, he's not quite my boyfriend, but he's more than my friend." She looked down at him and added, "How's that for an answer?" Carl made a face and shrugged.

"Mom says you guys are _sooo adorable_." He spoke in a high pitch voice, imitating his mother and Linney laughed hard before getting herself under control, Carl giggling along with her. She made a face at him and silently wondered why everyone felt the need to suddenly define whatever the hell it was she and Daryl had. _Can't a girl share a bed with a guy, maybe the occasional hug, and argue constantly with him, without it being something?_ Her inner voice was rueful, and then she laughed aloud at how stupid that sounded.

"Come on," she said, urging him forward, "show me some more." They circled around the back of the tents, waving to T-Dog when they saw him at the far end of the forest line and started walking back up the next row of little canvas homes.

Linney stopped in place quickly, wrapping a protective arm around Carl's shoulders when she heard a man's voice, angrily yelling at someone. She felt sick to her stomach when she realized it was Ed, calling Carol vile names. Pulling Carl back with her, Linney made to go back the way they'd come, when she heard the unmistakeable sound of someone being struck, followed by a woman's loud cry and sobbing. Their whole tent shook and Sophia came bursting out the door, her face pale, her features twisted up in misery.

"Carl, go get Shane, right now," she whispered urgently to the boy, "Now Carl. Go!" He looked up at her with frightened eyes and raced back the way they'd come, heading down past his own tent, towards the front of camp. Linney took a couple steps closer and waved a hand at Sophia.

"Come here, Sophia, it's ok." The girl looked up from where she was standing, shuddering outside of her tent, and took a tentative step towards her. Linney reached out and grabbed her hand and yanked her towards herself, and the girl clung to her, burying her face in Linney's shirt, getting the front wet while she cried silent tears.

Linney began to back up, flinching when she heard another sound, like someone hitting a mattress, and realized that Ed was punching his wife, probably in the stomach or back.

She heard Carol's muffled cries and Sophia clung to her tighter, crying harder, and flinching as if she was being struck as well. Growling to herself, Linney pushed Sophia behind her and pointed to the tent that Carl had indicated belonged to Glenn.

"Sophia, go right now and sit inside that tent. Shut the door behind you and don't leave until me or Shane says it's ok." She was almost surprised by the little girl's easy obedience, but then thought that with a father like hers, she probably never questioned anything she was told to do.

Linney charged over to the tent and yanked the door open. Carol was on the floor, curled up in a ball, crying as she repeatedly apologized to her husband and he stood above her, shaking with anger.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" She demanded, her voice sharp and furious. Ed turned to her like an enraged bull and glowered menacingly at her intrusion.

"You little bitch, who the fuck do you think you are? Get lost before I make ya regret bein' so fucking nosy." He walked towards the door and Linney took a couple steps back, spreading her hands around herself.

"Why don't you step out here and talk to me, Ed? Hey?" Her tone was challenging and she had a brief moment where she regretted what she said as he came stomping out the door, but thought, _I've dealt with worse, you stupid fuckwad, just try something._

And being an idiot, of course he did.

***** I like to think that Linney wouldn't able to stand idly by and let that terrible stuff with Carol happen - I hope this didn't offend anyone. *****


	24. Chapter 24

***** Thanks for the continued support everyone - I appreciate every single read :) - as per usual I OWN NOTHING - except for Linney, she is my most bestest creation *****

Linney backed away just in time, as the tubby man swung a meaty fist at her, not mincing effort, aiming right for her head. She could feel the air being disturbed inches from her face as his fist tore through the empty space.

"Motherfucker, little bitch..." He was breathing hard and rasping at her, calling her every vile name he could think of. Carol had crawled out of her tent and was on the ground behind him, sobbing and pleading with him to stop. Linney kept baiting him, trying to get him further and further away from Carol, hoping he wouldn't suddenly remember his wife and turn back to her.

"You fat sack of shit, beat on your wife cause you're a twisted fuck, don't ya?" She taunted him and danced to the side when he lunged at her. Linney cried out as her feet got tangled up in the rope attached to a tent peg.

She crashed down on top of the tent and landed heavily on the things inside, yelling when she fell on something hard. Glancing up, Linney rolled out of the way just in time, as Ed swung his foot at her. She tried to get to her feet but he charged, swinging his foot at her again, grunting with the effort. She pulled back again, he missed, and she finally rolled off the tent, clawing at the ground to scoot away from him.

He turned to her and grinned savagely. _Oh fuck, where's Shane? I'm gonna have to kill this guy,_ she thought unhappily. Linney leapt to her feet and saw that they were still moving further from Carol, who had the good sense not to follow them. Ed lunged and Linney wasn't fast enough. He grabbed at her t-shirt, yanking the neckline tight around her throat as he dragged her closer.

Linney's feet kicked at the ground, trying to find purchase and he raised his arm up, his eyes crazed, preparing to slam his fist into her face. Linney pretended to whimper, waiting until he smiled at her fear and then she swung her arms up and over his, locking them tight, and used the leverage to bring her knee up into his groin as hard as she possibly could.

He released her quickly, teetering sideways, his face red and confused and he finally fell to his side on the ground. Linney stood panting, a few feet away from him and that was when Shane came running up, followed closely by Morales, Chad and another man whose name she couldn't remember.

"What the fuck?" Shane roared, storming closer. Linney grimaced at the pain in her side which was steadily growing stronger and stronger. The other men quickly got a hold of Ed and dragged him away from the tents.

"He was beating the shit out of Carol." She managed to croak, both hands pressed to her side, where it felt like she'd been hit by a train. Shane ran his hands through his hair in anxiety and Lori came running up, her face pale with worry.

"Oh my god, Linney, Carl told me you were going to help Carol - are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Lori's words came out in a sharp rush and she helped ease Linney to the ground. Linney winced as she sat and then lay down flat on her back. Shane and Lori's faces were suddenly above her.

"I'm fine!" She insisted, "He never got me, he tried, but he's such _A FAT PIECE OF SHIT!_" She turned her head in the direction Ed had been taken and screamed this part, making Shane and Lori jump.

"I fell on that tent," she pointed and they looked over at the crushed tent, "landed on something not so soft." She pressed her hands to her side and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, panting as a wave of pain rolled over the injury site. Lori fluttered her hands over Linney helplessly.

"What can I do?" Lori asked, her voice heavy with concern. Linney looked over at her and smiled. "You can go help Carol, fix her up, it's pretty bad." Lori glanced over at Shane and he nodded.

"Don't look so worried, I'm only laying down because it hurts less this way, it's just a bruise, plus I'm pretty tired. Bull baiting is hard work." She laughed at her own joke and Shane was barely able to pull a tiny strained smile, his dark eyes wide and worried. She pointed at Glenn's tent.

"Sophia's in there, I told her to hide, she won't come out unless you or I tell her to." Shane made a face and looked around and Linney decided to sit up, knowing everyone would continue to hover and worry unless she acted like it wasn't so bad. Shane put a hand on her shoulder and held her arm, easing her up.

"I'm gonna go get Sophia and then we'll get you back up front, alright?" Shane finally said, his voice still angry. Linney nodded and waved him away. She watched him open Glenn's tent and urge Sophia out. The girl came willingly enough and then he picked her up and carried her away. Linney sat on the ground and held her side, groaning at the pain.

"Holy shit, Linney." Glenn walked up then and saw her sitting on the ground. He crouched next to her and his face was uncertain. "It's not as bad as it looks, seriously, you people worry too much." Glenn raised an eyebrow at her, his expression saying he was fairly certain she was lying.

"Can I help you?" He asked carefully. Linney looked at him and nodded, "Help me to my feet, but go easy." Slowly and carefully, Glenn got Linney to her feet and she leaned heavily on him.

"Whoo boy, that feels terrible," she said glancing over at Glenn as he walked her slowly through the tents. Glenn glanced at her repeatedly, his face worried.

"Daryl's gonna shit." He finally said and they stopped walking, Linney looking over at him, Glenn looking back at her. They burst out laughing at the same time and Linney winced.

"Ah! Ok, no more laughing." She stifled a giggle when she peeked over at Glenn and saw him turning red trying not to laugh anymore. They were almost to the front of the encampment when Shane ran up to them.

"What are you doing?" His voice was surprised and angry. Glenn gestured at Linney, "She asked me to help her." Linney waved away his concerns and pointed to her tent. "I just need to get in there, and lay down." Shane shoved Glenn out of the way and slid his arms around Linney, and then carefully lifted her off the ground, causing her to groan at the slash of fire that rippled down her side.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his hands were grasped carefully under her armpit and her knees, holding Linney like a child in his arms. She thought that the hand near her armpit was maybe touching a little more side-boob than needed, but was hellbent on just getting into her tent. She glanced over at Glenn, "Can you please get Amy for me?"

"Really?" He asked incredulously and she glared at him, "Yes, Glenn, please? I need her to help me out - girl stuff, ya know?" He nodded and ran towards the RV. Linney felt humiliated when she saw everyone looking at her, all their faces concerned. She closed her eyes, hating being the centre of attention.

"Oh god, just kill me now." She muttered and Shane laughed, his chest rumbling against her side.

"You know, you weigh like nothing." He commented randomly. Linney looked up at him with an irritated expression, "Says the guy built like a brick shit-house." She grumbled and he laughed again.

When they got to the tent he put her on the ground outside carefully and unzipped the door, then helped her inside, easing her onto her bed. She looked up at him and swallowed, "Where's Carol?" She asked, unnerved by how close he was in the tent.

"With Lori, in the RV, Sophia too."

"And Carl? Is he ok, Christ, Shane, I had no choice, I couldn't just walk away... what would that make me?" Shane's face was twisted with concern and he knelt on the ground next to the bed.

"It's our fault for not putting a stop to it sooner." He said slowly, his voice heavy with regret. Linney gasped and doubled over at the pain that rippled through her middle. Shane leaned towards her, his hands fluttering above her uselessly. "It's ok, it just hurts a lot." She said, grimacing at him and he laughed a little.

Luckily Amy arrived then and Shane left after the blonde stared pointedly at him for a moment. She had a cloth shopping bag, bulging with it's contents, in her hand and she knelt next to the bed.

"Ok, let's get you fixed up." Her voice was steady and calm and Linney looked up at her friend's blue eyes and nodded.

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An hour later and it was nearing dinner. Linney lay on her good side in bed, and felt a lot less pain than before. Amy had helped her undress and got her into her grey pjs, rolling the tank top up and tucking it into the built in bra, leaving her abdomen bare. She was incredibly bruised and the lines of whatever object she'd fallen on were brutally visible.

Amy made her take some strong pain medication and then prodded at her side, making Linney cry out.

"I'm sorry, I'm just making sure nothing's broken." Amy's voice was tight, but she kept her cool, which Linney was grateful for. Amy talked to her, to distract her, something that surprisingly helped.

"My dad was a doctor you know, he was a GP," Amy's voice was conversational as she cleaned a small cut Linney had gotten on her cheek, probably from an errant tent pole, "He treated so many different injuries of mine over the years, and let me tell you, I got some doozies." Linney nodded at the story, pleased when she could feel the pain meds kick in, the pain turning down from a 9 to about a 6. "This is no worse than the time I fell out of my treehouse, I was so banged up! But not a single broken bone." Amy smiled down reassuringly at Linney and turned to the pillows that Andrea had quietly brought her ten minutes before.

"Ok, so you'll use these extra pillows, to keep from rolling to the other side." Amy helped Linney place a pillow against her back, and against her front, boxing her in. "Now, you need to relax, don't try to get up and don't try to sit." Linney smiled at her friend.

"Thank you Amy." The girl nodded and packed up everything, except the bottle of pain meds and a bottle of water. "I wish we had ice for you, Lin, I really do, but I think you got lucky." Amy moved to the door and stood there for a moment.

"I'll be back in 30 minutes, to check on you." Linney lay her head back and closed her eyes. _All in all not one of my best days, but not terrible either_, she told herself.

True to her word, Amy checked on her every 30 minutes for the next few hours and the last time she came in, she made Linney take two more pills.

"I'll tell Daryl to try and get up in the night to give you more."

"Oh shit, Daryl." Linney said, and made a strained face at Amy, "Oh Amy, he's gonna crap his pants." Amy laughed and shook her head. "Ed is handcuffed and under guard for the night while they figure out what to do with him." Amy reassured her, and then added, "Besides, Ed didn't actually hurt you; you weren't paying enough attention and tripped, you said so yourself."

"Do you honestly believe for a second that will register with them?" Linney's voice was insistent. Amy stroked a strand of Linney's dark hair off her forehead and shushed her.

"It'll be ok. Now are you hungry?" Linney shook her head and closed her eyes, "I'm just gonna sleep for a bit, Daryl said they'd be back after dark, so I've only got another hour or so before the Dixon barrage begins." Amy laughed and left the tent.

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Shane sat anxiously around the fire with Dale, Jim, Andrea and Amy. Lori and Carl were with Carol and Sophia in Lori's tent, where they would spend the night. They'd all eaten their dinners looking over their shoulders, keeping an eye out for the redneck brothers.

"I think as long as I talk to them first, it'll be ok." Amy said for the fifth time. Shane nodded at her absentmindedly, fairly certain that god himself could talk to them and they'd freak out. He had four men on Ed tonight, switching off to stay alert, to make sure he didn't go after his family or Linney, and also to make sure no one killed him.

Shane was nearly burning up with shame. He couldn't believe that Linney was the person who finally confronted Ed and tried to put a stop to it. Up until now, he was able to tell himself that Carol was a grown woman, able to make her own choices, and that they were too busy keeping the whole camp safe to deal with that situation.

Besides, the rules had changed, as far as Shane was concerned. He wasn't a cop anymore; he was a leader. He could overlook it if he wanted, or go back there and shoot Ed in the head. But Linney just saw something wrong and dove in to fix it. _Dammit, why'd she have to go and do that? _

He couldn't imagine what it must have been like, trying to get that filthy heaping fuck of a man to follow her, to dodge him for that long, probably praying that someone would show up and help her every second. _Girl's got some balls, that's for sure_, he thought.

He cursed himself when his mind rolled back eagerly to how'd she'd felt in his arms, he couldn't say he didn't like it, he just wished that he could stop thinking about it. It was inappropriate; she was injured, she was spoken for, he had Lori. When they'd been in her tent, with her laying on the bed, he'd been more than aware that they were alone and if he were a lesser man, he may have taken advantage of the situation. He shook his head, _no you wouldn't, don't think it._

When they heard voices coming from the trees, they knew the Dixons were back and Amy got to her feet, running over to them, stopping them at the treeline. He noticed they had strings of small game slung over their shoulders, and Daryl carried his crossbow like it was an extension of his arm.

She spoke in a calm, steady voice, and Shane couldn't quite make out what she was saying. The younger one, Daryl, stiffened, pushing his string of game at his brother, and pushed past Amy before she was done, without a word. He jogged past them, his eyes tight, heading towards his tent.

The older one surprised Shane by listening to every word Amy said, his face impassive. When she was done he followed her back to the fire and sat down across from Shane, his arms resting on his knees as he leaned towards the fire.

"Look, man -" Shane started and Merle looked up at him, his eyes pleasant, calm even, and interrupted him in a low, even voice.

"So ya gonna kill 'im, or should I?"

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Linney?" Daryl called her name softly when he came into the tent. She stirred from her spot and looked up at him, not able to see in the dark. "Hey," she answered, trying to make her voice easy and calm. Daryl flicked on the lantern next to the bed, turning it up to full. He slowly lowered his crossbow and put it on the floor at the foot of the bed. She watched him as his sharp eyes moved up and down her prone body, and he kneeled next to the bed to get a closer look at the bruising on her side.

He rubbed a hand across his mouth and then looked up to her eyes. She smiled at him and held up a hand. "Before you get mad, please just listen for a second." He pressed his lips together and nodded curtly.

"I was walking with Carl, and I heard that dickhead hitting her." Linney looked away from his direct gaze, the intensity there a little too much for her. "Daryl, I couldn't do nothing. It was so, so bad. And Sophia came out and she was just devastated. Someone had to stop it."

"That hadta be you?" He asked, his voice gruff. Linney nodded and tried to sit up, wincing at the pain. His eyes widened and he bent towards her. She held up a hand to ease his worry.

"It's ok, Amy said not to sit up, I knew better, it'll be fine." He sat back and stared at her until she settled. When she looked back at him, his face was expectant, clearly waiting for her to either finish or continue.

"Carl was with me. What kind of person would that make me if I lead him in another direction, avoiding the situation, ignored it? What does that teach anyone? Someone had to help Carol and I was there, so I did. She and Sophia need someone in their corner." Daryl looked away, down at his feet. She reached a hand out to him.

"I'm not dying, it's just bruising, it'll get better pretty quickly." Daryl still didn't look up and she managed to reach his knee with her fingertips, tapping at them repeatedly.

"What are ya doin'?" He asked, looking at her hand as she continued to tap him with the very edges of her fingertips.

"I'm comforting you. There, there Dixon." He looked up at her and smiled, she thought in spite of himself. He edged closer and shook his head at her.

"I'm always tellin' ya that yer a little coward." She tilted her head to the side and peered at him curiously.

"Yeah?" She responded, wondering if he'd forgotten what else he meant to say. He patted her hand carefully and finally said, "Maybe I was wrong." She smiled at him, swallowing at the emotion trapped in her throat and then paused.

"Wait, '_maybe_'?"


	25. Chapter 25

***** After this chapter we won't have such heavy stuff to deal with :) and guess what? I OWN NOTHING with the exception of Linney *****

The next day was a bit better. Mostly because nothing happened. Life at camp rolled on around her, as she lay trapped her in bed, having to suffer the indignity of Daryl helping her to the RV each time she needed to use the bathroom. Her bruises were horrific, a brilliant sunrise of color splashed across the entire side of her body, more bruises showing up on her hip, legs, arms and shoulder, all the way down that side of her body.

Ed remained under guard. Amy had snuck in to sit with her for a bit and told her that Merle was insisting they kill the guy.

"It's weird, because he's not being a jerk about it. It's like he's suggested we bake some muffins, like it's the most obvious thing." Amy explained, her face puzzled. Linney wasn't sure what she felt. She certainly didn't think the man should die for what he did to her, maybe for what he'd being doing to Carol and Sophia all this time, but not her.

She was steadfast in her insistence that the fall was her fault, clumsiness and arrogance making her careless. Linney felt that someone needed to talk some sense into Merle, before he did something stupid. But she couldn't talk to Merle; he came into the tent the night before when she was already asleep, and was gone in the morning when she woke up. He hadn't stopped by to visit at all either, which she tried to tell herself didn't bug her at all.

On top of everything, Ed appeared to be suffering very badly. She had caused him some fairly severe damage in his groin and Amy reported to her that T-Dog was saying he thought maybe Ed would die.

"I think he deserves it." Amy said. She had been checking in on Carol all day, and said that the woman was very severely beat up, her face a mess. Amy's normally gentle demeanor was not in evidence when she talked about the man, she was just as furious as Linney.

"'Course he deserves it." Daryl spoke, as he walked back into the tent. Linney gave him a small smile in greeting and he just stared at her in return. He'd been acting funny since the night before, and Linney stopped defending her motives to him. Her insistence that it was the right thing to do, that anyone should have tried to stop it, big or small, seemed to only upset him.

She started getting irritated with him. If this was a protective instinct on his part, it was pissing her off, chaffing at her natural born desire to do what she thought she needed to. He was in and out of the tent all day, checking on her, but never staying to chat much.

Her watch shift was being shifted until she was better, Lori told her, when she brought Linney lunch.

"That was a very brave thing you did." She softly, as she helped Linney sit up so she could eat. Linney smiled at the other woman in appreciation.

"Thanks for saying so, Daryl's making me think it was wrong somehow." Lori gave her a strange look, "Why do you think that? It was reckless, but I'm sure it's something everyone else is wishing they had done a long time ago." Linney shook her head, "I don't know, nevermind, I'm just going batty in here."

By dinnertime, she wanted desperately to leave the tent, telling Daryl it was making her crazy. He shook his head at her and pointed at the bed. "Ya stay there until Amy says it's safe." Linney pressed her hands to her head in resentment, "She's not even a doctor you know, just the daughter of one." Daryl smirked at her, "Closest we got then, ain't she?"

When he left to go see about getting her dinner, she wasted no time, easing herself out of bed, wincing at the pain, but happy to note that it was slightly less sharp than the day before. _Just a mac truck today_, she thought.

She couldn't bend to put on any pants, so she stayed in her grey pj's, pulling on Daryl's hoodie and sliding her feet into her boots. She grabbed one of their spare blankets, a grey and red striped affair, and wrapped it around her waist securely, making sure it wasn't long enough to trip on.

Linney unzipped the door, stepped outside and then zipped it back up. She took a slow step away from the tent and turned around to find Merle leaning casually against a nearby tree, a smirk on his face. He started clapping for her and she glared at him.

"_Now_ you show up?" She cried and he chuckled. "Daryl jus' told me you were wantin' to come out for dinner, figured ya'd just do whatever the hell ya wanted. Thought I'd come n' watch."

"Of course you did," she said, making a face at him. Linney walked carefully towards him and then held her arm out to him.

"Care to escort a lady to dinner?" She asked, smiling at him. He raised his eyebrows and turned away from her.

"Let me know when ya see one." He called over his shoulder as he walked away. Linney stuck her tongue out at his retreating back and slowly followed after him. By the time she made it to the fire pit, everyone was sitting down to eat, except Daryl, who turned away from the kitchen area with two bowls in his hand.

"Aw, dammit, Linney." He grumbled, putting the food down and heading her way. He reached out to help her, and since Shane was watching her avidly, she allowed him. Easing down carefully onto the ground, she rearranged her blanket and waited for Daryl to join her.

"How're you feeling?" Shane asked, raising an eyebrow at her before eating a scoop of rice. Linney smiled and met Carl's eye, who was seated next to Shane. "Feel like I got stepped on by something gigantic, maybe an elephant." The boy smiled back at her, rolling his eyes at her lame joke.

Linney saw Sophia sitting close to Lori, her wide eyes watching every move Linney made. Carol was nowhere to be seen and Linney worried about her.

"She wasn't feeling up to dinner out here, just yet." Lori explained and Linney nodded. She ate a couple mouthfuls of food and chewed thoughtfully on the meat mixed in with the rice.

"What is this?" She asked, pointing at the bowl with her fork. Daryl laughed next to her and leaned over to whisper, "Squirrel." Linney froze with a mouthful of food and looked over at him.

"Really?" She asked, talking around the food. Daryl smirked and nodded, digging into his bowl. Linney looked over at Carl, who was laughing at her again.

"Mom says it's just as good as chicken, and that fresh meat is important to stay healthy." He informed her, pointing at her bowl. "You'd better eat." Amy and Glenn laughed at her too and Linney swallowed her mouthful. She finished her entire bowl, hunger overwhelming her worry about squirrel meat.

"Not so bad, right?" Amy asked her and Linney nodded, glancing up at Daryl as he took her dishes and walked away. Glenn hopped to his feet and nudged T-Dog. "Daryl and Merle hunted, Amy and Lori cooked, you and I clean." He informed the big man. T-Dog sighed and got to his feet, following Glenn over to the tub they washed dishes in.

"So, I was talking to Daryl about your bruising, Linney," Amy began and Linney tilted her head with curiosity, "Yeah?"

"Well, we can't give you ice, which sucks, but the quarry is clean and cold, you should go swimming, it'll feel great." Linney perked up, not immediately hating the idea.

"Will you take me?" She asked Daryl and he shrugged, "Sure, tomorrow."

"Can I come?" Carl asked hopefully and Lori shook her head at him, "No honey, let's let Linney relax a bit." Lori looked over at Linney and winked. Linney wasn't entirely certain what the wink meant, but she turned to Carl and said, "I'm the absolute champion of the universe when it comes to swimming, man. Next time I go, I will allow you to challenge my title." The boy nodded and giggled and Linney looked over at Sophia, "You too, kiddo, you look like you could show him a thing or two."

The girl smiled shyly at her and nodded, "If my mom says it's ok." Her voice was quiet and sweet and Linney realized she hadn't heard the girl say more than one or two words since they'd arrived at camp.

Amy offered to take the kids back to Lori's tent and sit with them, and Carol, until bedtime and Lori smiled at the girl gratefully.

"That's lovely, thank you Amy, please let me know if you need anything, ok?" Amy nodded and the kids took her hands as she walked them back to the tent. Glenn watched her go with wistful eyes, but didn't follow.

"How is Carol?" Linney asked Lori directly. The other woman pressed her lips together and shook her head. When she looked at Linney her face was regretful. "She's hurting and she's angry."

Linney nodded at that, "She has every right to be, Ed's a fucking monster." Lori shook her head again and smiled sadly, "No, Linney, she's mad at you." Linney blinked at her, not even sure what to say.

Glenn had no such problem and blurted out, "What the hell? Why? Linney saved her!" Shane glanced over at him and rubbed his chin. "No man, Carol don't see it that way." Daryl shifted uneasily next to her and Linney put her hand on his shin, resting it there against his jeans.

Glenn looked completely flummoxed and Shane rolled his hand through the air. "She's been getting that shit from Ed forever, man. She's used to it, conditioned to it almost. In her mind, Linney just made her life harder; the next beating is just gonna be worse." Linney put a hand to her mouth in horror.

"Holy shit," she breathed, "Merle, just kill the sick fuck now." Merle chuckled and pulled on her pony tail. "Gladly, sweetheart. But I don't think these good folks would 'preciate that much." Shane shook his head.

"Guy may die on his own. You super fucked him up." Linney smiled faintly with one side of her mouth, "Well it was that or have him break my face. I think I made the right choice." No one said anything and Linney was suddenly very tired. She turned to Daryl, "Can you help me back to the tent? I'm done." He nodded and helped her get to her feet. He wrapped an arm under shoulders and led her slowly back to the tent. When they got inside she yanked off the blanket and sat on the bed.

"Can you pull my boots off for me?" She asked Daryl and he nodded, squatting at her feet. Once they were off her feet she swung slowly into the bed and carefully removed the sweatshirt, before laying down. She patted the bed next to her.

"Sleep in bed tonight," she demanded and he shot her a skeptical look. "Maybe not such a good idea," he responded. Linney shook her head, he'd slept on the floor the night before and though the pain meds kept the dreams at bay, she hadn't liked it much, so she patted the bed harder. "Please, I insist." He rolled his eyes and got ready for bed. As he sat on the edge of the bed, Linney tugged on his shirt.

"How come you always sleep in a shirt? You've seen most of my chest, I think you should return the favor." Her tone was teasing, but his face was still and definitely not playful.

"Not now." He finally said. She felt a little stung by his behavior, but said nothing, wondering what his problem was. He flicked the lantern off and lay on his back. She lay on her side and said nothing, not reaching for him.

"I'm sorry." He finally said, speaking into the dark. Daryl reached over and picked up her hand, laying it flat on his stomach. He rested a hand on top and began lazily running a finger back and forth across her wrist, like he was drawing a figure eight.

"I'm ain't comfortable without a shirt, got some scars I don't wanna show everybody." Linney tried to make out his profile in the dark and pulled her hand from his to place her palm against his face. "I'm not everybody," she said softly. He turned his face away and her hand fell to his shoulder.

"They're from my pa." He finally said, his voice so gruff and quiet she almost couldn't hear him. His words ran through her head over and over again. Things began to click together. His strange behavior, his silence, his hard face whenever the Ed and Carol situation was talked about. Her whole body felt cold as she thought about a younger Daryl suffering so badly at the hands of a parent, who didn't have a busybody stranger there to step in and try to help.

She thought about the place they'd both grown up in, a place where his story was the same as many others. She was lucky, she knew, her dad was a lot of bad things, but he never once raised a hand to her. _Until he turned into a mindless monster and tried to eat me, that is. _

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry, because I'm guessing that's not what you want to hear, right?" He grunted and she slowly sat up. "Turn the light on." He didn't move. "No."

"Daryl, for godssake, turn the fucking light on." He grumbled and did as she asked, laying back down, looking up at her. She turned her back to him and lifted her hair up, away from her neck, pulling the hair apart to show the bottom of her scalp.

"See that pink patch?" She asked him over her shoulder and waited while he leaned up and ran a finger over it gently. "I got that when I was 6, I was playing Barbie's in the living room and one of my dad's clients was over and he dropped a bottle of whiskey on my head." She dropped her hair over her shoulder and said, "Pull up the back of my shirt." He pulled up the back of her tucked in tank top a little, his hands moving slowly against her skin. She felt them pause at the circular scar there, with the ragged edge.

"That's from a nail. My dad got drunk and fell on the coffee table one night when I was 10, he cracked it everywhere and didn't clean it up. The next morning I tripped and landed on the wood, a nail sticking out impaled me and he didn't take me to the doctor and it got infected and I almost died. Thank god it wasn't rusty, just a bad infection." Daryl's thumb moved across the scar and she suppressed a shiver.

Linney turned to her side and carefully stretched her left leg out, laying it straight across his hips. She looked over at him and met his eyes, which were staring back at her with an expression she wasn't sure she could define.

Linney grabbed the waistband of her shorts at the side, and pulled it down, exposing her hip entirely, all the way down to her upper thigh. There was a four inch scar there, with little dots around it, indicating it had been stitched up.

"That's another gift from a client. He got mad at my dad, saying he shorted him. He pulled a knife and attacked my dad. I was 14 and tried to stop him and he slashed at me at the same my dad pushed me to the ground, only got my hip." Daryl sat up and swallowed, looking down at her skin, running his hand slowly over it. He glanced up at her and she frowned.

"These are the ones you can see. One time he drove drunk with me in the car, I was still in a car seat, it was right after my mom died, and he hadn't hooked the seat in right, and we got in an accident. I broke my leg." Daryl stared at her, his eyes narrowed, still saying nothing. Linney pulled her waistband back up and pulled her leg off him, tucking it under the blankets again.

"Another time, when I was 7, I was playing in the yard and he was driving drunk, yet again, and he hit me with the car." She reached for his hand, picking it up gently in her own, and ran it along her collar bone, stopping just to the right of the hollow in the middle. "Feel that lump? Broke my collar bone, cracked 4 ribs, broke both wrists."

She stopped talking and he looked at her steadily, his eyes burning. He turned away from her and reached down, pulling his shirt up and off. When Linney saw the scars, she had to use every ounce of self control not to cry out. His scars were huge, angry, and raised. The thought that he'd received them as a child, broke her heart. She slowly reached a hand out and ran it slowly and gently across the scars. He didn't move and she leaned forward and placed a kiss on the largest one.

He tossed the shirt on the floor and turned to her. His chest was scarred as well, with two long welts across the centre. She knew they had to be belt scars, same as the ones on his back. He looked at her, his face so hard it was like granite and she fought to control the emotion on her face.

Linney pushed him back down on the bed and he went willingly, laying on his back. She lay across his stomach, and flicked the lantern off before laying on her side next to him and putting her head on his shoulder. She pressed her whole body up against him and rested her hand on his chest, gently rubbing her fingers up and down the scars. He rested a hand on her arm and the other one he pressed against her bare back, avoiding her bruises.

They lay silently together, drifting off, and when she was certain he was asleep, Linney tilted her face up from it's place on his shoulder and kissed his stubbly cheek.

Soon they were both asleep, wrapped around each other, scars and all.


	26. Chapter 26

***** Enjoy everybody :) I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney looked around inside her backpack, as if tearing through it for the 15th time would make a bathing suit appear, magically. She sighed and reached up to adjust the strap on her grey tank top, and her hand froze. She looked down at the tucked in tank top and realized that it was the closest thing she had to actual appropriate swimming gear.

"I got towels." Daryl popped his head in the tent and brandished a bundle of yellow and orange terry cloth at her. "Ya ready to go?" He asked her impatiently and Linney nodded and got to her feet with a slight grimace. She put her hand up in his direction without looking up, "Don't help me," she instructed and he grunted before letting the tent door close. Linney gathered up all her weapons and tucked them into a cloth shopping bag.

Lori had assured her repeatedly that the quarry was safe, over breakfast, telling her it was accessible only from the camp site, unless you fell off the high parts of the road leading up to camp, in which case you'd be dead anyways.

"It's the dead I worry about." Linney muttered and then Shane had put a hand on her arm, and she looked up into his dark eyes. "That quarry has the cleanest, clearest water I've ever seen, you can see straight to the bottom - nothing in there." Linney nodded and stepped away from him, moving towards a water bottle on the far side of the fire pit, grimacing as she squatted and picked it up.

"Someone'll be on watch, can see everything going up or down the road, if any walkers do manage to make it up the road, and somehow miraculously fall off the edge, down to where you all are, we'll let ya know, probably be able to shoot it ourselves." Linney had been squeezing the water bottle nervously in her hands, reflexively, and Lori stepped over after a glance to Shane, and took the bottle from her.

"You don't need to be so nervous, Linney, we'd never suggest you go down there unless we were positive it was safe." Linney smiled at the woman and put on her best 'I'm totally fine and not worried about walkers at all' face. She was surprised that after only a couple days, and especially after being attacked by a fat asshole up here, she felt safe at camp and was leery to leave it.

Hence the bag of her weapons. She couldn't strap them on yet, the pressure would make her bruises sing in pain, but she wanted to be able to defend herself, and Daryl, just in case. _Besides, how many movies have you watched where the stupid young couple frolics in the water and gets killed shortly thereafter?_ Knives and guns, it was. Linney stuffed her bare feet into her boots and climbed from the tent, zipping it closed behind her.

"You're wearing your pjs?" She turned around to see Amy eyeing her critically. Linney made an irritated face. "Do you have a bathing suit? Cause I sure don't." Amy stuck her tongue out at Linney and gestured at the grey pjs again, "Those aren't very fun, it's like a prison bathing suit."

"Naw, they'd be orange." They both turned to Merle, who was heading back into his side of the tent. He reached in and grabbed a pair of sunglasses and a gigantic gun. "Got a hot date?" Linney asked him and he glared at her.

"Gotta cover yer watch shift 'cause yer so goddamn lazy." Linney hobbled over to his side and leaned in to hug him carefully. He stood stiffly and wrinkled his upper lip at her.

"Ya done?" He asked gruffly and she rolled her eyes before turning away to grab her bag of weapons, "Apparently so, you big, dumb, hick," she replied wryly. Merle chuckled a little and wandered away. Once he was out of ear shot, Amy came and put an arm around Linney to help her make the trip to the truck. She leaned in close to Linney's head and whispered to her.

"You'll never, ever, guess what happened!" Her voice was excited in that 'I have a secret' way, and Linney glanced at her face, finding it too close to her own for comfort and recognizing that Amy had coffee breath.

Linney clamped down on the bitter little witch voice inside of herself, and forced out a smile that she thought was appropriately girly. "What?" Linney's voice was a low pitched, excited squeal and Amy immediately leaned back, her face disapproving.

"God Linney, you don't have to make fun of me." Linney gaped at her. "What? No! I wasn't!"

"You're never interested in what I have to say, so I was expecting something snotty, and then I could get to the news, but maybe you don't deserve the news if you're going to be mean."

"Are you saying it's mean of me to pretend to be nice and interested?" Amy nodded vigorously at Linney's description, "Of course it is! Because it's a lie! I don't like you cause you're such a softie and a sweetheart, Lin. I like that you're a crusty bitch." Linney stopped walking and rubbed a hand across her face, wondering if Amy would like a crusty bitch that smacked her upside her cheerful head.

"Fine. First: Your breath stinks like coffee and if I wanted to get that close to your face I'd ask you out on a date," Amy rolled her eyes and smirked at Linney. "Secondly: What happened Amy? What's your awesome fucking news? Did the apocalypse get called off and we all get to go home?" Amy glared at her and Linney pressed her lips together, shooting a pissy look at her blonde friend.

Linney rolled a hand at Amy, "Better?" Amy's eyes were narrowed so much, Linney didn't know how she could possibly see. Finally a smile broke out on Amy's face and she nodded at Linney.

"See? Isn't it better acting like an asshole? It's got to give you gas or something, letting it build up inside you." Amy put her arm around Linney again and Linney glanced over at her too-close face and they started to laugh together.

Amy glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to hear and she whispered in Linney's ear, "Merle and Andrea slept together." Linney stopped in her tracks again and looked over at Amy with eyes so huge she thought they might bug right out. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She asked in a thoroughly astonished voice. Amy nodded, a half smile on her face. "She's been pretty down in the dumps since you got put on watch and she didn't - and you know how he's always bugging her."

Linney slowly mulled it over; Merle certainly did proposition Andrea at least once a day, always using the most colorful words. It was to the point where Linney was beginning to wonder if Merle sincerely did like Andrea, but, being an idiot, he had no idea how to act like a normal person about it, choosing to be crude instead.

She shuddered at the thought that they had followed through with any of the things he suggested to her. Linney leaned towards Amy and spoke softly, "But, why? I mean, I like Merle all right, most of the time, but Andrea strikes me as needing a different kind of guy."

Amy shrugged and then smiled, "I don't think she's viewing it as a long term thing, more like a one time weakness, or indulgence, I'm not sure." They started to walk again and Amy kept on, "She had a little whiskey to drink, she was walking back to the RV from the fire, he made his usual disgusting offer and she took him up on it." Amy shook her head and giggled, "Her defense to me about it was it'd been way too long since she'd been laid and it must have made her temporarily brain damaged."

Linney had a million questions, like where they did it and what they may have said to each other afterwards, but Daryl walked up just then and offered his arm to Linney, and Amy smiled at her and walked away. For once Linney was sorry to see her go, really wanting to discuss the Merle and Andrea news.

"What the hell's takin' ya so long?" He groused, taking the bag from her hands. She shrugged at him and he peeked in the bag as they got to the truck. "Why ya got all this shit in a bag? What kinda swimmin' ya think we're doin'?" Linney chuckled and allowed Daryl to lift her into the seat, so she wouldn't have to bend or pull on her side too much. "The best kind," she said, her voice suggestive. Daryl gave a her a weary look.

"Don't make me regret takin' you, this is 'bout helpin' out your bruises, not ya gettin' all frisky and annoyin'." Linney shoved his hands away. "You make me feel so treasured," she grumbled petulantly and he laughed quietly as he shut her door. They drove down the little quarry road in silence and at the bottom he hopped out quickly and opened her door for her.

"Can ya please sit here while I unload everythin'?" His eyes pleaded with her to listen for once, so she smiled and nodded. She watched as he grabbed a spare blanket and the armload of towels. He picked up her bag of weapons and another smaller bag, that had a water bottle peeking out the top.

She sat leaned against the seat and watched him spread out the blanket on the rocky shore of the water and lay everything else down. When he approached the truck, she sat up and slid out slowly.

"How's it feelin' today?" He asked carefully. She shrugged at him and waved a hand back and forth in the air. "Not great, but better than yesterday."

When she got to the blanket he crouched down to help her take off her boots and she used his shoulder to balance on first one foot and then the other, before running a hand idly through his cropped hair. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile before getting up and taking a step away. He removed his own boots, socks and pants, revealing a pair of boxer briefs, one of the new ones that Linney had snagged for him at the store the day she met Glenn.

"Nice," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. He's legs were lean and muscular, and she admired them openly. He glared at her and took off his flannel, sleeveless shirt, leaving on the thick-strapped white tank top he wore underneath it. He walked towards the water. "Come on," he told her, holding a hand out to her. She walked carefully across the stony shore and gasped when her feet hit the water.

"Holy shit! It's so cold!" She cried, lifting one foot out of the water. "Nah, it's hot out, you'll get used to it." Linney peered up at the clear sky, the sun was definitely going to be strong and hot today. She eased in a few more steps until Daryl stepped forward, a mischievous grin on his face and quickly but carefully swung her up into his arms, turning and walking swiftly out until the water was at his waist. He unceremoniously dropped her into the water and was like a cold body check.

"Aaggh!" She yelped, before finding her feet on the pebbly floor of the lake. Daryl smirked and floated a step backwards, spreading his arms out. He kicked off and swam out to the middle of the lake, using strong and sure strokes. Linney stood in the water that came to the bottom of her tucked in tank top and began to slowly relish the feeling of the cold liquid on her sore body. It began to soothe and numb her in the best way and she finally lifted her feet up and sank down up to her neck, bobbing in the water, her dark hair floating around her head in a wet feathery spray.

She normally swam like a fish; swimming at the lake in her town was a free past time that most kids partook of almost year round. She watched Daryl make his way back to her and figured he had probably spent much of his childhood at the same lake as she had. He swam up to her again, creating little waves in the water and he cocked his head to the side, looking at her curiously.

"So? Is it workin'? Do ya feel any better?" Linney nodded at his question and floated a little closer to him. He held his ground and gave her a serious look. "Don't be gettin' any ideas, this is jus' for therapeutic swimmin'."

Linney rolled her eyes at him and kicked past him, going out into deeper and deeper water, pleased to see that Shane had been right; the water was clear to the bottom and refreshing beyond what she expected. She pretty much felt like herself again, pre-bruise.

Idly, she tried to find the ground and realized she was now over her head and allowed herself to sink completely underwater. She fluttered her feet and kicked down to the bottom, letting her feet touch it and then pushing against the silty ground and launching upwards. She broke the surface and ended up splashing Daryl in the face.

He made a face at her, "That was on purpose," he growled. She shook her head and let her mouth and chin fall into the water. He watched her with narrowed eyes and she suddenly aimed her lips above the water and shot her mouthful of water at him; it splashed against his shoulder and his eyes widened in indignation.

"Oh, it's on," his voice was low and throaty and she chuckled, splashing him in the face before turning on her side and diving into the water, swimming away underneath it as quickly as she could. His arms and legs were longer, though, and he caught her quickly. Grabbing her foot and yanking her towards him, she broke the surface and laughed loudly as he pulled her up against his chest and glared down at her face.

"I'm gonna dunk you so bad." He threatened and she wriggled a hand free of his arms and pushed her wet hair off her face, looking at him with wide, surprised eyes. "Why, whatever for, Dixon?" He held her eyes for a moment and then suddenly dunked her under. She flailed a little and when she popped back up she had managed to get a few feet away from him. He smirked at her, "Oh, I'm sorry," he said insincerely and Linney glared at him and then finally smiled slyly, when an idea occurred to her.

Wriggling a little bit under the cover of the water, and ducking her head under quickly, she suddenly thrust a hand straight up into the air triumphantly, her grey top bunched up wetly in her fingers. His eyes followed her hand and the look on his face made her laugh so hard that she thought she might wet herself.

"Linney..." his voice was a warning and she smiled at him innocently, enjoying the feeling of the cool water on her bare chest, without the wet material clinging to it. She smirked and threw the top to shore, where it landed with a wet plop a foot from their blanket.

His eyes followed the trajectory of her top and then he looked at her, breathing hard. "Ya'll are so determined to break the rules, ain't ya." His voice was husky and he swam towards her. She didn't move, but let him wrap his arms around her, pulling her up against his chest with a grunt. Linney wrapped her arms over his shoulders, curling one hand around his neck, the other brushing up into the back of his hair.

She felt his wet shirt pressed to her breasts and he leaned in to kiss her, on the mouth, for the first time since the day they met Shane and the group. It was brief and heated and she leaned away for a moment and looked into his eyes.

"Not such a coward now, am I?" she whispered, her voice heated. Daryl breathed through his mouth, looking back and forth between her eyes and then a sudden grinding noise had them both turning to the road.

Someone had arrived to interrupt them.

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Shane never thought he'd reach a point in his life where he wished he was a lowlife, redneck, loser. But when he watched Daryl wrap an arm around Linney's bare shoulders, helping her to his truck, he found himself wishing he was, just for a little while.

He'd seen pretty much all of the women at camp go down to swim at the quarry, usually in their underthings, and he'd even gone with Lori once to fool around in the water in the near dark of twilight, but he was quickly realizing that his interest in this strange woman was going to cross the border into obsession if he wasn't careful.

She'd been wearing little grey cotton shorts, that were relatively fitted, and the matching top was all tucked up, leaving her entire mid-section bare. Even the angry pattern of green, blue, black and purple bruising on one side of her body didn't detract from the way her flat stomach curved in at the sides and rose up to the strip of grey cotton covering the rounded swell of her breasts. She had been smiling and laughing with Amy and then Dixon had swooped in, his face hard and stiff-looking, as it always was, easily taking possession of Linney, putting his hands on her skin, lifting her up into his truck.

Shane wiped the sweat from his forehead, under his cap, and then secured it again on his head and went back to arranging the water tubs in T's truck, a pretense he'd arranged because he was out of sight and able to watch them in the water, without anyone being able to see him do so. He had binoculars with him, and tried to tell himself he was just keeping them safe, keeping an eye out on an injured member of his camp.

_That ain't the truth and you know it, no one else'd believe it either_. He took another glance down at them and saw them horsing around in the water, and again wondered what the hell was wrong with Dixon, why he was still wearing his shirt, why either of them was still wearing anything. _Not how I'd be spending my time down there with her. _

He clutched the binoculars tighter when he realized Linney had taken her top off and was waving it above her head. Her back was to him, and he wasn't sure what over-came him, but the far off vision of wet strands of dark hair strewn across the creamy skin on her back made him jump up and hop in the truck, heading down to the quarry immediately. He'd had enough. He wasn't able to stop watching her and he decided that their time in the water was over, he would make them come back up and that would end the risk that watching her brought to him.

When he stopped the truck near the bottom, at the place he normally filled up the jugs, he saw them both looking over at him, Linney shocked and worried, Dixon darkly angry, the constant look of suspicion on his face ramping up. She was wrapped up in his arms, and when Shane hopped out of the truck and waved genially at them, Daryl released her and she dropped into the water up to her neck.

"Sorry to innerupt!" he called out in a friendly voice. Daryl narrowed his eyes at him and said something to Linney who nodded and stayed in the water. Daryl made his way to shore and grabbed his flannel shirt, slogging back through the water with it, to bring it to Linney. Shane smirked at them and watched from the corner of his eye as the redneck helped her put it on underwater and then they made their way back to shore.

With a calm and pleasant smile on his face, Shane trotted over to them. "So, how was it?" He asked, his voice conversational, "Was it everything Dr Amy said it'd be?" Daryl smirked at him and Shane glanced at Linney, her hair soaked and plastered to her head, the flannel shirt hanging on her to her mid-thighs. Shane quickly flickered his eyes up from her bare feet to her face and she shuddered.

"Here," Dixon said, wrapping a towel around her, "Yer cold." Linney smiled up at him gratefully and wrapped the towel tightly around herself. "It was nice, very numbing on the bruises, definitely worth the trip." She managed, her teeth chattering. Shane nodded and turned away, "Well, ya'll go on back up then, didn't mean to break apart the party!" He heard Dixon grumble something behind him and had a sudden urge to charge back and clock the guy in the face.

He watched them through narrowed eyes, as they drove away, and then rubbed his face and walked back to the truck, very aware of the uncomfortable erection he had in his pants. His mind whispered to him easily, telling him what he needed to hear. _Get rid of the rednecks and she's all yours, y'know?_

***** I got a house full of sick people on my hands today, so this has surprisingly left me with little do, while they all sleep and rest and watch Netflix haha, good news is that this means MOAR UPDATES *****


	27. Chapter 27

***** Linney gets a little racy - I can't say I blame her haha - have fun - don't worry, this is not a smut chapter, just a little fun at the beginning until it gets back to the intrigues of camp life - I OWN NOTHING - except the aforementioned Linney :) *****

Daryl was absolutely fuming when they got back to their tent. Linney sat in her towel and damp clothes and watched him as he paced, dripping water back and forth across the floor.

"I'll fuckin' kill 'im, fucking bastard." Linney winced and put a hand tentatively up in the air. His gaze shot over to her and she bit her lip before speaking, "I'm not playing devil's advocate, k? But he didn't actually do or say anything." Daryl widened his eyes at her like she was simple.

"Are you serious? If his eyes were hands he'd a felt ya up all over. That was fuckin' creepy, Linney, comin' down there n' starin' at ya like that. What'd Lori think if she knew?" Linney shook her head at him.

"You can't say anything." She insisted reaching out a hand to stop his pacing. He shook her hand off and glared at her. "An' why not? He's mighty bold, thinkin' he can jus' -" Linney interrupted him by quickly getting to her feet and dropping the heavy damp towel on the ground so she could use her arms. She reached up and grabbed his shoulders, shaking them a little.

"Daryl," He looked down at her, his face tight, and she continued, "Do you find me physically attractive?" He blinked at her, genuinely surprised. He looked away and then back down at her, "What the hell kinda question is that?"

"It's a simple yes or no question, I think." She retorted. He smirked at her and nodded, "Yeah, you'll do, I guess." She rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder.

"Nice, asshole," she griped, before slapping him lightly again, "Well, you know I think that you're cute as a button. So I don't get mad when other women look at you, which they do. It would be stupid of me to think that I'm the only who thinks you're just _adorable_ and get pissy if other people take a look at the goods."

"There is so much 'bout whatcha jus' said that I got a problem with." He muttered and she shrugged and sat back on the bed, leaning back on her hands as she looked up at him. "Listen, I'm just saying, he just looks, it's a little creepy, yes, but he's got Lori and Carl to think about and I'm not worried, so you shouldn't be. Eventually I'll be old hat and he'll quit looking."

Daryl smirked and kept looking at her and Linney realized that the wet flannel shirt she had on was hanging open in the front and his eyes kept moving back to the gap in between the red fabric, each side just showing the inner swell of each of her breasts.

"Should I get mad that you're staring now?" She asked, being a smartass. He looked up at her and glared.

"I don't know why ya keep doin' this me," He said in a low and growling voice.

"I like to push my luck." She said, a grin on her face. He looked down at her shirt again and closed his eyes, then turned around, snatched up a pile of his dry clothes, and moved to the door of the tent, lifting his hand up to unzip the door.

"Daryl," she called him, and he paused, not looking back. "Can you pass me my bag please so I don't have to get it?" He relaxed and nodded, bending to the side to get her bag. He stood up to hand it to her and when he looked back at Linney his eyes widened humorously. She had shrugged the wet flannel shirt off completely and it sat on the floor. She kept her face calm and smooth and reached out nonchalantly for her backpack.

"Thanks, Dixon." She said and he mumbled something in a dark tone before tearing his eyes away from her half naked body and stomped out the door, zipping it closed with a vengeance. Linney paused to wonder if she pushed him too far, but shrugged, deciding that she was still respecting his current boundaries, but she was offering him some previews of coming attractions to keep him on his toes.

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"I'm sayin' ya ain't takin' a watch til ya can get yer scrawny ass up here on yer own." Merle snapped at her from the roof of the RV. Linney wanted to stamp her feet in childish frustration with him, and put her hands on her hips.

"Merle Dixon, don't make me climb up there and beat you to death." She snarked right back at him. He wiggled his hands at her in a gesture inviting her to try.

"If ya can make it up here sweetheart, yer welcome to share the shift with me." Linney licked her lips in determination and stomped over to the ladder on the RV, keeping the wince off her face as her weapons pressed against her bruises. After her little show for Daryl, she had dried off, and dressed herself in regular clothes, almost welcoming the bite of the denim of her jeans rubbing on her bruises, just to feel dressed again.

She slipped on a bra and a tank top, socks, and her dirty blue linen shirt, leaving it unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up. After tearing her brush through her hair, she had braided it down her back like she had in the early days and wrapped herself in weapons again. Stepping from her tent, she felt like herself again. A sore version of herself, but herself.

Now as she stood on the lowest rung of the RV ladder and was reaching up for the next one, she wondered just how stupid she was, because the bruises really, really hurt from trying to climb.

"What's goin' on down there, sweetheart?" Merle called from his lawn chair further back on the roof, not moving to help her at all.

"Nothing, you stupid jerk," she muttered resentfully, and Merle laughed. Gritting her teeth, Linney climbed ahead and when she finally pulled herself up onto the roof she simply lay down flat on her stomach to rest, her heart beating hard at the exertion climbing had created. Merle tapped her arm with his boot.

"Nice work, kid, next time give it a shot without the whining though."

"Shut up, Merle." She muttered into the metal of the hot roof. Linney pushed his foot away and dragged herself over to sit in the shade of the umbrella, leaning against Merle's legs. "Wow," she began, "you really can see everything up here." Linney looked around; she could see the entire camp all the way to the back and looking out over the quarry, she could see all the way down to the highway, although it was very far away.

"Merle, this is amazing." She breathed, leaning on his shin to peer further over the side of the RV. He shook his leg to get her off, "Quit being so damn grabby, don't want ya draped all over me." He grouched and Linney shot him a look laden with warning.

"Oh-ho! Gonna get me now, girlie? Push ole Merle off the roof?"

"Could I really?" She asked, clasping her hands next to her face in fake excitement.

"Sometimes I wonder why I haven't just fed ya to the damn walkers yet." He grumbled, looking away. Linney leaned against his legs and spoke to him without looking at him, "Probably cause you just looooove me so much." Her voice was teasing but not loud and he didn't answer. She turned up after a moment to see him glaring at her with what looked like genuine anger.

"Geez, calm down, Merle, I'm just bugging you, I know you hate me as much as I hate you, so it's fine." He looked away and lit up a cigarette, but let her continue to lean on his leg. Linney watched the camp doings, the edges of the forest, the road leading to the quarry, up on the roof with Merle for the rest of the day. She was surprised by how much more alert it made her, and how the quiet time just sitting with Merle felt legitimately enjoyable.

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Dinner was awkward that night, as Daryl decided to just eat outside their tent, saying he needed his rest since he planned on going hunting again in the morning with Merle, to get some more fresh meat. Linney knew it was because he really didn't like Shane at all and didn't want to waste his time around the man.

Merle joined him, after casting an unreadable look at Andrea, who purposely ignored him. Linney stood with her dishes in her hand and watched the two Dixons walk towards their tent and glanced back at the warm fire, at the expectant faces of the people sitting around it.

She felt torn, but knew that she'd rather eat with the two of them than anyone else, any day, and smiled and nodded at the group, before trudging after Merle and Daryl.

"Ya didn't have to eat with us." Was how Daryl greeted her. She frowned at him in the dim twilight and sat down across from the two of them on the ground. She winced a little as she got down, but managed it alright on her own. _Didn't even spill,_ she thought, congratulating herself.

"Oh hey, hi Daryl, nice to see you too, how was the rest of your day?" She retorted sarcastically and dug into her food. They were silent until Merle finished his food, took a long swig from his cola, and then belched loudly.

"Charming." Linney muttered.

"I'm gettin' bored with this place." He said, leaning back on his hands. Linney glanced over at him before turning her attention to her plate. "Aren't you going hunting tomorrow?" She asked him, trying not to sound too interested.

"I was thinkin' of goin' on a run." He said casually. Linney and Daryl both looked up at him in surprise.

"That's the little chinaman's job." Daryl said in his rough voice. Linney nodded and put her dish on the ground next to her, "You don't need to be doing that, Merle. Just stay here and try to make this thing work." He looked up at her, his face hard and emotionless.

"Other people are goin' too." He told her, "That little fella agreed to take a group with 'im, see if they can't get more than the usual haul a stuff. I'm a good shot, they need someone like me to go along. 'Sides maybe I can find some stuff for m'self, or for a certain little shithead that won't get offa my case."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather you stayed here." She said, not voicing her real concern, "You can't leave Daryl to hunt all on his own." Daryl guffawed at the notion he needed help and Merle smirked at her.

"That's cute, sweetheart, but it'll be fine, no Dixon ever needed help." Linney looked from Merle to Daryl, hoping to find that Daryl would be on her side in this. He just looked down at his hands and said nothing and Linney found herself getting mad.

"Look," she started, waving her hands in front of herself, "I'm gonna be blunt. I think it's a bad idea for you to go with them, Merle. You haven't exactly settled in well at camp, I don't know if they'd be a safe group to go with." Merle chuckled and Linney got to her knees, scooting closer to him, trying to make him see her point. "I'm worried that if you guys get swarmed or something, that no one will stop and help you." He said nothing in return, just stared at her in the faint light leaking from the remainder of the day.

"Let me go with you, then." She offered.

"No." They both said at the same time and she grit her teeth. Linney sat back on her heels and crossed her arms. "This is a bad idea," she said again. Merle got up and patted her head. "'Preciate the concern, sweetheart, but I can take care of m'self n' I ain't sitting on watch forever." He wandered off then, heading to the back of the camp and Linney watched him go, torn between frustration and worry. She turned on Daryl and smacked his leg.

"Why didn't you back me up!" She cried, angrily. Daryl shrugged and didn't look over at her, "Merle needs to do somethin' Linney, he ain't exactly mister popular 'round here. He's gotta be useful, doin' somethin to benefit 'imself, not just sit on 'is hands n' follow orders." Linney was furious, but said nothing, just drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"Do you have to go hunting tomorrow?" She finally said. He nodded. "We're outta fresh meat. It's somethin' _I_ can do to be useful n' I'm really more comfortable on my own." Linney bit her lip and scratched the back of her hand.

"How long will you be gone?" He huffed out a breath and replied in a gruffer than usual voice, "Prob'ly overnight, back the morning after I leave, put a whole day into trackin' some big game."

"A whole day _and_ night?" She asked, her voice strained.

"Need a lotta time to get anything bigger 'n a squirrel." Linney glanced over at him, something in his voice grabbing her attention.

"Is this 'cause I pushed too far this morning? I was just fooling around, I know what we are right now, and that...that... certain things aren't part of it, and I didn't mean -" He reached out and put a hand on hers to stop her.

"Linney, s'ok, I know," he removed his hand and stretched, "truth is though, I need some time to think anyhow, my head's all fucked up from the going's on the past few days. Gotta have a little alone time, so do you." Linney looked away, her stomach clenching, in anger for him and in irritation with herself.

"Maybe ya could try'n not have a fight while I'm gone though." He told her. Linney got to her feet and glared down at him.

"I swear to god, if anything happens because the two of you are too fucking stupid to listen to good reason, I'll make you regret it." He said nothing and she turned on her heel and stalked off to the fire.

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She sat longer at the fire that night than she ever had before, until it was just her, Shane and Glenn sitting around it. She spoke for the first time when Andrea and Dale finally got up to go to bed.

"Shane," he looked over at her, surprised she was saying anything, "Can you please tell Merle he can't go tomorrow?" He laughed until she looked up at him and he saw she wasn't kidding, her face was stressed and pale in the firelight.

"Nah, Linney, I can't do that. They need some good back-up goin' into Atlanta -"

"They're going into _Atlanta_!" She nearly shrieked and Glenn jumped. Shane nodded at her calmly.

"Please, Shane, I don't like this, please tell him he needs to pull a watch or -" Glenn got up and came to sit next to her, putting a tentative hand on her shoulder. Linney looked up at him in mild surprise, since Glenn wasn't much for touchy-feely contact.

"Lin, I asked him to, he was standing there while we all discussed it and he looked so interested and I thought that we could use a little more muscle." He explained it to her slowly and she glared at him, shoving his hand off her shoulder.

Linney looked back and forth between the two of them and sighed in resignation. "This is such a bad idea," she muttered, rubbing her hands on her face. Shane cleared his throat and she looked up to see Merle standing next to her.

"Come for a lil walk with me, ya whiney baby." He grumbled. Linney stared at him and then climbed stiffly to her feet. "Fine," she replied and followed him out past the RV to the grassy part of the bluff. He stopped and looked at her and with the stars and moon out in full force, she was able to see him fairly clearly.

"What's yer problem, sweetheart? Why ya so against this?" Linney pressed her lips together, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"I'm just worried. I don't think anyone likes you very much, and that worries me."

"Well, ain't that jus' the sweetest thing ya ever said to me," he grouched, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You know what I mean, you don't go out of your way to be nice to anyone except Amy, and sometimes you're not a total dickhead to me or Daryl, but other than that, you haven't given yourself a value to these people and _we don't really know them, Merle_." He snorted and looked away. She put a hand on his arm and squeezed it, "Also, you're completely pig-headed and rush off and do stupid shit all the time." He glared back at her and pushed her hand off his arm.

"What if something happens?" She asked quietly, when he hadn't spoke for a few minutes. He didn't reply and she stepped closer and hit him in the arm, hard. "What. If. Something. Happens!" She cried, hitting him in time with each word. He looked down at her in surprise and grabbed her wrists to stop her from continuing.

"Wasn't it nice today? Just sitting on watch in the sun, not being scared, not being worried?" He kept hold of her wrists and stared at her, and shook his head.

"Didn't mind the company, but I ain't one to sit n' do nothin', even 'fore everythin' went to shit." Linney pulled, trying to release her wrists and she felt suddenly, thoroughly, exhausted.

"Fine, whatever, go, adventure and play tough guy." She felt bile rising in her throat with the intensity of her worry for him, she didn't trust T-Dog or Morales with him, Merle had insulted them too many times over the past couple of days for them to like him at all. She didn't trust Andrea to even watch out for him, the woman was ice cold on the inside when it came to anyone but herself and her sister.

She couldn't trust Glenn, because she thought he was too much of a follower and she didn't know Jacqui, but Merle had made his feelings about her pretty clear and Linney was sure there was no love lost there.

She looked back up at him and saw that he had been watching her. Merle was a racist, a dickhead, a bigot, and way too aggressive, but she knew then that Amy had been right all those days ago, when she said he was like a father to her. Linney pulled her wrists from his hands and glared at him.

"Goddamn you, Merle, damn you all the way to hell for making me worry about you." She said, her voice tight and terse. He blinked at her, laughed, and then, unexpectedly, pulled her in for a hug, squeezing her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tighter and Linney resisted the urge to cry or push him away and let him hug her. She allowed herself to admit she needed the hug, too.

"I'll come back, ya whiney little shithead, couldn't leave you alone to blunder around, yer too fucking stupid." He said it softly and Linney pulled away and frowned at him.

"If you die, I'm stealing your things and taking your bike."

Merle laughed.


	28. Chapter 28

***** Ok people, hang on, we're about to begin our descent into Season 1. I'm not going to repeat the show verbatim, I want to attack it from different character angles than the show focused on (ie, not the Grimes family) - also Linney's presence has changed things, changed people around her, so there are certain things that won't happen or will happen, that are different from the show. If I miss something or someone says or does something different than in the show, trust me when I say that's totally on purpose. I hope you enjoy the ride and intend to hang in there for more... I got a lot more where this came from (seriously, like tons)... also, I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I OWN NOTHING except for Linney! *****

When Linney woke up the next morning, Daryl was already gone. His side of the bed was cold and rumpled and she lay on her side staring at it for a moment before she got out of bed too, in a terrible mood.

She got dressed and slowly wound her weapons sheaths and belts around herself. She had watch the whole day so she grabbed her black hat and pulled her hair through the hole at the back of the cap without brushing it and went outside to get breakfast.

The party going for the run had already left at that point too, and Linney was now doubly miserable. Amy sat silently next to her while they ate breakfast; the girl was unusually solemn and subdued and Linney was certain her worry was for her headstrong sister.

Linney sipped her coffee and wondered what Andrea was trying to prove. The woman was not a good shot, and seemed unwilling to understand that no one was trying to say she was weak or useless because of that, just that she wasn't as capable of providing protection for herself and those around her.

She caught Lori shooting her sympathetic glances and figured that someone had spread the word that she hadn't wanted Merle to go, and that she was worried for him. Linney washed her dishes and offered to help Carol with the rest. The short haired woman glared at her and shook her head.

"It's fine, I can handle it." Her words were terse and Linney thought that maybe she meant more than just the dishes. Heading over to the RV, she relieved Chad from his night watch and settled into the chair. The RV jostled slightly and Amy climbed up to join her. Linney cut her eyes over to her friend before putting the binoculars back up to them, scanning the road at the bottom of the bluff.

"Are you worried?" Amy finally said, her voice quiet. Linney didn't respond, just continued looking around the bottom of the bluff. Amy settled herself closer to Linney's chair and sighed. When Linney put the binoculars down she glanced over at Amy and finally spoke.

"It's fine." She offered, her voice hard and unemotional. Amy peered back up at her and frowned.

"Lin, it's ok to be worried you know, it doesn't jinx them or anything." Amy spoke softly, but with feeling. Linney looked over at her and was about to snap something unkind when she realized that the girl was just as alone as she was, without her sister. Pressing her lips together, Linney dropped her hand onto Amy's shoulder and squeezed gently.

"I know, I just can't handle thinking about it right now, I need to distract myself." Amy nodded and patted Linney's hand.

"How's this for distraction: Andrea freaked out at Merle last night, after you went to bed." Linney's eyes opened wide and she looked at Amy in surprise.

"Why?" She asked and Amy made a face, "Andrea can be a little nuts, you know?" Linney nodded at that assessment and rolled a hand at Amy, "So what did she say?" Amy huffed out a breath and looked away, letting her eyes roam over the camp.

"He came by to see if she wanted to... you know," Linney smirked and Amy continued, "And she tore into him, called him a bunch of names, said not if her life depended on it, he was last the man on earth she'd ever let touch her again, that he disgusted her, you know, that kind of stuff."

"Harsh." Linney said, not able to come up with anything else. Amy nodded, "He said a bunch of terrible things back to her and that was it." Linney tried to remember if she'd heard Merle come to bed. When she gone into the tent, Daryl was already in bed, asleep, but with his back to her. With her sore side, she couldn't turn to cuddle up next to him and instead had to lay with her back to his. Her feelings had been hurt and she had to resist the urge all night to sleep on the floor or stomp off to Glenn's tent or Dale's RV and beg for a bed elsewhere.

Something occurred to her and she turned to Amy. "Can you do me a favor?" She asked her friend, and Amy nodded. "Can you go check Merle's bike and grab the white shopping bag in the saddle bag?" Amy gave her a curious look and nodded again. "Sure thing, Lin, be right back."

Linney recalled other instances when things had been heavy or stressful on their long, strange, trip here and knew that Merle often turned to his bag of drugs, taken mostly from her father's stash. She wondered if he'd taken anything with him, to help soften the blow of this idiotic run. When Amy reappeared, she had a strange look on her face.

"Did you know this bag is full of drugs?" She asked, and Linney laughed at the expression on her face. "Yeah, I did, sorry." She reached out and took the bag from Amy and her heart sank when she noticed a couple bottles were missing. She dropped the bag loudly beside her chair and rubbed at her eyes.

"Fucking idiot!" She burst out and Amy jumped. Her blue eyes rolled up to Linney's face in surprise and Linney clenched her teeth, gesturing at the bag. "That stupid fuck took some very bad stuff with him." Amy cocked her head to the side, a puzzled look on her face. "What do you mean, how do you know?"

Linney blinked at her and debated lying, but decided to just tell Amy the truth. "My dad was a drug dealer," she started and Amy's mouth dropped open, "I met Merle cause he came to steal my dad's stash, not weapons like we said." Amy closed her eyes for a second and then opened them again.

"You don't do any of them, do you?" Linney glared at her and crossed her arms in a huff. "No. Why does everyone just assume that I would?" Amy didn't say anything and Linney rolled her head around on her neck, trying to relieve the building tension. "No, I never did, if anything, him being involved in that shit made me hate it more than I can properly put words too."

Amy nodded and put her hand on Linney's knee, "Ok, so you think Merle took some bad stuff with him?" Linney's face creased with worry and she put her head into her hands for a second, wishing she had destroyed the drugs back on that very first day. She finally lifted her face and looked over at Amy.

"Yes, very bad, stuff that'll either make him hyper-aggressive, or hallucinate, or just plain pass out, depending on what he takes." Amy looked concerned now, "You don't think he'd hurt anyone, do you?" Linney shrugged, honestly not sure. Amy got to her knees and grabbed Linney's arms, shaking her roughly.

"Ow, Amy -"

"He wouldn't hurt Andrea, or Glenn, would he?" She shook harder, her hands tightening, and Linney pushed her off. "I don't think so Amy, it might make him want to get into more walker scraps than he should, though." She didn't say that she wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't get high and lose his mind and kill everyone, or throw himself off a bridge thinking he could fly. Amy's face settled and she nodded, "I'm going to put his stupid bag back now."

After Amy had gone, Linney got back to surveying her surroundings. When Amy didn't return, she assumed that meant her friend was done commiserating with a drug dealer's daughter. _That's not fair, you know she's not like that_, she told herself, but still felt the familiar sting of people's assumptions.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Shane smiled at the boy next to him, as he fiddled with the rope in his hands, trying to follow Shane's instructions to tie a perfect knot. He glanced up every now and then, trying to suppress his irritation with Amy, who was currently bothering everyone with her pacing and her worries that it was taking too long for the group on their run to get back. He looked back down at Carl and mussed the kid's hair up when the boy showed him his straggly knot.

"Try it again, man." He said, and watched as Carl unravelled the rope and started over. When he heard the radio crackle, he looked up sharply, like a dog drawn to a strange noise. They always had the radio set up whenever Glenn went on a run, so he could radio back to them, and after he'd lost the first walkie in the grocery store he'd met Linney in, they were down to one and Shane was worried about it being lost. But with such a big group going, he had no choice but to relinquish it to them.

The radio sat on a cooler on top of the RV, for better reception and he saw Linney hurl herself from her chair and rush towards it, nearly toppling off the vehicle in her mad scramble. _So fucking worried about that stupid redneck_, he thought with disgust. He'd overheard her conversation with Amy this morning and his opinion of her was definitely lessened. He knew the chances of a drug dealer's kid following in the footsteps of mom or dad, he used to encounter it all the time. He heard her brush it off angrily, like she was insulted and he had been irritated. _Belong's with those two fuckers,_ he thought, ungenerously, _white trash belongs with white trash_.

He and everyone else ran towards the CB as Linney grabbed the receiver and turned the knobs, trying to adjust for a better signal. They heard staticky snippets of words and all strained to understand them.

"Base Camp... come in... T-Dog... this is T-Dog." Amy ran to the ladder of the RV and put a hand on the bottom rung, pausing when T started speaking again. "Department store... can't... geeks everywhere... we're trapped... Base Ca-" The radio cut out with a huge crackle and Linney frantically twisted the knobs.

"He's gone! Dale! I can't... the signal's gone!" Linney cried, her voice strangled with fear. Dale gently pushed Amy from the ladder and climbed up to the roof of the RV and took the radio from Linney, forcing her back. Dale fiddled with it and then looked up to the sky, his eyes squinted at the dark clouds gathering there.

"Damn storm's interfering," Dale grumbled and finally hung the receiver up. He looked back at Linney and then down at everyone else. "Signal's gone." Linney slumped down and sat on the edge of the RV, her legs hanging over the side.

"We all heard that though, right?" She finally said miserably, "They're trapped at the department store?" Shane couldn't help but feel a ripple of guilt for his unkind thoughts about her earlier, when he saw her worry and anguish. Amy took a step towards Shane, glancing up at Linney quickly, before looking back up at him.

"So, we go get them, right?" Shane looked into her panicky blue eyes and grimaced, looking away. "Shane, we have to go get them," Amy insisted, taking a step closer. He looked back her and said nothing.

There was a thump and a rattle as Linney sprang up and raced down the ladder on the RV, trotting over to stand next to Amy. She put a hand on her friend's shoulder and turned to Shane, her green eyes sharp and burning.

"We go after them, right?" Shane stared back at her and shook his head slowly. Her nostrils flared in rage. "Why not!?" She exclaimed, her voice incredulous and angry. Everyone jumped, and he could hear Lori murmuring to Carl as she led him away. Linney took a step closer, staring up at Shane, her brow furrowed as she glared at him in disbelief and contempt.

"Answer me, Shane, goddammit! Are you too fucking scared to go? Guess you don't know what it's really like out there, do you? Been protected up here all this time." Shane looked around and saw everyone staring and pursed his mouth in anger. He reached down and grabbed Linney's shoulders, pushing her back roughly, past Amy, to the back of the RV, and he forced her up against the panelling, out of sight of everyone else.

"They knew the risk of going, they knew what would happen if they got stuck." He spoke in a low voice and squeezed her shoulders, his large hands wrapping all the way around them. Linney shoved at his chest to try and make him back off but he didn't. Her jaw clenched and her eyes snapped at him.

"They fucking volunteered to go, you stupid asshole, they were all good people, they deserve our help." She snarled at him, her face red with ire. Shane shook his head at her.

"Don't you understand what I'm saying? I'm thinking of everyone here. We can't be sending off more people to just die along with them." He squeezed her shoulders again and she winced. He glanced around quickly and saw that no one was nearby; Amy had obviously run off to mourn, and everyone else had scattered to discuss the situation. He shook her, "They're probably dead and you need to accept that and move on."

"I'll go then, let me take Daryl's truck, I'll get down there, and find them." Shane snorted at such a stupid plan. "How will you find them? If they're surrounded, how do you get in? I'm not letting anyone leave and that's final." She struggled some more and he squeezed her shoulders harder, feeling his fingers dig into her soft skin.

"You're hurting me." She said, her voice low and threatening. He smirked at her and squeezed even tighter.

"You just need to calm down now, Linney." His voice dropped down low and he leaned towards her to hiss, "Just one redneck left now, girl, not bad odds." He could see the feral side in her coming out and wondered what would happen if he pushed her further; would she kill him? He was turned on though, that he was absolutely sure of, and the feel of her struggling in his arms was making it hard for him to think.

Some far off part of his mind realized that he was crossing the line, that if he was caught right now, he'd be in shit. Linney's eyes were shining and hard and she moved to knee him, but he'd been expecting it and moved quicker than lightning. He twisted her around and pressed her face first against the RV, holding her hands together behind her back in a vice like grip.

He pressed up against her, pushing himself into her back, forcing her to feel just how turned on he was. She struggled to get away, gasping when he wrenched her arms painfully. He pushed the side of her face into the RV and spoke softly through gritted teeth.

"Just calm down, Linney. It's time to just settle down and not make me have to tie you up." The mental image was enticing, and she growled but settled, going limp. He released her roughly, and took a step back.

"I'm going to ruin you," she said raggedly. Images of Lori, Carl, Dale, Chad, everyone at camp, rushed through his head, images of people hating him, being disgusted with him, forcing him out or worse. He imagined Lori's grief intensified if she lost him, too. Carl without a father.

"You tell anyone and I'll fucking shoot Dixon in the head the second I see him," he shot back, his voice so menacing that Linney shuddered violently. "See? That's right, don't want the other redneck to go too, hey?" He taunted her, and her eyes turned to his slowly, the glower there confirming that he was making a hard and fast enemy.

He held her glare and she sneered at him, "Not if I kill you first." Shane chuckled and answered her threat, "No one's gonna believe some white trash little bitch like you, flauntin' it from the moment she got here, dealin' drugs just like her daddy, lettin' herself be passed around like a slut." Linney's face fell and she stared at him, all the fight gone from her body. He smiled and pointed at her, his expression a mixture of taunting and anger.

"They all know what you are, and trust me, they'd just as soon kick your ass outta the group. So watch your step and nothing has to happen."

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Dale sat completely frozen on the roof. He listened as Shane dragged the girl away from everyone and pushed her up against the RV. He listened as the big man threatened her, and he listened as the fight went out of her.

He couldn't move, and was deeply ashamed by his own inaction, but felt certain that had he intervened, things might have gone very, very badly for him and for her.

Dale listened as Linney sat at the foot of his ladder and cried and cursed and cried some more. And he didn't move.

***** I think it's obvious that I'm making Shane go crazy a little earlier than expected, but it was bound to happen!**


	29. Chapter 29

***** Enjoy everyone - I OWN NOTHING - except for Linney *****

Linney stayed curled up against the back end of the RV for over an hour, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. Part of her was furious that it even had, it didn't seem possible that he could jump from checking her out a little too often to attacking her, so quickly. Linney groaned, furious with herself for not stopping it or preventing it, and deeply furious with Shane for doing it. She leaned her head back against the RV and rubbed her shoulders, which were tender and throbbing. She knew that she was going to have a spectacular set of bruises and wondered how she could explain those away.

She eventually grew hot, thirsty, and cramped, and got up, moving on shaky feet to her tent. When she got inside, she kicked her boots off, and flung her hat across the tent, watching it rebound off the soft wall and roll under the bed. She climbed on to her and Daryl's bed, trying to will the feeling of Shane's hands on her away. She counted her own breaths and managed to focus.

_Think of the solution_, she thought to herself, _focus on what you can do_. She had to repeat to herself that Merle was not guaranteed to be dead, there was a strong possibility that he would make it out. He was nothing if not resourceful. _He promised he'd come back_, she told herself, _he'll want to prove you wrong, prove he could make it out, that you were overreacting_. She thought about the drugs he'd taken, about the looks of distaste most people shot him and moaned in worry, burying her face in her pillow.

Her mind rolled on to her encounter with Shane. She realized now how badly she had misjudged his interest in her. She thought about the vile things he'd said and tried to tell herself that he'd only said everyone thought so badly about her, because he wanted her to keep quiet about his assault. She shivered when remembering the way he'd pressed himself against her, how utterly terrified she'd been that he would rape her or kill her or both, just feet away from the rest of the group. _Shoulda pulled my knife on him, first chance I got. _

Linney rolled over restlessly, knowing that if she had, if she did now, she didn't stand a chance with this group. They'd force her out. She thought about Carl, about how he'd look at her, the betrayal on his small face. How could she explain to him what Shane had done, why he deserved it? Linney lay on her stomach and buried her head in Daryl's pillow and slowly nodded off, her mind and body reaching new heights of exhaustion.

When the loud whoops of an alarm tore through her sleep addled mind, Linney reached out blindly, trying to smack her alarm off. She sat up with a gasp, realizing she wasn't at home, it wasn't her old alarm clock wailing at her. The sound was gone suddenly and she could hear voices, lots of loud voices. Linney pushed herself to her feet and crammed her boots on. She paused to take a deep swig of the warm water sitting next to the bed, before leaving the tent and walking slowly towards the commotion.

What she saw brought her to an abrupt halt. Carl and Lori were wrapped around a strange man, Carl sobbing ecstatic tears of joy. Linney crept closer, to see who the man was.

"Holy shit," she muttered, realizing who he was from the pictures Carl had shown her. She wasn't even sure how it was possible. Rick was dead, everyone said so, but the proof he was living was right in front of her, kissing his wife's shocked face. Linney's eyes darted around and she saw Morales surrounded by his family, and Amy and Andrea standing together, both of them teary eyed. Linney ran towards them and hugged Andrea tightly.

"Oh my god, Andrea, it's good to see you." Linney lifted her face from Andrea's shoulder and looked up into her tight features. Andrea was staring at her, her expression tense. Linney jumped back, feeling guilty for mauling the woman. She was behaving like Amy would, and that was embarrassing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw myself at you, I'm just so happy and relieved that you're ok!" Linney looked over at Amy and nudged her friend. "See? Told ya it'd be fine." Amy gave her a tiny, forced smile and Linney felt her brow draw down in confusion. She looked over at Glenn and the smile on her face died when she saw his downcast expression and tight posture. _Oh Christ, what did Merle do? _

She heard a strange voice call her name and turned around to see Rick looking at her, still standing with his family, Carl wound around him so tightly she thought he'd never let go.

"You're Linney?" He asked and she nodded slowly, taking in his sheriff's uniform, which seemed strange and out of place. He gently detached his son from himself and stepped towards her, his face laden with regret and sympathy. Linney shook her head, denying his words before he could say them.

"No, no, no, no, no..." She whispered, backing away from him. He swallowed hard and reached a hand out to rest on her shoulder. Linney looked up at him, beseeching him with her eyes. "Please don't say it," she said, her voice breaking, "don't tell me he's dead." Rick took a deep breath and glanced over at Glenn and T-Dog, who stood close together, and Linney followed his gaze and saw the looks of guilt on their faces so heavy that Linney had to look away.

"He's not dead." Rick finally said. Linney blinked and let out the shaking breath she'd been holding in.

"I don't understand." She said, looking into his intense blue eyes as if she'd find the answer in them. Glenn came and stood next to her, putting a hand on her arm. Linney looked over at him, the confusion on her face and in her mind so thick, she felt like she couldn't understand anything anymore.

"Merle went crazy, Lin." Glenn said, and Linney's stomach twisted. _The drugs, the fucking drugs, fuck fuck fuck._ "He was shooting at the walkers from the roof of the building, drawing them in." Glenn turned away and ripped his hat off his head and ran his hands through his dark hair, before turning back to her. "He attacked T-Dog, pulled a gun, said he was the leader now. He was crazy, Lin, he'd lost his mind." Linney clenched her jaw and forced herself to focus, to not cry or freak out, as her mind sifted through his words.

Rick touched her arm and she turned back to him, "I disarmed him, handcuffed him to something, to get him to calm down." Linney's eyes opened wide and she looked around at the gathered people.

"Where is he?" She asked, her voice rising in pitch. Rick looked over at T-Dog and then he looked back at Linney. "He's still there, chained to the roof. We had to leave, we were being overwhelmed, T-Dog tried to unlock him, but the key was lost in the heat of the moment. We had to leave, we had to leave him."

Linney's mind felt like it spun upside down, before landing in a sickening lump inside her head. She had images of Merle being eaten alive, chained, unable to free himself, screaming for help, racing sickeningly through her mind's eye. Her stomach roiled lazily at the thought of Merle, her Merle, being torn to shreds, of joining the legions of dead.

Linney clenched her arms across her stomach, feeling queasy, and stumbled back several steps from Rick, shaking her head. Rick slowly approached her and she felt her traitorous lower lip trembling, giving away her immense, building, crushing, grief. Linney tripped as she moved backwards and landed hard on her behind. Amy broke from her sister and ran to Linney.

"Get away! Get away!" Linney yelled, scooting back several feet on the ground before getting to her feet clumsily. She felt the tears coming in earnest then, leaking steadily from her eyes, while she looked around at everyone. She looked to Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, and then finally Rick.

"How could you just _leave_ him there?! To die! How could you?! Chained like a fucking _animal_!" She shrieked the last word so loudly that her throat burned. Her watery eyes were moving over all of their faces so quickly, it made her dizzy. Her gaze landed on Carl and saw him hugging his mother, his face twisted in sadness. Sadness for her. _Oh Daryl, where are you?_

Linney's face finally crumpled and she sank to the ground, sobbing. Mourning the loss of the man who had filled a void she didn't even realize she would need, thinking this new world didn't require certain bonds anymore. No one to call her 'sweetheart' or 'shithead' in that gravelly, arrogant voice. Linney felt a hand on her back and looked up to see Lori there, her own eyes still wet, and she let the thin woman pull her up into a hug.

Linney woodenly walked back to her tent and sat on her bed. Barely aware when Lori began to help her get ready for bed, like a child, pulling off her boots and socks, helping her remove her weapons, her belt, her long sleeved shirt. Linney lay down on her side and Lori briefly rubbed her shoulder before leaving. Linney realized she had been saying, "Please just go," over and over again, until Lori finally did.

That was when she fully and completely allowed herself to grieve, alone, in their dark tent.

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No one expected her to react any differently, but he'd never felt so bad about something in his entire life. Amy was the one who filled him in quickly on the bizarre relationship between Merle and Linney. Rick couldn't understand it. He sat around the warm fire, his son in his lap, his wife curled up against his side and felt a sense of contentment he could hardly believe, despite his sadness for Linney.

He looked across at Shane, who had been sitting silently almost all through dinner and for the hour afterwards they spent companionably around the fire. His friend smiled at him and Rick felt another surge of gratitude for the man; they'd been friends since childhood, but he still never imagined that Shane could have saved Lori and Carl, taken care of them like they were his own.

He glanced over to the Morales family, happily clumped together and Amy cuddled next to her sister. He felt happiness, dizzying, overwhelming happiness, to be among them, to see them together. But when he thought back to the look of absolute devastation on the girl's face, his stomach twisted painfully.

"Her real dad died, turned, tried to kill her. She killed him and then Daryl and Merle found her." Amy paused and laughed, "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but her dad was a drug dealer, I think her life was pretty shitty before." There were murmurs around the fire and Rick thought back to all the cases of abused and neglected children he'd dealt with, and his heart went out to Linney.

"Merle came to steal her dad's drugs, she said that she figured if anyone was left alive in their town, it would be him," everyone chuckled, and Amy continued, "She ambushed them, Daryl and Merle, held Merle at gunpoint, threatening to kill him if they didn't take her with them." Everyone laughed again and Amy looked around at them, before settling her gaze on Rick.

"They agreed to let her come with them obviously, Merle got to take all the drugs her dad left behind, and off they went." Rick nodded, wondering at such an unlikely pair. He had yet to meet the younger Dixon, but what he had heard so far wasn't good. He wasn't looking forward to meeting the man, to telling him what they'd done to his brother. Deserved or not, he felt undeniably guilty about leaving a man chained to the roof to die. Hadn't he lectured Merle about how the living had to stick together? Then they proceeded to sacrifice him to make their getaway.

Amy sighed and tossed a small twig into the fire, "That stupid, crazy redneck loved that girl, though, it was so funny. They were constantly at each other's throats, constantly pushing each other, but they loved every second of it, you could tell."

Dale piped up then, "Does anyone know if Merle had any children of his own?" Everyone looked around and shook their heads or shrugged. Dale stroked his chin and bobbed his head, "Well, I ask, because it occurs to me that they were maybe filling an empty space in each other's lives: she lost a father, he lost a child."

Rick stared at him, feeling his stomach turn again. When Carl snored lightly in his lap, he was distracted, re-focused on his own happiness and he turned to Lori, a soft smile on his face. "Shall we go to bed?"

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

For Linney, it was the longest night of her life. Her heart literally hurt when she thought about Merle. Was he alive right now? Was he a walker chained to a roof? Was he laying on the roof, staring up at the sky? She wished she knew exactly where Daryl was, she wanted to find him.

She worried about tomorrow and a whole new kind of sadness rolled over her. His. Daryl and Merle did not always like each other, but they were tight. They loved each other, even if it was only because of shared blood, at times. She was certain that tomorrow would be bad, very, very bad. Linney rolled over and stretched her arm across his side of the bed. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't there at night, neither of them were. She'd been left behind and couldn't think of a single thing to do.

She knew that she still wanted to head to the city, to find Merle, to kill him if he'd turned, or to free him if he was trapped. So, with that thought in mind, Linney got to her feet and dressed, layering on the weapons. She stepped out of the tent and crept slowly through the camp. She moved carefully, staying in the shadows, not wanting the people on watch to see her.

When she made it to the row of vehicles, she went to Daryl's truck, knowing that he'd left the keys on the dash, like most of the other vehicles. Cracking open the door, she searched in the dark and couldn't find the keys. _Shane_, she thought, _he took the keys._ She knew immediately, without looking, that the other cars would have their keys gone as well. Linney sat in the dark truck and gave brief thought to going to his tent and somehow taking them.

She sighed heavily; that was not an option, he was dangerous, and for the first time she wondered what Rick's arrival was going to mean for Shane. His driving force, the thing he lived for now, was Carl and Lori. She was nervous as she thought about what that might mean for _her_. Linney ran her hands along the dash and inhaled the smell of the truck; it smelled comfortingly like Daryl. She lay down on the seat, on her side and stared at the darkness around her.

She didn't cry again, she couldn't, but she fell asleep with her face twisted down into an expression of sadness.

***** Shorter chapter, but I didn't want it to bleed into the next day :) It deserved it's own chapter, hope you liked it - don't worry, weepy Linney doesn't stick around for long. Ass kicking Linney is just around the corner *****


	30. Chapter 30

***** Holy crap, you guys - I made it to chapter 30 ****_and_**** there's a new episode on tonight - a Daryl episode at that - huzzah! *** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney!**

That night was the longest night of Shane's life, and he'd had some long ones in his time. He felt like he was walking around on a weird tilt, on unsteady, uneven ground, all night long.

When Glenn had pulled up in that ridiculous stolen car, he'd been tempted to deck him for possibly putting them in danger, no matter what stupid shit Dale said about echoes. When the truck pulled up afterwards though, he'd been able to look past his irritation, genuinely pleased to Morales' little boy fling himself into his dad's arms, his sister and mom not far behind.

"I told you, I'd come home." He had murmured to them, walking over to the fire pit with them. Shane smiled and shook his head as the always dramatic Amy ran to her sister in tears and hugged her tight enough to nearly choke her.

There were some genial pleasantries and hello's with the guys. Shane shook hands with T and Morales and was surprised when they called out for 'helicopter boy'. When it was Rick that rounded the corner of T's truck though, Shane could feel all the color drain out from the day around him. He could quite honestly say, he'd never been so surprised in his entire life. He was overwhelmed with immediate, powerful, emotion and Rick's features twisted in disbelief as he saw Shane gaping back at him.

When Carl shrieked, "Dad!", Shane watched Rick's face change from disbelief to reverential awe as he ran for his son, grabbing him and clutching him to his chest, falling to his knees sobbing. Shane felt his throat catch and watched as Lori shot him one wide-eyed look and then threw herself at Rick, clutching at him like he might disappear.

He smiled, because inside he felt like someone had stirred him all up, messed around the way things were supposed to fit and he wasn't sure that he would be able to keep up a happy grin for long. He and Lori had made love in the woods, just this morning, gently, the way she liked it, and now that was over forever. He glanced at Lori and saw her eyes still open wide, like she couldn't figure out how to close them. _Will she tell Rick_? Shane glanced around, watching as the others around camp were openly crying at the scene unfolding before them.

Glenn sidled up to him and murmured, "Where's Linney?" Shane turned to look at him sharply, wondering what the kid was getting at, but when he looked down, Glenn was shame-faced and worried.

"Spill it." Shane insisted, shortly. Glenn took a deep breath and gave him the run down of what had happened with Merle, and now Shane really had to work to keep a grin _off_ his face. The fact that Merle's behavior was the reason he was now out of the picture was even better than the group being stranded and him never coming back.

"I'm worried about Linney, we warned Rick on the drive up about her and Daryl, how they might react. He's insisting he be the one that tells them." Glenn's whisper was heavy with dread and Shane glanced over at him, nodding.

"Holy shit," he heard Linney murmur, and looked up. She walked right past him and Glenn, her eyes glued to Carl and Lori, like she was seeing a ghost, which Shane supposed they all were.

"Gonna get his chance, pretty quick," Shane muttered to Glenn, who nodded, and plodded slowly off to T-Dog's side. He watched as she ran to Andrea, who looked shell-shocked, only now beginning to wake from the wonderful little dream sequence they'd all just witnessed with the Grimes family. She looked startled as she stared down at Linney. Shane stepped back, a little behind the Morales station wagon. He wanted to observe, but not interfere.

Her confusion at the expressions on the faces around her was evident, and he saw Rick take a deep breath and call out to her, doing the right thing, like he always did. Shane had known the man long enough to tell by his facial expressions when Rick was seeing something he hadn't expected. He was now. Shane wondered if they'd bothered to mention to Rick on the drive back that she wasn't some ugly harpy, some drug riddled slag.

Rick was always a sucker for those that he considered the weak or downtrodden, Shane was remembering, and Linney certainly looked weak now. Her hair was a dark snarl down her back, her skin was pale, her eyes enormous, and Shane could see bruises all over the place. Old ones from her tangle in the tent with Ed, and a spray of new reddish purple ones around her shoulders. _From you, those are from you, you did that_, his mind chastised him. He knew that she looked vulnerable, frightened, and in desperate need of comfort. One quick glance at Rick told him that the girl had already won him over, that Rick saw her as someone who needed to be protected.

He barely listened as his best friend and Glenn tried to tell her what had happened. He watched her lose it and was again struck by how strongly she felt the loss of the useless redneck. Her watched her growing disbelief and anger, her rage that they had left him behind to flee the city. He watched her collapse, like a puppet whose strings had been slashed, and Lori ran to her, her mothering instincts kicking in. He watched her lead Linney away to her tent and he had to clamp down on his smile.

His earlier words to her ran through his head, "_Just one redneck left now, girl, not bad odds."_ The words had been more for himself than for her and he turned back to Rick, reaching out to embrace his friend, his smile large and genuine.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Shane kicked dirt over the fire that night, wondering about some of the people at the camp. Lori and Rick had gone off together, Carl curled up in Rick's arms and he had watched them, bile in his throat. He had spent the whole night fighting with himself, fighting to keep his emotions from his face, to choke back the words he wanted scream. Lori kept looking at him like he was a villain, and everyone else was wrapped up in Rick's hypnotic tale of survival.

Amy explained the charming level of connection between Linney and the dumbass they'd left on the roof, and Shane wanted to laugh. True or not, the man had been a ticking time bomb, just waiting to go off and he was tired of people trying to humanize him. Rick and everyone else seemed touched by the story, though, and Shane had chomped down on the inside of his cheek to keep from sneering when Dale proposed that they were truly a father-daughter team.

Shane stomped past Lori's tent and saw the light turned on dimly, but knew that it didn't mean the same thing anymore, never would again. He stood staring at the tent, at the shape of Rick moving around inside, and he felt a surge of hatred that was bitter and strong. He realized that he loved Rick, but he hated him more. Back at his tent, he lay inside and drank slowly from a bottle of whiskey he'd been saving all this time. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling and he knew that in terms of Rick, Lori, and Carl, his role had ended.

He thought about Linney, all alone in her big tent and probably crying. He felt a pang for her; obviously the rednecks had been working on her, making her feel like Carol, like she owed them, and now in a twisted sense of obligation, she was mourning for the loss of one of them. He drank from the bottle in his hand, a deep swig that went down smooth and then thrust it to the ground.

_Am I the leader or ain't I?_ He thought, climbing to his feet unsteadily, getting out of his tent. _Leader keeps his people safe, keeps 'em happy and in line_. As he staggered towards her tent, he prepared himself for her to lash out, to be angry; he'd have to convince her, have to make her see that he was what she needed. That he could save her, keep her safe and unmolested, out of the grubby hands of the remaining Dixon.

He didn't bother to call out to her, he just opened the door and stepped in, looking around in confusion at the empty tent. _Probably in the RV_, he thought, even his mind slurring at this point. He walked out of their tent, tripping on the end of the bed and knocking part of it over. He landed heavily on his chest and grimaced as the air left his lungs in a whoosh. Shane crawled away from the tent, leaving the door open and dragging a part of the bedding out on his foot. He kicked it off in irritation and then staggered to his feet.

He got to the RV, nodding to the man on watch, who was staring down at him curiously and he walked up to the door. His hand paused above the plastic panel, realizing dimly that the vehicle was dark, everyone was asleep. He let his arm drop back down and stood staring out at the dim camp, there were a couple faint lights lighting up the tents like weird little spaceships and he shook his head as his vision grew blurry, the large amount of whiskey he'd consumed in such a short space of time catching up to him.

Somehow, he made it to his tent and he slept, his dreams twisted and weird, filled with images of Lori and Linney.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The next morning continued on in the same euphoric haze the previous day had. He looked around at the camp, saw his son running around giggling, playing tag with a little girl. His wife hung wash on a line to dry and he stopped to drink in the sight of her. She was so beautiful he felt dizzy. She smiled at him in greeting and he wanted to draw her into his arms, and have her again. Her hair fell in dark curls and waves down her back, covering her slender frame. He drank in her warm dark eyes and brilliant smile and swore to himself that he'd never lose her again.

He was touched when he found that someone had prepared breakfast for him, that yet someone else had washed his clothes, drying and ironing them. Rick smiled at his wife and looked around camp, absorbing the homey feel, the scattering of tents and laundry lines, the tarps organized around little communal sections.

Even the RV seemed to be a gathering place, where he saw Glenn and Andrea's younger sister sitting in lawn chairs, close together, giggling over something, while Dale and Jim poked around in the engine compartment, sharing knowledge and joking with each other. His mind briefly turned to Linney and he felt sick, realizing what he needed to do to make things right.

"I've been thinking about the man we left behind." He finally said, watching Lori hang up one of Carl's little shirts. Her hands froze and her eyes were large and angry when she looked up at him.

"You can't be serious." She replied, her tone disbelieving. Rick looked back and forth between her eyes and then away.

"It's the right thing to do, Lori. He's dangerous, he's an asshole, and yeah, no one likes him very much, but he's someone's family. He is something important to two members of this camp and we left him to die like an animal in a cage."

"Merle Dixon wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire," Lori spat out, her tone low and venomous. He ran a hand through his hair and gestured at her.

"Wouldn't you want someone to go back for me?" She glared hard at him and took a step around the clothes line to point a finger in his chest. "This is not your job, you just found us, why are you leaving so soon?" Rick just looked steadily at her and then rubbed his face.

"Lori, you saw that poor girl's face. I did that. That's on me, I can't stay here and look at her everyday knowing that because of me her family is dead all over again." Lori's eyes closed and her face was pained.

"Rick," she whispered, "I like Linney, I really do, and god knows Carl worships her, and I feel terrible for her, but Merle Dixon is not worth your life!" She said the last bit loudly and he saw Carol and Andrea shoot anxious looks over at them.

He opened his mouth to respond but the sound of the children shrieking in terror tore them from the moment. Lori's face went pale as she whipped towards the sound of their son screaming for her and they raced off, all thought of Merle, Linney and anyone else gone from their minds.

Rick ran into the woods, Shane, Dale, T-Dog, Glenn, and Jim tearing after him. Sophia and Carl dashed through the trees, their little faces pale and terrified and threw themselves at their mothers. Rick didn't stop his headlong rush into the forest, knowing the threat was still out there.

As they burst into a small clearing, they all came to a halt at the sight of the lone walker, bent over the deer carcass, eating slowly. He glanced over at Shane, who nodded, and the men all fell on the creature at the same time. He could sense their anger and fear at this interloper, vaguely hearing Amy say in a strangled voice to her sister, behind them, that this was the first one to make it up to camp.

They hacked, stabbed and beat at the thing, their breaths coming out in harsh rasps and angry growls. Finally Dale swung down with an axe and it's head flew off in a spray of blood.

"They've never come this close before," Glenn gasped out, bent over to catch his breath. The tall man, Jim, looked around, his face pale and drawn, "They're running out of food in the city, heading up into the mountains." Rick nodded at him, barely listening, his senses heightened. He noticed the bizarre sight of the arrows stuck in the animal's haunches and his brow crinkled briefly, trying to figure out what he was seeing, how they could get there.

A noise in the brush caught their attention and they all took on ready stances, prepared to end the further threat. When the man in the white shirt came stomping through the trees he stopped abruptly at the sight of everyone brandishing weapons at him.

"Whoah," he muttered, putting his arm with the crossbow attached to it in the air. They lowered their weapons and the man stepped through them.

"Aw fuck," the guy muttered, taking in the sight of the half-eaten deer, and the decapitated walker laying next to it. Rick jumped when the guy lost his temper and started kicking at the dead creature, calling it names with each kick.

"Now, calm down, son." Dale offered, gesturing at the man, who looked up at Dale, his face twisting with irritation.

"Don't fuckin' tell me to calm down, old man, spent all day trackin' this thing!" Rick watched as he crouched next to the deer and examined it's torn open neck.

"Think we can salvage it?" He asked, looking back up at Shane and T-Dog. They shook their heads and he gestured at the eaten parts, carving a circle in the air above them. "Maybe could cut out this bit part here."

Shane cleared his throat, resting his arms on his gun, which was slung behind his neck, "Wouldn't recommend that." The man with the crossbow nodded in regret.

"That's a damn shame," he finally muttered, kicking out at the walker one last time. They all jumped when they realized the head was still alive, biting and snapping at the air around it. Rick looked down at it, his stomach turning sickeningly, watching the thing snarl at them from the ground, hungry for their flesh despite not having a body.

He glanced up at the newcomer, whose face was twisted with utter disgust. He quickly and casually shifted his crossbow up and shot a bolt into the thing's eye, silencing it immediately. They watched as he bent down to grab the arrow, resting a boot against the head to pull it out. It came out with a squishy pop, a red ribbon of blood swinging through the air after it.

The guy wiped the arrow on his pant leg and looked around at them like they were all idiots.

"It's gotta be the brain, don't ya'll know nothin?" His voice was irritated and scathing and he bent to pick up the string of squirrels he'd been carrying, marching past them, back towards camp. Rick followed the guy with his eyes, his worry building in his stomach, suspecting who the man was.

They followed him in a group back to camp, watching as he stomped towards the kitchen area, nodding in greeting at Andrea and Amy.

"Merle! Linney! Get your asses out here!" He called out loudly, his voice a mixture of rough tone and distracted greeting. He dropped his crossbow, yelling again, "Got us some squirrel, let's stew em up!" He looked around in confusion when no one answered.

Shane and Rick looked at one another and Shane nodded his head towards the hunter. Daryl Dixon was home.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney sat up in the stifling heat of the morning sun, baking and dry inside the truck. She had heard yelling, thought maybe it was the kids, but when she looked out the window groggily, she saw Carl and Sophia back at the RV, cuddled against their mothers who were talking to Jacqui and the Morales woman, their faces concerned and tight.

She cracked open the windows and leaned against the seat, feeling the air from outside sweep in, refreshing against her hot skin. She swallowed and realized how thirsty she was. Linney glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that her face was pale, her eyes red and puffy, the circles under them so pronounced it wouldn't be a stretch to think that she'd been punched in the face.

She rubbed a hand at the deep groove running across her cheek. Obviously she'd slept on the rubber line that separated the places on the large bench seat. Linney winced, her eyes closing, when she realized that today was going to be a very bad day.

"Merle! Linney! Get your asses out here!" Linney leapt when she heard Daryl yell out, his voice it's normal scratchy tone. She grappled with the handle of the truck door, pushing it open and almost falling to her knees on the dirt in her rush to get out. She ran around the front of the truck as she heard him call out again.

Up ahead, she could see Shane and Rick making their way over to Daryl and she raced towards them, her feet tearing at the dirt below her. She shoved past T-Dog, knocked Glenn to the ground, and finally skidded to a stop in front of Daryl.

He looked at her, completely bewildered, taking in her face, her disheveled clothes, her wild hair. Instead of throwing herself at him, like she desperately wanted to, she turned her back to Daryl, putting herself between him and Shane. Shane smirked at her and her hands twitched at the sides of her hips, over her guns. Rick looked at her confusedly, eyeing her aggressive stance, the look on her face and he put his hands in the air, holding them up for peace.

Shane took a step towards her and Linney's hand flashed up to the knife on her arm, pulling it out and spinning it in her hands, so she was lightly holding the blade with her fingertips. Shane's eyes darted to the knife and he froze, his face smoothing out as he remembered what she was capable of. Linney bared her teeth at him in a furious grin and didn't turn when she felt Daryl's hand tentatively settle on her back.

"What the fuck is going on?"

***** Daryl's back! *****


	31. Chapter 31

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

"There was a problem in Atlanta." Shane said, his voice hard and steady. Linney glared at him and snorted, thinking that he was certainly simplifying the situation. Daryl's hand dropped from her back and she heard him take a step away, a strangled noise in his throat as he tried to speak. Linney ached to look back at him, but didn't dare take her eyes from Shane, who was moving slowly with Rick, away from her, to the side.

"Is he dead?" Daryl finally said, his voice low and stiff. Linney clenched her teeth and took a step back, to stand next to him. Shane scratched his head, trying to think of what to say and Linney risked a quick peek up at Daryl. His blue eyes were hard and narrowed. He glanced down at her, his gaze flickering over her defensive features for a moment, before leaping back to Shane.

"It's complicated." Shane finally answered. Linney growled under her breath, taking a step towards Shane. Daryl reached a hand out, automatically, grabbing her shoulder and yanking her back to his side.

"He either is or he ain't!" He snapped, lips twisting in a sneer. Linney swallowed and her eyes darted over to Rick.

"Tell him, tell him what you did." She spat out, the contempt and anger in her voice making Daryl stiffen next to her. Rick nodded at her, his eyes soft and sympathetic as he took in her furious posture, and he turned to Daryl, smoothing his features out.

"No easy way to say this," the sheriff began, his eyes moving back and forth between Daryl's own, "Merle got out of control, dangerous - we handcuffed him to a piece of metal on a roof and left him there." Daryl gaped at the man, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His head dropped down and he took in a few quick breaths, before turning away, pacing a few steps away. Linney's arm with the knife relaxed and she dropped it to her side, as she turned to him.

"Hang on, let me jus' process this," Daryl began, briefly whirling his hands next to his head. Linney took a step towards him and stopped when he turned around and looked past her, like she wasn't there. He glared hard at Rick, "You're sayin' ya handcuffed my brother to a roof?"

Rick nodded slowly, the regret on his face palpable. He opened his mouth to say something but Daryl took a hard step towards him and yelled, his voice enraged and disbelieving, "_An' you left him there?_!" Daryl's eyes were slightly crazed and Linney knew he was thinking the same things she had, last night. He glanced at her, breathing hard and she tried to control her expression, but knew her face was twisted with pain.

Rick took a step towards them, spreading his hands in front of himself, "Yes, I'm sorry." His voice was firm but the feeling behind his words was obvious. Linney flinched when everything seemed to happen all at once. Daryl roared incoherently and threw the string of squirrels from around his shoulder at Rick.

Rick ducked and Daryl dove for him. Linney cried out as she reached for Daryl, trying to stop him. Shane barreled into Daryl, smashing him to the ground before he could get to Rick. Daryl and Shane rolled across the ground and the bigger man tried to pin Daryl to the ground. Linney moved quickly, yanking a knife out and hurling it at Shane.

Everyone stopped moving as the knife sliced through the air in a flash, burying itself to the hilt, into the ground, an inch from Shane's forehead.

"Get off him, now!" She snarled at him, her hand whipping down to her ankle and yanking out another small knife. "Next one's through the eye, you fucking prick." He released Daryl and moved slowly, his eyes fixed on the knife in her fingers. She followed his every move, shaking with anger. Daryl glanced down at the knife in the ground and then back up at her, his eyes wide. He shoved Shane away from him, harder than necessary, and got to his feet. He stayed in a defensive crouch, ready for another attack.

Daryl looked up at Linney as she took an aggressive step towards Shane, and his eyes widened in anger. He started to get up, started to launch towards her. Linney followed his gaze and was just in time to see Morales charging her. She didn't have any time to react. He tackled her to the ground, knocking the knife out of her hand. She slammed into the dirt and he held her down tightly, obviously trying to not hurt her, but also desperate to end the threat she posed.

Daryl was smashed to the ground again as Shane pounced. Linney cried out as they wrestled and Shane finally pulled him down into a vicious chokehold. She kicked at Morales, struggling to get away.

"Get the fuck off me!" She screamed, her face red. "Linney, calm down." Morales said in her ear, his voice pleading with her. Her face was in the dirt and she spat out a mouthful of it. Daryl's eyes were locked on her, so enraged that she worried he'd fight too hard and Shane would kill him.

"You best let her go." He growled, his voice dangerous and ragged. Shane chuckled and leaned towards him, "I don't think that's a good idea right now." His darks eyes flickered up to Linney and he grinned, "She's got them fancy knives, and a quick little temper." Daryl struggled harder and Linney saw his face turning red. She yelled at Shane from the ground, "Chokehold is illegal! You lying, dirty, fucking -"

She was cut off by Rick who knelt in front of her, his face twisted with regret at the sight of her being held down. "Please Linney, just let us talk." She stared at him, and his face was so open, so earnest, so honest, that she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, nodding. Rick got to his feet with a sigh and looked to Morales.

"Let her up, disarm her." He instructed. She let herself be dragged to her feet and stood with her arms out as Morales took all her weapons, handing them off to Chad behind him. Daryl panted in Shane's arms, watching everything. Linney looked over at him and felt sick. _Everything is so fucked up._

When her weapons had been taken, Morales stood behind her, holding her wrists behind her back, wary of her, even unarmed.

"I want to have a calm and rational discussion with you," Rick said, bending down to Daryl's level. "There's no need for this reaction, let me discuss this with you." Daryl glared up at the man and then turned to look past him.

"Let 'er go." He grumbled, looking back up at Rick. Rick held his gaze for a few seconds and nodded. He turned to Morales and waved a hand at him. "Let her go, man." Morales released her and she stumbled away, taking cautious steps towards Daryl, Rick and Shane, gathered on the ground.

Rick nodded at Shane, who released Daryl with a grunt, shoving him violently away from himself. Daryl fell to his knees, before getting up and regaining his feet. He glared at Shane and then turned to Linney. She stood a few feet away and stared at him, one side of her face and all down her front covered in dirt, one of her hands bleeding from where she'd cut herself on the knife blade she'd been grasping in her fingertips when Morales tackled her. He stared at the hand and watched as it dripped blood to the ground, once, twice, three times.

Daryl yanked a red bandana from his back pocket and stepped towards her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her hand up, twisting the rag around her wounds. Linney stood close against his side, holding her sore hand in the good one. Daryl took a step slightly ahead of her, his arm dropping down across her body, holding her back and shielding her at the same time.

Linney stood frozen as Rick, Glenn and T-Dog all explained what had happened; Merle's behavior, what he had said and done. Linney closed her eyes, drooping against Daryl's arm, wishing it was over. He was stiff, his anger towards the group and towards his brother etched into every part of his face.

When T-Dog informed Daryl in a low voice that he had dropped the key when he went back to free Merle, Daryl stood up straighter, glaring angrily over the man.

"Ya couldn't pick it up?" He snapped, his face twisted in rage. The big man shook his head, regret and shame in every move. "I dropped it down a drain," he answered, his disgust with himself evident in his voice.

Linney closed her eyes again, imagining the moment, Merle's likely surge of relief smothered by the loss of hope the fallen key represented. Daryl snorted, his tone so scathing when he replied, that T-Dog took a step back.

"If that's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." Daryl stopped, the muscles in his jaw ticking furiously. He looked down at Linney again and she was incapable of saying anything to comfort him. His eyes closed and when he opened them, they looked watery and hard. Linney felt her face slowly crumpling at his forlorn expression, watching him try to choke back his loss and grief. She leaned her head towards him, resting her forehead on his shoulder, but made no further move to comfort him.

"I chained the door, padlocked it, no walkers could get to him - not through that chain, that padlock." T-Dog said, his voice deep and pleading. Daryl swiped angrily at his eyes before turning back to T-Dog, and then looking over at everyone else. The entire camp was there, loosely gathered around them, watching this whole horrible scene unfold. Linney had never felt so cornered and alone, it felt like it was the two of them against everyone.

Daryl shook his head one last time, angrily, and stepped away from Linney, waving an arm out at them, shouting in frustration, "Hell with all ya'll! Jus' tell me where he is, so I can go get 'im." Rick took in a deep breath and she was startled when Lori stepped forward, glancing over at Linney with hard eyes before speaking to Daryl in a soft voice, "Rick already plans on going back for him, isn't that right?"

Daryl's posture changed, he stood at attention, and glared over at Rick, who nodded slowly, "I'm not going to leave him there to die," his voice was soft and sincere and Daryl nodded at him.

"You'll go alone? You know that's fucking suicide!" Shane barked at him, his disbelief plain on his face. Daryl glared at him, but Rick just nodded and then paused. He turned to Glenn who wilted under the expression on the sheriff's face. "Aw man, no way!" Glenn exclaimed, his face suddenly panicked.

Rick stepped quickly towards him, placing a hand on Glenn's shoulder and squeezing, "You know where to go, how to get in and out quickly. We need you, Glenn." Glenn heaved in a big breath and finally nodded his agreement. Rick clapped him on the shoulder and turned back to Shane.

"So three of you are going to go and die then?" Shane spat out, his face dark. T-Dog stepped forward. "No, four of us. I'm goin' too. It's my fault he's trapped." Daryl turned towards the man and frowned.

"Why the hell do you wanna go?" His voice was suspicious and his eyes narrowed down to angry slits. T-Dog drew himself up and squared his shoulders, looking Daryl in the eye.

"You wouldn't understand." The big man answered, his voice tight with pride. Daryl snorted and looked back to Rick. "Let's get fuckin' going then."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"If you tell me not to go, I'll smack ya." He grumbled at her, digging through the bag of weapons in the tent. Linney sat on the edge of their bed, having righted it when they got to the tent. She barely had time to register that the tent was messed up, she was so fixated on Daryl.

"I won't, I wouldn't." She answered, sharply. He glanced over at her from his kneeled position on the floor. "Please, let me -" She began, her voice heavy and pleading. He cut her off.

"No, Linney, just no, you ain't comin'." His face was hard and he turned back to the bag and pulled out a gun, digging for the box of ammo that went with it. Linney slid to the ground next to the bed, sitting back on her knees, watching him pull out spare bolts for the crossbow.

"Fine." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked away, back at the door to the tent, where it hung open. He sighed and reached out gently and grasped her chin, turning her back to face him.

"Linney," he said, his voice gravelly and deep. She watched him closely, not sure what he wanted to say. He pressed his lips together and made to turn away but she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly, burying her face in his neck.

"Please, just come back, please promise me you'll come back." She begged, speaking into the stubble on his neck. His hands came up hesitantly to squeeze her to him and he spoke into her hair. "I'll do my best." He replied and she pushed away from him, getting to her feet and stomping over to the door.

"No! You promise me you're coming back, no matter what happens, or so help me I'll follow you on my own!" She was yelling at him, so upset she could hardly think. Her mind was a confused jumble and she could only think that he would find Merle and they'd take off, leaving her behind.

He grumbled and turned back to the bag, gathering the last few things, tucking them into a backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. He got to his feet, pushing past her at the door, storming off towards the truck that Rick had arrived in, the truck they were taking back to the city. Linney ran after him, calling his name in fury. They tore past everyone gathered in little clumps along the front of the camp, Shane and Rick arguing, Lori and Carl sitting solemnly, Glenn and Amy in deep conversation, everyone else sitting about, still stunned from the morning's tense scene.

He finally stopped and rounded on her, "Quit followin' me! I'm goin' n' I said I'd try my best!" His chest was heaving and his eyes were narrowed angrily. Linney clenched her teeth together and stepped close to him, standing toe to toe, looking up at him, wanting to punch him. Her hands were curled into fists at her sides as she held his burning eyes.

He pulled in a deep breath and she suddenly lost her will to fight him anymore. She felt like she'd spent the past 24 hours doing nothing but _feel_ for him, _feel_ for Merle, and she was tired of it.

"Fine, fuck you, you redneck piece of shit." She spat at him, she waved at the truck and swallowed hard. "Just go and find your brother, get him off that fucking roof." He nodded at her and she turned to walk away.

His hand whipped out and snatched her arm, pulling her back, spinning her around to face him. She pushed against his chest once, smacking him, hard. He glared down at her and she glared back up at him.

"God help me, ya little coward." He growled in her face and she took an angry breath, ready to berate him. He leaned down and kissed her then, stopping her from saying a thing. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tip toes, kissing him back, hard, and with a wild kind of emotion. When they pulled apart he grinned at her and swiped his hand over his face, wiping off the dirt that had transferred from her face to his.

He took a step back and turned, walking away, "See ya later," he tossed casually over his shoulder. She stood and watched him go, watched him climb into the truck and dump his stuff on the ground in the back. Glenn trotted over to the truck and climbed into the driver's seat. Rick walked by her then, a small smile on his face. She put her hand out and placed it on his arm.

When he turned back to her, her expression was desperate, her voice strained with how suddenly terrified she was at the notion of Daryl going into the same city that had swallowed his brother.

"Please Rick, please bring him home." He held her gaze and nodded before smiling a little at her.

"I intend to." He said in reply. Linney stood in the same place, in the center of the open space and watched T-Dog and Rick get bolt cutters from Dale, watched Daryl nearly kick Glenn in the head as he pressed his foot violently against the horn, making it blare loudly.

"C'mon! What the fuck are ya'll waitin' for?" He shouted. She watched them all climb in and Daryl slammed shut the back of the truck. They drove off and she stood and watched until even the dust from their departure had settled.

Linney glanced down when someone slipped their hand into hers. She looked down and saw Carl, leaning up against her, gripping her hand tightly, and she realized how the little boy must feel. His dad had just returned from the dead and was leaving immediately, for her and for Daryl.

"It's ok Linney." He finally said. She smiled a little and followed him as he tugged her towards the logs around the fire pit. He sat down and she followed suit. "My dad was dead, and then he wasn't anymore, it's going to take a lot to stop him." Linney chuckled and nodded and looked across the yard, watching Morales make his way over to her, shamefaced, with his hands full of her weapons.

"Here, Linney." He said carefully, putting it all on the ground. He nodded at her and licked his lips before saying, "I'm sorry, about before, I'm... I'm just sorry." Linney took a deep breath and glanced over at Carl, who was still holding her hand. She mentally cursed herself for feeling the need to set a good example.

"It's fine, Morales, I understand. The whole situation was fuc -" she glanced down at Carl, who was smiling at her and she bit her lip, her eyebrow twitching up, "Sorry, it was really _messed up_." Carl giggled, knowing full well that she hadn't meant to say that. Morales gave her a small half smile and turned away.

Linney got to her feet and Carl watched her with interest as she put all her weapons back on, and she was pleased to find that even the knife she'd hurled into the ground was back in it's sheath. "Will you show me how to throw a knife like you do, one day?" He asked, his voice filled with boyish interest and she had to laugh. "When things get back to normal and _if_ your mom says it's ok, then we'll talk about it, ok?" He nodded exuberantly and she looked down, adjusting the big knives at her hips, noting that everything needed to be cleaned. Linney turned to Carl, "I have to clean my knives and my guns," she said pointing in the direction of her tent.

"Can I come?" He asked eagerly, his face excited, and Linney shook her head. "No buddy, you gotta ask your mom, ok? And if she says no, then you listen to her, got it?" He made a face but nodded and got up, running off to find his mom. Linney turned to walk back to her tent and stopped when she found Shane walking up to her. Her entire stance stiffened and she immediately set off away from him.

"Linney, wait!" He called and she gave him the finger, moving quickly towards the RV, hoping to find someone there. He grabbed her arm to stop her when she reached the door and she wrenched it away.

"I'm only going to warn you this one time, Shane. You touch me again and I'll fucking cut you," she hissed at him. He held his hands up and backed off a couple paces.

"I just wanted to apologize for my behavior." He said and she was completely disarmed. She licked her lips and folded her arms across her chest.

"You do, do you?" She finally said, her voice flat. He nodded and pushed a hand through his hair. "I overreacted, I was angry and worried and you questioned my authority in front of everyone, I sort of lost it, I guess." He gave her a guilty glance and she blinked at him. _He doesn't honestly think I'm stupid enough to buy that, does he?_ Her face remained hard and she clenched her teeth together. He looked at her expectantly, his eyebrows raised and she dropped her arms in disbelief. _Holy shit, yes he does_.

"Fine, whatever, keep away from me and we won't have a problem." She managed to say it without sounding completely furious and he smiled at her before turning and walking away. Linney watched him go and rubbed a tired hand down the dirty side of her face.

_What the hell was that all about?_

**** Hope you're still with me people! I might try to update again later tonight, but we'll see, if not, tomorrow is another day! PS - thanks for the lovely reviews, they make me happy :)**


	32. Chapter 32

***** Enjoy guys! Hope you all got to see tonight's episode :) :) I OWN NOTHING! Except Linney, she's mine! *****

The act of cleaning her weapons centered her, helped her soothe and calm her whirling, confused mind. She sat in her semi-destroyed tent, splay-legged on the floor, and hummed to herself while she cleaned.

"Knock knock." Linney turned to her open door and saw Carl and Lori standing there. She smiled at them and waved them in. "Mom said I could come but only if she did too." Carl said, throwing himself down on the floor next to her. Lori flushed, and looked at Linney apologetically.

"It's ok, I was pretty scary with the knives earlier, so I get it, don't worry Lori." She smiled at the thin woman and patted the bed behind her. "Take a seat where you can, ignore the mess." Lori nodded and sat behind them on the edge of the bed and folded her hands in her lap as she looked around.

"Guess the guys aren't much for housekeeping," she finally said and Linney looked back at up her and shrugged. "Well," she started, sliding a gleaming knife into it's sheath, "Normally it's no problem, but someone was in my tent last night while I was gone, messed it up." Lori made a small disapproving noise and put a hand on Linney's arm.

"Did they take anything? Where were you?" Linney looked back at the spread of her weapons and picked up one of her large knives to begin the process on it. "I was sleeping in Daryl's truck, they must've come in when I was gone, doesn't look like they took anything." She paused her work to peer back over her shoulder at Lori, "Think it was someone being nosy," she offered and Lori nodded.

"Linney, I don't like the idea of you sleeping in here alone." Lori said and Carl nodded, "Yeah, next time Daryl goes hunting you should come hang out in our tent, right mom?" Lori smiled at him and reached out to brush hair from his eyes, nodding, "Absolutely, I know Rick would agree too." Linney was touched, and that sensation made her immediately uncomfortable so she smiled at Carl and nudged him with her elbow.

"Bet you snore something awful in your sleep," she teased him and he giggled, elbowing her back. "Nothing like Shane does!" He exclaimed. Linney struggled to keep the smile on her face and risked a peek back up at Lori, who looked completely undone at his innocent comment. Glancing down at Carl she gave him a small smile, "Hey buddy, you think you could go grab two thirsty ladies a cola?"

Carl leapt to his feet and then stopped at the door and gazed at them both with eyes that saw more than she thought, "You guys just want to talk about Shane," he said shrewdly. Linney raised an eyebrow at him, "You're wrong Carl." He made a puzzled face and she laughed and added, "We just want to talk about you, now git!" Carl rolled his eyes but left and Linney put the knife in her hands down and turned to Lori.

"What are you going to do?" She asked the woman, her voice soft. Lori looked at her with tired eyes and sobbed in a breath, throwing a hand into the air, "What can I do? My husband is back from the _dead_!" Lori got to her feet and started pacing, putting a hand to her face and the other to the small of her back. "He told me Rick was dead!" She cried and Linney peered at her closely, "Shane did? You think he knew Rick was alive?"

"Maybe? I don't know! It's hard to say, I hate to think he did, but what else can I believe?" Linney turned back to her knife and nodded along. _I know what I think._ "Lori, are you going to tell Rick?" Lori knelt at Linney's side in a rush. "Please Linney, no, I'm not, god help me, but I won't. You won't say anything though, right?" Linney glanced up at her quickly and shook her head.

"No, I won't." The woman sighed and sat on the bed again, watching as Linney put the last knife back into it's sheath and strapped them all back on. "Your, uh, arsenal, has grown, hasn't it?" Linney flushed and looked down at the second arm sheath and the one added to her calf.

"I've been feeling a little, ah, unsafe lately," Linney said, not wanting to add that it mostly because of Shane. Lori put a hand on her arm and squeezed it quickly. "Of course you have." Lori raised an eyebrow at her and leaned back on one hand, looking around the room again.

"Would you like a hand to tidy this up?" Linney raised an eyebrow at her and smiled, "If you'd like to help me, then, yes, please."

They moved around each other in companionable silence, tidying everything up and straightened and remade the bed. Lori folded their clothes neatly at the bottom of the bed and then turned to Linney.

"Much better," she started, giving Linney a small smile, "I'm sure he'll be pleased when he gets back." Linney stared at Lori and then laughed, "Oh Lori, that's funny," she laughed harder and then added, "I think the last thing Daryl Dixon cares about is a clean bedroom." Lori smirked at her and Linney paused, a thought occurring to her, and she tilted her head to the side, "Shouldn't Carl be back by now?" Lori's face wrenched into an expression of deep worry and spun on her heels and tore from the tent, running towards the RV, to talk to Dale, who was sitting on watch.

Linney ran after her; Lori's worry was contagious and she felt her heart beat heavily. "Dale!" Lori cried, and the man looked over the edge of the RV at her, his dark eyes wide and worried. "Yes?" He called back and Lori waved her arms around, "Have you seen Carl?" Dale smiled calmly at her and nodded down to the water below camp, "Yes, he's down at the quarry with Shane and the ladies, I heard some mighty bold talk about catching frogs."

Lori turned to Linney and her face was tight and angry. "I'm going to get Carl, I'll see you later." Linney nodded and looked around, after the cluster of people this morning, and the raging emotion that went along with it, she felt that the still, quiet camp should be louder, more hectic.

"Dale?" She called up to him and he turned back to her, his eyes wary. "Yes, Linney?"

"Where is everybody?"

"Like I said, the ladies are doing laundry, got a few on watch, Sophia is with the little Morales girl, and they are all in their tent with their mom." He got to his feet and looked around, "Not sure where Jim is." His brow drew down and he picked up the binoculars. "It's not like him to take off like this, he was really upset after this morning."

Linney harrumphed from the ground, not certain she really cared, but then Dale froze, his gaze on something in the distance. "What is he doing?" He muttered to himself. Linney turned in the direction he was looking and could see nothing but trees. Dale lowered the binoculars to look at Linney.

"Linney, do you think you could go check on Jim? He's over on the ridge there, I'm not certain what he's doing, but he's all alone." Linney crossed her arms over her chest and gave Dale a sharp look.

"What? Me? Why?" Dale pressed his lips together into a thin line and gave her a disapproving glance. "Linney, please?"

"Why don't I stay on watch and you go?" She asked and Dale looked uncomfortable. Realization dawned on her and she suddenly dropped her arms and frowned.

"Shane told you not to let me go on watch, didn't he?" She snapped at him and Dale looked away, shamefaced. Linney rolled her eyes and pulled a wry face.

"Geez, you throw a couple knives and suddenly no one trusts you anymore." She muttered to herself. Dale chuckled and nodded at her, "That's about right." Linney shook her head and turned towards the ridge.

"I'll be back soon."

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"Jim?"

"Go away, Linney."

"Jim, what are you doing?"

"I said go away, Linney," he turned and peered up at her from inside the hole he was digging, "Please Linney." She shook her head and sat on the ground, resting her chin in her hand.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing." Jim turned back to the dirt below him, gripping the shovel in his hand before wiping his forearm over his sweating brow.

"What does it look like?" He mumbled and continued to dig. Linney watched him silently for a few moments before asking him, "But why?" Jim ignored her.

"You're getting a sunburn." She said, and he didn't reply. She bit her lip and tried again, "It's hot out today, Jim, you're going to get heat stroke, or sun stroke, or both." He said nothing and she noticed that his pace sped up and crossed over from strange into frantic. She got to her feet.

"I'm going to have go get Shane if you don't stop." When he didn't reply even to that, she grimaced and made her way back to camp.

"Dale it's bad." She called up to him and he sighed. "What's he doing?" He asked in a resigned voice. Linney gestured back at the ridge, "He's digging holes, a lot of them, there's a dozen at least, deep ones too. He's going at it like a madman." Dale rubbed his face and looked around, obviously trying to figure out what to do now. His face lit up when he spotted something behind her.

"Shane! Thank god!" Shane strolled over to them, his face like a thundercloud. Linney looked past him and saw Lori and Carl hurriedly heading back to their tent. She could tell something had happened, but not what. "What's goin' on, Dale?" Shane asked, his voice loud. Dale gestured over at the ridge.

"Apparently Jim has taken it upon himself to dig several large holes."

"Holes? You need help with holes?" Shane's voice was strained and Linney glared over at him.

"Shane, it's like 100 degrees out today, he's got no water, no sun protection, he's going to kill himself." Shane glanced over at her and said nothing. Linney took a step towards the ridge, gesturing at the area Jim was in. "Just make him stop, ok?"

Shane evaluated her eyes for a moment and then turned back to the camp, "Chad! Morales! Need a hand over here, please!" He turned back to Linney. "I appreciate your concern, but we got it from here." Linney stared at him and then shrugged. "Whatever." She turned to walk over to the fire pit and he called her over.

"Linney, one sec, please!" She turned around, her shoulders squared, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'd also appreciate if you stayed in your tent until everyone gets home." She stared at him, her eyes disbelieving. "What? Why?" Shane shrugged and pulled a face that was meant to look embarrassed.

"Some of the others, after this morning, they're a little nervous, don't want you roaming around until everyone's back and something can be decided about how best to proceed."

"Proceed?" She repeated, not taking her eyes from his face. _What's his game here?_

"Yes, until we decide how to deal with the obvious threat you and Daryl pose to everyone here. Throwin' knives and punches every time you get mad, doesn't make people feel particularly safe." Linney closed her eyes for a moment and counted her breaths, willing herself to react calmly.

"Fine." She answered, her voice flat, and she turned on her heel and walked steadily back to her tent.

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Linney spent the time in her tent not doing much, she lay on her bed and thought angry thoughts, she napped a little bit, she re-cleaned her knives, sharpening some of them, she cleaned her boots and brushed her hair and basically hated Shane the whole time. She knew that the ones who went to Atlanta would hopefully be home by tonight or the following morning, and she intended to take this up with Rick.

As much as she hated Shane, she could clearly see that Rick was the opposite of everything that Shane was, and she trusted the man. She liked his son, she even liked his wife, though she seriously questioned Lori's taste in other men. The sky was dark when Amy appeared at the tent door, proffering a plate of food.

"I brought you dinner," Amy said, pushing through the door. Linney's nostrils were filled with the scent of fish and garlic. She smiled up at her friend, "Is that... can that be fish?" She asked, her voice awed. Amy nodded at her, a huge grin on her face. "Andrea and I finally went fishing today." Linney ate a bite and moaned.

"Oh my god, Amy, this is wonderful." She leaned into her food and ate quickly. Amy sat on the bed next to her and watched her eat. "So, I hear you're grounded." Linney grunted and rolled her eyes.

"Shane says I freaked people out today, told me I needed to lay low in here until everyone could decide what to do with me." Amy surprised her by muttering, "Bullshit." Linney looked over at her in surprise.

"Why do you say that?" Amy looked at her like she was crazy, "Linney, it was pretty easy to see that you scared the shit out of Shane today." Linney said nothing, only raised her eyebrows slightly and bent down to her food.

"Jim's better." Her friend offered, and Linney looked up again in interest. "What was wrong?" Amy shook her head, her eyes sad. "He said he dreamed it, dreamed something he couldn't quite remember, but knew he had to dig the graves."

"Graves? He was digging graves?" Amy nodded at Linney's disbelief and bit her lip before continuing. "Shane had to pretty much knock him out, pin him to the ground and he yelled a lot, we all ran over when we heard and he ended up telling us..." Amy's voice faded away. Linney prodded her leg with the handle end of her fork.

"Told you what?" Amy winced and looked down at her hands. "Remember when we found him?" Linney nodded and made a face; she definitely remembered.

"Before we found him, he wasn't with a group exactly, he was with his wife and kids." Linney's eyes closed as she mentally shuddered. "He says they got attacked and he only escaped because the dead were too busy eating his family." Linney put a hand to her forehead and squeezed. "Amy, that's terrible." Amy nodded and then said, "When he got some water in him, he calmed down though, Shane decided to let him eat dinner with us, making a big deal about him not being an actual threat."

Linney rolled her eyes. _Subtle, Shane_, she thought in distaste. Amy sighed, "I'm sorry Linney, I shouldn't be burdening you with this stuff, not after the past couple days you've had." Linney shrugged, trying to brush off Amy's concern. There was an extended silence.

"Today was awful." Amy finally said. Linney put her plate down and said nothing. Amy put a hand on the back of Linney's neck and squeezed gently. "I'm sorry about Merle," her friend said, her voice a thread. Linney pulled away from her hand, got to her feet and walked towards the canvas wall dividing the tent. She nodded at Amy. "Don't be, Daryl will find him and they'll be back, though I imagine we'll have to move on after this, Merle can't be expected to live with these people after what they did."

Amy got up and stepped over to her and looked Linney in the eye. "When they come back with him, you'll all stay, this can work Linney. You and I just gotta work on Merle a little bit, make him fit in." Linney chuckled at her friend.

"You are barking up the wrong tree, man." Amy frowned at her and Linney raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "What - are we supposed to give him etiquette lessons? I can't see him being amenable to that." Amy shrugged and patted Linney on the shoulder, "We'll figure something out, let's cross that bridge when we come to it."

"You are an unfailing optimist, my friend," Linney chuckled, sitting back down and picking up her plate.

"Do you mean that?" Amy asked her quietly, looking at her nervously. Linney looked up at Amy, her mouth full of fish. "Mean what?" she asked rudely, talking around the food. Amy rolled her hand at Linney, "'My friend'. You've never called me that before." Linney looked up at her and swallowed and then laughed. Amy's brow creased and she frowned at Linney.

"Don't laugh at me! I'm serious!"

"Amy, I'm a terrible friend, I don't know why you even spend time with me. I'm really bad at this stuff." Linney scraped the last bit of food from the plate and handed it to Amy. The girl took it from her, and shrugged. Linney realized she may have hurt Amy's feelings again and pressed her lips together in frustration.

"Yes Amy, you're my friend, probably my only friend." Amy leaned in and hugged her happily.

"Yeah, I know, I just wanted to make you say it." Amy said teasingly. Linney glared at her. "Amy, I might have to smack you, please go away and leave me to my punishment." Amy laughed at her and walked to the door, pausing when she stepped outside.

"You're wrong, Linney, you have a lot of friends, you just won't let yourself see that." Linney swallowed and was about to say something, but realized that Amy had gone.

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Linney lay in bed after Amy left, the lantern off, worrying about Daryl, worrying about Merle, and wondering what they were going to do when the Dixons returned. She put a hand under her head and thought about her kiss with Daryl today. She told herself that she wasn't trying to focus on silly feelings, but she still couldn't help being happy about it. She didn't know why she had to feel so much for someone who made her so angry, so often. It gave her a headache. _I'll have to remember to tell him that_, she thought in amusement.

Sitting up a little, Linney kicked her boots off, listening to them rustle as they hit the ground. She pushed herself up a little higher, deciding it was probably time to take off her weapons as well, but froze when she realized she could still hear rustling. Her eyes darted down to her boots and she saw immediately that it couldn't be them. She moved slowly to her feet, and listened carefully. She heard it again and realized that someone was moving along the side of her tent, brushing up against it.

Linney licked her lips nervously and freed the knife from her waist. She prepared herself, waiting until Shane came through her tent door, certain it was him, taking advantage of her being alone. When she heard the familiar throaty groaning of the dead instead, she felt her heart stutter. She watched the slight shadow of it move around the edge of her tent, making it's way towards the front. She contemplated running through the door, but wasn't sure if it was alone.

When it brushed against the door, it was attracted to the canvas' movement, as the door pushed inwards. Linney readied her stance and whispered to it, "Come on you undead fucker." It grunted in sudden predatory alertness and charged through the door, it's arms outstretched. Linney danced to the side as it pushed it's way in and then lunged forward quickly, stabbing it through the face.

She grimaced as it fell to the floor and she took a moment to calm her nerves, her nose crinkling at the unpleasant odor coming off it's body. _I have to tell them, have to tell them there was a walker_. She grabbed her gun from it's holster and ran out the door. Another one came grumbling towards her and she dropped to the ground before it could claw her. It reached down to her and she launched herself into it, stabbing through it's face, following it to the ground. She got to her feet and realized that it had sprayed blood all over her head.

She spat and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, removing the stinking mess that was dripping from her. She looked towards the fire pit, at the dim light shining there. She could hear the murmur of their voices and Linney got to her feet, flinching when she heard the growls of more walkers, coming from behind her tent.

She turned back and saw that there were more of them then she could handle alone. Linney paused, not sure if she should try and take them down with the gun, or run to camp and seek help.

When Amy's drilling scream tore through the night air, Linney spun to the RV, glimpsing Amy in the clutches of a walker, it mouth sunk deeply into her arm. She started to sprint, racing towards Amy, screaming for her friend.

Then all hell broke loose.

**** I'll update again tomorrow guys - hope you can last till then! ****


	33. Chapter 33

Her feet couldn't move fast enough, she heard everyone screaming, heard Andrea's voice wailing her sister's name and Linney tore her knife from the sheath on her arm, and slowed her run, pausing to take aim and heave the blade at her friend's attacker. The walker collapsed and so did Amy.

"No! Fuck, no - Amy, no!" Linney screamed, running again. Gun fire sounded by the fire pit, and over in the big cluster of tents. Linney reached Amy's side and looked down at her friend, pale, bleeding, terrified, her hands touching the gaping wound at her neck in wonder, as if she wasn't really quite sure what could possibly have happened.

Linney heard Carl, heard him shrieking in terror and spun around, away from Amy. He and Lori were unarmed, bunched up against Shane's back, who had a handful of walkers approaching from the front that he was fighting off, not realizing that more were approaching from behind, that Lori and Carl were at risk. Linney glanced quickly down at Amy and felt her stomach clench, but ran from her friend, pulling her gun, shooting down the nearest walkers to Lori and Carl.

When she reached them, she stood on the other side of them, bracketing them in between Shane and herself. Linney pulled her knife and lunged towards one approaching from the side, stabbing it through the eye viciously. She could see Jim and Dale protecting Carol and Sophia, trying to get them to the RV.

Shane called her name, his tone ragged and she looked over and saw at once that he was beyond grateful for her presence.

"RV?" He asked, and she nodded, starting to push Carl behind herself, towards the RV. She saw one of them attacking Chad, pulling slowly at the soft flesh of his stomach while the man screamed in agony and heard Carl moan in horror behind her, clutching her shirt. Linney aimed and shot Chad in the head, the only help she could give him. Another pull on the trigger and his attacker was dead.

"Linney!" Carl screamed as a group of three of them came from the side, around one of the vehicles, heading right for Lori and Carl, as if they knew the two of them were the weak ones, knew exactly which angle they were unprotected from. Linney shoved Carl roughly into Lori and screamed to Shane, "Get them to the RV!"

She threw herself to the ground in front of the one in front and then sprang upwards, driving her knife through the soft part under it's chin so hard that her knife tore through it's skull, pulling her fist along after it. She followed it to the ground with a bone-jarring thud. Linney couldn't get her hand free immediately and another was bearing down on her. She struggled to twist around and shoot it with her gun and had to put her feet up to hold it off. She managed to bend her free arm in the right direction, blowing the back of it's skull off - brain, blood, and bits of skull exploded into the face of the walker behind it, who continued to plod hungrily forward, as if the spray of gore was nothing.

The one she shot fell forward, collapsing to the ground next to her, and she finally managed to free her hand and knife from inside the skull of the one she'd stabbed. The third one was almost there and she grit her teeth before stabbing it through it's blood-stainedmouth, aiming up into the brain. Linney spun back to the RV, shooting at any walker that got close enough to her. Shane had Lori and Carl pressed up against the front of the RV, while Andrea held off two walkers coming for Amy. Linney ran up, shooting as she came.

"Get in the RV!" She yelled, her voice ragged. Lori and Carl raced up the steps, slamming the door behind them, and Shane grabbed her shoulder and managed to croak, "Sophia, Carol." She looked where he was pointing and saw Sophia in Carol's arms, screaming, while Jim beat off walker's with a baseball bat. She didn't see Dale anymore and her stomach sank, praying the old man was ok.

She and Shane ran, and Shane dropped one of his guns, out of shots and with no more ammo. He pulled a smaller pistol and shot the walkers surrounding Jim. "Now! The RV! Come now!" He ordered, and he grabbed Sophia from Carol and ran towards the RV with the girl in his arms. Carol was wailing incoherently behind him and chased them to the RV, Linney and Jim covering their flanks.

Linney stopped her onward approach, when she saw an opportunity to take out a group stumbling towards them from the woods, the fence having been long knocked down and completely useless at this point anyways, the tinkling of the cans and bottles rang out stupidly under the louder noise of gun shots and screaming. _So much screaming_, Linney thought, _the fuckers can probably hear us all the way to the city._

She held her gun up and fired, over and over again, until she was out of bullets and heaved the gun to the ground. Instead of pulling the other one, Linney yanked out the giant knife at her waist and waded into the last two remaining walkers in the group she'd decided to decimate. She remembered Merle, his swift, sure, almost business-like, movements when he took them out and tried to imitate him, stepping towards them, ducking, turning, stabbing, crouching, stepping to the left, stabbing.

Linney glanced towards the RV, saw Sophia and Carol were now inside as well and ran over to Shane. They had mostly cleared the front area, but they could hear people screaming in the back of camp. Linney paused at his side and wiped a hand across her nose, grimacing when she realized that her preference for using the knife was leaving her a bloody, gloppy mess; the hand didn't help, just smeared around what was there.

"Morales?" She panted and he scanned the tents. "I can't fucking see them!" He growled angrily, frustrated with himself. Linney smacked his arm when she saw Dale, climbing up on Daryl's truck, scrambling for the roof. "Dale!" She screamed and ran towards him, Shane yelling something at her from behind.

She saw Dale heave his pistol at one of the dead throwing itself against the side of the truck, and she knew he was out of ammo; it was such a futile gesture. Linney ran screaming for the truck and shot at the dead she could reach. They dropped, one, two, three. The shots attracted them and they all seemed to give one last heave on the vehicle before turning to her, lumbering slowly towards her.

"Dale! Jump!" She screamed, and he managed to throw himself over the hood as the truck was pushed over the edge of the bluff, crashing and smashing loudly as it fell down to the quarry. The walkers approaching her reached for her and she couldn't see if Dale was ok. She shot one through the ear, another through the eye and stabbed another through the nose, grimacing at the gurgling noise it made. The three of them went down so quickly, that they took her with them, their now finally dead bodies crushing her.

"Ungghhh!" She managed to half scream and half groan, trying to push them off. She was flat on her back, with the three dead on top of her and her arms were locked against her chest. She couldn't move, she heard footsteps and tilted her head back, looking at the world upside-down behind her. She saw something, someone approaching and panicked, trying vigorously to free an arm. But the weight of three of the dead was crushing, she could hardly breath, let alone free a part of herself.

When a thick, blood spattered arm reached for her, she thought of Daryl briefly and braced herself, but the hand dragged a body off her in one fast and angry movement. It was Shane. He looked around, his eyes wild and reached a hand towards her.

"C'mon!" He yelled and she reached her arm out, slapping into his forearm, grabbing on, he locked his arm to hers and yanked her to her feet. She spun around immediately crying out for the old man, "Dale! Dale!"

She saw him sitting on the ground, safe, still where he had landed. She jogged over to him and helped him to his feet. He looked at her with wild and slightly crazed eyes, "I think Daryl's going to be mad about his truck," he mumbled and Linney said nothing, not wanting to risk thinking of Daryl right now. She grabbed his hand, dragged him over to Shane.

"Let's get 'im to the RV," Shane said, his voice hoarse. Linney nodded and as they ran back she realized there were far fewer screams than before. She heard the high-pitched, squealing shriek of a little girl out amidst the tents and turned to Shane.

"Morales." They both said. Shane shoved Dale roughly towards the RV and bellowed at him in a deep voice, "Get in there, now!" Linney and Shane ran towards the squeals of Morales' little girl and Linney paused only momentarily to take out any walkers that got to close. She remembered her tour with Carl, remembered that the Morales family was near the back. When they got there, they saw only Morales himself standing outside the tent, swinging a tire iron violently at the walkers swarming around him.

The heap of the dead he had already killed surrounded him in an impressive pile, but Linney could tell he was tiring, his eyes were wild and tormented as he guarded the tent his family was huddled inside. She shot one of them that was pawing at the back half of the tent and then dove forward to stab one of them, tripping on the leg of one of the walkers that Morales had already killed. Instead of stabbing it in the face, she got it through the neck, the blade lodging in it's spine. It stuck, and when she yanked, it pulled the creature towards her, the snapping teeth coming close to her face.

Linney screamed as she fell backwards and then it's head was obliterated from the shot Shane fired into it, spraying her and Morales with yet more gore. Linney wasted no time and pulled another knife from her ankle hurling it with all her might past Shane's head to hit the thing creeping up behind him. He flinched and looked over his shoulder and then nodded at her.

"Thanks." They said at the same time. Morales turned and ripped the door open on his tent. Shane grabbed his son, and Morales grabbed his daughter, the men picked them up and raced towards the RV. Linney grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her over the pile of the dead, looking wide-eyed over her shoulder as yet more poured around the tent, stumbling as they tried to get to the living over the pile of dead blocking their way.

"Run!" She yelled, pulling the crying woman harder, "Run! Run!" The Morales woman sobbed and ran. When they made it to the RV, they saw Jim swinging tiredly at the walkers in front of him, all approaching Amy and Andrea, drawn by the scent of Amy's blood pumping out from her wound. Andrea was slathered in her sister's blood and sobbing helplessly, as she tried to clamp her hands over the wound.

Linney shoved the Morales woman towards the RV, making her stumble and scramble to get up the steps. Linney tripped over Andrea and fell on her chest, making her bruises scream. She fired at the one coming towards her and then screamed as another grabbed Jim, pulling him down into a dark embrace. Linney kicked at the earth and got to Jim at the same time Shane did. They yanked the creature off the man and Shane proceeded to kick it to death in the head, his eyes glistening with a rabid kind of hatred. Linney crouched over Jim protectively and risked a glance down to him.

"Did it get you?" He looked at her, eyes wide with horror and she slapped him across the face. "Jim! Did it get you!" He shook his head and she helped him into a sitting position against the RV. Shane cursed and threw his now empty gun to the ground, out of weapons.

"Shane!" She cried, tossing him the large knife from her calf sheath. He caught it and nodded, stepping over Amy's head to stab one through the face.

"Jacqui?" She asked Jim, over her shoulder and he nodded at her, reaching a weary arm up to smack the side of the RV. "In... side..." he managed, exhausted and worn down to the point where he could hardly speak. Shane and Linney stood side by side in front of Amy and Andrea, watching as dozens and dozens more walkers came weaving through the tents. The sound of the dead growling hungrily as they approached the last remaining survivors around the RV was so loud, Linney felt a tremor shudder through her stomach.

She could hear the kids inside the RV crying hysterically and Andrea's sobbing behind her, and she looked up at Shane. He met her gaze and clenched his jaw. "Shane, there's too many." She said quietly. He nodded and they each jumped into the group of three that were closest to them, killing them quickly. Linney's arms were shaking and she could see Shane favoring one foot.

The next pack coming towards them was too large, too much for them to handle with knives alone, and Linney and Shane took a step back at the same time. She pulled her last small knife, and heaved it towards one of the dead, and it collapsed, it's buddies only too happy to stomp over top of it on their way towards her and Shane.

They stepped closer together, their backs touching as they faced the incoming threat from all directions. Linney thought again of the kids inside the RV and her heart twisted spastically inside her chest. _It's not going to be enough, we're can't keep them away._

"Shane! There's too many!"

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As they ran from the city, heading back to camp, Rick felt like he'd lived a year in the past few days. He glanced over at Daryl's hard face. The man had to be grieving, upset, bereft from the loss of his brother. They all agreed Merle was alive, but there was no way to locate him, no way to know if once he'd stolen their truck that he would make it far. But Daryl's face showed the same narrow-eyed expression it usually did, no trace of inner turmoil. _The man is made of concrete._

Rick had to admit he was impressed with Daryl; he was a good shot, remained with the group to save Glenn after he was temporarily kidnapped by that other group, and despite his brief breakdown on the roof, had stayed level-headed. They reached the side roads that lead them towards the bluff and the quarry and they could all hear something in the distance, it was loud and rumbling and confused sounding.

"What is that?" T-Dog gasped, as he jogged along with them. They were all listening hard as they ran along, but couldn't pin-point the noise. When they reached the bluff road, they could see the faint firelight up above and the sound grew sharper, clearer. It was the camp, the noise was gunfire and screams. So many screams.

Rick looked over at Daryl, knowing his face was twisted in horror and they said nothing. Rick was thinking about what Daryl said in the city when they discovered Merle took the truck. _"He's gonna be bringin' some vengeance back to camp."_

Rick tried to tell himself that Merle wouldn't hurt the kids, the women; certainly not Linney. Daryl increased his pace, his face strained. Running this far had left them winded and exhausted, but as the screams became more distinct, they pushed past it easily.

They all paused momentarily when they heard a woman's voice scream, "Dale! Jump!" and saw the grey pick-up tumble over the side of the bluff, the sparks and snaps as it fell were nothing compared to the fireball when it landed.

They sprinted then, finding new reserves of energy. All four of them wore intensely focused faces and he knew now there was no way it was Merle at camp. The screams were everywhere and he could hear shouts of "Get to the RV!" and Linney screaming Shane's name.

When they came upon the scene, Rick flinched at the sight of so many of the dead, swarming the tents, approaching the front of the RV. He saw Shane and Linney, back to back, facing off with the waves of the dead approaching them. The difference in their heights would have been funny if it wasn't perfectly clear that they were both almost out of hope.

Rick started shooting at the same time Daryl did, the blasts from the weapons and their grunts of rage drawing the tidal wave of walkers towards them. Glenn raced to the RV, shooting anything that got close to them and T-Dog waded into the crowd of the dead, hacking at them with an axe in one hand and a metal pipe in the other.

Rick saw Shane slump for a moment in relief before slashing out at the dead. Linney wasted no time, lunging towards the walkers that had turned their backs on them, stabbing and screaming incoherently in rage the whole time.

When it was finished, Shane sank to his knees and ran trembling hands over his face and into his hair. Linney looked around like she was seeing for the first time and stumbled back to the RV, getting to her knees on the other side of the person that Andrea was slumped beside. Rick felt sick when he saw that it was Andrea's little sister that they were crouched over. Linney grabbed up the dying girl's free hand and leaned in, kissing her forehead. The door to the RV burst open and Carl tore down the steps, running to him.

"Carl!" He cried, his voice a deep, rumbling plea. Lori shot out after him and he gripped them both tightly. The rest of the people inside slowly came down the RV steps, but everyone paused when Andrea began to keen in a throaty voice for her sister, crying her name out over and over again. It became clear very quickly that the poor thing had finally succumbed to her injuries.

Carl started to sob against him and Linney sat frozen, her face still and blank. She released Amy's hand and fell to her behind in the dirt, scooting backwards until her back hit the side of the RV. She stared with wide unseeing eyes at Amy and then brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and burying her face in her filthy jeans.

The girl he had seen, hacking with a determined, angry, little face into the dead, slashing and stabbing without pause, was gone. Linney's sobs rose in volume and Lori looked away, burying her head in Rick's shoulder, crying. Rick kissed his wife's head and watched as Daryl finally moved from his position a few steps behind them.

The man walked purposefully and quickly to Linney, and reached down to pull on one of her arms, trying to get her to climb to her feet. She remained locked together in a ball and didn't move, so Daryl got down to his knees and sat next to her. He pulled her sideways, wrapping both arms around her, but she didn't return the embrace; Rick felt certain she was hardly aware that Daryl was there. When he looked around at the survivors standing outside the RV, he realized it would be easier to count them than it would be to count the people who didn't make it.

_This is all my fault._

***** There we go, my god, I've been thinking about this chapter from the very first one I wrote. I debated not killing Amy, but her death is such a catalyst to make Andrea the woman we get to know throughout season 2 and 3, I felt it had to be done - don't be mad! I got to love my Amy as well :) *****


	34. Chapter 34

Amy's face had been so confused, her eyes flickering up at her sister and then over to Linney. Andrea was murmuring things to her, trying to comfort her dying sister, but mostly moaning that she didn't know what to do. Linney gripped Amy's cold hand in her own and gazed down at Amy's face.

"I'm so sorry, Amy," she managed to say, struggling to keep the hysteric need to scream from her voice. Amy slowly turned her head towards Linney and gave her a smile. She mouthed something at Linney, it looked like the word 'friend', already fading away, before turning to Andrea and spending the last few seconds of her life staring into her sister's tormented eyes.

When the final breath rattled out of Amy's lungs, Linney clenched her teeth, feeling like her brain had disconnected from the rest of her body and she wasn't sure what to do, how she should act. She looked down at Amy's face, finally at peace, and she was dimly aware that Andrea was crying out for her sister in heart rending tones.

Linney released Amy's hand and then stared out at the scene around her for a moment, barely capable of understanding what she was seeing. Somehow, it was over; somehow they were alive. She looked down at Amy and realized that she hadn't fought hard enough. She hadn't been able to save Amy, to stop her from dying.

She felt herself sit on the ground, and suddenly the sight of Amy with no life inside of her was too much to handle. Linney pushed away frantically, hoping stupidly that if she got far enough away then she could somehow undo what had been done.

When her back hit the RV, it jolted her, temporarily reconnecting her brain to her body. She knew what she wanted to do now. She curled herself up, clutching her legs to her chest like they could somehow hold her heart inside her body. She couldn't stand the scene in front of her, the smells assaulting her nostrils, and she pressed her face into her knees and let go. She cried for Amy.

Amy, Amy, Amy. Her friend. She realized that she would never get an uncomfortable hug again, or hear that annoyingly perky voice calling her, never have to deal with her own apocalypse cheerleader again. It was crushing her, like a huge hand pressing down on her, unrelentingly.

Linney didn't know that she'd been crying hard enough to attract anyone's attention, until she became dimly aware that someone was clutching her to their own chest, wrapping her in warm arms that were tight and strong. She could feel another heartbeat against the side of her head, but she couldn't unwrap herself. She knew if she did, she'd have to see Amy again.

"Linney," She heard his voice and still couldn't look up. He said her name again, his tone low and gruff and she realized that it was Daryl, trying to comfort her. She wanted to pull away, to run and hide and cry hysterically. She hadn't saved Amy, she hadn't saved Merle, and she couldn't save Daryl, she was sure of that. Her presence was a curse. The people she loved died, or she killed them. She shuddered when she remembered her father, stabbing him through the head and actually being relieved when he died again. _I'm a monster._

At some point she must have fallen asleep, because when she woke up, it was dawn, the sun soft and struggling to rise through the left over clouds from the night before. Her body was aching and still tired, her eyes felt gritty and painful and she realized she probably had only gotten a couple hours of sleep. She was on a strange sleeping bag, laying on the ground, and there were warm bodies next to her. Linney peeked around her and found Carl curled up against her, his back to her side, and when she glanced to the other side, she found Sophia asleep on her shoulder, her skinny little arms clutching around Linney's waist.

Linney looked at them both, puffy little faces, exhausted and strained even in sleep, and she felt a tiny glimmer of pleasure inside herself. They were both alive. She had helped that happen, at least. Carl frowned in his sleep and stirred, mumbling something under his breath. Linney slowly sat up, easing Sophia off of her, trying not to disturb either of them. When she looked up, Lori and Carol were sitting across the firepit from them, and Lori had her arm wrapped all the way around Carol's body, hugging the woman's head to her shoulder.

Linney swallowed and got to her feet, both of the women realizing that she was awake at the same time. She staggered on her tired legs and almost fell into the sooty firepit and Lori reached a hand out to her, as if she could steady her from that far away.

"Easy, Linney." She murmured and Linney blinked at her. She glanced down at the kids and swallowed hard. They both looked so tired out and Linney watched them breathing, watching them living, and had to feel grateful.

She finally built up the nerve to look over towards the RV. Andrea still on the ground next to Amy, hypnotically stroking the girl's hair. Rick, Shane, and Dale stood together throwing concerned glances over at the pair on the ground and she knew that Andrea hadn't done it yet; she hadn't destroyed Amy's brain, hadn't prevented her from turning.

Linney felt a catch in her throat, watching as T-Dog and Glenn made two stacks of bodies off to the side of the RV, one of fallen camp members, one of the creatures that had invaded. Jim was still leaned against the side of the RV, his eyes dazed, his face so gaunt and pale that Linney felt her eyebrows jump up in fear. He looked comatose. Linney saw Jaqui and Morales' heads in the window to the RV and realized they were all inside, kids included. That was it, there was no else left.

Except... where was he? She climbed over a log and looked around, her ragged, bloody hair hanging in hard lumps around her head, brushing roughly across the bare skin left exposed by her tank top as she whipped her head back and forth. Her breathing was hard and panicked until she saw him, with a pick-axe, swinging it down with a scowl into the body of one of the men who used to be a part of this camp, and was now missing all the flesh from the front half of his body.

"Daryl." She said, her voice so raw and destroyed from her screams during the attack that it came out as little more than a gargled rasp. She swallowed hard and started towards him. "Daryl." She said again, straining to make her voice carry. He paused mid-swing and saw her moving swiftly in his direction. He flung the pick axe to the ground and began to stalk towards her, his movements so stiff and hard that she thought for a moment he was furious with her.

When she reached him, she saw his eyes were burning again, and she didn't say a thing, just stepped into his chest and hugged him, burying her face in shirt. She inhaled his familiar smell, earth, trees, and sweat. He brought his arms up around her and crushed her to him. Her bruises ached when he did it, but she refused to let him go. She realized that Merle was not there, not with him, which meant that he was either dead or long gone. She squeezed him tighter and then pulled away.

Daryl released her easily but ran a hand down her face. "I'm sorry," he managed, his voice rough. She shook her head at him, putting a hand on his shoulder, squeezing hard. "No. No, you don't get to be sorry." She growled at him. He pressed his lips together and looked down and she realized he thought that she was angry, that in her anger she was telling him that sorry wasn't enough.

She squeezed harder. "You idiot," she breathed and he looked up at her, his expression confused, "Please don't be sorry, don't be sorry. It's my fault. My fault. I couldn't save them, I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't enough." Daryl was shaking his head before she was even halfway through her statement and he grabbed her face roughly in his hands.

"Stop." He ordered and she did, pressing her lips together, trying really hard to calm herself down. She felt on the brink of so many different, terrible, emotions. He looked between her eyes and then leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers.

"We heard the noise, coming up the road, we heard and we had to run, we couldn't go any faster." Daryl spoke quietly, his nose touching hers as he continued to lean into her.

Linney nodded, remembering the terrible moment when she and Shane realized they were going to go down fighting. That there was nothing left to do but kill as many of the walkers as they could before they were torn apart. When he had glanced down at her and murmured, "Let's fucking do it," she had nodded, and then suddenly the walkers were being blasted down from other directions, the echoes of gunfire making her head ring like a bell. When she saw the four figures mowing down the crowds in front of her, she had lost all inhibition, tearing into the ones that turned away from them, eager now, eager to kill them. Kill them all.

When the gunshot sounded behind her, they jumped, both of them shoving at each other, each trying to get protectively in front of the other. Daryl glared at her briefly, as she ducked his arm and stepped in front of him. They froze when the realized it came from Andrea. She had shot Amy. Linney felt her grief from a distance, more relieved that Andrea had finally done it, than anything else.

"Shit." Daryl muttered, watching as Andrea lowered her gun and began to stroke Amy's face again. "We need to be movin' on, it ain't safe here no more," he continued on, his face tense. He whistled loudly and T-Dog and Glenn came over quickly. "Let's get the resta these up front, then we're done." The other two nodded at him and Daryl pushed her towards the group up front.

"Ya ain't no help right now, go sit." She shot him a dirty look at the return of his gruff demeanor, but did wander up front. She didn't sit though, she walked towards Rick, Shane, and Dale and nodded at them, coming to a stop at Rick's side. He immediately turned to her, his face pained.

"Linney, I can't thank you enough for what you did, you and Shane saved them." His voice was earnest, his eyes bright and piercing and Linney looked away, over at Amy. "I couldn't save everyone," she muttered. Rick put a hand on her shoulder gently, and she looked back at him.

"Shane told me what you did, that they would've been lost without you, that Lori and..." his voice choked and he closed his eyes for a moment, collecting himself, "Lori and Carl would've been lost, if you hadn't been here, been so quick." Linney clenched her jaw and looked over at Shane, whose eyes were still stunned. Her frustrations and anger bubbled to the surface when she looked at him.

She took a step towards Shane, moving away from Rick without a word. She stood in front of him and looked up at him. "I want to talk have words with you, _now_." She said, her voice not offering him a choice. He nodded at her, his face still and serious, and they walked over towards the vehicles, to the space where Daryl's truck had once sat.

"No further, your boyfriend is watching, he don't look too pleased to see me talkin' to you." Linney glared at him before glancing back at Daryl. He was watching them with hard eyes and Linney shook her head at him, discouraging him from coming over without a word. When she looked back at Shane, she could see him still staring over at Amy.

"Shane." She spoke his name sharply, getting his attention. His dark eyes moved to hers and she had to grit her teeth to control her rage with him.

"You know what I'm going to say," she said flatly. He stared down at her and nodded. "If you hadn't had me on lock down, we may not have lost so many people." He nodded and looked over at Amy again. She took a step back from him and rubbed a hand over her face, grimacing when she felt the dried blood on it. "Amy might be alive if you hadn't made me stay in the tent." He looked to her, his expression still flat and he nodded.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could say. She breathed, trying to be calm, trying to remember how hard he had fought at her side last night, to protect everyone. She tried to keep that in the forefront of her mind; Shane wanted to keep these people alive, no matter what else was going on behind his dark eyes.

"I don't care if you were lying about people being afraid of me or not, I don't care that you seem to think you can put your hands on me, do what you did, and get away with it. I only care that for whatever fucked up reason you came up with, you grounded me and now _Amy's dead_!" She lost control and screamed the last two words at him. He flinched and looked away, his jaw tightening, the muscles jumping in his face.

"I did what I did last night because I could, because I would never do anything but protect everyone here, if they needed it. I worked with you, to _save them_!" She cast her hand back at the group as she again yelled the last two words. He swallowed and then looked back at her, something in his face making her take a step back. It didn't look sane, and any hopes she had that he would suddenly become normal and harmless again went out the window.

She stood up straighter, ignoring the pain in her sides and felt her face twisting into a dark expression.

"When it comes to protecting these people, I'm always on your side. But you don't talk to me, you don't touch me, you don't order me around, and you don't even _think_ about me beyond my role as a protector for this group." He held her narrowed eyes and clenched his teeth harder.

"I'm not looking for agreement, Shane, I'm telling you this is how it's going to be." She was growling now and felt her hands shaking at her sides as she tried to stay reasonable, tried to keep herself together. She took a step closer to him, inches from his chest, and glared up into his face, her teeth bared at him, to hiss her final warning.

"And if you ever touch Daryl, I'll gut you like a fucking fish and smile while I'm doing it." She turned on her heel and stomped away, pausing after a few steps to look over her shoulder at him, casting one last threat his way. "Don't ever fuck with us again."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

She had moved so quickly, like every single thrust of the knife, every single shot fired was part of a large choreographed dance.

When Amy screamed, he had turned in horror with everyone else to see the walker latch onto her. It all happened so quickly. His first step, his very first move, was to grab Carl, pull the boy into his side, Lori following him right after. He fired his gun at the approaching and then saw the walker biting Amy drop like a sack of rocks.

It took him a second to see the glint of the knife protruding from the dead man's forehead, and when he saw Linney race out of the darkness, skidding to a halt at Amy's side, he felt a moment of relief.

Things got bad, but they never halted, the two of them moved like they were meant to always be together, and she never hesitated, not even when her own life was at risk. Shane considered himself a fighter and could only admire her for being such a graceful one herself.

At the end, when it really struck home that they were done, that their desperate fighting was still only going to result in their deaths, in the deaths of everyone they had fought to save, he had turned to her, saw the grim determination on her small face. She glanced over at him and even covered in blood and dirt, she was beautiful.

He had said, "Let's fucking do it," and she hadn't hesitated, her eyes didn't even flicker at going down trying to protect everyone. He realized afterwards, when their four saviors arrived, that she was made of stronger stuff than he first thought. He had watched in detached envy as the redneck ran to her, clutching her like she was fragile, like her ragged sobs might break her into little pieces, and he realized that even Dixon didn't know what she was made of.

This was not a girl to go down without a fight. This morning she had reamed him out. Her stance so angry she was nearly vibrating. Her touching protectiveness of the stupid redneck enough to make want to kill the man immediately. But he saw her eyes, saw the conviction there and realized that she wasn't making idle threats; with a detached form of wonder, he saw that she really would kill him if he harmed the redneck.

He had said nothing, partly because he just wanted to stare at her, to drink in her wild eyed face, partly because he was wretched with guilt. If he hadn't made her hide in the tent, shamed her into leaving the group for the evening, perhaps there would have been time for Amy. He tried to tell himself he wanted her out of sight because she was a danger. Her rabid attack that morning, protecting Dixon, throwing that knife at him; it was dangerous, she was unsafe, unhinged.

_Goddamn that knife throwing little bitch_.

He told her and everyone else she needed to be kept away for the group's own safety. But really he was afraid of himself around her. After the incident by the RV he knew he was nearly out of control. Seeing the feral, snarling side of her, trying to keep him and Rick away from the redneck, he had been nearly choked with arousal. He imagined that she would fight, if he ever got her alone again, got those weapons off her. She would bite, she would growl, she would struggle to kill him, and he never thought he'd find that kind of thing such a turn on.

He'd been into weird stuff before, with the women that paraded in and out of his bed, but this was different. He admired her, he hated her, he loved her, he wanted her. He would play by her rules, for a bit, let what just happened get past them, focus on getting everyone somewhere safe, keeping Lori and Carl safe. But eventually things would calm down, they could rest easy, and then... he chuckled to himself,

_Well, then we'll just have to see, won't we?_

***** I feel I should warn you all, that I don't intend to make Shane get any less crazy and his thoughts are going to be dark, for the most part; forays into a very sick mind. Just a warning. *****


	35. Chapter 35

***** Sorry for the delay in updating, guys! I totally meant to post this yesterday afternoon, but the sickies in my house decided to amp it up all at once and my hands were full :( Please also excuse any typos, I tried to catch them all but my editing was really stop and go this time around! But no fears! Things are on the up and up today and hopefully I'll crank out another chapter or two within the day, because I'm a woman possessed, lol - as per usual I OWN NOTHING! Except for Linney, she's mine! *****

"We don't burn our own!" Glenn yelled, his face pasty and twisted. He gestured towards the pile of bodies, survivors from camp, that lay behind him. "We bury them!" He was shedding angry, anguished tears. A few feet away, a huge bonfire was burning, comprised of all the dead invaders. Daryl faced off with Glenn and glared at him.

"We don't got time for this shit! We need to leave n' they're already dead!" Daryl snapped back. The group stood back, watching, except for Andrea who was busy single-handedly wrapping Amy in a sheet. Linney shifted from one foot to the other, her toes aching. She had left her boots in the tent before this all started, gone barefoot all night, and was starting to wish she had something to put between her and the ground.

Rick put a hand on Linney's shoulder as they watched Glenn and Daryl. "Linney, please, calm him down. We need to bury our dead and go." She looked over her shoulder and grimaced at him.

"Look, Rick, I agree, but he won't listen to me, he almost never does."

"Then think of something to distract him." Rick's eyes were hard and she could tell that he was trying to tell her she needed to get Daryl away from the bodies before somebody else tried to. Linney sighed and rolled her eyes and then walked away, purposely striding towards her tent. She knew that Daryl would have noticed her walking away, he had been following her movements all morning, as if he was worried she was going to suddenly run away or fall down a hole.

_Fall down... that's it_, she thought, laughing a little to herself, despite the grim reason she knew she'd had the thought for in the first place. Linney wasted no time and threw herself to the ground, trying to make it look like her feet had gotten caught on something. She let out a little shriek as she fell, and as expected she heard him come jogging over to her. _Dependable, over-protective, Dixon_. She rolled onto her side, clutching at her bruises, knowing that would be the easiest thing to play up.

He got to her and knelt down, no softness in his features, but then she hadn't been expecting any, she supposed. She risked a quick peek past him and saw that Glenn, T-Dog and Rick had leapt into action, that Morales was already backing T-Dog's truck up towards the piles of bodies. Rick nodded at her quickly and discreetly, and she turned to Daryl, her arm wrapped across her side.

"What's wrong with you? Forget how to walk?" He snapped at her and slowly helped her to her feet. The height difference between them was more emphasized because she wasn't wearing her boots, it startled her for a moment, but then she remembered she was supposed to be hurt, not analyzing the space between the top of her head and his face.

Daryl got her inside their tent and she grimaced at the smell the congealed walker blood on the floor was giving off. Glenn and Daryl had dragged the corpse out earlier, Daryl's face tight and angry at the fact that one of them was in their space at all. She sat on the bed and he kneeled on the floor in front of her.

"You're a bad actor." He grumbled to her, before reaching behind himself to grab her boots. She looked at him in surprise and laughed, and then clapped a hand over her mouth and looked away.

"It ain't the worst thing in the world to laugh." He said, peering into her backpack. Linney watched him as he pulled out a pair of clean socks and handed them to her. She took them and stuffed her feet into them and then paused, "They just died. I don't even know how I'm alive, I shouldn't laugh about anything, not yet." Daryl said nothing, just took her foot and slid her boot on, tightening the laces, before slipping the other one on and doing the same. He circled his hand around her ankle for a moment, just holding her, and then let her go abruptly, so her leg dropped back down.

"We need to pack." He finally answered her and she got to her feet, stepping past him. "Why'd you drag me away from Glenn?" He asked, as she stuffed her things haphazardly into her bag. She didn't turn around.

"Rick asked me to." Daryl grunted and she heard him pulling his bag over to himself, grabbing at piles of his clothes and cramming them in. "They need to bury them," she offered, pushing her bag out the door. He said nothing, just reached up and pulled a sleeping bag off the bed, beginning to zip it closed.

"Merle was gone." He said, folding the sleeping bag in half and starting to roll it up. Linney swallowed hard but said nothing as she grabbed the pillows off the bed. She clutched them to her chest and looked down at him, following his movements as he wrapped the ties around the neat sausage roll of the sleeping bag, holding it together.

"Was he..." She couldn't finish, didn't think she could say it without her voice breaking; she didn't want her grief to show, didn't want to overshadow what should have been his loss alone. He glanced up at her and shook his head. He tossed the sleeping bag behind them, out the door, before yanking the fitted sheet off the bed, and jamming it inside the duffel bag that held the remainder of the weapons they'd taken from Linney's father.

"He got away." He stated, flatly. Linney finally remembered how to move then and stepped out the door, placing the pillows on top of the sleeping bag. She looked back towards the RV and saw that the bodies were gone, only Jim, still sitting, leaning against the RV, and Jacqui, trying to talk to him, remained behind. When she turned back inside the tent, Daryl was just finishing with the next sleeping bag.

Daryl started the tying the sleeping bag he'd just finished rolling up, too, and then stopped. She was halfway through collapsing one of the cots, when she felt his hand on her calf. She turned and looked down at him and his eyes were pained.

"He cut his fuckin' hand off." Linney dropped the cot to the ground with a loud clatter and stared at him, trying to process what that meant, what that tough bastard had done to get away.

"But, but he... you said he was alive? What about blood loss?" She couldn't even look at him anymore, was just staring down at her own hands in horror. "He made it off the roof, killed a walker with one fuckin' hand, cauterized the stump, got away. He stole our truck, Linney, that's why we hada run back, why we were... were almost too late."

_Jesus fucking christ, Merle_, she thought to herself, _what did you do?_ Daryl got to his feet and put a hand on her shoulder, lightly, like he was afraid to spook her. She looked up at him, her brow furrowed at the curious expression on his face.

"What were you thinkin', right 'fore we started shootin'?" His voice was soft and she was so surprised by his question that she gaped up at him, her mouth hanging open. "I saw your face, ya looked different," he continued.

"I guess... I guess I was planning on running straight into them, maybe give the people in the RV time to drive away, if they could think to. I thought that maybe if I screamed loud enough they'd all swarm me. Leave everyone else alone. I was thinking about how I was going to die, most of all." Daryl closed his eyes, squeezing them tight, like he had a headache, and shook his head at her slowly.

"Ya got more balls than ya got a right to." He finally said in a quiet voice. She chuckled faintly and turned to finish up with the cot, but he caught her arm and turned her back to face him, again. She gazed up at him, waiting for him to say what was on his mind, but, in typical Dixon fashion, he kept it to himself and instead tilted her chin first one way and then the other.

"You're filthy," he finally said and she made a face at him before pulling away and turning back to the cots. By the time they had the tent taken down, packed up everything inside it, and taken their possessions to stow in Dale's RV, the majority of the camp was ready to go.

"Can't believe ya exploded my truck." Daryl said, staring at the blank spot where his pick-up had once been parked. She walked to the edge of the bluff and looked down at the smoldering wreck of the vehicle, shuddering when she thought about what would have happened to Dale if he'd gone over with it.

"Sorry," she offered tonelessly, still gazing down at the truck. "What'll we do now? Just ride with Dale?" She waited for an answer and turned back to see Daryl grinning at her, a rare enough expression on his face that she was genuinely concerned about what he was planning.

"Oh god, what? What are you planning, Dixon?" He smirked at her and walked away. She trotted after him but stopped when she saw him next to Merle's bike. He looked back at her and tapped the handle bars. "Thought we'd take Merle's bike," his voice was excited and she felt her stomach curling up inside her.

"No way." She replied, turning away from him and heading back towards the RV. He jogged after her and then stopped in front of her and made her look up at him. "Seriously? That thing rides great, open air, quick maneuvering, takes less gas..." He tried to explain but slowly came to a stop as he watched her face. She felt like she was possibly going to begin hyperventilating. She tried to give him a smile, to make him go away for a moment, so she could collect herself, think straight, and come up with a really great excuse,but she couldn't.

"What's with the face? You don't like bikes?" She shook her head and tried to walk around him, but he stepped to the side and blocked her path. He put a hand on her arm and she looked up at him again, swallowing hard.

"Oh my dear lord," he said in a disbelieving voice, a slow smile growing on his face, "You're afraid!" She immediately shook her head at him. "No! I'm not afraid, they're just stupid! And dangerous! And you're really close to the ground..." She turned and glanced anxiously back at the bike like it might have snuck up behind her to bite her. Daryl laughed and she turned back at him. "I don't be-lieve it!" He cried, his voice amused. He strutted a couple steps away from her and then spun back around.

"Ya toss your knives around like some lil ninja, always pickin' fights with people twice yer size, willin' to dive headfirst into a pack of fuckin' walkers, n' you're afraid to ride a motorcycle?" He walked up close to her and bent a little to look in her eyes, "I told ya that ya'll was a little coward." Linney took a step back and glared and his face grew still for a moment.

"Wait a sec, when me n' Merle had to go get that battery for the truck... what if I'd said you should go with 'im?" Linney licked her lips and looked away. "Why do you think I pounced all over Merle's idea of me staying? I knew that you'd never let me go alone with him, not back then, anyways. Also, he didn't know what battery to get! And he'd never have let you and I go on his bike without him! It was never an issue!" He examined her face for a moment before laughing at her again. "I gotta say, I love this; you're afraid a' bikes!"

She frowned at him and smacked his shoulder before walking away. He called after her, "We're takin' the bike!" She shook her head, and gave him the finger over her shoulder, shouting back, "No, we aren't!"

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney stood by the small pile of Merle's personal items, back at their tent site and sighed, wondering if she should take it with her. She remembered joking with Merle the night before he left for the run, joking about stealing his stuff. Now that he was actually gone she didn't know what to do. Seemed like they were going to be stealing his bike and his stuff, after all. She shuddered a little, finding no amusement in the thought, feeling like she had prophesied his never coming back to them. _Merle, I didn't want this_.

Linney knelt beside the bag and pulled it open, putting her hand inside and then pausing. She felt weird about pawing through his stuff so she sat back on her heels and just stared at the bag.

"Think that works better if ya pull the stuff out, less ya got some x-ray vision on ya." Daryl's voice came from behind her and she turned to him, a worried expression on her face. "Please, help me do this," she requested, patting the ground next to her and he shrugged, kneeling beside her. She pushed the bag towards him. "Can you do it?" He nudged her gently with his elbow, to give him a little room, and pulled out a pile of Merle's clothes.

As he dug through it, separating out useful things that he could take for himself, Linney grew more and more agitated. "Wait," she said, putting a hand over his. Daryl looked over at her like she was crazy.

"Linney, you either wanna unpack it, or just leave it, make up your fuckin' mind." She glanced at him and then grabbed the bag from his hands, rifling through it. Clothes she put to one side, drugs she heaved into the woods, hygiene items she hurled away, too, though with much less vehemence. The item at the bottom surprised her, though. It was a small framed picture. It looked like it was only a couple years old, and it was of Daryl and Merle, both of them glaring at the camera. _Figures_, she thought, slowly pulling the photo closer to her face.

She felt a little heart sick, Merle looked so much like himself that she was surprised. _What were you expecting? A suit and tie?_ The look on his face was pure impatience. She glanced over at Daryl's image and he looked pretty much the same, though his hair was a little longer. The look he gave the picture-taker amused her because it was one of strained irritation, like he'd asked them not to take it and they begged and pleaded and then took it anyways.

She glanced over at Daryl, in real life, and saw his face was tight and angry again. He reached out to snatch the picture from her and she held it out of his reach, worried.

"Give it to me." He growled and she got to her feet, taking a couple steps away. "Are you gonna throw it away?"

"'Course I am! I don't need no picture to tell me what my fuckin' brother looks like! Stupid bastard, acted like an asshole n' got hisself chained to a fuckin' roof! Why do I wanna carry on thinkin' 'bout that?" Daryl was on his feet now, yelling at her. She clenched the picture in both hands, against her chest and said nothing. He took a step forward, his face turning red.

"N' you know what, I'll be happy if I don't never see 'im again, so yeah, gimme the fuckin' picture." He reached for it and she shook her head. He stepped closer and ground his teeth together, "Linney. Give. Me. The. Fuckin'. Picture." She swallowed and shook her head, even though she could tell he was more upset than she'd ever seen him before, and that included yesterday morning. He was glaring at her like she was a stranger, a stranger that really insulted him on every level.

In a snap, she was furious with him, furious with herself for even entertaining the notion of just giving in to him. _You deserve to remember him however you like_, she counseled herself, _Daryl can't take that from you, it isn't right_.

She stomped a step closer to him and yelled right back at him, in his face. "No! You know why? 'Cause I want it. I do want to remember what he looked like. Merle told me I could keep his bag, and I want the fucking picture. So deal with it, Dixon."

She snapped the frame open, and yanked the picture out, folding it in half and tucking it into her back pocket. She threw the cheap little frame over her shoulder. "You don't ever have to look at it, but I fucking want it and I _will_ fight you for it." His face cooled rapidly and the anger was replaced with his typical narrow eyed impassivity. "Fine, you keep it, then. Jus' make sure I don't ever gotta look at his fuckin' face again." He stomped away and Linney bent down to the bag, taking a last look inside.

She got to her feet and kicked at it childishly, blinking her eyes hard against the prickling of tears she felt in the corners of them. "Fuck you, Merle Dixon," she muttered, "Fuck you for making me care about your stupid, redneck ass."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

They were all sitting down to eat lunch, sullenly, silently, before they left camp. Shane and Rick were slowly going back and forth about what their best options were for relocating. Shane seemed bent on some stupid military base, and Rick seemed uncertain it was worth the risk.

She watched them talk, silently taking in their individual decision-making processes and found that even though she'd only known him for a very short time, she trusted Rick. He was thoughtful, his face grew serious and firm when he was mulling things over. She was impressed that he didn't just dismiss things out of hand, no matter how ridiculous the idea, he would briefly entertain it, think about it, weigh the pros against the cons.

Rick was a born leader. She looked at Shane and tried not to let her prejudice color what she saw, tried to see him as other members of the group would, and she saw a quick temper, impulsive behavior, someone who held a grudge and made a snap decision without thinking it through. Had he always been that way? She sank deeper in her thoughts, finding a little bit of solace and solitude in her evaluations and the private space inside her head.

So, when they heard Jacqui screaming behind them. "Oh my god! Jim's bit!" It took her a moment to snap out of it. To really see what was happening behind them. She tore her thoughts from Rick and Shane and spun with the others towards Jim, who was standing hunched over, his face pale, his eyes wild, one hand lightly held to his stomach and the other reaching out for Jacqui, as if to beg her to be quiet.

People started running towards him, circling around him, as if he were an immediate threat now, as if he wasn't the same tall, awkward, weird Jim anymore, like he was a walker already.

Jim looked around with a defeated face and muttered "I'm ok, I'm ok, it's ok, I'm ok." Linney felt sick to her stomach because it appeared as if their losses from the night before were still coming and her eyes caught Jim's for a moment. He looked away quickly. _Why is this all still happening?_


	36. Chapter 36

***** I OWN NOTHING! Except Linney :) *****

"I'm ok, I'm ok, I'm ok..." Jim repeated, over and over again. The group circled around him slowly. Linney got up from her seat and made her way over, slowly and carefully, trying to get near Jim, without anyone seeing. Everyone wore stricken expressions, some twisted with anger. She made her way to the edge of the crowd and stood behind Dale, only a few feet from Jim. Daryl surprised her by his reaction, it was immediate, and it was angry.

"Show it to us," he growled warningly, moving towards Jim. "Show it to us!" he yelled, advancing on Jim in a threatening way. Linney saw Shane moving in from the side, where Jim wasn't looking. She stepped out in front of Jim quickly, just as Daryl was shouting at him, "_Show it to us!_" Everyone stopped and looked at her. She put a hand behind her, on Jim's arm, cautioning him to stay back, and her other she held out in front of herself, holding it up to signal everyone to stop.

"Calm the fuck down!" She cried at Daryl, before looking at Shane and glaring. "Stop where you are, let's be rational, guys!" She could hear Jim behind her muttering, "I'm ok," over and over so many times that it was beginning to sound like one word. Daryl's face was dark as he pointed at her.

"Linney, move, now, he needs to show it to us." He advanced a step and she grabbed the shovel at Jim's feet, holding it across her body. "Stay back, Dixon, please, we don't have to be this way." Daryl's eyebrows twitched at her and he glared harder but stopped his forward movements. She glanced over at Shane and her expression was beyond black. He stopped too and moved slowly to stand by Daryl, both of them glaring past at her Jim.

Linney turned and faced the tall man, wincing when she saw how pale and sweaty he was already. She nodded at him. "Jim, please, just show them, I don't want to have hit anyone with this thing." Her voice was pleading and he snapped out of it enough to look down at her, and he smiled sadly, lifting his shirt briefly. Linney made a strangled noise at the perfect bite mark, right in the center of his abdomen, and she could hear everyone behind her growling or gasping. Linney dropped the shovel and looked up at him, as he lowered his t-shirt again.

"Oh, Jim," she murmured, her voice heavy with sadness. His eyes were clear while he looked back at her and she put a hand on his arm. "Come on, come over here." He glanced warily at everyone while she lead him to the back end of the RV, made him sit on the ground and relax in the shade there. He eased to the ground with a pained sigh and he stared up at her.

"Go, Linney, go talk to them." He said, his voice quiet and defeated. She clenched her teeth and nodded at him, before turning back to the group. She saw Carol and Morales' wife leading the kids back to the firepit, away from the impromptu meeting now being held regarding Jim, Andrea was still seated at the pit from before, completely zoned out.

Linney went and stood beside Daryl and he gave her a steady look before glancing up to Rick. "Put a pick axe in his head and have it done with, that's what we shoulda done with the girl." Linney flinched beside him, at his terse tone and the hash words. The reactions were mixed and when Linney met Lori's gaze, she could see her own sympathies for Jim echoed back at her in the woman's dark eyes.

"Is that what you'd want?" Morales' voice was heated and he gave Daryl a contemptuous look. Daryl nodded and glared around at everybody, before looking down at Linney, who was trying to force the image of the bite on Jim's stomach being on Daryl's instead, from her mind.

"Yeah I would, and I'd thank you while you did it." He shot back at the man. Linney wiped the back of her hand across her nose and looked down at her feet. Fighting hard to ignore the visions of such a role reversal in her head. When she had her emotions in check, she could see the warring opinions on everyone's faces and wondered what Jim wanted. _Why is no one asking that?_

"I hate to say it, never thought I would, but I agree with Daryl." When Dale spoke the expressions on the faces around the circle were almost comical, especially Daryl's. Linney took a step forward, finally angry. She couldn't believe that Dale was on board, Jim was his friend, and he was still a person. She met Rick's tormented eyes and then spoke, trying to look at everyone.

"You can't all be fucking serious! This is Jim! A person! With thoughts and feelings and a fucking heartbeat! We don't just whack his head off and walk away like it's a chore well done." She turned to Daryl and glared at him. "Have you thought of asking him? What he wants to do with the time he has left? This wouldn't be a mercy, this wouldn't be fucking euthanasia, this is murder you're talking about!" Her chest was heaving and she felt slightly crazed herself.

Daryl's face was still hard, Shane's as well. Dale looked ashamed, as did Jacqui. Linney stepped closer to Rick, knowing he was probably the most reasonable one here. "Rick, please, what have we become if we execute people just because life is cruel and they're going to die an unfair death?" Rick twisted his mouth to the side and looked away. Daryl grabbed her shoulder and spun her to him. His eyes searched her face, as if he was looking for something specific and not finding it.

"He's a tickin' time bomb! When he turns, he won't hesitate. He won't have a fuckin' conversation 'bout it, he'll jus' kill whoever he wants!" His voice was angry and Linney stepped away from his hand, towards Jim, and pointed at the man, "_He's not dead yet!_" Her yell echoed around the camp and Jacqui had to walk away, Lori following on her heels.

Taking a deep breath, Rick finally waded into the fray, "Jim is not a monster - if we go down this road, where do we draw the line?" He said it slowly, but with the sense of power most of his thoughtful phrases carried and Linney felt herself relax a little bit; it was always a good thing to have Rick on your side. Daryl didn't seem to share his thoughts, though, as he pointed angrily back at Jim.

"Line's pretty clear, zero tolerance for walkers, or walkers to be." Linney looked up at him and he met her gaze briefly. She recognized the burning expression in his eyes and realized just how upset he actually was about this. _Is it because Jim's a member of this group and it hurts to lose him? Or because he thinks we're all idiots?_

Linney stepped closer to him, and he looked away. His body language was calm though, he looked less like he was going to lunge for Jim, so she carefully reached a hand out and held the back of his forearm, feeling the tense muscles there.

"I'm thinking we need to consider going to the CDC." Rick offered, gesturing at Jim. Shane cleared his throat in a disgusted manner and walked a few paces away, turning his back on the group. Rick watched his friend and then turned back to the group. "I heard that they were working on a cure, working on a way to fix this thing."

Linney gaped at him, wondering where he'd heard that from, how he could look around himself and possibly believe it. Daryl snorted in disgust and her hand clenched a little tighter on his arm.

"Man, I heard that too," Shane said, whirling around, his face frustrated. "I heard a lot of shit like that, before. Why do you think I risked tryin' to get into Atlanta in the first place?" Shane paced back and forth and Linney followed his movements, not liking that her mind immediately compared his frustrated movements to that of a caged lion.

"I heard a lot of things, c'mon, we all did! But _look around you_!" Shane waved a hand at the still burning pile of walkers, "Look! How can you see that, how can you have seen last night and still think that anything is left?" Rick rubbed his hand over his face, briskly and hard.

"Don't you think," he started, his hand still over his eyes, "That in a situation like this, that if anything was left, any form of structure, or government, or _normalcy_, anything at all, it would be at a place like that?" He walked towards Shane, put a hand on his shoulder. "We could go there, bring Jim, maybe get him help." Rick turned away from Shane's hard face and looked back at the clustered group of them.

"There could be food, water, comfort, safety... there could be a chance for us there!" He exclaimed, waving his hand at the pile of walkers again. Linney heard Daryl mutter, "Pipe dream," but didn't look up at him, only held his arm a little more securely, leaning a shoulder against it. Her stomach was flipping around crazily at the notion of comfort and safety. _Oh god, could it be true?_

"All that shit's at Fort Benning," Shane said, his voice low and angry, "That and more." Lori shot to her feet and walked over quickly, her face concerned, heavy with worry.

"That's a hundred miles in the other direction." She said, looking over at Shane. He nodded at her, his eyebrows raised as if to say 'So?'

"Yes," he agreed, licking his lips, "But it ain't in the hot zone." Lori looked away, swallowing hard. Linney stepped forward then, keeping her hand on Daryl.

"Hot zone?" She asked, and Daryl tugged her back gently. "He means Atlanta, Linney, it's a fuckin' mess that close to the city." His voice was quiet, but firm, and her heart sank. _So much for that idea._

Daryl pulled his arm away from her and took a step forward, pointing an angry finger at Shane and then at Rick.

"None of this matters!" He said angrily and the other men both looked up at him. Daryl's lip twitched into a sneer.

"You go lookin' for aspirin or whatever the hell it is you need, somebody's gotta have some balls and deal with this thing!" He spun around and ran for Jim, pulling up the pick axe laying to the side on his way over. He swung it into the air and Linney screamed at him, at the same time Rick charged by her, shoving her to the side.

Rick pulled his gun, aiming it at Daryl's head, just as he had the pick axe up in the air, ready to swing it down.

"Daryl, don't!" Linney cried, running to his other side. Daryl paused, glancing quickly over at Rick, then to the other side at Linney. He lowered the pick axe with a disgusted look on his face.

Rick's voice was like a whip crack in the sudden stillness, "We don't kill the living." Linney glanced down at Jim, who was cowered against the back of the RV, looking even more sick than he had, even moments before. She swallowed hard at the sight of him and turned back to Daryl, who had turned to the gun, pressing his forehead into it, "That's funny," he began, tossing the pick axe to the ground, his face tight and his tone rasping and furious, "Coming from a man with a gun to my head."

Rick glared at him for a moment and lowered the gun, and Linney followed their movement before watching Shane, who was making his way slowly around them, moving for the pick axe. She moved quickly and snatched it up, stepping away from them, with the tool hanging behind her back.

"Think I'll just hang on to this." She said, moving to Jim. She knelt down in front of him and held the back of her hand to his head. He was burning up.

"Lori!" She called over her shoulder, and the woman ran over. "Go get him a wet cloth, a bottle of water and something to bring down the fever, if we have anything." Lori nodded at her and ran off, looking grateful for something to do.

Rick was at her side then, a grateful expression on his face. "Let's get him somewhere safe," he murmured to her, and Linney nodded reaching down to help Jim to his feet. They managed to get him into the RV, resting in Andrea's bed. Rick helped him get his shoes and socks off, and Linney helped him remove his shirt.

"Rick, get me the first aid kit, it's under the driver's seat." Rick moved away quickly and Daryl stomped into the RV. Rick paused on his way to the driver's seat and put a hand up to stop Daryl.

"Leave it, man." Rick warned. Daryl shot him a disgusted look, speaking in low, angry tones. "I ain't leavin' her in here with him alone. You may be able to risk yer family, but I ain't." Linney was so worried about Jim, she could barely find the faintest thrill at his calling her family. Rick nodded and moved his hand.

Daryl sat next to her, on the little nightstand at the other end of the bed. "You need to get outta here." He grumbled and she looked over her shoulder at him.

"Make yourself useful, open all the windows, he needs a breeze." Daryl glared at her, but moved to do as she asked. Rick returned with Dale's little red first aid kit and Lori appeared moments afterwards. Linney accepted everything from them and lined it all up on the floor, before looking over her shoulder at them.

"Please go now, there's too many people in here." Rick and Lori looked at each other and left. Linney handed two aspirin and a bottle of water to Jim, "Take these and sip slowly." She ordered.

Jim nodded a weary head at her and did as she asked. When he was done, she gently lay the cool, wet cloth on his forehead. "I'm gonna clean this bite, Jim, ok?" He smiled at her and lay his head back.

Daryl leaned forward and put a hand over hers. "Linney, you don't gotta do this." She looked over her shoulder at him and narrowed her eyes, "Of course, I do," she answered. Jim shook his head, "No, Linney, you don't, don't waste your time, I ain't worth it. I should never have said anything, shoulda just hid in the woods until ya'll left."

"Ya know, Jim, when I was all beat up, Amy took care of me, told me her Dad used to be a doctor." Jim looked over at her with glassy eyes and nodded. Linney wiped careful at his bite wound with some antiseptic pads.

"She talked to me the whole time she did, to distract me," Linney chuckled, "I acted like it pissed me off, but I was really grateful for it, kept my mind off wanting to go kill Ed." Jim squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, as she cleaned.

"This reminds me, about this one time, when I was little, maybe 5 or 6," Jim glanced over at her and she smiled at him, "My dad, he barely paid me any attention, most of the time, usually too drunk to realize I existed unless I was right in front of him." Linney got tweezers out and slowly began picking at the debris she hadn't been able to clean out.

"He told me though, never to go climbing the trees across the street from our trailer park, said they were rotted, old, unsafe." Jim peered at her, his face shining with sweat, and Linney smiled at him ruefully.

"Well, you know me, I went anyway." Jim chuckled lightly and she got out the hydrogen peroxide and cotton swabs. "I climbed that stupid tree, the biggest one, all the way to the top. Was really, really proud of myself, that I'd climbed so high, and proved my dad wrong." She soaked the swab and began to apply liberal dabs to his wound, watching as it foamed and crackled.

"That stupid branch I was on, though, it cracked under my feet and I fell. Must've hit every fucking branch on the way down. Hurt like I couldn't believe." She saw the swab wasn't enough and calmly got out a big gauze pad, pouring the hydrogen peroxide all over it, before squeezing the excess out over Jim's stomach.

"Thank god I did though, you know? Cause otherwise it would've been a straight drop to the ground, probably would've killed me." The bubbling was louder and more excessive this time and Jim looked away with a wince.

"I lay on the ground, bleeding, huge splinters everywhere, my dirty little sundress ripped beyond repair, and all I could think was I had to get home and clean so dad would never know I'd disobeyed." She sopped up the excess hydrogen peroxide and got out some antibiotic ointment.

"I limped home, climbed through my bedroom window, hide my dress under my bed, and ran into the bathroom and took a shower, washing off the blood." Jim watched again as she smoothed thick amounts of the ointment on the wound, hissing between his teeth as the numbing agent helped a little bit.

"I used up almost a whole box of bandaids, trying to cover up the cuts and scrapes. Was too stupid to realize that being covered in bandaids was no way to hide shit from dad." Linney pulled the first aid kit onto her lap and began rummaging around.

"I walked around that whole damn day with a huge fucking splinter right down my arm, wincing every time I moved, I couldn't get it out and was terrified to say anything. Thinking for sure my arm would just fall off, and I'd die because I was a bad girl and didn't listen to my dad." Linney pulled the wrapping off a large bandage and carefully affixed it over the wound.

"I fell asleep crying, it hurt so badly." She pulled out tape and began to rip strips of it off. "I woke up the next morning, and the splinter was gone, my arm was clean and all bandaged up." She snuck a peek at Jim who was watching her with sad eyes, she smiled at him.

"My stupid drunk dad had known all along, knew my arm hurt, but said nothing." Linney taped down the bandage. "He snuck in my room when I was asleep and pulled it out and took care of my arm, and I never woke up, I was so worn out from my day." She sat back, satisfied that she had done all she could for him. She pulled out some antibacterial gel and squirted a glob into her hands, rubbing it around on her hands and wrists.

"My dad was not a care giver, like I said, he barely knew I was there, I would've loved to know he cared, or noticed me. But I was too damn scared to say anything to him about being hurt, and I missed out on it. I slept through him takin' care of me." She pulled the blanket up a little, covering him to his armpits.

"I wish I'd trusted him, wish I'd let him take care of me, told him how bad I was hurt so he could tend to me. So I could know that he did give a damn about me, know that I was important to him, even if only for a few minutes." Jim smiled at her as she handed him the water bottle again, urging him to drink.

"I think I see what you did there." He muttered, before taking a sip. She patted his arm, "You tell us if you need help, Jim, don't wait for it, ask if you need, whatever you need, let us take care of you a little." He nodded at her and she got to her feet.

Linney turned around and nearly jumped into the air, she'd gotten so into her story she'd forgotten Daryl was there. His eyes were intense and scrutinizing and she waved a hand at him, urging him from the RV. With a quick look at Jim, he followed her to the door leading outside, pausing just within.

"I still don't think I get ya." He said quietly, staring down at her. She shrugged and patted his arm, "I'm an enigma all right." She made a face at him and he laughed.

"I don't think what happens between me and my husband is any of your business anymore, and I'd thank you to never touch me again." Lori's voice came sharply and heatedly from outside the RV and Linney looked up at Daryl, who shrugged, as unsure of the context as she was. They moved outside and found Shane standing way too close to Lori, who looked anxious, angry, and trapped.

"What's going on out here?" Linney asked carefully. Shane rounded on them and her heart sank.

_Oh good, he's lost his mind... again._


	37. Chapter 37

***** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney! *****

The last person he wanted to see was _her_, stepping out of the RV with _him_. He'd forgotten they were in there, when he saw Lori and Rick leave the RV a little while before. Rick had nodded at him and headed over to the vehicles, calling T-Dog as he went. _So fucking confident that everything will go his way, that everyone will just follow him_, Shane thought bitterly.

Lori stood and watched her husband walk away and Shane stepped to her quickly. Her eyes turned to his and he felt like he'd been kicked. Her expression was so hard, so angry, so mistrusting, when just two days ago she'd looked at him like he was her world.

"Lori, you can't be thinkin' he's right." He said in a low murmur. She clenched her jaw and stared past him. "I don't think what I'm thinkin' should matter to you anymore." She answered tightly. He stepped closer to her and looked her in the eyes. "How can you say that? How can you even think it?" He whispered and her eyes shone briefly before she turned away.

"I said all I mean to say to you on the matter, Shane, down by the water. You leave me and family alone, you have no right to us anymore." Shane felt his breathing shudder through his lungs inside him. Felt his grasp on control slipping. _Losin' your touch with the ladie_s, a mocking part of his mind said.

He leaned in closer and began speaking in a low, pleading, desperate voice. Telling her about how he felt, how worried he was about her and Carl, about the utter wrongness of the plan to go to the CDC. Lori backed away from him, her eyes fixed on his face, her expression frightened. He tried to tell himself it was because she knew he was right, that it wasn't because he was scaring her.

He stepped closer, grabbing her arm, tightly, feeling her delicate bones below, "Lori, he'll lead us to our deaths, you can't follow him, believe in him, just to spite me." He squeezed harder and she yanked her arm away.

"I don't think what happens between me and my husband is any of your business anymore, and I'd thank you to never touch me again." She snapped at him, her voice low and terrified. He took a step closer to her, not saying what he was thinking, _I could fix this, I could have you back, it's such a little thing._

"What's going on out here?" Linney spoke from behind him and he turned to her, but not before seeing the look of intense relief on Lori's face. She stood there, still bloody, still dirty, still beautiful, her posture stiff, her eyes wide as she took in his expression. The fucking redneck hovered behind her, his face tight, his posture ready to interfere.

"We're just discussing the plan, to go to the CDC." Linney looked over at Lori, as if waiting for confirmation of his words. Lori nodded and pushed past them. "I need to go check on Carl," she said in a harried voice. Shane watched her go and then turned back to Linney.

"So, it's a done deal, then? We're going for sure?" She asked him, her voice careful. He felt an eye twitch and stared back down at her. "Nothing's for sure, I plan to convince Rick to do something else. Try Fort Benning." Linney didn't looked convinced and he watched her carefully, wondering what was going on behind those eyes. The redneck put a hand on her shoulder, turning her to him.

"'S none of our business, Linney, c'mon." He slid the hand around her shoulders, urging her away and Shane felt a flash of rage go through him, wanting to reach out and slam his fist into the back of the other man's head. He managed a smile though and nodded in the direction of where Rick was standing and talking with T-Dog.

"I'm gotta go have a chat with my buddy now, see ya'll later." She watched him carefully and he smiled at her. When she shuddered, his smile grew bigger and he turned away. _Both of them, I could have them both, it would be such a little thing._

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney watched as Shane walked towards Rick, pointing off to the back of camp and when Rick nodded and followed him, she suddenly stiffened. "Let it go," Daryl murmured, his hand dropping from her shoulders once Shane was out of sight. "You saw that, you saw his face, you saw Lori's face," she replied, her eyes tracking their movements across the camp.

"Linney, it ain't none of our business what goes on between those three, leave out of it." She looked over at him and nodded. His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "You ain't gonna leave it," he said flatly.

She met his eyes, held his gaze and shrugged. "I like Lori and Rick, and Shane's batshit crazy." Daryl put a hand on each of her shoulders and turned her to look at him squarely. "That's why I want ya to back off, it ain't yer fight, he's not right in the head, yer gonna get hurt." Linney nodded and pulled away.

"I need to go talk to Glenn, have to get my knives back." Daryl nodded and headed off towards Merle's bike, she assumed to make sure it was ready to go, to take them on their terror-filled ride later. Linney jogged over to the firepit, where Glenn was chatting with Carol and Lori.

"Hey, Glenn," he looked over at her expectantly and she smiled, "Do you have my knives? From the bodies?" He smiled and reached to a wrapped up towel behind himself.

"Yeah, meant to give these to you earlier, but with Jim..." He's voice trailed off and he cringed. Linney pressed her lips together and pulled the towel from him, laying it out on the ground. She crouched next to it and was pleased to see that despite being blood splattered, they were still sharp and whole. She began tucking them in their proper places, putting her empty guns in their holsters as well. _Have to get more bullets from the bag before we go_, she reminded herself.

The people around her watched her with fascination and when she looked up she blushed, embarrassed by the attention. "Linney," Lori began curiously, "Where _did_ you learn to throw those things?" Everyone chuckled and Jacqui leaned forwards eagerly, "After the other night, I have been wondering this myself." There was more light laughter and Linney realized that despite being actually curious, they needed a diversion, something to take their minds from last night, from Amy, the camp, Jim, and their upcoming travel.

"My dad." She said, patting a hand on the handle of the biggest knife at her waist. Lori opened her mouth to say something, but paused, then shook her head. "What?" Linney asked her and Lori looked up at her shame-faced. "Never mind, it was rude to even think it." Her face was red and Linney could guess what she had been thinking. She lowered herself to sit on the log between Glenn's and Lori's.

"My dad right?" Lori nodded and looked down at her hands. Linney surprised herself by laughing, "Yeah, he was drunk, or high, most of the time, totally useless. But there was a time, before my mom died, when he was a pretty badass kind of guy. Loved his guns, loved weapons, was good with all of them. He prided himself on being a real renaissance man of the weapons world." Linney looked down at her hands and stretched her fingers out.

"So he had a dart board set up in the living room, and even drunk, he'd sit in his recliner, and throw his knives at it." She patted her arms, "These knives." She closed her eyes for a moment and started speaking before she opened them. "I used to watch him, when I could, when he wasn't in a bad mood. He was so good, it was like his version of darts. I wanted to be good like him, be just as good as him." She glanced over at Carl, before turning to Lori, "I thought if I could impress him, he'd really like me then." Lori's face softened and her eyes were shining as she nodded.

"So I started practicing when he wasn't around, cut myself so badly so many times." She chuckled, "He caught me and for some reason, took it really seriously that I was interested. He started to teach me, and I loved every last second." Linney ran a hand over the sheath on her calf and looked around at everyone, "God, I must have been about 8, he took the longest chunk of interest in me he'd ever shown, started taking me shooting with him too, to get me comfortable with guns." She cleared her throat, getting to her feet; the memories of shooting with her dad were some of the most precious ones she had and she couldn't share them. Her throat suddenly hurt and she said hurriedly, "Anyways, that's the story." She turned to walk away and found Daryl sitting in one of Dale's lawn chairs a feet behind her, fiddling around with his arrows.

He looked up, raising an eyebrow at her and she turned away. Linney jogged away, to the back of camp and was relieved when Daryl didn't follow her. She needed a moment to calm her stupid, over-emotional heart.

When she reached the edge of camp, she heard voices off in the trees, and realized Shane and Rick were out there, arguing. Looking around to make sure no one saw her, she darted into the trees, following the sound of their voices.

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Rick wouldn't listen to Shane's insistence that the CDC was the wrong choice and the bigger man could feel himself getting more and more angry, more and more unhinged. As they searched the woods for the missing guns that the men on watch, who were killed, had dropped, they continued back and forth over what was the right choice.

Shane saw red, when Rick suggested to him that he didn't understand. Didn't understand because he didn't have a family of his own. Resisting every urge to crack Rick's skull under the butt of his rifle, Shane got in his face, reminding him of all he'd done for Rick's family.

He was momentarily caught off guard when Rick grew earnest, his eyes shining, "You know I can never repay the debt I owe you for keeping them safe." Shane stepped back, his mind clearing for a moment; this was Rick, his best friend, alive and well, back from the dead, and he was grateful to Shane for doing what he did. _Calm down, man, take it easy_, he cautioned himself.

When they heard the slight crack of a twig being broken underfoot, Rick quickly signaled him and they split up, guns trained carefully ahead of them, eyes open, senses wary. Shane made a slow turn and suddenly saw movement in the scope on his gun. Rick. He paused, licking his lips. He knew that all he had to do was flex his finger the tiniest bit and everything would be better, everything could go back to normal. He warred with himself, his face twisting and tormented as he fought to shoot his friend, fought not to shoot his friend.

Finally one part of him won over the other and he growled in frustration, his teeth bared in an angry grin. He lowered the rifle and became suddenly aware of another person, when they breathed, "Jesus." He turned away and found Linney, standing a few feet away, her hand hovering over the blade on her arm, her face horrified, eyes watching him like he was a threat.

"We heard a noise, it's damn easy to get turned around out here, see the wrong thing, you know?" His voice was deep and throaty and she stepped back from him, her jaw clenched. She looked over in the direction Rick had gone and Shane strode over to her. He watched with pleasure as she involuntarily took a step back, into the tree behind her. He stood close, but didn't touch her, not fancying the idea of having his face torn open by one of her knives.

He watched her face and saw that she would indeed cut him, first chance he gave her, and it excited him. "Seen you and the redneck arguing a lot today." He said, in a soft voice and her eyebrows shot up. "You're not very observant then; we always argue." She shot back. He chuckled and she took a step to the side, away from the tree.

"Still, looks like things could be better." He commented, casually. "Do you honestly think after the past couple days he and I have had that everything would be hunky dory?" Her face was strained and she was edging slowly away from him, back towards the direction of the camp. He hunched his shoulders, smiling when the joints all pleasurably cracked.

"Despite everything, ya'll should let me know when that inevitably falls apart. I think I could comfort you." He was trying to be calm, conversational, pulling out his old charm, hoping to show her that his interest was real, that he wasn't out to kill her, like she seemed to think.

Her face went pale and she looked disgusted and that suddenly infuriated him. _She thinks I'm not good enough, that I'm not right for her_, he thought in fury, his mind in a whirl, bringing his gun up into both hands again. _I could show her, right now, right here, maybe kill that redneck back at camp, be done with it, him and Rick, just be fucking done with it._

He realized that he was raising the gun, his body one step ahead of his mind, already planning on swinging it at her, taking her down. When her eyes shifted behind him and relief flooded her expression, he realized that Rick was back.

"What's going on?" Rick asked, his voice worried, obviously having seen the look on Linney's face a moment before. She turned on her heel and ran back to camp and Shane chuckled.

"Girl's a little freaked out, I think," He turned to Rick and his friend nodded, his forehead knotted up like something didn't make sense. Shane hurried on, "Told her we heard a noise and she was worried 'bout you." Rick chuckled, "I'm fine, I should tell her that." Shane put a hand on the other man's arm, stopping him before he could go forward.

"A'right, I'm on board, we'll try the CDC." Shane spoke softly, like it had taken him awhile to come to this decision, but now he was convinced. Rick's whole demeanor changed and he knew that Linney and her worry was forgotten. It surprised him briefly just how much his approval meant to his friend and he felt a wash of guilt. _I could never kill him, he's all I'm allowed to love now_.

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Linney raced back to camp and nearly collided with Dale, who was also making his way into the woods. He caught her by the shoulders, his face concerned. "What's wrong? Linney? What's wrong?" She looked up into his dark eyes and considered telling him, she knew he'd at least listen to her, but she couldn't. She was still so uncertain about her place at this camp, with this group. Uncertain about her and Daryl anymore, things were so strained between them since everything went down the past couple of days.

She shook her head at him and forced a smile at the old man. "I was out in the woods, going to help Rick and Shane, but I heard something and got spooked." She shrugged, like she was embarrassed.

"I don't buy that, Linney." He replied, looking at her cautiously. She pulled away from him and cleared her throat, and just then Rick and Shane walked out through the treeline, big smiles on their faces. Dale watched her watching them, and put a hand on her back, leading her back to camp. They stood side by side, at the edge of the group and listened as Rick and Shane detailed the final decision: the CDC. She and Dale glanced over at each other at the same time and she raised her eyebrows at him, before heading towards Daryl, who was standing next to Glenn, one foot propped up on a log.

She wanted to hug him; she felt gross and freaked out by Shane, freaked out with herself even for how close she'd gotten to just killing him when she saw him aiming the rifle at Rick. But Daryl was absorbed in what everyone was talking about, and she was dimly aware when Morales stood up and explained he and his family were heading to Alabama. Daryl looked away in disgust, and turned to her.

"Damn fool's gonna get his whole family killed." He muttered to her and she looked back then, watched Rick hand Morales a gun, Shane hand him ammo. She and Daryl walked away, watched as everyone said their goodbyes. Neither of them wanted to be a part of it; Linney felt sick watching them go.

"I saw something in the woods," she finally said to Daryl and he grunted, still distracted by the family climbing into their car.

"Why'd you go into the woods?" He asked her, his voice disapproving. She shrugged and then sighed, "I was worried about Rick." Daryl turned to her then, saw her face and caught her chin in his hand, turning her to him.

"What'd you see?" His voice was interested, worried, and she looked back up at him.

"Shane was going to kill Rick, and I caught him." Daryl sighed in frustration, his hand falling from her face. "Then he saw that I saw, and I think he was going to kill me." When Daryl's eyes turned back to hers, they weren't worried, or concerned, or frustrated anymore; they were murderous.


	38. Chapter 38

***** I'm giving you guys a treat and making this chapter exciting on different levels (I hope, otherwise I suck for teasing you and I'm sorry) - Enjoy! *** I OWN NOTHING but Linney!**

"Ya got 'bout 10 seconds to explain that 'fore I go over there and beat the shit outta him." Daryl's voice was a growl and Linney swallowed, not sure how to start. "8 seconds." He reminded her and she tried to step back, and remove her chin from his grasp. He raised an eyebrow at her and didn't let her go.

"Daryl, I can't concentrate when you're holding my face like that." She said, trying to step back again.

"6 seconds." His voice was nearly a hiss, and Linney scrambled to explain it in a way that might keep him from losing it. "He got really, really, I don't know, intense looking, in a creepy way. He started to lift his gun up, like he was going to hit me with it. I don't think he even realized what he was doing." Daryl ground his teeth together and released her chin, turning to walk away, presumably to go kill Shane. _Aaand I poked the bear - dammit_. She wrapped both of her arms around his bicep, trying to pull him back and he rounded on her.

"Linney let me go, now."

"Daryl, punching Shane isn't going to help anyone. Everyone'll freak out, they won't believe me, and then he'll get to stay, and god knows what he might do then."

"It'll damn sure help me." He tried to pull away again and she yanked harder. "No! We have this information; we need to keep an eye on him. I couldn't stand it if we left and he shot Rick, or Glenn, or Dale, or hurt Lori, or one of the kids. That would be on us!" Daryl flared his nostrils in rage; his teeth clenched so hard the muscles in his jaw stood out starkly. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and then grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her backwards, to the back end of the RV, where no one could see them.

"Linney, this ain't safe." His eyes were burning again and she wasn't sure where to look. "He's losin' his mind, how long 'til he puts his hands on you? How long 'til he tries to hurt you, or worse?" Daryl was speaking in an angry rush and she couldn't suppress her shudder; Shane had already done those things. She didn't dare to even mention that to Daryl, knowing that would be the end, that no amount of coaxing or begging would keep him from hurting or killing Shane and most likely being killed himself.

"Daryl, we can't do anything, I feel an obligation to help these people stay safe, but I don't think we're trusted enough yet for them to believe us, to take us at our word." Daryl released her shoulders and walked a couple steps away. "Besides, do you honestly think Rick would be capable of killing Shane, the man who saved his family, his best friend since forever? Even if he did believe us?" Daryl turned and rushed back to her, slamming both his hands against the RV, on either side of her head, leaning in close to her face, his breathing heavy.

"He has no chances left," Daryl murmured in an angry voice, low and dangerous, "One more thing, Linney, one more thing, and he's done, I'll fuckin' kill 'im." She looked back and forth between his eyes.

"Even if you die right afterwards?" She whispered, and he narrowed his eyes, glaring even more intensely, "It'll be worth it." She clenched her jaw tightly, wanting to smack him. She wanted to tell him that she wouldn't let that happen, that she'd kill Shane first. That even today, if Shane had swung the gun she would have been able to stop him. She wanted to say a lot of things, but she didn't get a chance to, because he moved in the last few inches in a rush, pressing his lips to hers.

The kiss started out fiercely, both of them angry, but when she wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling herself up to him more evenly, the kiss deepened; she found herself panting against his lips, barely able to stand the warmth of his mouth, his tongue.

She realized she was nearly growling against him, and he had her crushed up against the RV, one hand gripping the back of her head, his fingers digging into her hair, clutching at handfuls of it. His other arm snaked down her body, grabbing her thigh, yanking it up against his hip, pulling her even closer.

Linney felt herself twisting in their embrace, pulling on his hair, groaning against the feeling of him pressed up against her own body. It was the angriest, most passionate, _hottest_ thing she had ever done and when she heard someone clear their throat behind Daryl, she wanted to pull her gun and shoot them in the head for interrupting. Daryl broke away, releasing her leg, untangling his hand from her hair, and turned with a snarl to Rick, who was standing a few feet away, looking highly amused.

"What!" Daryl barked at him, and Linney unwound her hands from his neck, putting them behind her back, like a naughty child. Rick struggled to suppress a smile, lost the battle, and then chuckled, shaking his head.

"Time to go guys." He pointed back at the cars and raised his eyebrows before walking away with a small smile on his face. Daryl took in a few shuddery breaths and glanced back at Linney, who stared back at him, trying to keep her face calm and smooth, even though she knew she must be mussed and flushed as red as a tomato. He held her eyes and then started to smile. She smiled back, confused.

"What?" She asked him, trying to figure out why he looked so smug.

"Time to get on the bike, little coward." He said, before sauntering away.

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She gripped his waist tightly, every move the death machine made making her feel like she was surely going to be dragged to her death, leaving bits of herself along the road, like a smear. Daryl on the other hand, was enjoying himself immensely. He seemed happy to leave camp, to leave behind memories that hurt, and he was exceptionally happy that she was so freaked out. Climbing on the bike took every ounce of strength she had, and she silently made her peace with god as he started it up.

Every bump on the road they encountered, she squeaked, gripping frantically at his front, and she could feel his chest rumble as he laughed. _We don't even have any helmets! Goddamn, stupid, unsafe, Dixons!_ They followed behind T-Dogs truck, which Rick was driving, with Lori, Carl, Sophia, and Carol, meanwhile T-Dog rode with Shane, ahead of Rick. Everyone else was in the RV, which followed her and Daryl.

After a couple hours of riding, some slow, some quite fast, she was able to look up from the back of his shirt, around them. The wind was hard and buffeted against her clothes, making her feel like even it wanted to yank her off the bike. Everything rushed by the sides of them in a blur. _A horrible, dangerous, blur._

It was late afternoon when Shane pulled off up ahead, into a school parking lot. Everyone followed him in and they drove around to the back of the building. When Daryl stopped the bike, putting out the stand, she shuddered, her muscles in spasm from the iron grip they had maintained for hours.

"You can let go now." He said over his shoulder and she unclenched her fingers, slowly unraveling her arms from around him. He hopped off and she grabbed the seat spastically, feeling like the whole bike was going to tip over. He laughed at her and tucked a hand under her arm, pulling her towards him. She slithered off the bike and fought to find her feet.

"Quit laughing at me Dixon, if you know what's good for you." It was meant to come out as a dangerous threat, but instead sounded like a mumbled whine. He chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze, while he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Glad to see you're 'fraid of some stuff." He released her and stepped away. "I was startin' to think you wasn't human, or a girl, actin' like such a little maniac all the time."

Linney glared at him and adjusted her belt and weapons at her hips. Rick ushered the kids into the RV, with Lori, Carol, Andrea, Jim, Dale, and Jacqui, instructing them to lock the door and not come out. Shane stood at the double doors to the school and gestured behind himself.

"We're gonna go in through here and sweep each room along this hall until we reach the next set of doors, then we secure them and hole up in this section of the school for the night. Try to avoid gunshots, but by all means use what you need to." He turned and looked at Linney and Daryl. "You two are with Rick." He turned to Glenn and T-Dog, "You two with me." Everyone else nodded and Daryl grabbed his crossbow, while Linney quickly made sure her gun holsters were unbuttoned and ready to go, having reloaded them before getting on the bike.

"You gonna be able to shoot straight? Ya seem a little shaky." Daryl said, his voice mocking and she turned to him with a glare. "Want me to use you as target practice before we go in?" He shook his head and held his hands up in surrender to her, smirking. They moved to the doors and Shane looked back at them. "Ready?" He asked, his voice hard. Linney felt herself nodding along with everyone else and Shane kicked the doors open.

The school was dim, but not dark. Some of the classroom doors were open and all the doors had windows in them, and the windows in each classroom itself allowed plenty of late afternoon light to seep into the hall. Shane signaled at Rick, who moved to the room to the left, Linney and Daryl following quickly. She knew by the smell; it was obvious this had been base camp for a different group of survivors, one's who hadn't made it a month in this new world before falling. Linney ducked under Rick's arm and quickly stabbed a teenage boy who lurched up from a filthy, blood spattered bed on the floor. His grinning, greying teeth gnashed at her once, but she twisted the giant knife she'd forced through his eye and he collapsed.

Behind her she heard the twang of Daryl's bow and Rick grunting, as he slashed at another walker. Linney saw one of them coming up on Rick as he grappled with a particularly large man, and she heaved first one knife and then another, taking out the one trying to ambush him and the one fighting him, from across the room. He looked over at her in surprise and she wasted no time running after Daryl, into the hall.

The next room was more crowded and Daryl blocked the door, shooting off a couple arrows, trying to thin the herd. When one of them came lurching out at him, she used his shoulder as leverage and heaved herself past him, into its legs, stabbing it through its gaping mouth as they both fell. Her knife lodged in the floor below it, through the back of its skull, and when she couldn't immediately get it out, she left the knife and rolled to her side off the walker's body, pulling the other large hunting knife as she went. She looked up and saw Daryl walking from desktop to desktop, using his own hunting knife to slam the skulls open of the four walkers that came for him.

They heard a bang and saw Rick slamming a chair through the head of one of the walkers he found hiding in the classroom closet. The metal leg of the chair impaled the thing's head and Linney grimaced. She moved out into the hall right after, Rick and Daryl hot on her heels and saw they had one classroom left to clear. When she peeked through the window she saw it was a science lab of some kind, she counted quickly and turned back to the men behind her, signaling that there were 8 walkers inside.

Daryl nodded and grabbed the handle on the door, looking back at her and Rick to make sure that they were ready. When they both nodded, he threw the door open and the walkers inside all turned their heads to them in unison, their rotting faces eager and hungry. Linney threw two more knives taking out the two biggest of them, saving anyone from having to battle anything that heavy. As they slowly thudded to the ground, one of them landed on the feet of another walker who was slowly trying to shuffle towards them.

Linney watched in horrified fascination as it did nothing to stop its fall and slammed face first into the ground with a sickening crunch. "Damn," she heard Daryl mutter in disgust, before shooting a walker in the head with a bolt from the crossbow and then smoothly lunging out to stab one that wandered within arm's reach. Rick moved quickly, slamming his knife into the face of one walker, and through the temple of another. Linney ran towards the last walker on its feet and dodged its arms, darting around it and popping up behind it, blasting her knife through its head viciously.

They stood panting until it became obvious that the walker that had been slammed to the ground by one of the big ones, was still alive. Rick's face twisted as he dropped to one knee and jammed his knife through its skull. They left the class and could hear Glenn in the classroom across the hall, saying "Ew, ew, ew, aw man, ew!" Linney peeked her head in and saw that he had just killed a walker with half its guts hanging out, trailing across the floor behind it.

Shane pushed past her out the door, intent on the double doors at the end of the hall. The men started dragging furniture out from the classes, pressing and stacking it up against the doors. Linney wandered back through the classrooms, collecting her knives and wiping them clean, before shoving them back inside the sheaths.

She stepped out into the hall when she heard Rick talking. "Let's clear one of the rooms of bodies, that'll be where we stay." There was agreement all around and they decided that the first room that Shane's team had cleared was the cleanest. The four bodies in there were dragged across the hall.

"What about supplies?" Linney asked and they all turned to look at her. T-Dog started laughing when he paused to really set eyes on her and she glared at him. "What?" She snapped and he pushed his lips together to stop from laughing harder.

"Shit, Linney, you look terrifying." Glenn grimaced at his words and nodded, his face still pale from clearing the rooms. When she looked over at Rick, he was fighting a small smile too. He took her hand and lead her to the science lab and over to the sink by the door, with a mirror above it. She did a double take at her reflection.

Her face and entire body were splashed with huge amounts of blood. Her hair was doubly matted with it, and her hands and arms were dark red right up the elbows. "Yikes." She muttered and reached for a roll of paper towels, finding a small squirt bottle of distilled water in the cupboard next to it. Rick patted her shoulder.

"You clean up a little, so you don't scare the kids, we'll start pulling supplies." He walked out of the room and she dampened the paper towels and began scrubbing at her face. Linney realized that she hadn't had a chance to bathe or clean up since the big attack at camp and was disgusted with how dirty she was. She thought she would probably give up a kidney for a shower, at this point. Daryl came in about ten minutes later with a big bottle of water and brandished it at her.

"Uh, you might want to use this on your hair, found it in one the bags next door, they had a ton of water here." Her scalp was itchy from all the dried blood and she nodded at him. "Help me?" She asked him and he grimaced at her. "Do I look like a hairdresser?" She glowered at him and he shook his head. "Quit givin' me the stink eye n' bend over the sink." She smiled at him and winked, wiggling her eyebrows at him in overdone flirtation, "Anything you say."

Daryl paused and then seemed to realize what he'd said. He smirked at her, "Is there ever a time when you ain't pantin' after me?" She flicked an eyebrow up at him and said nothing, but bent her upper body over the sink so he could start pouring water over it. He rubbed it into her hair and pumped out a handful of the soap in the dispenser next to the sink. She closed her eyes as he carefully washed her hair and found herself leaning into it, enjoying the feeling of hands kneading her scalp and rubbing her hair, especially his hands.

When he was done, she reached up and squeezed out all the excess water. When she looked up at the mirror, she looked a hundred times better. She grabbed another handful of paper towels and started patting and squeezing her hair in them. He watched her and then nodded at the door.

"Ready to go?" She nodded and they headed outside the school, helping bring in bedding, food, backpacks, and weapons. They pulled the vehicles closer to the doors, so if they needed to, they could open the doors and run into them quickly, and then Shane closed the big double doors, sliding an axe through the handles on the inside.

A couple of hours later, they all sat around faint lantern light, finished with dinner, and getting ready for bed. T-Dog and Shane pulled first watch, one by the window and one by the door, and everyone else slept in the middle of the room. Linney and Rick had second watch, Daryl and Glenn third, so she was eager to get to sleep. Each watch also had to keep an eye on Jim, who had been sleeping uneasily the entire night, fraught with fever. It was left unsaid that they were to act immediately if he died.

Daryl grunted when he saw that she had zipped together two sleeping bags, to make one large bag and she yanked her boots off while sitting on their bed, laying her weapons and belt over top of them on the floor above their heads. She had hidden in one of the corpse rooms (christened so by Glenn) earlier and changed into a clean shirt, and had made Daryl change his shirt as well, not wanting to bring dried blood into their bedding. Linney climbed into her sleeping bag and Daryl slid in next to her. Carl was in a sleeping bag next to her, having insisted upon it, and his parents were on the other side of him, in a similar large bag to Linney's and Daryl's.

She laid her head on her pillow and winked at Carl. "You don't snore do you?" She asked him in a stage whisper and he giggled. "No! But my dad does." She chuckled and reached an arm from under the blanket to muss his hair. "See ya in the morning, buddy." Linney turned away and settled her head on Daryl's shoulder, gripping her arm across him. She sighed in satisfaction and he wrapped both arms around her and stroked one hand up and down her arm.

"I'm glad I'm not alone." She whispered quietly in his ear, her voice like a sigh. He nodded, squeezing her a little tighter for a moment, and she thought about the past nights she'd been alone, separated from him.

_I don't care where we are, as long as he's here too._

***** A kiss, the bike ride, a zombie scene, a wee little happy ending for the day - all in all, fun to write :) Hopefully fun to read, as well *****


	39. Chapter 39

***** Enjoy - I OWN NOTHING except for Linney :) *****

The night passed quickly, and nothing happened on watch, which was a relief to everyone, Linney could tell. No one slept well though, she noticed. During her watch, perched on a cabinet by the window, Linney watched as Carl twitched and kicked, crying in his sleep. When Rick moved to his side and roused the boy, his haunted blue eyes were enough to tell Linney all she needed to know about the nature of his dreams.

Even Daryl slept uneasily, moving around in his sleep frequently. She glanced out the window and watched the grey landscape behind the school, the huge open soccer field, the playground. In the far distance she could see a couple of walkers, lumbering about mindlessly, but she wasn't worried. When it was her time to wake up Daryl, she gave Rick a wry look.

"Second watch is not the easiest," she whispered and he nodded. "Didn't think I could fall asleep the first time, never mind a second time," he replied in a tired voice. Linney gave brief consideration to letting Daryl sleep through his shift and covering it for him, but she could tell by the look on Rick's face that he wasn't going to let her do that. She sighed and knelt by Daryl's side, enjoying a moment of being able to stare at his face, especially while he was asleep and it was so relaxed. She leaned down and brushed a kiss against his temple and then reached a hand down to brush her fingers across his face.

She was startled when his hand shot up and grabbed her wrist and his eyes opened, wide and wary. When he saw it was her, he released her arm and rubbed his face.

"It's your turn," she said softly and he nodded, blinking his eyes to get the sleep out of them. "Got it," he grumbled, his voice gravelly. She sat and started to remove her weapons and boots again and handed him a bottle of water. He drank deeply from it and then got to his feet, nodding over at Glenn, who was climbing up onto the window sill to keep watch. Daryl looked around and then bent to her and kissed the top of her head, so quickly she could barely tell he'd done it. She smiled at him and lay down.

As she tried to fall asleep, she found herself watching Glenn. He was pale and tired, but there was something else different about him. She realized with a jolt that it was grief. Amy's death had made this all very real to him, and he was not coping well. She could tell he thought no one was watching because a tear escaped his eye every now and then, and he would wipe at it slowly. Linney's stomach clenched up and she could feel her eyes pricking. Whatever he and Amy had, it was never given the chance to grow into anything, but his heart ache was still very real. Linney shifted silently and glanced over at Andrea, who was nothing more than a blonde tuft of hair inside her sleeping bag.

In the face of a grief as severe as Andrea's, Linney could easily guess why Glenn was burying his feelings, why Dale was forcing himself to behave normally, even why she was afraid to look at Andrea for too long, afraid to risk seeing too much of Amy in Andrea's face and have it gut her. They were all afraid to express their own sadness over Amy because they didn't feel they had a right to it. Linney swallowed hard and put her hand over her eyes, so she could let a few tears creep out without anyone noticing.

She missed Merle, she missed Amy, she missed her father in a faint kind of way; her new life was so all-consuming that her past life seemed like a long ago story to her now. She imagined that Merle would laugh at her emotion, push her away and snarl at her for being such a big baby, tell her to suck it up and quit being such a pussy. Linney pulled the sleeping bag over her head and stared into the darkness inside, certain she wouldn't sleep, that her mind was going to torment her the remainder of the night with thoughts and images of loss and sadness.

So when she woke up the next morning to the sound of Sophia whispering to her mother that she was hungry, Linney was surprised. She sat up in bed and saw that about half of the group was awake. She pushed the blanket down and turned to the side, groaning softly at the stiffness in her back as she put on her boots and weapons again. Luckily all their bodies jammed into the room together had kept it warm, so she didn't feel the need to toss a sweatshirt on over her t-shirt.

Glancing up at Daryl, she saw him sitting on top of a filing cabinet, eating a bag of dried fruit. She tiptoed over to the bag of food and dug around, finding herself a granola bar and a bag of fruit. When she looked up, Carl was sitting up in his bedding, his hair everywhere, his eyes ringed with dark circles. She felt her heart wrench at the sight of him and smiled at him. He returned it and crawled over to her. "Hungry, man?" She asked him and he nodded. She peeked over him at Sophia and nodded her head at the girl, urging her over.

"Ok, let's be quiet and I think I can let you two have some..." she lowered her voice to a quiet whisper, "forbidden breakfast food." Sophia laughed and Carl stared at her, his eyes getting wider. "What's forbidden breakfast food?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Linney dug in the bag, letting her arm bend inside it, so it looked like she was reaching through the floor and Sophia giggled. Linney pulled out a small chocolate bar for each of them and they squeaked excitedly. "Shh, shh, you'll wake everyone else and I'll get in trouble for giving this to you guys," she hissed at them, briefly meeting Lori's eyes over the kid's heads. The woman smiled at her and bit her lip, before laying back down on her side, trying to pretend she was asleep again.

"Now, just to make sure your teeth don't rot out, you gotta have some dried fruit and a granola bar, k?" The kids nodded and she shooed them off with their loot, chuckling to herself at their excitement, wishing that it would be as easy to make her day. She grabbed her own breakfast and found Daryl watching her, a strange look on his face. She made her way to him and he scooted over so she could sit next to him.

"What're ya up to with those kids?" He murmured to her and she winked at him, "I can't tell you, it's a secret." Daryl rolled his eyes and tossed the empty bag of dried fruit at her head, before bumping her with his shoulder. "Corpse room," he said, which was code for using the bathroom. She nodded and ate her breakfast, watching as Carol got the kid's to roll up their beds and settle near her. The rest of the adults present woke up, and within 30 minutes they were moving everything back to the cars.

Jim was much, much worse, and Linney felt her insides ache at the sight of his face as they helped him back into the RV. He was pale, sweating, so feverish that it felt like he had an open flame burning beneath his skin. He ranted and raved as they got him settled and Linney glanced over at Jacqui.

"He doesn't have much longer," the woman murmured, her face tense and pained. Linney put a hand on her shoulder and pressed her lips together, nodding in understanding. She headed outside and walked over to the driver's side of T-Dog's truck, to talk with Rick, his face settling into a resigned expression when he realized what she was there to discuss.

"We should make it to the CDC today, if the roads aren't bad." He said, as if that thought could stave off what she had to say. Linney shook her head at him, "Rick, I don't know, I don't think he's gonna make it much further." The sheriff looked away, clenching his jaw, squeezing the steering wheel.

"We have to try," he said quietly, before looking up at her with determined eyes, "It's the only hope he has, we _have to try_." Linney swallowed and patted his arm, nodding, "Of course we do." She glanced past him at Lori, whose face was pale and unhappy. Linney held her gaze for a moment before turning away, heading over to Merle's bike. She climbed carefully onto the back, wrapping her arms around Daryl's stomach.

"Ready?" He asked her and she nodded against his back. This time when they started up, she was so distracted by thoughts of Jim that she could barely find the room to be afraid.

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"This is what I want." Jim managed, waving away Rick's concern. He leaned against the tree they'd propped him under and he closed his eyes, tilting his face to the sky. Linney gripped Daryl's hand in her own, tightly, watching as the people around her struggled with this decision.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Jim, we can get you there, we can try -" Rick began, leaning down to talk to Jim. The sick man opened his eyes slowly and looked at him, his face weary, but determined. "Rick, it's my choice." Rick took a step back and Linney swallowed, convulsively gripping Daryl's hand even harder. To his credit, he let her, not pulling away like he normally would.

Everyone said their goodbyes, filing sadly back to the vehicles and Linney lingered for a moment, kneeling by Jim's side. He gazed at her face, sadly, reaching a hand up to run his knuckles down the side of it.

"I lied," he muttered to her and she looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?" She asked him softly, letting him touch her face even though she didn't like it. He dropped his hand and looked away, before dragging his eyes back to her face. "I lied when I said you didn't look like her. You do." Linney swallowed hard and realized he was speaking of his wife.

"I'll see her soon," he said, smiling at her. She couldn't smile back, but she got to her feet and looked down at him. "Smile?" He asked her and she did, wrestling her churning emotions to give a soft, genuine smile.

"Thanks," he whispered, "Go, go on now, I'm fine, I'm happy." She stepped back a few paces and then said, "Goodbye Jim." He nodded and watched her go and she suddenly couldn't take it anymore, nothing felt more wrong than leaving him at the side of the road like this, but he had grown lucid in the final stages of his fever and had insisted. She hurried down the hill and hid her face from everyone, climbing onto the back of the bike. Daryl said nothing as he started it up and they slowly drove away.

She cried into the back of his shirt for a long while, taking advantage of the privacy of having no one able to see her face. Jim wasn't a particular friend, but he was one of them, part of the group, and he was being left behind.

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If he had to be truthful, it would be easy to say he was glad they'd finally gotten rid of Jim. It wasn't like Shane to agree with the redneck, but in this case he was right, the man had been a ticking time bomb. His watch that night had been tense, worrying about what might be in the rest of the school, what might be lurking outside, and worrying about the man slowly dying in the room with them.

He had given brief consideration to simply killing Jim in the night, convincing T-Dog it was the right move, but he had a sense that he was on thin ice right now with several people, and didn't want to risk the fallout.

Clearing the classrooms had been easy as far as he was concerned. Splitting into teams was a good idea; he didn't think he could easily work alongside Dixon or Rick right now, and he knew that after yesterday he needed to avoid Linney.

What had almost happened in the woods would have spelled the end of his position at camp, he could see that now that he was removed from the heat of the moment. He had stood with the others, saying their farewells to the Morales family, something that grieved him as far as the loss of a sturdy, dependable fighter went. His eyes had been drawn to the two of them though, removed from the group, arguing about something. Linney had been nearly wrapped around the redneck's arm, trying to hold him back. _From what? What does he want to do?_ Shane was fairly certain he knew, fairly certain she'd told him what he'd almost done with Rick, how he'd acted towards her.

Part of him relished it, praying the redneck would shrug her off and come for him. But somehow, she talked him down and he had grabbed Linney, pushing her out of sight. When they'd been gone for a few minutes, Shane relayed what he'd seen to Rick, feigning worry for the girl. Really more concerned that they were up to something.

"I don't know man, he looked pissed, grabbed her and dragged her back behind there." Shane forced the worry into his voice and Rick bought it, glancing uneasily at the RV. When they'd all heard the slam of something against the RV, the entire vehicle shaking from it, Rick had shot him a concerned look and the two of them had jogged over to where Linney and the redneck were. Rick saw them first and stopped quickly, and Shane very nearly ran right into his back. Rick shot him a look, amused and surprised, and Shane clenched his jaw in irritation at the two of them, wrapped around each other, going at it, pressed up against the back of the RV, Linney's feet not even touching the ground as she hung off him.

Shane had turned away immediately and stormed back to the vehicles, trying to get his face under control, but not being able to stop himself from shooting Lori a harsh, angry look. She recoiled at the look on his face and wrapped her arms tighter around Carl, stepping back quickly, herding the boy towards the vehicle they were going to be riding in. He had driven silently, ignoring T-Dog, his face hard and furious. He knew the big man was confused but Shane could barely contain himself. He felt like they'd done it on purpose, knowing that he'd find them. _That's crazy talk_, he tried to tell himself, but the voice was quiet, not overly insistent; easy to ignore.

At the school, after the killing, she had been covered in blood, a result of her style of fighting, mostly close combat, and he had been extremely riled up by the sight of her, dripping with blood, looking like some kind of red wraith. During watch, when he wasn't watching Jim with worry, he was watching the two of them, in irritation. He didn't like seeing them behave in a way that was normally reserved for the privacy of their own tent. He felt something crack through his chest at how easily they lay together, how simple and normal it seemed for that uptight dumbass to put his arms around her, gripping her like she was his.

In the morning, her words to the kids made everyone smile and he'd been torn; hours before he had hated her for flaunting, cuddling up to the redneck and making his head ache with how she looked, and now she was making the kids smile with an easy charm that spoke to how much she genuinely liked being around them both. _Gotta love a woman that loves kids_, he thought, _the way a proper one should. _

When the caravan came to a halt, Jim was yelling to be let out, frustrated that no one would believe him. Shane had been one of the first ones to stand against Rick, urging him to let the dying man pass the way he wanted. Everyone was sad, and Shane frowned well enough, but it was Linney that he watched. He remembered the story Dale had told her, about how Jim thought she looked like his dead wife, the wife that they now all knew had been eaten alive in front of him, along with his kids. She had let him put a hand to her face, smiling sadly for him. He knew what she was doing, letting the sick man indulge in the fantasy that his wife was there, for just a moment.

The turmoil on her face was stark and raw when she walked down the hill, even though she tried to hide behind the curtains of her hair. He watched with roiling irritation as she climbed onto the back of the motorcycle, clinging to Dixon like a lifeline. He hoped they reached the CDC today, hoped that there was something there, hoped that he could either get over her, or find a way to have her, anything to stop the endless burning inside of himself that she had started.

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He wasn't stupid. He'd known the man for too long, not to see that something was very, seriously wrong. After seeing Linney and Shane in the woods, the look in her eyes when he stepped into her view, he knew something was wrong. He loved Shane like a brother, trusted him with his life, the lives of his wife and son, but he knew that there was something going on behind Shane's dark eyes.

It had only taken him a matter of hours to realize that Shane watched her a lot, and he initially shrugged it off as a 'too bad, so sad' situation; Linney and Dixon were obviously together, and Shane would have to deal with it.

_Except... except_. Rick wasn't sure, he didn't think he understood the way his friend looked at her. It wasn't love, it wasn't lust, it was something else. _Hunger_. Rick mentally recoiled, the term making him uneasy. He thought back to their early twenties, before he'd met Lori. _Wasn't there that one girl?_ Something weird had happened, Shane had become unusually intense about a girl he met, one who was with someone else, then she left town. But rumors circulated that Shane had done something, said something not quite right, maybe hurt her, and she had fled. _You're being an idiot_, he thought to himself.

But still, he watched his friend, watched him watching her. Watched him glare at every single thing Daryl Dixon said and did. He felt a spark of worry growing in his chest and knew he'd have to keep an eye on the situation. He didn't want anyone getting hurt, especially when they had to pull together now, more than ever. He briefly considered talking to Linney or Daryl about it, but decided that he wouldn't meddle, it wasn't his place.

His biggest concern now, was reaching the CDC before nightfall, and praying, praying with every fiber of his being, that something, someone, was there.

***** Next chapter: CDC time, baby - we'll probably spend a few chapters there, so look out!**


	40. Chapter 40

***** Welcome to the CDC - where everybody's dead, but there's plenty of food *** I OWN NOTHING except Linney!**

When the vehicles all came to a stop, Linney looked around Daryl's shoulder, at the scene awaiting them, and felt a violent shudder rip through her body. They had reached the CDC, but there was definitely no welcome mat rolling out to greet them. The smell in the area was rich and thick under the hot sun and she had to swallow back the bile rising in her throat at the fetid odor.

The bodies sprawled everywhere were long dead. _So many_, she thought. Daryl climbed off the bike and they headed back to the RV where everyone was gathered around the door.

"Grab your bags, make sure you have your weapons and we all move." Rick said, his voice firm. Shane looked at him, his jaw working, clearly not agreeing. "This don't look good, man." He finally said, his dark eyes heavy with worry. Rick barely glanced at his friend before repeating himself. "Grab your things, we're going now." Dale handed Linney her back pack, which she slid up onto her back, her movements jerky and tense. When she stepped away from the RV and looked around again, she could feel a tremor building in her hands. _So many people_, she thought again, mounting dread suffusing her mind.

It was pretty obvious to her what had happened, she was certain they were all thinking it. The military blockade set up around the huge building was staggering. Put there to prevent people from getting into the CDC, and later, to prevent them from leaving.

Soldiers and civilians alike were sprawled around, dead and rotting, mostly from being shot, although it was obvious that some of them had met a much more grisly end. Daryl wordlessly passed her a red bandana and she wrapped it around her face, cowboy style. He followed suit with a blue one and she was thankful for the slight blockage of the overpowering smell.

She glanced over at Lori, who was wild-eyed with worry, her hands gripping Carl's so tightly she wondered if the woman was hurting him. Rick signaled silently to them and they hurried forward, dodging the bodies as they went. The only sounds were their own coughs and gags, the small sound of Sophia crying, and the unending buzz of flies. Linney felt her gorge rise at the sight of normally dressed people laying on the ground, surrounded by dried blood. Some of their rotting features still twisted up into horrified screams, their hands clawed into stiff shields in front of their bodies. Carl began lagging, his fear overcoming his ability to move properly and Lori cast one look over at Linney in worry, before Daryl stopped, scooped the boy up and kept running.

They reached what had to be the doors, huge metal sheets covering any possible entrance. Linney, Shane and Rick immediately began to bang at them, pry at them, while Daryl shoved Carl back at Lori and hunched down, trying to roll the doors up.

Rick began to plead with the doors, saying "Please, please, please," over and over again. Linney met Shane's eyes once and he shook his head; there was no one here. Suddenly Glenn cried out behind them.

"Walkers!" His horrified voice cut through the air and they all spun around to see a line of walkers emerging from the surrounding area, drawn by their noise. Linney felt her heart thudding with dread. _This was a mistake_.

"Rick, we have to go," she said urgently, as the kids cowered against their mothers, beginning to cry in terror. Linney glanced over at Daryl, as he shot a bolt through the head of a walker that was getting too close. Rick didn't respond, only banged on the door harder. Linney grabbed his arm, pulling him away.

"Rick! We have to go, there's no one here!" His eyes were round and frantic, and when Lori cried, "She's right! We can't be this close to the city after dark!" he jerked away from her and looked around frantically at the approaching threat.

Linney darted past Daryl and stabbed another one through the face, before spinning and slamming her knife into one right on its heels. Daryl shot another bolt at the one lumbering behind the first two, and then grabbed her arm, yanking her back to his side. Rick looked over at them, "I made a call," he said stiffly, still not moving. Everyone gathered up, preparing to run, but Rick didn't move. Daryl grabbed the man's arm and shook him violently.

"It was the wrong damn call. We have to move - Now!" They all turned to the sound of Carol screaming, as three walkers moved quickly towards her and Sophia, on the edge of the group. T-Dog pushed them behind himself, shooting the walkers with a panicked look on his face. "We gotta go, we gotta go now!" Shane screamed and Rick leapt into action. They all started to run, Linney already planning how and what to attack as they moved forward.

When Rick suddenly screamed behind them, they all turned, Linney clenched to expect the worst, but he was staring at the doors and pointing frantically at something.

"The camera!" He yelled, charging back to the door. Daryl's face twisted in anger and they hesitated a moment before Linney grabbed Lori's arm, yanking her and Carl back with them, towards the building.

"It moved! The camera moved!" Rick was yelling. Dale was wide eyed, Andrea crowded in behind him, and he cried, "It's probably automated!" Rick began to plead with the camera, gesturing wildly at his wife, the kids, begging the door to open. Shane ran up to his friend, wrapping his arms around Rick and beginning to forcefully pull him away, while Glenn took aim and killed several walkers that were almost upon them.

"Rick no! We gotta go! Rick!" Shane was yelling in the sheriff's ear but Rick elbowed him hard and ran back to the camera, screaming, "You're killing us! You're killing us!" Linney pulled Lori and Carl in behind her and it became swiftly obvious to her that they were out of time, that there were too many of the dead surrounding them.

She glanced over at Daryl, and his face was grim, tightened and hard. She opened her mouth to say something to him, to let him know how much he meant to her, her muscles curling in preparation; she was going to run into the crowd, try and buy them time, maybe someone could get the kids to a vehicle, get them away.

That was when a huge mechanical noise sounded behind them, and the impenetrable metal door began to slide upwards, spilling bright light onto them. It was Glenn who reacted first, screaming at them to run inside. As they ran, shooting the walkers right behind them, Linney briefly wondered if it was safer inside than out.

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When the ragged group of terrified, armed, people charged into the building, Jenner remained hidden for a moment, wondering if he'd lost his mind. Six men, five women, and two children were in the group, all of them filthy, and worryingly, some of them splattered with blood. When he stepped from the shadows of the stair well, his weapon raised, his face tightened with anger at their intrusion, he saw them all spin towards him.

"What do you want?" He snapped at them, knowing it was a foolish question to ask a group of people who had been seconds away from certain death. A small woman in the front, really almost a girl, stepped forward, her face pale beneath the blood on it, and looked at him as if were crazy.

"What the hell kind of question was that? We were almost killed out there! What the fuck took you so long!" The man in the front, the one in the sheriff's uniform glanced back at another man, who was gripping a crossbow against his forearm and tilted his head at the furious girl and the one with the crossbow tugged her backwards, murmuring angrily in her ear. She pressed her lips together in ire, but said nothing, only keeping her eyes locked on Jenner's every move.

"I'll say it one more time: What do you want?" Jenner felt the lingering after effects of his hangover and wished he'd been strong enough to just leave them outside, to let them die. The sheriff stepped forward, his face serious.

"A chance," he said, before swallowing hard and looking back at the little boy pressed up behind himself. Jenner trailed his eyes over the group before answering. "That's a lot to ask these days." The sheriff clenched his teeth together and nodded, but didn't look away. Jenner felt himself about to do something stupid, but one glance out the doors behind them, solidified his choice; he couldn't send these little children out to be torn to pieces.

"You all submit to a blood test, that's the price of admission." There was slow nodding all around, and the girl in front didn't take her sharp gaze from him. The sheriff closed his eyes for a moment, his expression so grateful that Jenner felt a flash of guilt. He closed his eyes for a second, running a hand through his short hair before gesturing at the doors behind the group.

"You got stuff to bring in, do it now, once this door closes it stays closed." The men at the back of the group lunged into action, pulling bags in quickly from just outside the glass doors, shooting at the dead lingering too closely. The little boy clutched at the sheriff's legs, and he could tell by their matching blue eyes, that this must his son. Jenner lowered his weapon and started towards them, pressing a few buttons and watching as the metal barrier door slid down, sealing them in.

The sheriff stuck his hand out, shaking Jenner's, "I'm Rick Grimes," he said, his voice firm. Jenner nodded at Rick and replied, "Dr Edwin Jenner." The boy solemnly shook his hand, "I'm Carl, this is my mom, Lori." Jenner bent down to the boy and looked him seriously in the eyes, "I'm pleased to meet you, Carl."

The little girl was introduced as Sophia, her tired mother, Carol. Glenn, T-Dog, Dale, Jacqui. Dale pointed at a blonde woman who looked so pale and wan that Jenner narrowed his eyes at her, wondering if she was sick. "That's Andrea, she just lost her sister." Jenner took a deep breath before being introduced to a large man with sharp, dark eyes, Shane. As they were nearing the elevator's he stared hard at the two that hadn't volunteered their names, that were looking around with suspicion at everything.

He nodded at the girl as she stepped past him into the elevator, "And you are?" She glanced up at him, making room at the back of the elevator for the man with the crossbow to stand beside her. "Linney." She said shortly, her green eyes scanning his face as if he had something written across it. Her scrutiny made him uncomfortable, as if she knew what he was hiding. The man next to her nodded at him and grumbled his name, which sounded like "Daryl."

The packed elevator moved in silence, until he heard whispering behind him and saw Linney saying something to her companion. Daryl's narrowed eyes dropped to Jenner's gun and then his gaze moved up to his face, "Doctors always go 'round packin' heat like that?" He asked abruptly and Jenner stiffened, not liking the man's tone, or the way that all eyes in the elevator shifted to him.

"They were everywhere," he started, narrowing his eyes at the man, wondering again why he let these people in, "I... familiarized myself." Daryl nodded and looked down at the girl next to him. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them, and Jenner looked over at Rick, his arm wrapped protectively around his son's shoulder.

"But you all look harmless enough," he said in a strained, joking voice. The boy's eyes were huge as he looked up at Jenner and he nodded at him, "Except you." Carl's eyebrows darted up in surprise and Jenner leaned towards him a little, "I'll have to keep an eye on you." There was a ripple of laughter throughout the elevator and Jenner was relieved the tense moment had passed.

When they finally came to a stop and the doors slid open, he glanced back at everyone and again wondered what the hell he had been thinking, allowing them inside.

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Linney had never felt so nervous and on edge. It was apparent from the moment they walked in that something wasn't right. The building was huge, echoing and empty. When one man, dressed in little more than pajama's, brandishing a large gun in tense hands, appeared, she had felt an urge to run outside again. When he asked the idiotic question about what they wanted, she felt something snap and nearly charged at him in anger, nearly yelling at him in her rage. Daryl had wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her backwards, and she almost rounded on him, before he dropped his head to ear and whispered, "Linney, calm the fuck down, what're ya thinkin'?"

She stilled and allowed Rick to be the mouthpiece after that, but she kept her eyes open. There was no sign anywhere of any other people. No alarms, no more than a couple lights, no sounds from anywhere except outside.

When Jenner shut the metal doors, Linney felt like they were being trapped, not saved. Daryl shook her arm gently, "Linney quit glarin' at him, calm down." She looked up at him and whispered back, "Something isn't right. Don't you feel it? Something is wrong here." He held her gaze and she noticed as he subtly slid into a different stance, absorbing his surroundings a lot more carefully, noticing, she was sure, the same things she had.

When Jenner lead them to the elevator, she had nearly balked at going, fairly certain she didn't want to be trapped in a box with the weird man. But the others filed in ahead of her and Daryl pushed her forward, leaving her with no choice.

"And you are?" Jenner had asked her curiously, as he blocked the door open. Linney met his eyes quickly and said her name, not enjoying the expression in his eyes. It was not eager, it was not friendly, it was not pleasant. Daryl grunted his name and when the elevator started to move downwards, her hand had gone to Daryl's, gripping it tightly and nervously. Her eyes were locked on Jenner's weapon, and all she could think was that no doctor should have a gun that big. It didn't make sense. When she whispered as much to Daryl, he stiffened and immediately questioned the doctor.

She didn't like the way he answered; stilted and withdrawn, like even that information was classified. When he attempted to crack a joke, Linney wanted to pull Carl away from Jenner, hide him behind herself and she was startled at her own reaction. _Something is wrong here_.

When they emerged from the elevator, she was surprised when he led them down a very normal looking hallway, lined with offices. Carol was looking around uneasily up ahead and she swallowed before saying, in a concerned voice, "Are we underground?"

Jenner looked back at her, smiling sympathetically. "Claustrophobic?" He responded and Carol nodded, along with a couple of the others. "A little," the woman finally answered. Jenner nodded and didn't turn back, "Try not to think about it."

As he lead them through another hallway, into a large meeting room, he explained that they were in the office section of this wing, that the housing unit was powered down. Explained that there were many available couches, games, books, and food. He rambled on about what may or may not be left behind in the offices, how they were free to use any cosmetics or clothing they came across.

He cautioned them to avoid electricity, not to turn on anything that wasn't already turned on. When he mentioned the showers, there was a collective gasp from the group, and even Linney brightened, grabbing Daryl's arm and smiling up at him excitedly. "That's better," he murmured to her upon seeing her expression, and she frowned at him in confusion, from her seat next to him at the meeting room table they were crowded around.

"Nice to see ya get outta 'kill mode' for a bit." He explained jokingly and she glared at him, leaning in to whisper, "Oh, I'll 'kill mode' you." She could feel everyone else's growing relaxation easing her own tension, and although she still had a lot of questions and concerns about this place, and Jenner himself, she decided they had days to find out more information. She decided to enjoy the safety and quiet of this place. There was absolutely zero danger from walkers in here, Jenner reassured them, and Linney truly felt the weight of the weapons wrapped around her body, felt the burden that needing to carry them had been.

Jenner began to draw their blood, one by one, and when it was Linney's turn she put her arm out on the table in front of him, still slightly nervous to be so close to him.

He tied a rubber strip around her arm and cleaned the inside of her elbow with a cotton ball, the stinging smell of rubbing alcohol coming from it. "Make a fist please," he asked her and she did. He glanced quickly up at her eyes, before poking into a vein. "You don't like me very much, do you?" He asked casually and she surprised herself by shrugging carefully.

"I don't trust you." His eyes darted to hers again and he looked away quickly, a wry smile on his face. "The feeling is mutual." Linney laughed once and then watched as the little vial filled with her blood. He turned and unwrapped a band aid.

"How many have you lost?" He asked quietly, while affixing it to the tiny puncture mark on her skin. She held her face still and got to her feet. "Too many." He nodded and she walked back to her seat.

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After they sat for nearly an hour in the small room, while Jenner went to run their blood samples, Linney found herself nearly nodding off in her seat. The large office chair was possibly the most comfortable thing she had rested on in days and she wasn't the only one who was taking a quick nap. While her eyes were closed, she could hear Rick talking in a low voice to Shane, in the tone of someone who had converted to a new belief completely.

"We can have a fresh start here. There's no violence, no worry, no walkers, access to everything we need." Linney didn't have to open her eyes to know that Shane was unlikely to be agreeing with him.

"We don't know that yet, man, we need to talk to this guy -"

"At least wait until tomorrow, Shane, everyone needs this. We need the night, we need to rest, let everyone settle in." Linney cracked her eyes open when she heard Shane snort in reply and saw the bigger man get up and move away from Rick. She eyed Carl beside him, curled up in a ball on the chair, sleeping with his mouth hanging open, and when she looked back to Rick, he was smiling at her.

"We're safe here," he said, and all she could do was nod with him, not willing to argue yet. When the door opened up a few moments later, Jenner walked in with a stack of paper in his hand and smiled at the room full of people.

"Everyone's clean," there was a collective sigh around the room at his words, and he continued, gesturing behind himself, "Let me show you around."

***** I'm gonna go ahead and let you all know that showers will be occurring in the chapter, and they will absolutely be interesting ones :) *****


	41. Chapter 41

***** Ok all, this chapter has earned its M rating, just a warning. Also, I've never written anything like this before, so you'll have to let me know if it was too much or too little or just really terrible sounding haha *** As per usual I OWN NOTHING except Linney.**

"Welcome to Zone 5." Jenner said, leading them into a dark, cold, echoing room. Linney balked at the door, not wanting to go in, but Daryl put an arm around her shoulders, leading her in with everyone else.

"VI, please turn on the lights." Jenner asked someone they couldn't see, and suddenly the room was flooded with fluorescent light. There were gasps and murmured words of surprise throughout the group as the huge room came into view. It was filled with computers of all shapes and sizes, a huge screen covering one entire enormous wall, and a large neon clock, counting down to something. Linney stepped away from Daryl and walked to the edge of the platform they were on, looking over the railing.

"Wow," she muttered, before turning to Jenner and saying, "It's like something out of a movie, it looks like space command or something." There were light chuckles and Jenner laughed, gesturing behind himself, "Well, that's pretty much what this room was, command central." Rick walked out onto the huge, raised middle section of the room, filled with computers and chairs and turned to Jenner.

"Where is everybody?" Jenner pressed his lips together and walked past Rick, his face tightening. "I'm it, I'm the only one left." Linney was struck by an unexpected pang for the man, to be the only living thing left in this huge, unfriendly building.

"But who were you talking to, then?" Lori asked, glancing over at Linney briefly. Linney nodded and took a step closer to Jenner, "Yeah, you asked them to turn on the lights, Vi? Something like that?" Jenner nodded and gave them a small smile. "Vi, say hello to our guests; tell them 'Welcome'." They all stood confused until a loud, robotic, female voice boomed out above them, seeming to come from everywhere.

"Hello, guests. Welcome." Jenner smiled and turned back to Lori, a wry look on his face. "Vi''s been my only companion for weeks." Lori bit her lip and looked away, clearly feeling sorry for the man.

"Is Vi a robot?" Carl asked, his little face suddenly very interested. Jenner grinned at him, "You could say that, but she doesn't have a physical form, she's part of the computer systems in the building, a part of the building itself.

There was silence all around and Jenner finally clapped his hands together, "Who's hungry?"

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When Jenner showed them the cafeteria, Lori and Carol perked up immediately and toured the kitchen area, fridges, and freezers with him, before immediately setting about making dinner. Linney sat with the two kids and Daryl at the table, listening as Carl regaled them with a story about a robot movie he saw once.

When Rick and Shane entered the room, after touring the large food pantry next to the cafeteria, their arms were weighed down with multiple bottles of wine. Daryl laughed and got to his feet, helping them unload them on the table. He grinned over at Linney and she had to smile back at him, so pleased to see him so happy. When the smells of dinner began to waft over to them all, Linney jumped up, helping Jacqui and Dale get out dishes and cutlery, and glasses for the wine.

It felt so normal, for the short time they were all eating, drinking, laughing. Linney had one leg pulled up on her chair, leaning sideways against Daryl, as she sipped at her wine. She didn't mention to anyone that she had never had red wine before, and was surprised to find how much she liked it. Daryl turned and peered at her first glass, nearing empty. He snagged another bottle off the table and filled her glass.

"How ya feeling?" He asked, his face teasing. She stuck her tongue out at him, before retorting, "I have had drinks before, you know!" He chuckled at her indignant expression and then everyone laughed when Carl said, "Linney, you're all red!" She could feel herself flush even more red, and glanced down at her chest, which was blotchy red.

"Lightweight!" Glenn called from the other end of the table and she glared at him. "I've never had wine before!" She protested, "How was I supposed to know it'd turn me red?" There were chuckles all around and Linney watched as Rick let Carl try a sip of wine and the boy's disgusted expression at the sour taste.

"Keep drinkin' Linney, I wanna see how red your face can get." She peered over at Daryl and glared. He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "Bet you turn red all over." She widened her eyes at him and smiled back, turning away from him. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She asked him, her voice laughing. He slid an arm around her waist, beneath the table, squeezing her hip.

"Yeah, think I would." He murmured in his gruff voice. She glanced back over at him, about to suggest they immediately get up and find a room for themselves, when Shane leaned towards Jenner.

"This is all great Doc, but I gotta ask, why are you all on your own here? Weren't there hundreds of people here, why are you the only who decided to stay?" The festive din at the table died down and everyone looked at Jenner.

"At first, when things started going badly, people left, to be with their families, to get out of the city, things like that. When things got really bad, they ran, fled the building only to be taken out by the soldiers outside." The mood noticeably cooled at his words and Daryl's hand dropped from her waist.

"The people that were left after that, well, there was a rash of suicides. Soon it was just me left, and I just kept going, kept pushing, kept hoping I'd find something, find anything."

The silence was heavy and finally Rick cleared his throat. "I just want to say thank you, Jenner, for taking us in." Everyone nodded and Rick continued in a low voice, "You don't know what it's like out there anymore." The silence was tired and awkward and Jenner finally got to his feet.

"We can all talk more in the morning if you like, for now, I suggest you find yourselves rooms, all the offices have showers in them, should be enough for everyone." Linney perked up again, remembering the showers and suddenly excited to be well and truly clean once more. They all clattered to get up from the table and Linney grabbed a huge bottle of water off the table for her and Daryl, while he grabbed their bags off the floor and an unopened bottle of wine.

Everyone left the room, and Linney noticed that they were not the only ones bringing more booze with them. Linney tried to tell herself she wasn't the slightest bit tipsy, after only a glass and half of wine, but she knew that was a big, fat lie. She'd gone to her share of parties as a younger teenager, stolen her dad's booze occasionally, but had mostly avoided it, not enjoying the feeling that much. _Feels pretty good right now_, she thought, smiling.

When Daryl pushed on an office door past the one that Lori and Rick had chosen, she smiled and followed him. There was an overhead light on, and a light in the adjacent washroom as well.

They threw their stuff on the floor and then there was a knock on the door. Daryl went and opened it and Jenner stood outside with a handful of bedding in his hands. "From storage, don't know how much is left in there." Daryl took the offered items and nodded and Jenner walked away without another word.

"I'm going to immediately take a shower," she said and Daryl laughed. "I'll be restin' here 'til it's my turn." Linney was momentarily disappointed, but could see that he was feeling slightly down after Jenner's little speech in the cafeteria.

_I'll have to fix that_, she thought, with her wine-fueled confidence. Without another word to Daryl, she pulled off her boots, her socks and all her weapons, stacking them neatly on the desk next to the couch. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Daryl threw himself on the couch, laying stretched out on his back. She walked into the bathroom and left the light turned on and the door wide open, knowing that if he chose, he'd be able to look up into the bathroom and see her.

Linney yanked off her clothes, heaving them into a pile on the floor, wobbling a little on one foot, as she yanked her jeans over them. She giggled to herself and finally pulled it off. Being naked in the little room felt wonderful and ridiculously freeing, to her and she stopped to take a sip from the wine bottle she'd brought in with her, before settling it on the floor with a little clink of glass against tile. Linney stepped to the shower and pulled open the glass front door, reaching in and turning the water on.

At first it came rushing out freezing cold and she squeaked, jumping back, before it grew warm and then hot. Linney climbed in immediately, leaving the door partly open and stood under the shower head, let the hot water drum down onto her skull, over her ears and face. It was quite possibly the best thing that she had ever experienced, in that moment, and she reached for the soap sitting on the little dish on the shower wall.

When she grabbed it, she realized that Daryl was no longer on the couch. He was leaning against the doorframe in the open bathroom door and she couldn't tell what he was thinking, the water was running down the glass shower front, obscuring her view of him. She only knew that he was definitely watching her and that made a tremor run down her body, from her neck to her knees.

Linney turned back into the warm spray and lathered up the soap in her hands and began to wash herself, taking her time. She turned her back on the shower door and jumped a little when the door opened behind her, a tiny gust of cool air flying in. She turned around and saw Daryl standing there, with the door open, still dressed.

"What are you doin'?" He asked her softly, his eyes roaming all over her body in a way that made her want to yank him into the shower, fully dressed. "I'm enjoying a hot shower." She said simply, turning her back on him again. She peered over her shoulder at him and kept her face smooth as she asked him innocently, "Care to help me wash my back?" She held his gaze for a moment before he nodded slowly, stepping away from the shower to start removing his clothes. She watched him, finding the sight of him fully naked more exciting than she thought possible. _God, I'm really horny_, she thought ruefully.

She felt like she'd seen many bits and pieces of him over the past little while, arms, legs, chest, shoulders, but seeing everything all put together... _Breathe, Linney, passing out in the shower would so be unsexy_. He got to the door and she looked down at him, not able to stop herself. She wasn't some inexperienced maiden, but she was fairly certain that he was built exactly the way she thought he should be. He stepped in slowly and she looked up at him, the water running down her face, and he bent to her and pulled her towards him, kissing her forehead, her cheeks and finally locking on to her lips.

Linney had to force herself not to climb him like a tree. She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself up against him, their skin slippery from the water. She could tell he was definitely enjoying the moment and pressed herself harder against him. Daryl ran his hands over her head, down her hair and down her back, his hands sliding down to her behind, cupping her, squeezing her, kneading at her. She groaned against his mouth and he suddenly released her, spinning her around, pressing her back up against his chest, looking down at her body over her shoulder.

His hand moved and grabbed the soap and he used it to slowly trace a bubbly path down her shoulder, over her breast, down her stomach, and moved it slowly between her legs. Linney felt like she was already at the end of her rope, this feeling for him had been building up for what felt like forever and she realized that she was probably going to explode within a few seconds. He seemed to realize it too, by her small gasping cries and released her, pushing her away.

"Actually shower now; let's not waste the hot water." He growled, pushing a bottle of shampoo into her hands. She panted, barely able to focus, her eyes drawn down to see how obviously aroused he was now. He grabbed her chin, his eyes a little unfocused. "Linney, I swear to god, you have like 10 seconds to shower before we waste all the hot water fucking."

She laughed and he did too, which eased a little of the sexual tension. She washed her hair, getting the shampoo in her eyes as she paused for too long, watching him wash up with the bar of soap.

"Ow! Dammit!" She growled, mad at herself.

"If ya quit starin', like I'm always tellin' ya, that wouldn'ta happened."

"Shut up, Dixon."

She finished rinsing her hair and he moved her past him, so he could get in the direct spray of the shower head and she felt him rub across her abdomen, hard and warm, and had to clench her teeth.

"Daryl, you have about 10 seconds before I don't care how much water we waste." She said, her voice choked and strained. He looked at her and one eyebrow shot up and he had to swallow hard and turn away.

_This is torture, I swear to god, I can't wait anymore_, she thought desperately. Suddenly the shower was off and he was walking out. He threw a towel at her, a gleam in his eye as it smacked her in the head.

"Dry off and get out here." He growled, toweling himself off quickly and grabbing the bottle of wine as he walked out of the bathroom. Linney squeezed the water off her hair, trying to dry it so quickly that she knew it would be impossible to brush. She ran the towel carelessly over her body and heaved it in the general direction of the bathroom sink.

She walked through the bathroom into the dark office beyond it; Daryl had turned the lights off. She left the bathroom door wide open, letting the light shine out, dimly illuminating the office, and the space on the floor where Daryl had made them a bed out of cushions.

"Daryl?" She asked, not seeing him. When he stepped out from behind the bathroom door and grabbed her up in his arms, she laughed and clutched her hands around his neck. He moved to the bed and threw her down on it. She landed softly and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just like a caveman, huh?" She asked, and he smiled at her, a dark smile. "You have no idea how long I've been waitin' to do that," he replied, his voice throaty. He climbed up next to her and pushed her back down, hand flat on her chest, when she tried to sit up. "Stay," he ordered.

Linney shivered, her shower-warmed body tingling in the cooler air of the office, she could feel her nipples getting harder and she looked up at him, his eyes and fingers tracing the pattern of goose bumps running along her stomach. She watched him, as he touched her, running his hand softly along her side, lightly over the bruises there, stroking down her neck, over her collarbone, down to her breasts, which she was pleased to see he enjoyed so much.

When he leaned down, and put his mouth on her, his lips and tongue hot against her cool skin, she cried out. It was almost too much. She put a hand on him, on his shoulder, pushing him up. He sat up and looked at her, his eyes worried. She took in several deep breaths and tried to control herself.

"Let's play afterwards, I swear to god I'll have to kill you if we don't do this right this minute." She watched his eyes widen and he clenched his jaw before trailing an eye over her body. He finally managed a strained smile and nodded, "God, you're fuckin' bossy." He murmured as he moved down to lay above her. He gently held himself over her, and she eagerly spread her legs for him, inching her hips closer to his, making him chuckle quietly.

He leaned down and kissed her, deeply, and she stretched her hands up, grabbing the back of his head, trying to simultaneously hook her legs around his hips. "Now, now, now," she panted, her voice strained. His jaw ticked and he moved over her, finally, finally, bringing them together.

Linney tried to be quiet, but as they moved together, she found she could barely manage to keep a thought in her head. They were both short of breath, her body urging him to go faster, harder, deeper. He grabbed her hips, leaning up from her body, looking down on her and she held his narrowed, burning eyes in the dim light and then reached for his shoulder, pulling herself up, so he sat back on his haunches, with her straddling his hips now, her body pressed against him.

She could feel his heart hammering through his chest, feel his ragged breathing, hear him faintly manage to breathe her name, and she put her arm around his neck, urging his head down, kissing him, and she could feel herself getting close, crying out against his mouth, driving him into a near frenzy as they both moved faster, towards completion.

Minutes later, laying exhaustedly on him, her head resting over his heart, she felt him pull lightly at her hair, and she turned her face up, to look at his. She pulled a hand up and placed it on his chest, resting her chin on it more comfortably.

"We waited too long to do that." He finally said, his features even. He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked, "Don't know what you were waiting for." She glared at him and swung a leg over his hips, sitting astride him and she rested her arms on his chest, leaning forward so her face was directly above his.

"Ohhh, you're gonna pay for that one, Dixon." She growled and he widened his eyes at her with another small smile, "Oh, I hope so," he grabbed the back of her head and yanked her down to within an inch of his lips, "I really hope so."


	42. Chapter 42

***** Ok, another quick warning, everyone who's watched the show knows what Shane does to Lori at the CDC, and I'm going to touch on it, but not really get into much detail - but just wanted to let you all know, as it was a little disturbing. *** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :)**

"We are out of wine," Linney said, her words a little slurred. She was leaning up against the side of the couch, still naked, Daryl's head resting in her lap. They had been passing the wine bottle back and forth for awhile, not really talking much, just enjoying the quiet, the comfort, and the wine. _And each other_, she thought, a smile growing on her face. He looked over at her and smiled, "I call not it," he said, a lazy smirk on his face.

She rolled her eyes and slowly extracted herself from underneath him, knowing he was making it difficult on purpose. She walked over to the little closet behind the desk and pulled it open, surprised to see a small dresser and lots of clothes hanging inside. _God, these people literally lived at work_, she thought with sympathy.

"This is all guy's stuff," She groused and heard Daryl get to his feet and make his way over. He idly stroked a hand up and down her back as he sifted through the clothes in the closet.

"Might fit me," he said, looking over at her, a sly grin on his face, "Nothing in here midget sized though." She nudged him with her hip and he stopped looking through the shirts and looked down at her.

"Do that again n' no one's gettin' any more wine." He growled in warning and she gave him a slow smile, finally reaching up to grab a shirt. It was a dark green, collared, business shirt, that buttoned up the front. She read the tag and giggled, "An xxl, hey?" Daryl looked at her as he pulled out a clean set of boxers and a blue t-shirt. She pulled the shirt down over her head and he started to laugh at her.

"That's a great fit," he chuckled, eyeing up the shirt that hung to her knees, the sleeves far past her wrists, the neck gaping so that one shoulder was exposed. Linney made a face and started to roll up the sleeves. She managed to get them to her elbows and Daryl reached out to button up the three buttons at the top of the shirt, helping it close off her shoulder. She wandered over to her bag and snagged a pair of her underwear out, sliding them on under the shirt-dress. She pulled her socks back on and touched a hand to her hair.

"How do I look?" She giggled again, posing for him with a hand on her hip. He growled at her, "A little too good, maybe I oughta go." She laughed and stepped lightly over to him, up onto her tiptoes, planting a kiss on his mouth.

"I'll be right back," she promised, "and you can see if this comes off as easily as it went on." She gestured at her shirt and he narrowed his eyes, his jaw tightening, saying only, "Hurry."

Linney stepped out into the hall and could hear the sounds of T-Dog and Glenn laughing loudly in the meeting room, Carol humming something in the room across the hall and Dale talking to Andrea, who Linney was pretty sure sounded like she was puking.

_Oh ew, don't think about it_, she warned herself, not wanting her night to end that way. She made her way down the hall and waved to Glenn and T as she passed the meeting room, Glenn waved back, disorienting himself and then fell out of his chair and Linney started to laugh. She was still chucking as she walked into the cafeteria, pleased to see there were still a couple bottles of wine left. She snatched one up and headed out the other door, the one that ran through the little rec room.

_Do a lil explorin'_, she thought, drunkenly. She pushed the door open and froze. Shane had a terrified Lori backed up against a pinball machine, aggressively pining her arms to her chest, his other hand jammed between her legs. She was frantically trying to push him off, crying at him to stop, and Linney could tell that he was very drunk and very far gone, not even aware of how scared Lori was.

Linney wasted no time and flung the wine bottle in her hand like a knife and it sailed across the room, not hitting him, but smashing into the wall behind him. They both flinched and Lori took the opportunity to claw her hands across his neck, making Shane hiss and stumble back. They both turned to look over at her and Lori closed her eyes in relief before rushing across the room to Linney, standing next to her.

"What in the fuck is going on here?" She asked, her words slow and hard, her fuzzy mind trying to put together what had just happened. Shane flared his nostrils at her, looking like an enraged bull for a moment and Linney took a wobbly step back. She pushed Lori back behind her and whispered, "Go back to your room." The woman paused and pulled on Linney's arm, never taking her eyes off Shane.

"Come with me." Linney shook her head, guessing that Lori wanted her to go with her for more than just her safety, and shoved Lori harder, "Go now, I won't say anything until you do, ok?" Lori shot her a glare and shook her head, "That's not what I meant," she said in a low voice.

Linney turned to look at her, "Go back to Rick and Carl, Lori, go now." The woman finally wilted, and shuddered when she looked up at Shane across the room. She turned and left quickly, tears in her eyes.

Once Lori had left, Linney stayed close to the cafeteria door, glad that most of the rec room was between her and Shane. "You're nosy." He growled at her. She cocked her head to the side and glared at him, "You're drunk, and a lot of other things too," she snapped, her face growing angrier.

He took a couple steps towards her and Linney decided that this was not safe and turned on her heel, bolting into the cafeteria, running past the table, grabbing the other bottle of wine, determined to bean him with it if she had to. He followed slowly out into the cafeteria and she kept the table between them.

"Where's the redneck?" He asked, his voice low and unpleasant. Linney clenched her teeth and moved towards the other door, the one that led into the hallway. "Shut up." She said, her mind too unfocused to come up with more. His gaze raked up and down her and she felt disgusted.

"Looks like you two been havin' some fun," he nodded at her hair and she grimaced at him. "You're a fuckin' pig Shane. Can't get a woman on your own so ya gotta force 'em?" Her voice was thick and drunk, making her accent more prominent, something she always prided herself on keeping from sounding too hick-like. _Apparently booze makes me a genuine hillbilly_, she thought randomly.

Shane's shoulders wilted at her words and he looked remorseful, a hand slowly rising up to his neck, where Lori had clawed him.

"What the fuck did I do?" He whispered to himself. Linney watched him warily and when he looked up at her, his eyes were panicked. "What the fuck did I just do?" He asked her, his voice urgent and pained. "Lori..." he muttered and closed his eyes. Linney inched her hand towards the handle on the door.

When he opened his eyes, he was angry with her again, she could tell. _Crap, like it's my fault he's a fucking psycho_. He took a step closer and she opened the door behind herself, turning and running into the hall, sure he was going to follow her. She made it halfway to her room before she risked looking over her shoulder, relieved when the hall was empty behind her. She slowed to a walk and nearly collided with Daryl as he stepped into the hall.

"What took so long?" He grabbed the bottle of wine in one hand and her wrist in the other, dragging her into the room, then he kicked the door shut behind him and put the bottle on the ground. Daryl pushed her towards their bed, his eyes lighting up in a playful glare. "You made me wait, way too long." He said, his voice rumbling.

Linney felt all her previous worry shed from her, the last non-drunk part of her mind deciding to lock the experience up and wait until tomorrow to address it. She turned her back on him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, reaching up slowly underneath the shirt to very slowly remove her underwear. She heard him approach and stand very closely behind her, and she tossed her underwear carelessly over her shoulder. She peeked a look back at him and saw it had hit him in the neck and he reached up and tossed it across the room before pushing her hair off her neck and nuzzling his head there.

"God ya smell good," he muttered and she barely had time to smile before he spun her around to face him, and they tested her shirt.

It came off much faster than it went on.

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In the morning, Linney couldn't figure out what was going on. She was fairly certain that in her sleep, someone had performed surgery on her and put her heart inside her skull, where it was thumping and thudding around, painfully, against her skull. She cracked her eyes open and winced at the light shining dimly from the mostly closed bathroom door. Her whole face, her mouth, her tongue, her throat - everything felt dry, sore, and tight, like she'd eaten a box of sandpaper the night before.

She sat up slowly, in stages, and gazed around the room with pained eyes. She realized, bit by bit, that she was in the grips of the absolute worst hangover she'd ever had. Linney glanced over at Daryl, sprawled out on his back, his head turned away from her. Even with her brain on fire inside her head, she couldn't resist lifting the sheet and taking a peek at him below the sheet. He turned his head slowly towards her, catching her.

"Yer a pervert." He muttered, squinting at her. Linney could barely manage a smile and mumbled, "My hair hurts," before she slowly slid off the bed, staggering towards the desk where the huge bottle of water was. She stood and drank half of it and then slowly made her way back, forcing it into his hands.

"Drink, there's no way you don't feel like shit, too." Linney had ended up having the entire second bottle of wine to herself, because Daryl had found a bottle of whiskey in the drawers of the desk and helped himself to a bunch of that instead. By the time they fell asleep, they were both ridiculous messes, almost as if the act of getting drunk was a defensive measure, trying to prove to themselves and the world that they were indeed still very much alive. Daryl grasped the bottle and tipped it to his face and drank half of what was left in a couple gulps. Linney moved back to the desk and began tearing through the drawers, throwing stuff on the floor until she found a bottle of aspirin and a packet of antacids.

Linney downed a couple of the antacids and then took a couple aspirin before handing them to Daryl as well. He glanced up at her, his eyes running slowly over her. She realized she was naked then and could barely find the energy to care.

He reached a hand out towards her, placing it on her hip and she put her hand on top and pulled it off.

"Don't get any big ideas, I think my head is ready to explode." She groaned and he chuckled darkly, slapping her on the rear. "Then put on some damn clothes, woman," he growled at her. She moved over to the big green shirt sitting in a puddle on the floor and slid it on, before looking back over at him.

"Better?" She asked him and he shook his head, "Nah, not in the slightest," he replied staring at her legs and she had to laugh, and then grabbed the sides of her head. "Fuck," she cursed and he got to his feet, to get dressed.

"Ya really are a lightweight." He muttered and she stuck her tongue out at him before moving into the bathroom. The light felt like it was made of razor blades and she squinted painfully, making her way to the sink and splashing water in her face. He didn't follow her in and she decided to brush her teeth and shower again. When she emerged, she felt slightly human, except that now her stomach was lurching about sickly. When she staggered out of the bathroom, Daryl was gone and she got dressed in a clean shirt, and her filthy jeans, strapping her weapons on herself, even though she didn't think she needed to.

She tore her brush through her hair, cursing loudly as it felt like each strand was hooked directly into the pain centre of her brain. _My hair really does hurt_, she pouted to herself. Leaving her hair down in a damp clump across her back, she made her way into the hallway and nearly collided with Carol, who looked at her sympathetically.

"Oh you poor thing," the woman murmured, her voice amused, "Had a little much?" Linney looked over at her and cringed; nodding felt terrible. Carol walked with her, keeping Linney's slow pace down the hall.

"I never thanked you." Carol said quietly after a second and Linney stopped, her face painfully puzzled. "For what?" Carol gave her an exasperated look, "You saved Sophia and I, from Ed, and then from those monsters. I'm sorry I was so angry with you... before." Linney understood now, the shy woman was apologizing for being mad at her after she and Ed fought. Ed had been killed during the attack on the camp, and not a single person mourned his loss.

"You have nothing to apologize for, I'd do it all again." Linney responded. Carol gave her a gentle smile and they kept going. Before they got to the cafeteria, Carol cast one more sly look over at her, "Have a fun night?" Linney paused, her hand on the door and looked over at Carol, who was laughing at her.

_Oh Christ, how loud was I_?

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Breakfast was a rather more subdued affair than dinner had been; half the group was hung over, the rest were kids or just plain grumpy. Linney left Daryl out of either group, he seemed able to manage his liquor better than most and he seemed pretty pleased that she, and especially Glenn, were completely wasted the night before, and were paying for it heavily now.

Linney had a big plate of hash browns in front of her, the carb-filled meal the only thing she could stomach, besides water and copious amounts of coffee. Lori was casting glances over at Linney the entire morning, and Linney felt a shudder run through her at the notion of having to discuss what happened last night. She cast a couple dark looks down at Shane who was quiet and depressed that morning. _Good, I hope he kills himself, sick fuck_. Andrea was equally as upset, but Linney felt sorrier for the woman, who was still grappling with her grief.

Glenn groaned when Daryl tried to serve him a big plate of gloopy looking eggs, turning an interesting shade of green. "C'mon little man, protein makes the hangover go down!" Daryl sneered, his face taunting and hard. Linney knew he wasn't actually hating Glenn, it was just his way of acting towards people, especially since he kept glancing over at T, both of them laughing together over Glenn's discomfort.

"I'm never, ever, _ever_, drinking again," Glenn moaned, his head sinking to the table. Linney took a sip from her coffee and held her cup up to him, "I hear that." He turned his head to her and smiled sickly before pressing his face back into the table.

Rick looked up across the table to her and Daryl, and smiled at them. "We may have to move our room." He said in an amused, low voice and Lori chuckled beside him. Daryl jerked his head up and glared at them and Linney felt her cheeks going red. "Walls are a little thin, you know?" The sheriff commented slyly and everyone laughed, except Shane and Andrea. Linney wanted to slither under the table and hide, but Daryl just shrugged, his face impassive as he dug into Linney's plate of food.

"Probably a good idea, if we're gonna be stayin' on for awhile." There was more laughter and he snuck a look over at her and Linney had to laugh. She had to admit she was pleased. Not only had they made it past their little hiatus on a physical relationship, but it seemed that he, as well as everyone else, was truly settling in. Despite her misgivings the previous day, she knew that she could definitely be happy here, with him, with everyone else. _Except maybe Shane, wonder if they have a jail cell in this building?_

Daryl rested his hand on her leg, under the table and she dropped her hand on top of it, winding her fingers through his. He was still rough, still hard to understand, still irritating, still not a softie; the same Dixon, just with huge benefits now. She blushed thinking about those benefits and looked over at him and he stopping chewing his food to raise a wry eyebrow at her.

"Calm down girl, least let me eat." He murmured to her in his rough voice and she made a face at him, wondering how quickly she could get him to eat.

When Jenner walked into the room a minute or two later, everyone was pretty much done eating and they were nursing their coffees.

"How's it going this morning?" He asked and there was a series of groans and laughter around the table. Andrea got to her feet and shot a look at the doctor, her arms crossed over her chest.

"We've eaten, showered, and slept, now it's time for answers." She said, her voice hard and cold. Everyone around the table settled down and Linney felt a ripple of discomfort move through her stomach. Jenner stared hard back at her and nodded, saying in a flat voice,

"I have someone I'd like you to meet."


	43. Chapter 43

***** Shits getting real, guys... god, I'm a dork haha, anyways stuff gets intense! Enjoy! *** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney!**

"This is TS - 19." Jenner said, bending over a keyboard in the big room. The huge screen on the wall lit up and it became evident that they were looking at the profile of a person. Linney couldn't figure out what exactly they were looking for, though. It was a head, the brain area specifically. Jenner began to explain to them that TS - 19 had been bitten, had offered themselves up for study, to help them understand what they were dealing with. It looked like TS - 19 had fireworks zipping around through its brain. Linney was surprised to find it actually kind of beautiful.

"Those lights represent every memory, every thought, every dream, everything that you ever were and ever will be." Jenner explained, his voice soft. The group stood in horrified fascination as the lights in TS- 19's brain began to flicker and then died. Linney glanced over at Daryl and saw him glaring at the huge image on the wall. Jenner spoke to the computer and asked it to forward the image to the second event. _Second event?_ Linney wondered to herself.

The brain began to light up again, in a much smaller area, with much dimmer, almost angrier looking lights. You could tell from the outline of the test subject's head, that their mouth was working, chomping slowly at the air. Linney heard Sophia cry out and bury her face in her mother's stomach. Linney clenched her hands together and held them fisted to her own stomach. _The second event; turning... jesus_, she thought to herself. She jumped, along with everyone else when a huge white streak suddenly tore the image of the head above them.

"They were shot?" Lori asked wonderingly, and Jenner swallowed hard and nodded, turning off the image on the screen with the click of a few buttons.

"This is how it is for everyone, they all turn the same way, your brain dies, and then the second event occurs and a very primal, limited portion of the brain returns." Jenner looked around the room and his eyes locked on Linney's. "No part of your former self remains, that person is gone forever. You simply become a product of this disease; a monster." Linney felt herself shaking a little, and tried to tell herself it was because the room was chilly.

"I'm gonna get shitfaced drunk again," Daryl mumbled beside her and she turned to look over at him, all the mirth from the night before and this morning gone from her face. Jenner studied their faces and Dale suddenly paced away from the group, his voice curious.

"I hate to pester you with yet more questions," Dale began, gesturing at the clock behind Jenner, "But what is that clock counting down to? It's been going since we got here." Jenner didn't turn to look at it, although everyone else did. Linney felt another shudder of fear move through her at the look on his face and suddenly all her worries from yesterday bubbled violently to the surface.

Dale took a step closer to Jenner, his face drawn into a frown, growing more uneasy by the second, "What happens at zero?"

"When it hits zero, the basement generators run out of fuel, the entire building loses all power." There were collective gasps from everyone at Jenner's reluctant and flat explanation.

"What happens then?" Rick asked, moving forward to stand in front of Jenner. The doctor didn't answer, just stared sadly up at the screen that had previously held TS - 19's image. "_What happens then?_" Linney cried out, her voice so tense that she sounded like someone else. Jenner looked over at her and gave her a strained smile.

"Facility wide decontamination." He finally answered, before turning away from them all and moving down the steps on the far end of the computer-filled platform. "What the fuck does that even mean?" Shane yelled after him. But Jenner didn't turn around and they were left to stare at each other.

Rick rubbed his hand roughly over his face and Linney felt her breathing get a little more strained. "We need to go check the generators, see if there's anything we can do," he turned to Daryl and Linney standing side by side, frozen to the spot they'd walked in to initially, "I need you two to stay here with everyone else." Daryl nodded but Linney didn't move.

Shane, Rick, Glenn and T-Dog took off towards the stair well and the rest of them stood around.

"I think we need to pack." Linney said in a quiet voice. Everyone left turned to look at her and she looked up without seeing any of them. "We need to be ready to go, I don't feel good about any of this."

Lori looked from her then down to Carl, and then over to Sophia. "I think being prepared is always a good idea. Let's go pack." Everyone trailed out of the room, except Linney; images were rushing through her mind. The metal door upstairs sealing them in, the look on Jenner's face when he said, "_Once that door shuts, it doesn't open again._ ", his avoidance of talking about the future, the way he was withdrawing without a word. _Decontamination? What is that? How do you decontaminate something when there are people still inside?_

A hand dropped down on her shoulder and Linney flinched hard, so lost in her thoughts that she nearly screamed. When she turned around, she realized it was Daryl and his face was stiff, his eyes hard. He tilted his head back towards the hallway and spoke in a gruff voice,

"Let's get our shit together."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Twenty minutes later they were all packed up and everyone was sitting in the rec room, waiting for the people in the basement to return. When the air shut off and the lights starting going out in large chunks, the kids started crying. Daryl got to his feet, swinging his backpack and his crossbow over his back. He swallowed and looked up, only dim emergency lights illuminating the room, before turning back to the rest of them.

"Everyone get your things." Linney slipped her backpack on and grabbed Glenn's from the floor, Dale had his own, and Shane's, Andrea had one and was carrying T's as well. Lori gathered up her family's bags and they all charged back into the hall. Linney spotted Jenner past the meeting room, heading down to another bank of offices, as the lights continued to go off all around them.

"Jenner!" She yelled, sprinting after him, "What the hell is going on?" He didn't turn to her when he answered, only made his way into another office, grabbing a photo of a pretty older woman off the desk and walking out with it, "The building is shutting itself down."

Daryl charged after the man and grabbed him by the arm roughly, swinging the doctor back to face him, his face twisted with growing anger, "How the hell does a building shut itself down!" Daryl's voice echoed through the empty hall and Linney looked back at the kids, both of them pale and frightened again. _This was not supposed to go this way_.

"You'd be surprised," Jenner answered drily, turning away from them and heading back into the big room of computers again. Linney looked over at Daryl and her face was so worried she felt like it might be permanently stuck that way.

"We're leaving! Now!" Shane bellowed, and they looked up to see the four men emerge from the stairwells. Rick ran up to his wife and Carl, hugging them tightly.

"What the fuck is going on?" Daryl snapped, and Rick glanced over at them, jaw tight. "There's nothing left down there, no juice at all."

"That's why we're going, now!" Shane insisted. Rick turned to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "Please, let me just talk to Jenner, let me find out what's going on."

"Think it's pretty damn obvious what's goin' on," Daryl barked at him, "Buildin's 'bout to go dark, we need to get the fuck outta dodge." Shane nodded, and Linney did too, her urge to flee so strong that she could barely hear above her thundering heart.

Rick took a step back, "We need to find out what's going on!" His voice was hard and stubborn and he jogged into the big room again, seeking out Jenner.

"Motherfucker," Linney mumbled, and jogged after him, everyone else following in her wake.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Jenner turned to them when they all rushed into the room, lugging their bags, his eyes blank. "The French held out the longest," he said, looking past the group, as if he could see something beyond them. Rick took a step towards him, "What are you talking about?" Jenner turned back to the lit up computer screen behind him and sat wearily in the chair there. He waved a hand in the air dismissively. "They all stayed the longest, worked on it the longest but..." He trailed off, staring at the picture in his hands. Shane took an aggressive step towards him, "But what!" He shouted, his voice twisting in fury.

Jenner turned back to look at him, "They ran out of juice, power - we heard they got close, but then," he snapped his fingers, "then the lights went out." Linney looked up at Daryl, saw the anger on his face and she swallowed at the dryness in her throat.

"We need to go. Now Rick, now!" Her voice was strangled but everyone turned to look at Linney when she shouted, and Rick snapped out of his daze. He nodded, "Let's go, out, everyone to the stairs!" They all turned and hurried for the ramp leading out of the room to the hallway, but loud alarms suddenly began to peal, startling them all. Linney clamped her hands over her ears and looked back to see Jenner punching buttons quickly.

"What are you do-!" She began, yelling, and suddenly huge metal barriers dropped down around all the exits. Sealing them in. _Just like upstairs_.

"What the fuck? Open those goddamn doors!" Daryl took several furious steps over to Jenner and the doctor looked up at him blankly. Daryl's eyes drew down into angry slits as he screamed at the man, "Open the fucking doors! Let us out!" Rick and Linney each grabbed one of his arms, stopping him from swinging his crossbow up at the doctor.

"I can't." Jenner replied calmly, turning in his chair to look at them all. "Even if I let you out these doors, the ones up top are sealed closed." His placid face tipped her over the edge and Linney released Daryl's arm and ran around him, shoving Jenner's chair with both hands, making it slide across the floor.

"You shut them! I saw you! You fucking shut them! Open these doors right now!" She pulled a knife and lunged for his face, "I won't kill you, but I'll make you fucking bleed, if you don't open them!" Rick grabbed her around the waist, pulling her away, kicking and slashing at Jenner.

"Linney! Stop! This won't help!" Rick was screaming in her ear and she finally calmed herself and he dropped her, shoving her towards a wary Glenn and T-Dog.

"I told you that once the front doors closed that they wouldn't open up again." Jenner got to his feet, his hands spread in front of him as he tried to explain to them, and Linney drove the knife back into its sheath with an angry breath. Glenn put a hand on her arm, and she looked over to his dark eyes, cooling her temper at the confusion and worry she saw there. _Goddammit, Linney, think of a solution_, she begged herself internally.

"It's better this way." Jenner murmured, looking over at the countdown clock. They all watched the numbers decrease to 28 minutes and Linney swallowed hard. Rick ran a frustrated hand through his hair and approached Jenner, obviously struggling to remain calm.

"What is? What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick asked, his voice torn with growing panic. Jenner didn't respond, just drifted back into his daze, staring down at the picture of the woman again.

"Answer him!" Shane yelled, pushing past Daryl and then Rick. "Answer him and open the fucking doors, man!" The big man rushed him and this time Rick and T-Dog charged ahead to restrain him.

Shane's anger seemed to rouse Jenner though, because he staggered to his feet again, his face growing red, crazed, and angry. "Do you know what this place is?" The doctor roared, his eyes sharp on Shane's face before looking around at everyone else with wild, enraged eyes.

"We protected the public from some _very nasty stuff_!" Linney felt herself sag, listening as he angrily shouted the names of other horrible, weaponized diseases. She felt like she was trapped in a dream. _This can't be happening, we can't have survived everything to be trapped underground with a crazy guy._

Jenner was panting with the exertion of yelling at them and Linney moved slowly to stand before him, gesturing to Rick calmly that she was fine. She spoke to the doctor, her voice even and flat, "What happens in 25 minutes, Jenner? What is decontamination?" He swallowed, paused, and then looked back and forth between her eyes. Finally he answered in a manner-of-fact voice, as if reciting a manual.

"In the case of a catastrophic power failure or terrorist attack, HITs are deployed to destroy everything, to prevent the things in here from getting out there." Linney stepped back, uncertain about what, exactly, HITs were, but fully understanding 'deploy' and 'destroy everything'. She looked back at Daryl, her chest heaving with the realization of what was going to happen to them in 23 minutes. His blue eyes were wide and panicked and he reached for her, grabbing her arm, pulling her away from Jenner roughly, as if the doctor was the physical threat.

Jenner looked around at all their terrified faces and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, "We have to protect the world from the things in here, prevent them from ever being released." Rick looked over at Lori, and Linney felt a shard of pain in her stomach at the hopeless, heartbroken look they exchanged.

"What are HITs?" Rick asked Jenner, his voice stammering and strained. Jenner didn't answer and Rick took in a deep breath before yelling towards the ceiling, "Vi! What are HITs?" There was a tense pause and then the loud robotic voice of Vi seemed to come from everywhere again.

"HITs are high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives which when released produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear." She went on to explain the explosive process, but Linney felt like her brain stopped working after the initial explanation. When Jenner turned to them, his eyes round, his expression awed, he whispered, "Sets fire to the air."

The effect on the room was instantaneous; Daryl pushed away from Linney and ran to grab a fire axe, tossing one to Shane. The two of them began to swing wildly at the doors. Glenn and T-Dog used their own weapons to beat on the other door. Their grunts and pants filled the room, with the jarring metallic clanks of the weapons striking the doors following. Linney stood frozen in place, watching as Carol clutched Sophia to her chest, sinking slowly to the floor, crying into her daughter's hair.

"We don't deserve this!" Carol cried, squeezing Sophia, "My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!" Lori's panicked eyes tore from Carol and Sophia, over to Linney, standing alone.

"Please!" She begged, Carl sobbing against her stomach, "Please, let us out!" Jenner looked around at them, and Linney was distantly aware that he looked confused by their upset. "It will be instant. No pain. A millisecond of fear and then it's over. Isn't that the kinder thing to do for them?" He gestured first at Sophia and then to Carl. "No more fear, no more violence, just a millisecond and it's over."

Rick hugged his family harder and Linney looked back over her shoulder at Daryl, trying madly to break through the doors, the axe shooting up sparks each time it connected with the metal.

Jenner finally seemed to notice the noise and looked over at them, blinking hard at the sight of their panic. "You'll never break them down," he called to them, his voice kind and instructional, "Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Linney flinched when Daryl rounded on the doctor, his temper well and truly lost, and rushed towards him, screaming, "Well, your head ain't!" He swung the axe in the air and Rick, Linney, and Dale managed to stop him. All of them screaming that if they killed Jenner they were never getting out.

Linney grabbed Daryl around the waist, pulling him away, tears in her voice as she begged him to stop. He looked down at her and saw something in her eyes that seemed to wake him up. He let out a hard breath and wrapped his arms around her roughly, clutching her to his chest. Linney squeezed him back and found she was shaking all over. _Give me walkers, give me Shane, anything but this._

The soft sounds of sobbing and praying filled the room, punctuated only by the loud noise of Shane still swinging his axe at the doors.

Jenner looked around at them again, his face sad but calm. "Don't you see?" He stepped towards Daryl, as if hoping to reason with him. "This is what takes us down." Daryl stiffened but Linney clutched at him harder. She didn't start crying in earnest until Jenner said, "This is our extinction event."

When Shane lunged forward, pulling his shotgun and running for Jenner, they had no time to react.


	44. Chapter 44

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney! *****

All they could do was scream. Rick began to break away from his wife, reaching for Shane, but his movements were clearly going to be too little, too late. Shane brought the gun up, his finger beginning to curl around the trigger and suddenly he jerked, crying out in angry horror, the gun shooting off to the side of Jenner, the bullets causing a computer screen to explode into shards of glass.

Rick's painfully slow motion reached Shane, finally, and he wrenched the gun from his friend, knocking him to the ground in the process, where Shane clutched at his arm. He pulled, and the small knife embedded in the back of his bicep came out easily, leaving a bloody hole behind.

Eyes wide, everyone turned to look at Linney, who, as soon as she had seen Shane make for Jenner, had pulled a knife and flung it at the big man's arm, to cripple his shot, thus saving Jenner's life. _There was no other way_, she thought, desperately hoping they saw that, and didn't just focus on the fact that she threw a knife _into_ a member of the group. Rick stared at her, his expression stiff and unreadable and he grabbed the knife from Shane and held it in his hands, looking over at Linney again. Daryl slid an arm around her chest, pulling her back into him, away from Rick, prepared for their leader to become furious.

Instead Rick walked over calmly and held the knife out to Linney. When she reached out to take it from him, he said quietly, "Thank you." His blue eyes looked to hers and she swallowed before nodding and putting the knife away again, shuddering at the knowledge that one of her knives had human blood on them now.

Rick turned back to Jenner, pleading further, his low, insistent voice rumbling endlessly. Daryl turned her around in his arms, so she was facing him, and pressed her back against his chest. She turned her head, and watched as Dale, seeming to be happy to have something useful to do, ripped a strip off the Hawaiian shirt he was wearing and tied it tightly over Shane's fresh wound, making the bigger man wince in pain. When he was done, Shane had a very festive looking bandage with a wet, red blotch growing in the middle of it. _Aloha_, she thought wryly.

Linney turned away, back to watching Jenner and Rick. Something Rick said finally got the doctor's attention again and she stiffened in horror when she heard him say, "She was my wife! My wife!" Linney had missed the first part of their conversation so she looked at Lori, whose wide eyes made it clear that she had not.

"TS - 19 was your wife?" Lori said in disbelief, her face twisted at the idea. Linney met the woman's wide, scared eyes once and then she looked up at Daryl, who held her gaze solidly. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling, but she didn't want to break the contact with him. She had 12 minutes left and was determined to spend them with him.

"I stayed because she made me promise... she was the one! She was the one!" Jenner was raving at Rick, talk of his wife riling him up, and Rick was pressing the issue, clearly hoping the doctor would crack and open the doors. Jenner took a step towards where Linney and Daryl stood, his eyes huge and frightened. "She was the genius, she could have fixed everything! This would all be over if she was still alive." Jenner went back to his seat, sitting in defeat. "She made me promise not to stop."

Rick crouched in front of the doctor and Linney watched the back of the sheriff's head, as he whispered in passionate, desperate tones. Daryl placed a big hand on the side of her head and she swallowed. 10 minutes.

When Jenner reached for the keyboard again, she jerked in Daryl's arms, wanting to stop him, wondering momentarily if he could somehow speed up the explosion process. When they heard the mechanical grinding of the metal doors opening. Everyone froze, and then screamed, scrambling for their bags. Daryl wasted no time swinging his bag on, bending and grabbing Sophia up in his arms from her startled mother and then yanking Linney by the hand, up the ramp and out the door. He paused at the door way and screamed into the big room.

"Now, everyone leave! Now, don't wait!" Lori was right behind them, Shane on her heels carrying Carl. Then they ran, blindly, quickly, without pause. Linney had no idea how many flights of stairs they had to race up, but felt like she was going to throw up or pass out, or both, by the time their dark ascent finally came to an end. She burst through the doors at the top of the stair well and they all stumbled out onto the main floor. T-Dog ran for the metal doors they'd come in through initially, smacking at the keypad in frustration.

Daryl put Sophia down and he and Shane began attacking the window with the axes again, but the window was obviously bullet proof. Linney held back, by a little divider wall with Lori, Carol, and the kids, not wanting to get in the way. She glanced over and saw that Carol was frantically pawing in her purse, but Linney barely gave it a second thought, turning back to watch T-Dog attack the window with a chair, screaming. When Shane ushered everyone back, pulling up his gun to shoot the window, Linney forced the kids down behind the wall with a gasp, worried about a ricochet. But it was like he'd shot a beanbag, zero damage.

Linney was surprised when Carol got to her feet, approaching Rick with something in her hands. She couldn't hear the woman's words over the loud, frantic noises of everyone else in the room, but she absolutely recognized the grenade, when she saw in the woman's slim hands.

"Holy shit!" She screamed, forcing Lori and the kids down, throwing her body on top of Sophia, who was crying again, in gasping, terrified sobs.

"Run!" "Duck!" "Get cover!" Everyone was screaming and she heard Carol grunt behind her as Daryl pushed her to the ground and covered her. She heard Rick scream "_Grenade_!" and then there was an impact to the air and an explosion that shook the ground. Linney felt frozen over top of the little girl crying below her until Daryl grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.

He was screaming at her, but her ears were ringing. He pointed at the window and she understood it was time to run. Linney pulled her guns and dove out the open window, barely able to believe that they were almost free. She ran for their vehicles, shooting at any walkers that got too close, everyone sprinting along around her. They made it to the RV and Daryl ripped the bag off her back and threw his through the open door of the RV behind her, hers following moments later. Lori and Carl climbed into T-Dog's truck and Linney felt sick when she saw that Carl had a nosebleed.

Linney forced Carol and Sophia up the stairs, Glenn and T-Dog following them. Shane was in his jeep and Linney looked around, trying to count.

"Andrea! Dale! Jacqui?!" She turned back to the building, looking around frantically. Daryl grabbed her arm, shook her a little, "They stayed! They stayed! We have to get cover!" He dragged her to the back of the RV, where they sheltered behind it, listening as Rick called, "Run! Run! Forget it! Take cover!" And Linney knew someone else had made it out. When the first impact to the air occurred, Linney could feel it in her stomach, her lungs, everywhere, it was a huge inaudible _thud_ and Daryl pushed her to the ground.

Linney threw her hands over head, curling into a protective ball and Daryl threw himself on top of her when the ground shook with the explosion following the impact to the air. They waited and nothing more happened, just the terrifying sound of fire, bursting mini-explosions, and loud crashing. Linney could feel the heat coming off the building, even from here, and Daryl helped her to her feet. They looked across the street and saw Rick had started T-Dogs truck and turned around, facing away from the city.

"Back to the school!" He called and Linney ran to the bike, for once eager to get on it and get away. As the RV pulled away, she and Daryl paused to stare at the demolished building. _Andrea, Dale, please be in the RV_. They drove away, with an angry growl from the bike and Linney pressed herself up against Daryl, trying to keep her shudders at bay. _We're alive. We're alive_, she thought, almost confused by it. Suddenly a warm feeling suffused her and she laughed, releasing one arm from around Daryl's waist to wave it in the air excitedly.

"We're fucking alive!" She screamed in joy, laughing loudly into the sky. Daryl joined her with a whoop and a loud laugh of his own and she wrapped her arms around him again, sitting up straighter and kissing the back of his neck.

_We're alive._

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"We're fucked." Shane, grumbled, pacing angrily back and forth in the small classroom. Everyone stared back at him and he winced, feeling the pull in his arm from the knife wound. He glared over at Linney, who was sitting practically in Dixon's lap in the corner of the room. Shane felt his jaw clench as Rick looked at him, his face begging for calm.

"We're alive, that's the biggest thing. We aren't trapped in a basement. We aren't dead, Shane, that's got to count for something." Shane glared at his friend, _do you think I'm a fucking idiot? Of course we're alive_.

"That don't matter, man," Shane hissed grabbing Rick's arm and pulling him out into the hall of the school.

"We are almost entirely out of gas, and we only have supplies to last for a couple days." Rick put a hand to his forehead, squeezing his temples, clearly urging himself to have patience with Shane. _Fucking bastard, this all your fucking fault, Jacqui would still be alive if you hadn't dragged us into that death trap._

"We will fix this, Shane, but today, tonight, we need to rest." Shane growled and paced a few steps away, walking angrily, his hand rubbing at his chin. "Shane," Rick said from behind him and Shane turned with an intolerant look on his face. Rick continued when he knew Shane was looking. "I'm sorry man, it was the wrong call, we never should have gone. I'm sorry." Shane closed his eyes, his jaw clenching, trying to will himself to stay put, to not charge over to his friend and smash his fist into his jaw.

_You owe him for Lori, think he'd be apologizing if he knew about Lori?_ A traitorous part of his mind whispered to him in a cruel voice and he shuddered, waving a hand at Rick, urging him away. "I need a minute man." He finally said, and Rick sagged a little before nodding and going back into the crowded classroom. Shane paced frantically for a few moments, before leaning against a wall and sinking to the ground, his head in his hands.

He had been so drunk, so overwhelmed with self-pity, self hatred, and desire. He told himself he just wanted to talk to her, but with the sight of her, so beautiful, so vulnerable, so content in their safe haven, he had lost control. _Completely lost control_, he thought angrily. If Linney hadn't intruded when she did, he knew what would have happened and that they would be in a much different situation right now.

_She threw a wine bottle at you!_ He thought in equal parts amusement and irritation. He had turned to see her, flushed red, wavering on her feet, eyes huge in a face surrounding by very obvious 'just been fucked' hair and felt the waves of relief rolling off of Lori, though he wasn't expecting her to claw him like a damn cat. His hand absentmindedly rose to his neck, touching the still raw and sore scratches she had left there.

Lori had taken refuge behind Linney, which amused him because she had at least 4 inches on the girl. The look of absolute and utter disgust that Linney wore was something he couldn't abide by. He called her nosy, he advanced on her, and he wondered now, what he was planning to do to her in such a drunken state. _Well, besides the obvious_, he thought conjuring up the image of her tits in the shirt she'd been wearing, the way her bare legs looked below it. He was horrified with what he'd done to Lori, truly disgusted, Lori was a friend, he loved her. She was a mother, and he loved Carl, and he'd almost done something heinous to her. Linney was none of those things, deserved none of the consideration Lori did.

When he'd looked up at Linney for the last time, he knew what he wanted to do, to keep her quiet, but she moved too fast, racing out the cafeteria door. _She's just some white trash whore, you know that now. Bet even Dixon doesn't know what she's really like_. Shane felt less harsh towards the redneck, and, crouched in the hall of the ruined school, Shane actually felt bad for the man. _That nosy little whore, got him and his brother all tied up in between her legs. At least Dixon is a man, a fighter, a protector, like me._

The fact that Daryl had helped repeatedly with the kids, wasn't lost on Shane and he knew that a man like that was worth having around, at least to keep people safe.

But Linney... she fought hard, she was brave, but she meddled, she teased him, she interfered with his life and she was the real threat. _She threw a fucking knife at you today, buddy_. He got to his feet and paced to the exit of the building, looking out into the night.

_We need her, right now, but once we're settled, once we're safe, I'll get rid of her. No one to tell Rick, to tease and confuse me, to ruin everything._

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Rick looked around and wondered if it was possible that they had died and he was dreaming this. _Or we're trapped in hell, could this be hell?_ He looked down at Carl's sweet face, asleep against his mother's arm. _No, he wouldn't be here_. He couldn't believe that they were here, sitting in the place they left a day and half ago. He knew deep inside that they had been so close to death that it was quite literally a miracle. He had been pleading with Jenner, and then had finally whispered to the man, "You're a fucking murderer, you carry that. No disease killed us, you did. You killed us all." Jenner's eyes had gotten huge and he turned without a word, opening the doors.

Rick sighed, looking around the room, his eyes landing on Dale and Andrea, who had barely made it out. Andrea had decided to stay, with Jacqui, done with trying to stay alive, and Dale had insisted that if she stayed, he stayed, and that had changed her mind at nearly the last minute. Rick shuddered, thinking about Jenner and Jacqui's last seconds on earth.

He sat next to wife, his arm wrapping around her automatically, and he watched as Andrea sat dead-eyed in her sleeping bag across the room. He thought about the very last thing Jenner had told him. The horrible thing he'd gifted Rick with, right before he ran from the room. _Tell them_, he urged himself and several times this evening, he had opened his mouth to do just that, snapping it closed again, when he looked around and realized that right now, everyone was just happy to be alive.

_I can't take that from them, they need this night_. Lori sat stiffly in his arms and he wondered what could be wrong with her. When he came to bed the night before, drunk as a skunk, she'd been teary-eyed and withdrawn, he chalked it up to nerves and happiness that they were finally safe, but now he wondered. _Did something happen_? He didn't want to ask her in front of everyone, but he knew he would have to ask her soon, he didn't like the look of distant pain in her eyes. He smiled at Carol, who was asleep, hugging her arms around her daughter, Sophia's hand hanging out of her sleeping bag, clutching at Carl's loose hand beside her. The sight of their little hands clutched together made his chest and throat tighten painfully with emotion.

Linney and Daryl were in their bed, her head buried into his neck, lying chest to chest, his arms wrapped possessively around her. He wasn't sure about the notion of the two of them, initially, but Lori certainly endorsed them, and from what he'd seen they complemented each other well enough, though he wasn't impressed with the language they used around each other and everyone else. Right now, the girl was asleep and Dixon was wide awake, holding her so tightly to himself he wondered how she could breathe or possibly be comfortable.

Rick thought back to his troubled friend. Shane was acting strange as well, he would have thought he'd be jubilant with their freedom and narrow escape, but he was worried. Rick tried to wrap his mind around their situation, trying to plan their next move. He was fairly certain that no matter what Shane said, Fort Benning would be as lost as the CDC had been.

But the more immediate concern was gas, food, water, shelter, safety. He realized they weren't far from the highway, they could undoubtedly get gas there, from the many cars abandoned up and down it, maybe even supplies, and it would keep them away from the city and other towns, hopefully avoiding walkers.

He pulled Lori down in to bed, squishing Carl into their sleeping bag. Tomorrow they would go to the highway and then they'd all have a discussion about what their next move would be.

_Work together_, he thought, hugging his wife, _so we don't pull apart_.

***** You guys! We reached the end of season one together! Onward and upward, I say :) More coming soon! *****


	45. Chapter 45

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

Linney watched everyone around her wake up. She had pulled third shift and had watched the sun come up, her eyes glued out the window, fully distracted as she saw the colors burst across the sky. It was going to be a beautiful summer day. _And we get to see it_. Linney gazed across the room, at Glenn, who was on watch with her and he was staring in to the hallway, his face drawn and tired. She knew that not everyone had slept well.

Glancing down at Daryl, his face exhausted, his sleep fitful, she realized he hadn't managed to fall asleep until her shift started. She had cuddled up to him, incredibly close, despite his initial protests that he couldn't sleep that way.

"You'll adjust," she muttered at him, and she, needing to feel secure, needing to feel his chest move with his breathing all night, had gotten comfortable. Daryl did too; at least he said he had when she asked before falling asleep. She tried not to feel like she was forcing the closeness on him, that he was only doing it because she insisted.

Her dreams that night were riddled with strange images and weren't exactly pleasant or comfortable. Her last one had been of Merle, she was pretty sure, his face in her mind when she woke up. _Could he really only have left a few days ago?_ It felt like forever.

After a rough breakfast and silent packing, they all wandered out to the cars and there was some general talk about downsizing.

"Shane, we should get rid of your jeep, drop down to the RV, the truck and the bike, leave it at them, for simplicity's sake." Shane looked unhappy with Rick's suggestion but didn't argue, just moved his gear into the RV. T-Dog siphoned the gas left from the jeep, put it in the RV.

"Hopefully we can make it down to highway 33," Rick began, standing at the head of the circle they were all loosely formed in, "It's not huge, but it's probably big enough for us to get a little food, and some gas, before making the longer trip to the interstate, taking that as our main route."

"Taking that where, man?" Shane said, his jaw still locked so tightly it looked like he was talking through clenched teeth. Rick rubbed his forehead under the sheriffs hat and shrugged.

"Let's focus on one thing at a time, ok? Get some much needed supplies, then decide which direction we go down on the interstate." Linney gazed over at Daryl, standing next to Rick and smiled at him. He was looking back at her but didn't return the smile, he just studied her. She heaved an internal sigh, she could sense a Dixon break-down coming on; he was acting weirdly, trying to be distant, but unable to keep her from his sight, and wasn't responsive to her. _I'll have to smack some sense into him_, she thought, refusing to allow herself to worry, burying her rising concerns. _He needs to learn some emotional coping skills._

Linney had her hat on today, and Rick walked over to her once the circle broke up, everyone loading into cars, and he tapped the bill absent-mindedly, knocking it down over her eyes. She pulled it up with a grimace.

"So what, you really are Officer Friendly now?" She said, her tone mocking. He smiled at her. "You look really tense, Linney, thought I'd lighten the mood."

"Sorry, just not used to you havin' any fun." She muttered and he chuckled once, putting his hands on his hips. When he looked down at her, his eyes were narrowed, "What's your call, then? Do you think we should go to Fort Benning?" His question was direct but his tone didn't seem genuine.

"Are you polling the group?" She asked him, tilting her head to one side. Rick nodded slowly and she raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you polling the group because you want to or because you think you have to?"

"That obvious, huh?" She nodded at his question and bit her lip, glancing over at Shane. Her mouth twitched up into a half sneer when she saw him looking over at them. Rick was watching her face carefully and she clenched her teeth when she looked back at him. "Rick," she said, her voice low and serious, "You know I'll back you as the leader, against him, you know that right?"

Rick raised an eyebrow at her, "You think I need backing?" Linney nodded and pursed her lips, " I think when you got one regime going out and another coming in, there's bound to be some toes getting stepped all over." Rick looked around and gently took her arm, leading her back to the school doors, a little further from everyone else.

"Shane and I can share this, we've been frie-" Rick began to explain but Linney pointed a finger at him, jabbing him in the shoulder with it once, sharply.

"No Rick, you can't and you know it. You need to lead, he needs to step back. He can't lead us anymore, and you can," Rick looked at her steadily and then took a deep breath in through his nose and looked down at his boots. "Rick, he's unbalanced, you see that, right?" His blue eyes flickered back up to her and she saw something on his face, something that said he knew a lot more than she thought.

"I know he's not roundly liked." Rick finally said, looking back and forth between her eyes. Linney huffed out a breath; it was clear they each had things they wanted to say to the other, but weren't going to. _How can I tell him I wouldn't trust Shane further than I could throw him?_

"You need to take charge Rick, if you think Fort Benning is a mistake, then it's a mistake and we go elsewhere. If anybody has a problem with that, then they can stay or they can go, but they'd better keep their mouths shut and their weapons holstered, know what I mean?" Rick nodded at her and slapped her shoulder once, in a friendly way, before knocking the bill on her hat down again.

She lifted it up after he walked away, a wry smile on her face, and found Shane and Daryl each staring over at her, Daryl with an impassive look, and Shane's deeply suspicious.

When they were headed out down the road later, Linney had the side of her face pressed against Daryl's back, taking advantage of a scenario where he had to let her touch him, wishing she could talk to him, ask what was wrong. She snorted to herself, _yeah, cause then he'd open right up, talk allll about those warm and fuzzy feelings he's got._

She no longer wrapped her hands in a vice grip around his stomach, just left one hand loosely curled around his waist and the other either resting on his upper thigh, or pressed up higher, against his chest.

_Why is it always two steps forward and then five steps back with him?_ She sighed, _we have that wonderful night and now he's withdrawn again. I'm starting to think it's me_. She rested her forehead against his shoulder blade, wishing they could have a little alone time, so she could pin him down and talk some sense into him, make him tell her what was wrong. _He really knows how to make a girl feel like she's not special, and unimportant in every way._

When they reached the small highway, they stopped and she hopped off the bike, having decided to just ignore Daryl until he wanted to talk to her and treat her like more than just some stupid child that required physical protection. She checked her guns in their holsters and looked around at the little stretch of road they were stopped on. The roads were completely clear, but the shoulders on either side of each direction of highway had cars pulled over onto it.

Rick gathered them up and insisted that Lori, Carol, and the kids stay in the RV. Dale and Andrea climbed up on the roof of the RV to keep watch. Linney watched as Glenn and T-Dog jogged towards the first car, getting ready to siphon as much fuel into their jerry cans as possible. Daryl moved across to the other side of the highway and Shane moved up the middle. Linney moved past the car T and Glenn were draining and peeked inside. She was unsurprised to find a fairly crispy looking walker inside, and pulled the door open so it could thump out. It's dried hands snapped off on impact against the pavement and she rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Why ya'll gotta be so fucking gross?" She grumbled at it, before flicking a knife down into its head. She waited until it died and then yanked her knife out of it. She peeked into the car and saw it was empty. _Crispy Critter must have gotten bit and then hid in his car_, she thought, as she pulled the lever that popped the trunk. Within she found a couple unopened bottles of water, not big ones, sitting inside an otherwise empty milk crate. She yanked the crate out and tossed it to the ground next to Crispy and bent back to the trunk, digging around for anything more.

Linney pulled out a duffle bag and rifled around in it briefly. It was full of men's clothes and had a little bathroom bag with some pain medication and stomach remedies in it, and she tossed those into the crate before dropping the bag on the ground, deciding that if any of the guys wanted the clothes inside, they could help themselves.

She moved to the passenger side and opened the door, searching quickly in the glove box, finding a pack of gum and a Swiss Army knife. A quick look under the seats and in the back provided nothing else and she went over to the milk crate, dropped in the two items, and then picked the light crate up and braced it against her hip. She was suddenly feeling surly and she kicked at Crispy on her way by him.

"Useless bastard," she muttered, before dropping the crate on the ground next to a van. She tapped on the sides, Merle's voice in her head "_just ringin' the dinner bell_", and then looked through the driver's window. There was no movement inside. Linney looked around and saw everyone still moving around, except for Daryl who had been watching her and then looked away.

She pulled open the sliding door and jumped back, but nothing came out. A quick look around showed an empty vehicle and she had unkind thoughts for Crispy, for not being as good as this vehicle's owner had been, and dying elsewhere. The glove box provided a bottle of Tylenol, a coloring book and crayon box she grabbed for the kids, and a pair of really great aviator sunglasses, which she immediately took for herself.

The rest of the van was empty, either already looted or the owners took their things with them. She opened the rear doors on the van and her heart leapt momentarily when she saw a cooler there. When she opened it, the rotted, black, moldy pile of disgusting food inside gagged her and she turned away, retching, and then threw up into the grass. She breathed in and out for a moment and then put a hand over her mouth, a frown on her face and used her foot to close the cooler, so she wouldn't have to get close to it again.

"You ok?" She looked up and saw Daryl. His eyes seemed to be analyzing her, taking in her pale face and the hand over her stomach, with a clinical demeanor. "I'm fine, just had a little bit of a rotted food moment," she closed her eyes, swallowing back a wave of nausea. His eyes were narrowed and he led her out from between the van and Crispy's car. She pulled away from him. "I'm fine, go back to your side, I got this." He watched her for a moment, but removed his hand and turned without another word. She was mad at him for catching her in a vulnerable moment and not seeming to care very much beyond 'are you hurt?" or 'are you in danger?'.

She wanted to throw something at him, at his behavior. She remembered the man she had spent the night with at the CDC; relaxed, fun, open - at least physically. _You were drunk_, she tried to tell herself, but she knew that wasn't enough of an excuse. She was certain that he had let his guard down, and now it was violently, strictly, back up, designed to keep her at arm's length.

_Was it just because he was drunk? Would he have done anything otherwise?_ She felt a wrench of anger in her stomach at the thought that she'd been an easy, drunken lay, instead of what they did having any meaning. _Typical stupid fucking woman I am, looking for fucking signs and meanings in everything. _

Linney sighed and moved on to the next car. She was upset and feeling restless, angry with Daryl, so she did something that she knew not a single person in the group would have thought was safe, smart, or a reasonable reaction to being stressed or angry.

When she found the next car teeming with walkers, five of them, she walked right up to the driver's door and pulled it open, taking several easy steps back and waiting for the dead to come for her.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Fuckers!" Rick spun on his heel when he heard Linney yell angrily. He saw her standing, legs shoulder width apart, about 10 feet from a car door hanging open and he watched in horror as a walker climbed clumsily from the vehicle and headed for her. He saw a glint in her hands and suddenly the walker was down. The next one scrambled from the car and Linney had her hand at her shoulder and flashing through the air in an instant, and the second one fell without much fuss.

"Come on, you little bitch." She taunted, and Rick realized there was no threat here, she was just screwing around and it pissed him off. He began to stride over to her but stopped when he saw Daryl already on his way, a scowl on his face so deep that Rick raised his eyebrows. _This should be colorful_, he thought, watching as the man grabbed her roughly, shaking her arm. Linney glared and yanked her arm away, gesturing to the car, where a third walker was making its way out, stepping on its two fallen companions.

"Linney, quit it." Daryl growled and Linney took a step towards the walker, "I'm busy Dixon, bother me later." She spun and thrust her knife into the thing's forehead, grunting with angry effort, hiking a foot up and kicking it in the chest, knocking it away, the knife sliding out of its forehead on the way. Daryl grabbed her upper arm, pulling her back.

"Linney! Fucking quit it!" He snapped. Rick watched as she rounded on him and shoved him in the chest, hard, "What do you care? Fuck off, I need to clear this car." Dixon stood in front of her, trying to force her back a step, but she shoved past him, ducking under his arms and yanking the back door open on the vehicle, jumping back when a walker tumbled out immediately. She grabbed another knife and heaved it with a cry at the thing on the ground. It died and she walked away, glancing over at the car every couple seconds, as Daryl warily moved towards her.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" He snapped, his eyes quickly darting around at the others spread across the road - they were all watching and listening, but quickly looked away when he glanced up. Rick sidled closer, wanting to make sure he could keep an eye on her, if she was having some kind of break down.

"Nothing! I'm killing shit because I'm angry." Her voice was tight and she heaved a sigh before tossing a knife at the last walker in the car.

"Look you don't need to bother me, Daryl. I get it. What happened the other night was a mistake, you have regrets, you were drunk, I get it. I made it easy enough for you, didn't I?" Daryl said nothing, his face growing still as she paced away from him and began to collect her knives from the dead on the ground. "Practically fucking threw myself at you, because I'm an idiot and thought it was something else, and today, you can barely touch me, barely look at me. It was too much, it wasn't what you wanted, and I get it. It's fine."

She wiped her knives off and looked up at Daryl, and Rick suddenly realized this had nothing to do with her breaking or mentally cracking, this was her way of dealing with something going on between them, and he was edging closer to a lover's quarrel he wanted no part of.

"You had rules, you had a way that you wanted to proceed, maybe so it gave you an out should you need it, and I got drunk, and you got drunk, and there you go." She stepped up to Daryl and clenched her teeth.

"But don't do me the disservice of lurking around and acting like I'm forcing you to care, you obviously wish nothing had happened and that's fine." She turned on her heel and popped the trunk on the car she had just cleared, sticking her head inside and tossing things into a milk crate as she found them. Rick moved back to the RV, watching a slightly stunned looking Daryl back away from her, and then turn on his heel, his facing shutting down into a dark scowl as he went.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney was angry, and ashamed, and her chest was burning with pent up emotion. She wished she hadn't freaked out at him, dumped all her insecurities on him like that. She should have kept it all inside and just ignored him, she told herself. _Instead you freaked out and he shut down even more_, she berated herself. _He didn't even deny anything_, a little voice in her head said. Linney winged a bar of soap into the milk crate, blinking when it smashed into a million little pieces.

Linney shook her head at that voice; she knew all along what Daryl was and wasn't capable of and she had pushed him, leaving the damn bathroom door open. He did what any guy would do and now he regretted it. _Everything was moving along just fine before, and now he can barely look at me_. She knew that once the shock of the CDC had worn off, he changed, almost immediately.

She had to admit to herself, that on the bike this morning, he'd been stiff, even his stomach and chest seemed resistant to her touch. Nothing like the night before when she'd needed him to hold her close, just to confirm to herself that he was alive. _We were all doing that, after escaping, we all needed to know we were alive - clearly it wasn't such a big deal because this morning he wouldn't even pass you a bottle of water without jerking his goddamn fingers away from yours._

Linney finished with the trunk, moving on to the next car with a sigh; she'd blown it with Daryl, she had to stop taking it out on him, it was her own fault for expecting too much from a man who only had a little to give.


	46. Chapter 46

***** Just a warning guys, Linney's dreams are back and she has a pretty disturbing one - just wanted to let you know, trigger warning and all that stuff - but it's just a nightmare :) - I OWN NOTHING, except Linney *****

The mood that night was so far from the one they'd all felt the night they'd had at the CDC, Linney thought it was perhaps a cruel cosmic joke. After tearing through all the cars and gassing up the vehicles, Shane and Rick had argued for over an hour on the pros and cons of Fort Benning, without resolution.

Linney had stopped listening because it was making her crazy. She went up to the roof of the RV and lay on her stomach across the front end of it while Dale sat a few feet away, his expression tight. She and he shared one long look, but said nothing.

_I told Rick, I'd back him no matter what his choice was and I mean to_, she thought staring straight down the highway. By the time their terse and heated discussion drew to an undecided end, it was at least decided that they'd spend the night on the highway. The roads were clear for a quick getaway if needed and anyone on watch would have an easy view down the stretch of road behind them and ahead of them.

They all ate dinner sitting out on the warm concrete, as the sun slowly sank behind the trees. No one wanted to talk much and Linney could distinctly feel that all the joy they'd felt the night before at having escaped alive was gone. Daryl and Linney's tent was pitched directly in front of the RV and it was decided that watch members would sleep in there, so as not to bother those in the RV.

The kids were both quiet, almost to the point of being slightly catatonic and Linney had tried unsuccessfully several times to rouse them both. When Lori had set about cleaning up after dinner, Carl had moved to sit directly next to Linney and she had wrapped her arms around him while he leaned against her and said nothing.

"They'll be fine," Lori whispered to her when they'd led them both into the RV to go to bed. Carol and Sophia were sharing the table bed, Lori and Carl the couch bed. Andrea was already tucked away behind the accordion doors leading to the bedroom. Linney bent down and kissed Carl on the forehead, smoothing his dark hair back. He looked up at her and said nothing, before rolling to his side, away from her and his mother, to go to sleep. Giving Lori a quick squeeze, Linney walked down the steps, back outside. She felt unhappy and unsettled by the kids' moods, especially.

Night had fallen and it was cold; Linney was glad she had put on her sweatshirt. The group of men standing in a loose circle outside the RV, all looked chilled and tired as well. Everyone seemed sullen and Rick and Shane seemed especially strained with each other. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at all of them.

"Look, today sucked hard, and we're all feeling it, but you all have got to come to a decision and quit this back and forth bullshit, no one else can take much more of it." Linney snapped and six sets of eyes turned to look down at her. She shrugged a shoulder at their blank expressions and pulled her hood up on the sweatshirt, "Are we going to Fort Benning or not?"

No one spoke until Rick finally said, "Fine, we'll go to Fort Benning, but we'll do it slow, and we'll do it safe, no mistakes this time." Shane raised his head and gave Rick a tense smile.

"Glad to hear it, man." Shane replied to Rick's decision; Linney felt herself tense up and wished that she could get inside his head and know what he was thinking, certain that Rick was making a mistake agreeing with Shane, trusting Shane, and that Shane was still planning on killing him, killing her, probably killing Daryl. _Daryl_, she thought in irritation.

Her outburst earlier had made him back off, but she could feel his gaze on her constantly. She didn't want to dwell on the fact that she was the one who had fucked up, that she had been the idiot, that she had misjudged, misread, and misunderstood everything from him. So she avoided him, not sitting near him, not looking at him.

Linney elbowed Glenn in the arm, "We should head to bed, man, we drew the shit shift tonight," she said evenly, referring to their luck with drawing second shift. Glenn looked up at her and nodded and they headed back to the tent together. Linney climbed in before Glenn and crawled over to her sleeping bag, now separated from Daryl's, so it was normal size. She had purposely put herself near the wall, so she would only have one neighbor, and in this case it was Glenn. Daryl had first shift with Rick, and his sleeping bag was next to Glenn's.

As she pulled off her weapons and boots, she thought about reasons why he may have wanted her around before they slept together. _Was I genuinely his friend? Did he want me around because of Merle, because Merle wanted me there? Was he attracted to me but just not interested in a relationship at all?_ She sighed and rolled away from Glenn as he climbed into his sleeping bag, turning her face to the canvas wall. _What does it matter? I thought we were something else, took advantage of that when we were drunk and now he's left feeling trapped, how great am I? _

She heard T-Dog and Shane come into the tent and purposely feigned sleeping, her stomach slowly curdling at having to share a tent with the man. Although he did seem to have some sense in his head, as his sleeping bag was at the far end of the tent. Linney slowly felt her muscles unravelling and relaxing knowing that with Glenn right beside her she wasn't going to be molested in her sleep.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

_When the metal door came crashing down, she realized that she was trapped inside the big room again. She ran quickly across the raised platform, trying to get to the other open door, but it too slammed shut. She ran back to the middle of the platform as the lights started turning out around her and soon it was pitch black except for the glow of an image on the huge screen above her. _

_Linney peered at the white lights flashing through the profile on the screen. She realized it didn't say TS - 19 anymore, it said TS - 20 and she wondered what that meant._

_"Jenner!" She screamed, looking around, "Let me out!" _

_She heard a footstep and whirled around to see Shane sitting at the controls that Jenner was supposed to be at. He looked up at her and his dark eyes had weird blue reflections in them from the image of TS - 20 on the wall. He pointed his gun at the screen and she turned back to it, seeing the white lights go out on screen; TS - 20 had died. _

_Shane began to laugh behind her and she turned back to scream at him to open the door but he was gone. The sound of metal against metal had her twisting to look at one of the metal barriers, where Shane now stood, shirtless, swinging his axe at the door. When he turned around and saw her, she realized the axe was a wine bottle and he threw it at her. Linney ducked but it still hit her shoulder, knocking her to the floor._

_She tried to get up, but couldn't, her body wouldn't move. When Shane suddenly appeared above her, he seemed twice as big as he normally was and he bent to her side. She struggled but couldn't move, it felt like a million tons were pressing down on her chest. She looked down, trying to see what could be holding her to the ground and screamed when she saw she was naked. _

_Shane reached for her and pressed something into her mouth; she screamed against the red bandana, and he was suddenly touching her everywhere, making her cringe and try to kick and cry. His fingers were offensive and probing and hurting. Linney was trying to cry against the gag in her mouth and couldn't. The red bandana started to burn her tongue, and she realized the air around them was on fire. Shane moved away from her body and looked up at her, his face and body changing into Jenner's._

_"It set's fire to the air, TS - 20." He said and she blinked and realized she was the profile on screen, laying in a dark room on a raised table. She was TS - 20. Daryl approached the table, then, a gun in his hand. _

_"Third Event." He said, lowering the gun to her forehead, she screamed as the air burst into flames around him and he pulled the trigger. _

"Linney!" Someone yelled at her softly, shaking her shoulder, "Linney! Wake up!" She opened her eyes and saw a dim head above her. Her brain was addled and she was still expecting to see flames all around. She backed away from the person gripping her shoulders and shaking her, sagging in relief when they flicked on a flashlight and it was Glenn. She swallowed hard and looked at him with wild eyes.

"Were you having a nightmare?" He asked her curiously and she found enough of herself to roll her eyes at such a stupid question. "Sorry, sorry, dumb question." Linney felt a shudder roll through her at the vivid dream and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to control the quaking tremors. She specifically remembered the part with Shane and suddenly felt like the air in the tent was dissipating rapidly. Turning away from Glenn, she rammed her feet into her boots and scooped up all her weapons, tucking them into her hoodie pocket.

She climbed over Glenn's legs and out the door, pulling a flashlight from the pocket next to the door. She moved a couple steps away from the tent and clicked on the flashlight, holding it in her teeth while she applied her weapons with shaking hands.

"Linney?" A voice hissed at her and she looked up at the RV, to see a dim figure looking down at her. By the shape of the hat on his head, she knew it was Rick. "Yeah, sorry, couldn't sleep," she whispered back, making her way to the RV and climbing up on the roof. Daryl was at the end by the ladder and she looked away from him quickly, making her way to the other side of the RV. She sat on the edge next to Rick and he glanced over at her.

"Problem?" He asked her, his voice even. She shook her head and then shrugged. "Nightmare," she said, in a tired and quiet voice. Rick nodded and clapped a hand on her back briefly. "Want to talk about it?" He ventured and she shook her head vehemently. "Oh god, no," she said, a little too quickly and he turned away from her.

Linney got up and sat down on the edge of the RV, in the middle, away from either of them, trying to let the chill of the night wake her up. She tried to think about what the dream might have meant and knew that it was simply just flat out disturbing. She looked up in surprise when Daryl came and sat next to her.

"Hey," he said quietly, sitting close, but not touching her. She nodded at him but didn't reply. "Nightmare?" He asked her finally and she shrugged, "Guess so, woke Glenn up, so he woke me up."

"Thought ya were done with those things." He said, looking away so his words were almost lost. Linney drew a knee up to her chest and wrapped her arm around it, picking at a blood splatter on the boot with one of her knives.

"Guess not." They said nothing and Linney was focused solely on restraining herself, not pushing him, not trying to chat with him, to allow him the opportunity to bow out of this whole mess easily and quietly. She thrummed with guilt, knowing that he was asking questions because that's just what they did. She didn't want him to feel obligated anymore. She understood now, understood what he could give and what she'd done, and wanted him to quit feeling like he had to be with her, had to watch her, had to protect her and comfort her.

"Are you..." His voice trailed off and she didn't turn to him, just tucked her knife away, back in her boot. She could sense him trying to work up the nerve to ask her something, but as expected, his Dixon desire for quiet won over and he didn't finish his sentence.

She turned her head, twisting the hood she was hiding in sideways and saw he was staring at her.

"Quit starin' at me, Dixon," she said, tossing his own words back at him, and she heard him grunt in response.

He surprised her by moving closer to her, pressing his whole leg up to hers, sitting tight against her.

"I think we have a problem." He finally grumbled and she look over at him, his face so close to hers that she wanted to lean in the rest of the way and kiss him. _Don't do it, Linney, don't be selfish, you already pushed too hard_. He stared at her and then got to his feet quickly, walking away back to the other end of the RV. Linney sat still and breathed out slowly. When it was time for Glenn to wake up, Daryl went down to get him and Rick paused by her side.

She glanced up at him, pushing her hood back so she could hear properly on shift. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but I'm thinking that you two have had a miscommunication." Linney got to her feet, and Rick put a hand on her arm to steady her as they moved towards the centre of the RV roof.

"I been married a long time Linney, trust me when I say that assumptions can ruin everything. You gotta talk things out."

Linney looked away and cleared her throat, pulling her arm from his grasp. She stared down the dark highway. "You're right, Rick, it is none of your business." The sheriff sighed, and surprised her by patting her shoulder as he walked away, clearly not offended by her fairly rude response. When she peeked down at the tent, she could see Glenn faintly climbing out.

"Come on, Rhee, move it, what the hell are you waiting for?" She called down to him and he looked up and shook his head, before making his way around the RV. She felt the vehicle dip as he climbed up and settled on the far end, where Daryl had been before.

They sat in silence for almost an hour and Linney purposely forced herself to think of nothing but their surroundings, determined not to spend this watch shift dwelling. _I was so happy during my last shift, last night, after the CDC, and now this._ She wiped a hand roughly at her face, telling herself the wind was drying her eyes, making them sting and leak tears involuntarily.

"Linney," Glenn spoke softly from the other end of the trailer, and she grunted at him in response. "Do you think Amy knew what was happening when she turned?" Linney swallowed hard at his heartfelt question, and forced herself to answer him. _Glenn_ _is your friend, I think, so be nice_, she lectured herself.

"I think Jenner answered that pretty well for us, Glenn." He said nothing and she continued, her voice a little more heated. "I think the last thing Amy saw was all of us around her, and when the eyes on her body re-opened there was nothing behind them, certainly not her." She could almost hear Glenn nodding.

"I hope so," he whispered. There was silence and she realized with horror that Glenn was softly crying to himself. "Glenn," she said reluctantly, "Are you ok?"

"I miss her and I never got to say half the things I wanted to." He replied. Linney nodded. "I know, me neither, with her or Merle." Glenn cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, Lin, I forgot about that, you lost two people." She didn't reply just tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear while scanning the road. "What would you have told Merle?" He finally asked and Linney guffawed, "You've gone mental if you think I'm telling you that." She heard Glenn shift around behind her and then he said, "I'll tell you what I would've said to Amy."

"You can but I'm not promising anything, man." Glenn cleared his throat and Linney marveled for a moment that they were having such a heartfelt conversation, back to back, 25 feet apart, in the dark, without looking at one another. "I would've told her that I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever met." Linney swallowed and made a "Mmm" noise. Glenn continued, "I would've told her that she was the nicest person I'd ever met, including from before." Linney felt her throat tighten and wanted to ask Glenn to stop but she couldn't, afraid she'd cry if she unlocked her throat. "I would've told her that I loved her." Linney said nothing, could say nothing, and thought about missed opportunities.

"I should've told her, Lin, there was nothing stopping me, the rules are different now, things don't gotta be the same, you know? I should've just told her." Linney felt tears slipping down her face as she thought how happy what Glenn was saying would have made her perky blonde friend.

"You wanna share now?" He asked, his voice huskier than before. Linney was silent, thinking. "I would have," she paused, not sure how to word what she would've said to Merle, "I would've told him, it's ok that he's not him and I'm not her, that I needed him around anyways."

"I don't get it," Glenn said, "What do you mean by 'he's not him' and 'you're not her'." Linney shook her head and grimaced, "Nothing Glenn. Never mind."

A while went by and all was quiet and dark, Glenn spoke again, "Did you love him?" Linney laughed, "Merle?"

"Yeah."

"Well, not like love love, but yeah, he was important to me, I guess I loved him, like..." her voice trailed off and she said nothing, but Glenn continued for her, "Like a dad?"

"Shut up Glenn." Her voice was teary and he said nothing. About 30 minutes later he called out, "Wanna switch sides? I'm going crazy looking at this side."

"Sure," she replied getting to her feet. The met in the middle of the trailer and she hugged him.

"I'm sorry about Amy."

"I'm sorry about Merle." She pulled away and he grabbed her arm, "Lin, wait." She turned back to him and he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, "Don't make my mistake." She snorted and he squeezed again, his voice getting a little more insistent.

"Lin, trust me, don't make my mistake," he turned away from her and walked to the other side of the RV, speaking over his shoulder, "You'll hate yourself."


	47. Chapter 47

When Linney awoke the next morning, the tent was really, really warm. She tried to move, sit up slowly, and something gripped her tighter, pulling her back down. She realized that Glenn was sleeping way too closely to her. She took a quick self evaluation and nearly jumped out of her skin when she became aware that he was also spooning her from behind, from inside his own sleeping bag.

It was his arm wrapped over her waist, that had pulled her down when she tried to get up. His face nuzzled into the back of her neck. She could feel his breath, warm and tickling, with every breath he took in and out.

_Oh holy christ, Glenn_, she thought in irritation and in a little bit of sadness, since she'd now have to either break his arm or his heart. She tried to twist her head to look at him, but his head was so close she couldn't turn. _Well, here we go_.

"Glenn! Get the fuck off me! This is _not_ ok!" She hissed angrily at him, over her shoulder. She heard his voice, heard him respond sleepily, "Wha? Linney? What's going on?", and it took her a second to realize his voice was all wrong, not coming from directly behind her head. She began to kick and flail like a maniac, suddenly terrified and _sure_ that it was Shane.

"What the fuck? Calm down, girl!" Daryl growled from next to her at the same moment she managed to wrench herself sideways into the side of the tent, making the entire structure shudder. She sat up in her sleeping bag, clawing at the top of it and pushing it down to her waist. "Daryl?" She blinked at him and rubbed her eyes. "I thought you were Glenn," she said flatly. Daryl's eyebrows shot up and he gave her a curious look. Glenn popped up behind Daryl, his black hair everywhere, "We switched spots," he said helpfully.

Linney pressed her hands to her head and climbed out of her sleeping bag, seeing that the three of them were the last one's in the tent.

"Where's Rick?" She asked and Daryl jerked a thumb back in the direction of the RV. "Decided to go inside." She unzipped the door and rolled it open, letting the cool night air that still lingered close to the ground waft in; the tent was hot because the sun was shining directly on it, but the cool air was still within reach. She pulled her hoodie off and tossed it in the direction of her sleeping bag.

"Almost got my face." Daryl mumbled, and she yawned and stretched her arms above her head as she turned to look at him. She realized he was following her movements with very interested eyes. She dropped her arms down and moved to step outside.

"Can't go out with no shoes n' no weapons." He said in a rough voice. Glenn pushed past her, "Gotta pee, move it, Lin."

She let the door flutter closed after Glenn had pushed through it and then looked back at Daryl again. "Why ya keep lookin' at me like I'm somethin' diff'rent than normal?" He asked her in a humorless voice.

"Why'd you trade places with Glenn?" She asked, realizing that he must have done it after she fell asleep. Daryl looked at her like she'd gone soft and reached for her arm, tugging her closer. "Come sit back here a sec," he insisted and she moved back to sit on her sleeping bag. He looked at her seriously for a moment before rubbing at his eyes.

"Aw fuck, everythin's so fucked up." He grumbled into his hand. She looked down at her feet and then slowly started to wind her weapons back on, starting with her ankles and then her calf. "Why did you switch," she said in a flat voice, not looking up at him. He flickered an eyebrow at her, "Why the fuck wouldn' I? You sweet on short round now or somethin?"

Linney shot him an exasperated look and reached for a boot. "We don't have time for this right now," she muttered, cramming her boot on. "Yer so pissed with me," he commented and she looked up at him. "I was, but I'm not anymore, it's my fault, not yours, please don't worry about it or me anymore."

He nodded to himself and she felt a pang in her chest, looking down at her hands. _There, I told him, told him it was me, not him, and that it was ok, he could drop me and not worry about the whole thing_.

So when he leaned towards her and kissed her forcefully, full on the mouth, her first reaction was surprise, followed swiftly by pleasure, then surprise again. She put her hands up on his shoulders and pushed, forcing him away slowly.

"What?" He growled at her, clearly unhappy with her interrupting his work. "What do you mean 'what?'? I just told you that you don't need to worry about it anymore, meaning don't worry about me; you don't have to pretend or push yourself because of me, it's ok! I get it! I knew what you were capable of and I pushed you too far, took advantage of us being drunk and ruined everything."

Daryl was looking at her like he was having a hard time keeping up with her logic. He scratched his head, "I thought ya jus' meant ya weren't pissed no more n' that we was done fightin'."

Linney crammed her other boot on and made to crawl over his legs. He wrapped his arms around her waist and flipped her over so she was laying across his lap on her back, looking up at him.

"You worry too much." He said to her, calmly. "You're making my brain hurt, Dixon," she replied.

"Ya thought I was pissed about all the _great_ stuff we did?" He waggled his eyebrows at her with the word 'great' and she had to laugh. She tried to roll away, to hide her face so she could talk about her feelings without having her face exposed. He wouldn't let her and so she brought her hands up to cover her face, and talked through her hands.

"You were certainly acting like me touching you was not a good thing. You behaved embarrassed and irritated each time I tried to act like, you know... like there was anything between us." He tugged lightly at her hands.

"Why're ya hiding your face?"

"I don't want you to look at me with your eyes while I'm talking about this shit."

"Linney," he began, tugging again at her hands, "How the fuck else would I look at you, n' why do ya care?" She held them down harder and he tickled her ribs briefly, making her arms fly downwards.

"Don't!" She cried angrily, in between laughing. He chuckled once and she glared at him as he held an arm down over her hands.

"I _hate_ being tickled as a distraction."

"This happen often to ya?"

"No, but I find I _hate_ it." She tried to look away, but he tilted her face back. "Maybe I'm a lil bit in the wrong here," he said slowly, tracing a finger around the outside of her top lip. She wrinkled her nose and lips to make him stop, finding it nearly impossible to concentrate, but he wouldn't stop. She tried blowing air on his hand to make him stop.

"What're ya doin?" He asked, his finger finally stopping. She glared at him and pulled once on her hands, which he was still holding away from her. "I can't focus when you do that." He smirked but stopped.

"Linney, I need to make sure ya understand jus' how close we all were to dyin'." She swallowed and nodded. "I do." He nodded and took a breath, his free hand running through her hair.

"I made a mistake that night." Linney stiffened, feeling like he'd been setting her up, and he gave her a wry smile, "For gods sake, would ya let me finish 'fore you go gettin' all insulted?" She nodded and waited, watching his careful eyes, with her own wary ones.

"My mistake was not listenin' to ya," she blinked at him in surprise and he smirked at her, "Yeah, weren't expectin' that, were ya?" He asked in a smart ass tone and she made a face at him.

"Yer instincts were right, I listened at first, then forgot it about it. I fuckin' sold out over showers n' booze... Merle would kick my sorry ass if he was here." Linney watched him as he explained himself. "I thought it was safe there, that you n' I could be like normal." He bent his knees up, lifting her up so she was sitting leaned against his thighs, instead of lying across them. He freed her hands and squeezed them in his own.

"Then it went to shit," Linney said, prompting him on. He nodded and leaned down to smell her neck, like he'd been waiting to forever. "God, ya smell good." He growled in a low voice and she smiled at him.

"I was angry, Lin, not at you, but at me, I almost got ya killed, got those kids killed, cause I wanted some wine n' a hot shower." He ran a hand through his own hair in frustration. "We were gonna die, Lin, I was stupid n' we almost died. I was so mad at m'self yesterday, for doin' that to ya."

She blinked at him, relieved that her fears were unfounded, that her assumptions had been brushed away. She had no choice but to believe him, there was no way he'd talk that much for no reason or for a lie. _He was mad at himself, at the situation, thank god_.

"You wanna know something?" She asked him quietly and he nodded.

"Next time you're upset, I want you try this thing, it's kinda weird, but I think you'll find it totally works." He raised an eyebrow at her, "What?" he asked, his voice mildly interested.

Linney raised an eyebrow right back at him and said in a snarky tone, "Next time you're upset, use your voice to talk to me and say, 'Oh hi, Linney, I'm upset because of this or that, but I don't know how to emote, so I'm explaining myself so you don't think I hate you.'" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Jus' like that, hey?" He grumbled and she nodded at him, "Oh yes, very effective."

They were silent for a moment before she asked, "How'd you like my impersonation of you? Not rednecky enough?" He looked over at her with disbelieving eyes.

"Oh, it's on now, girl."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Rick could hear Linney outside, laughing inside their tent, giggling and scolding Daryl and he shook his head in wonder that the man was capable of eliciting that kind of response in anyone. His face was constantly narrowed in tight-eyed concentration, but for some reason Linney had a different effect on him.

He shrugged, turning back to Lori, who was brewing coffee on the camp stove, using the coffee pot that Linney and Daryl had brought to the group, one that functioned like a normal pot, and only required that it sit on the hot camp stove top to warm up and brew like normal. She smiled at him and they both smiled at the two people in the tent.

"They're cute, right?" She asked, sipping at a cup of coffee, nodding her head in the direction of the laughter. Rick winked at her and put an arm around her shoulders, as they gazed down at their sleeping son. "We're cuter." Lori laughed loudly and slapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late, the kids woke up and so did Carol.

_Looks like the day's beginning_.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..

An hour later and they were all packed up and driving down the road. Rick had his window down, as did everyone else, and they enjoyed the warm breeze. He listened and watched as Lori described a trip to the Grand Canyon they had tried to make when Carl was a baby. Carol and Sophia laughed as she explained how sick baby Carl got and the boy was especially excited to hear about just "how much I puked, mom!"

"I think we should still go," Carl finally said, a moment or two after the story was finished. Lori looked over at Rick and they held each other's worried gazes for a moment. "I'd like to see the Grand Canyon and I think one day we should go." He sounded so certain, and Rick was so relieved to hear the animation and interest back in his voice and on his features, that Rick nodded.

"That would be nice, Carl, I think we should." Lori shot him another concerned gaze and he smiled at her, reaching down to squeeze her hand. He figured that after their narrow escape, which certainly defied the odds, that a trip to the Grand Canyon would be a lot easier to pull off.

"I'd like to go too," Sophia said, her voice shy and interested. "Can my mom and I go too?" Lori's worry finally melted then and she turned back to pat Sophia's knee and then Carol's, nodding while she did.

"We'd never go without you and your mom, that's a promise." Rick replied and Sophia hugged her mom's arm.

Rick had to feel optimistic. Surely, for their group to more or less survive the end of the world, survive a huge attack on camp, and escape from Jenner's trap, that meant something. It meant they had a chance. They just had to find their own safe place and everything would be ok, he was sure.

He thought about the people in his group as they drove, pleased that all the occupants in his car were relaxed enough to be napping. His mind moved ahead to the motorcycle he could hear motoring along ahead of the RV, with Linney and Dixon. He found that he really liked them both, even though he knew for a fact that in his former life, he would have disliked and mistrusted a man like Dixon, and pitied a girl like Linney. They fought hard, and not just for themselves. Good people to have along, dependable, trustworthy.

He felt instinctively that when Linney gave her word to back him up, she was telling him that he had her endorsement as well, that she was giving him a stamp of approval more or less. She was clearly against Shane.

_Oh Shane_. It was clear that his friend was having a hard time. Rick knew it was his fault. That he showed up and people just expected him to be in charge and he stepped up as if he was, a change in regimes, as Linney had aptly put it. _She's pretty smart for a kid that probably didn't graduate high school. _

And Linney and Shane, he was positive something happened there, or still was. She avoided him, was never alone with him, never addressed him, and he'd seen Dixon purposely keeping the man away from her. _Shane did something, and you know it_. He hated to think it, but he had to admit that it was easier to have Shane work with him, than against him, and if something really bad happened, he figured a girl like Linney wouldn't be shy to let him know right away. In the meantime, it seemed that she and Dixon had it well in hand.

_You're not a cop anymore, you don't need to solve this, just let it be._

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Shane cleaned his guns at the table in the RV, admitting to himself that this wasn't a bad way to travel, it was comfortable and allowed him to multi-task. He looked up at the morose and withdrawn Andrea sitting across from him and tried to engage her in gun talk, but she barely responded. He offered to clean her weapon and she nodded.

When he had it apart, the RV lurched to a stop, with Dale apologizing up front. Shane got to his feet and walked up to lean on the driver's seat. When he looked out the front window he saw the thick, heavy snarl of traffic ahead, hundreds of cars, crashed, mashed and haphazardly parked everywhere, personal items and rotting bodies everywhere too.

He watched as Daryl's bike came around a huge truck ahead of them, he and Linney stopping at the driver's side window.

"Is it blocked?" Dale asked and Linney shrugged, "Follow us, we think you might be able to make it." They pulled behind the RV, informing Rick of the same, he supposed, before looping back around and leading them slowly through the maze of the wrecks.

When the RV's rad blew, and smoke started to billow out the engine, every person inside cursed and he could see Linney jump a mile in her seat on the bike. Daryl pulled to a stop, turning the bike off with a grimace.

They all gathered around the front of the RV and Dale came out muttering angrily to himself.

"Been saying for days this would happen! And now we can't fix it -" He stopped and looked around, seeming to realize he was surrounded by abandoned vehicles. Shane laughed at the stupid expression on the old man's face.

"If you can't find all the replacement parts you need right here, then I think it's time to say goodbye to the old girl." Shane joked, but no one laughed. Daryl brought a hand up to rest on the gear in the back of a truck in front of him.

"Bet there's tons of gear here; food, water." Linney nodded up at her redneck like he was some kind genius and then T-Dog started to look around.

"We could gas up everything to the top here."

"We could get more clothes too," Carol say, her voice rueful as she took in everyone's worn and stained clothing. Rick's face had started off tight and unhappy, but as everyone spoke he looked brighter and brighter and Shane wanted to laugh at him. He was trying really hard to be nicer to Rick, since he finally made the right choice about Fort Benning, but he couldn't believe that Rick didn't see what everyone was talking about the moment they stopped, begun to order people around right away.

_He ain't a born leader, like you man_, he told himself. They all started to chatter at once, turning to get started, when Lori's slow and haunted voice stopped them.

"We can't do this." She said, and everyone halted to look at her. He noticed Linney giving her the stink eye and chuckled internally. _Practical girl, she is_.

"This is a graveyard." Lori said, in the same voice and Linney cleared her throat and put her hand hesitantly in the air, obviously to refute her.

"Excuse me if this is wrong, but I have never been to a graveyard where life or death supplies awaited you, and all the dead wanted to eat you. We need food or we die, we need water or we die, we need weapons or we die. Gas, car parts, medicine, these things keep us alive. So no, I don't think this is a graveyard." Rick raised an eyebrow at her.

"What is it then?" He asked her, his voice genuinely curious.

"It's salvation."


	48. Chapter 48

***** Enjoy! As per usual I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

"Do you think that one day we'll wake up and this will all have been a bad dream?" Linney paused her rifling through the steamer trunk they'd found in the back of the Prius and stared over at Carl. She quirked up one side of her mouth in thought.

"Well, would it be your dream? Or my dream?" She asked him, pulling out a piece of a wedding veil and tossing it on the front seat. "Ummm," he deliberated, "Mine, I guess?"

Linney nodded and yanked out a couple t-shirts that might fit Lori or Andrea and a pair of jeans that would probably fit Sophia, "Here, stick these in the bag," she said to Carl, forcing the handful into his arms. He crammed everything in the duffel he was in charge of carrying, until it became too full or heavy for him to manage.

As they moved on to the next vehicle, a pick-up truck, she snapped her fingers and pointed at Carl, "Ok, here's one for you, if it is a dream, is it a good one or a bad one?" Carl scrunched his little face up and she couldn't resist ruffling his hair. He ducked away from her, laughing, "I guess bad."

Linney nodded, glancing at a car about ten feet away that was crammed full of the bodies of a dead family, "Yeah, I think you're right, definitely bad." She opened the tail on the truck and boosted herself up. She stood in the bed and looked down at him, "You ok down there?" He nodded and rested his arms on the tailgate, placing his chin on top of them.

"Well, you know how sometimes you're having a bad dream and then something happens to make it good?" Carl asked her. Linney had her back to him and shuddered when she thought about her series of dark nightmares, none of them with the slightest ray of hope in them.

"You'll have to explain that to me, bud." She said over shoulder as she pulled a cardboard box away from the back window on the truck, closer to the edge so she could keep an eye on Carl. Lori had been extremely nervous to let him out of her sight when he had begged first Lori, then Rick, to go out with her.

Linney had felt all glowy and warm inside when she overheard Rick whisper to Lori that she, Linney, was probably the one with the best chances of keeping their son alive in any given circumstance.

"Ok, so imagine you're being chased by a bad guy, right?"

"Uh huh..."

"And you can't run fast enough because it's a dream, so he's going to get you."

"Is this the part that's good?" She teased the boy, and he gave her a little glare.

"_Linney_."

"Sorry, sorry, keep going."

"Ok, so maybe your dad or superman comes along and saves you," he continued on, and Linney looked over at him and raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Doesn't anyone save you in your dreams?" He asked, his voice curious. Linney shook her head and went back to pulling food out of the cardboard box. "No honey, if I can't save myself then I'm doomed." _Boy, that's saying a mouthful_, she thought ruefully.

The boy sighed and continued, "Well ok, so since the dream was bad, then you got saved, now it's good. It's like good inside the bad. Like Merle was to you." She sat back on her haunches for a moment and surprised herself by laughing out loud, causing Daryl to look over at her from several cars away, eyes narrowed and a tiny smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"You got a way with words, my friend," she said to the boy, and he beamed happily. She reached back into the big box and pulled out a large box of cookies and Carl let out a squeak of happiness.

"Can I have one right now?" He begged eagerly, and Linney looked around pretending to scout for his parents. In reality, Rick wasn't that far away and could probably hear everything they said. She tore the box open and handed him a cookie.

"Don't spill the beans and get me in trouble with the sheriff, ok?" Carl nodded enthusiastically and devoured the cookie. Linney bit off half of one and then realized it had coconut in it and spat it out. He gave her a look like she was crazy, and she laughed at him. "I can't eat coconut, I'm allergic," she explained and Carl gave her a sympathetic smile. She gave him the other half of her cookie.

When they'd filled the bag with the unexpected boon of food they found in the pick-up, they each grabbed a handle and made their way back to the RV with it, to add to the little stockpile growing in front of it.

"You know Linney, I don't actually think this is a dream, though." He was panting a little, struggling with his side of the heavy bag and she tried to shift more of it to her side, without letting him know she was doing it.

"I don't think so either, and you know what?" She said, her voice low and friendly. He looked up at her, "What?" Linney smiled at him as they finally reached the RV and dropped the bag.

"If it was a dream, then I wouldn't have met you, or Sophia, or Daryl, and I'd be pretty sad." Carl nodded at her and she bent to unload the bag. Dale peered over the edge of the RV at them.

"Get a good haul?" Linney nodded without looking up. "Yup, goin' back in a sec, there's still some food in that one pick-up." She looked up quickly when she heard Shane and Glenn whooping it up about ten or twelve cars away.

"Is that, is that water?" Linney asked, watching as it looked like they were taking showers in their clothes under a spray of something coming from the side of a truck. Dale put his binoculars to his eyes and nodded. "It sure is, we are lucky we found this place, it could be a saving grace." Linney smiled with one side of her mouth and looked down at Carl.

"So you wanna hang out here buddy, or are you up for another trip?" Carl nodded at her, "I wanna go with you." She smiled and waved at Rick, "We're going back out, just over to that pick-up and probably the van next to it." She pointed at pickup they'd been at, which was snug up against the guardrail, with a van not five feet away, to the side of it, sitting in the right lane. He nodded and dropped an affectionate hand on Carl's head, rubbing his hair around.

"You're being good, right? Listening to everything Linney says?" The boy nodded and Linney tugged gently on his arm.

"K, let's go, I'm on a mission for sunscreen," Linney said. Rick and Carl glanced up at her red shoulders and they both winced in unison. "That looks like it hurts." Rick said worriedly. She nodded and absentmindedly ran a finger over the angry red skin there, before shrugging and walking away with Carl.

"Do you think Amy went to heaven?" He asked suddenly and she looked down at him, her eyes huge and wary, at a complete loss for words. "Oh honey, that's a question for your mom or dad, not me." He held her gaze for a moment and then looked ahead steadily. "I don't think she did."

Linney took a deep breath and kept going forward, wondering what kind of territory she was about to flounder into. "Why?" She asked him, genuinely concerned. Carl shrugged one little shoulder and put the bag back up on the tailgate when they reached the truck again.

"Because when she came back, she had bad thoughts, she would've eaten us, and not cared."

"You think that means she could never go to heaven?" Carl nodded and scratched his neck. Linney pulled out a jug of apple juice, checking the expiry date and was pleased to see it was well over a year away. _Some kind of preservatives in there_.

"I think that the first time Amy died, she was gone, and it was just her body left." She explained to him, sliding the apple juice into the duffle bag.

"But what came back then?" He asked, his wide eyes fixed on her face. She shrugged and straightened her hat on her head. "Well, maybe if you get the disease, the disease turns into a new thing inside you, like you grow a monster inside you, one that can't come out and use your body until you die first."

She paused when she saw how wide his eyes were. "I'm sorry, was that too much? Did I scare you?" He shook his head. "No, I'm ok." She said nothing for a few minutes letting him run this new thought through his little head.

"That means that there is bad wrapped up inside the good inside everyone that's bit, right?" He asked her, his blue eyes sharp and bright in the sunlight when Linney looked down at him and blinked.

"I guess so." She finally replied, yet again surprised by the little boy's shrewdness. Carl nodded and picked at the seal around the edge of the tailgate. Linney looked up from the box for a moment, back towards the RV, and couldn't see anyone ahead of her, at least not anyone in her own group on the ground, except Dale who was laying flat on the roof of the RV.

Carl looked back too and opened his mouth to ask what was going on. Linney spun her hand out and covered his mouth. She realized now what the problem was. It had taken a moment for her eyes to adjust and pick out all the grey, red, and brown figures that always did so well blending in.

Everyone was hiding. There were hundreds of walkers traipsing and winding through the vehicles on the highway, headed in their direction. Carl saw them at the same time she did and she slid from the vehicle and pulled the boy to the ground, looking around wildly for a place to hide. She gave brief thought to running down the embankment, but knew that they'd certainly be seen and would risk having hundreds of them chasing her and Carl through the woods.

She realized what everyone else must have done and dragged Carl beneath the truck, scooting back quickly to lay in the middle. She stared fiercely down into his eyes and made a shushing motion at her mouth and he nodded, rolling to lay on his stomach, his arms curled up under his body, ducking his head in his hands which were poking out under his chin. Linney pulled him up against her chest, gripping him with both arms.

When the feet started to slowly shamble and stumble by, her heart was beating so hard she thought she might give them away. Carl was absolutely silent, his face buried in his hands, and she swallowed hard, watching the endless stream of rotting, dirty feet and legs move by. The sounds made her skin crawl, it was like one long drawn out groan, punctuated by rasping breaths every now and then. Linney's mind flashed to Daryl and she prayed he was safe.

There was nothing they could do but wait.

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Rick watched his wife gripping Carol around her face, the other woman's features twisted in utter terror for her daughter who lay trembling beneath a red Toyota two cars over. He met Lori's eyes and knew they were both thinking of Carl, praying to god he was safe. Rick had seen Linney just starting to look up, before he dropped beneath a car, having waited until the last moment, hoping she'd notice sooner. _She's a smart girl, she'll keep him safe_. He repeated that mantra to himself and watched more and more feet shuffle by.

He glanced ahead of them and saw a set of walker feet staggering up into the RV. He tried to remember if anyone was in there and couldn't, his worry being continually drawn to his son. _Carl Carl Carl Carl Carl_. His son's name beat like wings inside his head.

There was nothing they could do but wait.

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Shane had never been so close to Glenn before and wasn't enjoying it. They were crammed together, back to back, beneath the water truck and Shane was currently praying to anything that might be listening that the fucking dead weren't drawn to the sound of the water pattering out from the bottle he'd yanked open. He wondered where the kids were, his mind going to Linney, knowing that Carl was with her.

_At least she'll keep him safe, she's good for that_, he though uncharitably. Glenn was shaking so badly that Shane was worried tremors might somehow manage to carry through the cement and alert the walkers to their cowering presences.

There was nothing they could do but wait.

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Dale could see everything. He watched Rick gesture to Sophia to get under a car, the girl going immediately. He watched Lori grapple with Carol, trying to get her under a car, and the woman not moving until the dead were nearly upon them. He watched Rick crouching at the back of the car he was currently hiding under, staring in Linney and Carl's direction, but unable to make a peep or a move to warn them.

He saw Shane dive to the ground under the water truck, yanking Glenn's arm on the way down. Dale was pretty sure that the boy had no idea what was going on, until he hit the ground with Shane.

Dale watched with mounting horror as T-Dog tried to hide and shredded his arm open, an impressive fount of blood spraying outwards. Dale ached to do something, shoot the walker that broke off from the pack to move down the line of cars where T-Dog had collapsed, distract it, something.

He knew that any move he made to help one person would result in the deaths of them all, whipping the monsters up into a frenzy that would tear the area apart. He gaped in surprise when Daryl appeared, moving stealthily and quickly, and he slammed a knife into the back of the head of T's would-be killer, tossing the dead body on top of T and pulling a corpse from a car to drape over himself. A steady stream of the dead moved into their area, walking by them, and Dale prayed that they'd be safe with Daryl's strange dead body camoflauge.

His eyes had been the last eyes on Linney and Carl, seeing the exact moment she had spied the large pack of walkers moving towards them, the moment she saw Dale on the roof. He saw her turn her dark head towards the embankment and had almost given away his position when he had to stifle a cry, desperate to warn her not to do that. They would certainly be run down on foot. But she had dragged the boy under the truck with her, her eyes hard and firm, Carl's wide and terrified.

When he felt the RV shift in weight, he realized that one of them had just climbed inside and his stomach dropped out beneath him. _Andrea_. She was inside, alone and unarmed. He slithered slowly across the roof and peered in through the bathroom air vent and saw her there, fiddling with her gun pieces, trying to put it together. By the way her eyes kept darting to the bathroom door, he knew there was one right outside the door. He said nothing, not wanting to distract her.

When he heard the tinkle of the gun parts falling from her lap, his eyes slid closed, his whole body tensed, praying that the thing inside didn't hear it too. But of course it had, and he heard her crying out, her fear growing louder and pulling at Dale's heart. He had no weapons on him. He rolled around to eye the herd, hoping against hope it was gone. _Not gone entirely, but absolutely thinned, near the end even. _He felt something hard in his pocket and realized he had a screwdriver.

Moving quickly to the air vent he punched through the screen and held out the screwdriver to Andrea, watching the range of emotion playing out on her face. Anger, fear, resentment, more fear, and then finally settling on hope when she had something in her hands to defend herself with. He didn't know her plan and he couldn't give her any pointers.

There was nothing he could do but wait.

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The feet went on forever, Linney felt like she had been laying rigid, in constant readiness, for hours, although her mind sensibly told her it couldn't have been longer than ten minutes or so. She was unfailingly impressed with Carl. The boy was afraid, but stayed still and quiet, not making a peep or trying to move an inch. He kept his head down and his eyes closed the whole time.

Linney was ready to fight, aching for it, anything but this inaction. She worried that their friends could be dead. That as she was laying here, Daryl could be being torn to shreds, or having his throat ripped out. _Stop it, Linney, stop it_.

When the feet finally started to thin out, she started to breathe a little easier, and Carl reacted to the change in her posture; he lifted his head and looked up at her and she held a finger to her mouth again, instructing him to stay quiet. The crowds had definitely thinned, but there were still feet moving past them.

When they heard shrieking, she knew it was Sophia, and there was nothing they could do. She clutched Carl tighter and wrapped her hand over his mouth. There were still feet passing them and it wasn't safe to move. She heard the girl's cries getting further and further away and wondered frantically what was happening. She could feel Carl's heart beating wildly through his back and she was nearly deaf from the thudding of her own terrified heart.

And all she could do was wait.


	49. Chapter 49

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

When the feet stopped coming, Linney remained hiding, for a moment or two longer. Carl looked up at her questioningly, his eyes gigantic, and she signaled him to stay silent, leaning down to his ear.

"I'm going to check, stay here," she whispered to him so quietly that she hoped he understood. He nodded at her and she released him, moving silently to crawl out from under the truck.

She crouched under the tailgate and heard Lori and Carol, yelling things at each other, further on up ahead, back by the RV. She eased out slowly and carefully, looking around, and not seeing anything.

She bent at the waist and called out to Carl, "It's safe, buddy, come out now." He squirmed out from underneath and she hugged him tightly, leaning a cheek against his hair, so happy he was ok, that they were both ok, she swayed a little on her feet.

When she released him, they both moved quickly back to the RV where Lori was restraining a sobbing Carol. "Mom!" He cried, breaking away from Linney and racing to Lori. Linney smiled as the boy flung himself at his mother and she embraced him in a near panic, assuring herself he was ok.

Carol sank to her knees at the sight and sobbed, saying Sophia's name over and over again. "What happened?" Linney asked anxiously, striding over to Carol's side and helping the woman to her feet. Lori swallowed reflexively and gestured to the woods. "Sophia," she started, her features twisting, "She climbed out too soon, was chased by two walkers down into the woods, Rick went after her."

Linney wasted no time, turning to the embankment rail without another word, and making to jump over it. She was prevented from doing so, however, by an arm closing around her waist and pulling her back.

She found her feet again and glared up at Daryl, distantly aware of how happy she was to see him alive. "We don't need ya trompin' off into the woods, gettin' lost. Ya don't even know which way they went." His voice was low and serious.

Linney fidgeted, "Daryl, I have to _do_ something, I can't just stand here and wait, not after..."

"Linney, he's right, Rick told us all to stay here before he went after her." Linney turned back to Lori, who was perched on the guard rail, holding Carol to her shoulder, Carl curled up on the ground at her feet.

Sighing in frustration, Linney turned behind them and saw T-Dog sagged against the RV, blood covering one whole side of his body. "Holy shit. What happened?" She cried, pushing past Daryl and moving to T's side, giving Shane a wide berth on the way over.

"Cut myself..." he groaned and clutched a filthy rag he had held to his arm, "On some glass..." Linney pushed her lips together and grabbed his good arm. "Inside, now." She ordered, pointing at the RV. He nodded weakly and she got him inside, and sitting at the dinette.

She turned away and flicked on the camp stove and put water on to boil. She gathered the first aid kit and some antibacterial hand gel, and forced two Advils into T's hand, along with a bottle of water. "Take those and drink that." She instructed. He nodded wearily at her and muttered, "You're bossy."

"You have no idea." She replied, removing the hot water and pouring half into a pot and the other half into a bowl. She sat in front of him and made him tell her about exactly what had happened, every last detail, as she cleaned and treated his wound as best she could, hoping the effort of being exact with his retelling would help him stay distracted.

As her small hands worked over the wound on the big man's arm, she was dimly aware that it was much deeper than she had thought and figured he probably needed stitches. _Don't know who's gonna do that_, she thought worriedly.

When he was bandaged up, she made him stay at the dinette and cleaned up before going outside. Rick wasn't back with Sophia yet. Andrea glanced over at her, her eyes worried.

"Is he ok?" The blonde asked, clearly inquiring after T-Dog. Linney made a face and Daryl stepped over to her, his brow drawn down in question. "He either is or he ain't, Lin," Linney shrugged.

"It's clean for now, and bandaged, but it's so deep, and he got a lot of shit in it, I'm worried he needs stitches or it's gonna get infected." Daryl looked away, almost angrily, and she felt bad, wishing she could have done more.

_Shoulda paid more attention in First Aid class_. The fact that she took First Aid class at all, and managed to pass it, in high school, was something that had elevated her to the unwilling role of group medic, now that Amy was gone.

He pulled her a little ways from the group for a moment and looked at her seriously. "You ok?" He asked gruffly and she nodded at him, giving him a small smile. "We got under the truck we were on and stayed put, it was fine." He nodded at her and his eyes searched her face, but he didn't touch her.

"Sophia..." she breathed, unable to finish her thought and he grabbed her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly, "We're gonna find her, it'll be fine." He gave her a light shake until she nodded and then he briefly rested his forehead down on hers, before pulling away, moving back to the guardrail to keep an eye out for Rick and Sophia.

Shane and Andrea began gathering up supplies, trying to find everything that had been knocked down or kicked away by the horde of walkers moving through. Dale immediately set to work on the radiator on the RV, saying he wanted to finish it so they could leave quickly once the girl was found.

"What was with that herd of them?" Andrea asked and Linney perked up. "A herd... that's a good word for it," she said and Andrea snorted. Shane paused with a huge bottle of water in his arms. "Like that one that came through camp, but much bigger." His eyes locked on Linney for a moment and she gave him a hard, tight smile, both of them remembering the fighting that night.

Glenn spoke up from the roof of the RV, where he was on watch, "Why do they travel together like that, though?" He wondered aloud and Linney spoke up. "Do ya'll remember playing the Blob at school?"

Many pairs of eyes turned to look at her in confusion and she cringed. When Carl finally replied that he had, she blushed, realizing she was a lot younger than the rest of them.

"Ok, so I just aged myself, but anyways, when you play the Blob one person is 'it' and when they grab someone, that person is also the Blob and they hold hands and run around and grab other people."

Everyone stared at her and she paused in the act of folding a tarp, the crinkling plastic hot in her arms. "All you haveta do is be tapped by someone who's part of the Blob and you are too. You run around til there's no one left. It ends up being a huge crowd."

"I'm hoping you ain't saying those fuckers are playing tag." Shane replied flatly and Linney made a face, avoiding Shane and looking up at Glenn. "No! I'm saying that when a walker roams by, any that see him may follow him, just cause he's moving around, walker on a mission-like, you know?"

Glenn blinked at her, "That's actually brilliant, Lin!" He exclaimed and she cringed a little, "Geez, don't sound too surprised," she muttered and Andrea shot her a smile. Glenn was pacing now, excited with this theory.

"Don't you see, though? Those two would find more, and the bigger the group of them, the more likely more of them are to join up. They move til they find prey."

Shane thunked another big bottle of water in the RV and then stood up. "Wait, wait, wait," he said, waving his hands around in front of him, "We've seen these assholes, they'll sit and not move for weeks until something alive comes along, so why are these herds moving and not just standing around?"

Glenn sat on the edge of the RV, leaning towards them eagerly. "Something riles the first guy up and he starts walking for whatever reason. So when more join, they walk with him just cause he's walking. If for some reason he doesn't know why he's walking anymore, the others are still walking, so he'll walk cause they walk."

Shane rubbed his forehead, "That makes my head hurt, man." Linney winked at Glenn, "Think it's safe to say that herd o' walkers equals bad news for the humans, am I right?" Glenn snorted and laughed.

The moment of brevity passed and they went back to silently gathering their things together, waiting for Rick to return. _He'll have her, of course he will_, she tried to tell herself.

The sun had moved in the sky and it was now clearly past noon. "_Where is she?_" Carol suddenly shrieked and they all turned back to see a sweaty, dirty Rick climbing up the embankment, his features flat and weary.

"She didn't wait for me." He finally said, "I told her to come back here if she didn't wait for me!" Linney looked over at Daryl and saw his jaw clench.

She walked over to his side and leaned over to give him a quick hug around the chest. "I'll see you when you get back," she said, knowing without him saying it that he was going to go search for Sophia. He glanced down at her and nodded, before stepping towards Rick.

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To say he was grateful for Daryl, was an understatement. The man listened carefully to what Rick had told Sophia to do, where he had told her to go, and when Rick showed them the log that he'd told her to hide inside, the man bent low and began to carefully study every thing along the creek.

"Sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked in a low voice, examining the mud closely. "I told her to wait here and I lead them off down the creek" Rick explained, gesturing down the waterway, "I said if I don't come back then she should leave, head back the way we came to the highway, keep the sun on her left shoulder."

Rick looked around at all of them, feeling desperate and defensive. "I went down the creek, and lured the two chasing us, I killed them! It didn't take more'n ten minutes!" He shook his head, rubbing at his face with a tired and dirty hand, "She didn't wait long enough."

Daryl was bent over the bank, examining the mud there and gestured impatiently at Glenn. "Hey short round, wanna step away? You're mucking up the trail." Rick and Shane turned to look at Glenn, who blushed and leapt away in a hurry.

"I told her to go that way," Rick repeated, pointing down past where Glenn had been standing, "Told her to keep the sun on her left shoulder." She had been so scared, wide-eyed, nearly hyperventilating, but she had nodded. _She nodded! She understood god dammit! _

"That's assuming she knows her left from her right." Shane added helpfully and Rick tried to suppress the glare he wanted to shoot the man.

Shane must have understood the tightly controlled irritation on Rick's face because he bent closer, his features tightening as he tried to explain his thoughts. "She had a close call with two walkers, little girl was probably terrified." Shane spoke in an urgent voice and Rick felt his brow tighten at Shane. Shane pressed his lips together before waving a hand in the air and saying, "Gotta wonder how much of what ya said stuck, you know?"

Rick took a step towards him, gesturing angrily. "She heard me just fine." His voice low and frustrated. Shane shrugged and held up his hands, as if asking Rick to calm down.

Daryl's voice had them spinning around. "There are clear prints right here, she did like you said." He was speaking low and even, not involving himself in the disagreement, just stating fact. Rick deeply appreciated his attention to the task at hand.

They all followed the man as he strode off into the woods, seeing things in the plants and mud that they weren't. As they walked, Rick grew hopeful; they were heading back to the highway. _Is it possible we missed her and she went back while we were down at the creek? _

When Daryl stopped suddenly, his brow creased in worry, Rick felt his hopes shrivel. "She was doin' just fine till right here, then she veered off that way." They all turned to look into the direction Daryl was pointing. _The wrong way_, Rick thought in frustration.

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked them, his voice worried and unsure. Shane shrugged, his big gun held to his chest. "Maybe she saw something? Spooked her?" Shane's voice didn't sound nearly worried enough, Rick felt, with a slow burn in his chest.

Daryl was examining the ground all around the small area. Glenn looked around warily, "You think it was a walker?" They all held their breaths, as they looked at Daryl, who was examining a small section of the ground. He finally looked up and noticed them all staring expectantly. He gave a small shake of his head, "No, no other tracks, just hers."

Rick felt like he might boil over, his guilt and frustration were too much. _I should've stayed with her, should've done something else_. Glenn stepped towards Daryl, his expression twisted in concern, "Well? What was it then?" There was no answer, just a shrug, as Daryl went back to examining the ground, moving slowly in the direction Sophia had gone.

Shane took in a deep breath, dithering about for words, Rick could tell that the man was pretty much ready to throw in the towel already and it made him angry. _This is a child! _

"So what do we do? All of us press on?" His eyes followed Daryl and Rick knew his friend was done in the woods. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute before answering, trying to keep his frustration with Shane under wraps.

"No, you and Glenn get back to the highway," Shane nodded quickly and Rick bit his tongue, "Let 'em know Daryl and I are on her trail." Shane nodded again, already turning back towards the highway.

Rick noticed Glenn looking unwillingly towards Shane and felt a flicker of affection for the young man. _So fearful, but still so brave, willing to wander around here no matter how scared he is. _

Rick shook his head and pointed at the highway, addressing Glenn, "You gotta go with Shane, help him keep them calm." Glenn looked over and nodded slowly, his face unhappy.

Shane put a hand on Glenn's arm, towing him slowly back towards the highway. "I'll keep 'em busy, scavenging cars and stuff." Rick nodded and the two of them disappeared through the trees, moving back to the highway. Daryl looked over his shoulder at Rick and nodded his head at him, "This way."

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Shane watched as Andrea rolled a red hatchback off the highway, Linney directing her. Glenn followed suit with a black sports car and Linney shot them both big smiles, high fiving them when they climbed from the vehicles. He snorted at her attempts to keep everyone's spirits up.

When he came back with Glenn, Carol had freaked right out and he nearly smacked her, thinking she needed to calm down, but Lori dragged her away, towards the RV. _Yelling at me ain't gonna help your kid none, bitch_, he thought resentfully.

"Rick wants us to keep on here, gettin' supplies, clearin' a path, being ready to go, right away." Shane explained to the gathered group, his hands on his hips. Carol had struggled in Lori's arms and ran back to Shane, her face pained and worried.

"We aren't going anywhere until my daughter gets back." She insisted in a pleading voice and Linney stepped past Shane and wrapped an arm around the woman, "That goes without saying Carol, you know that." Carol looked over at Linney with red-rimmed eyes and nodded.

Linney hugged her for a moment and looked over Carol's head to Lori behind her. "You and Carol need to go rest for a little bit in the RV," she said, her voice brooking no argument, "Ya'll know we will call you the second we see them." Carol nodded and allowed Lori to lead her away.

"Why aren't we all out there looking?" Shane turned to the voice, Andrea, standing next to him, her arms crossed over her chest, her face curious and wary. Shane nodded at her, "Rick and Daryl got this, more of us out there are just gonna wipe away her tracks."

He put a hand on her shoulder and she raised an eyebrow at it. _Oh, calm down sweetheart, it ain't like that_, he thought, rolling his eyes at her and removing his hand."We'd all get in the way." He finished and Andrea nodded.

Dale walked over and pointed at the RV. "We need to make room to turn her around, so we can double back to get around this mess." The old man said, and Shane stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Dale added, "Faster to fill up on gas, fix the old girl and double back to that bypass Glenn found, rather than spend a day here trying to clear this up." Shane followed the man's gesture and realized that even if they worked all day, they might not be able to clean the highway up enough to drive straight through. He shrugged and then nodded; Rick hadn't specified what busy work that everyone should exactly do, and if these people already had stuff in mind, he was happy to go with it.

He climbed up onto the RV and kept watch. Linney, Andrea and Glenn made short work of clearing cars. Then Glenn began to siphon gas, showing the two women how it was done. Shane snorted at the little lesson, but knew that Linney especially would be absorbing every detail, like she always did.

Carl was sitting dejectedly next to the RV and Shane watched as Linney walked over to him, crouching in front of him, and murmured at him soothingly until the boy uncurled himself from the ground and threw himself at her, for a hug.

Shane laughed, realizing the kid was only a few inches shy of being as tall as Linney. She wrapped a hand around Carl's head and kissed his forehead before calling into Lori that Carl was with her and they were going to pull more gear.

Shane shook his head at how much trust Lori seemed to have in Linney and realized that this _little redneck piece_ had more access to Carl than he did and it made him angry.

He glared down at her and briefly considered just blowing her brains out from on top of the RV, but he didn't. _If more walkers come, you need her right now. _

But he watched, keeping a close eye on her.


	50. Chapter 50

***** Warning - there's some smexy stuff at the end. Again, I hope it doesn't read too awkwardly, haha - also, it's rough and tumble, like Linney and Daryl are, no flowers and poems here :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney stood thoughtfully assessing the snarled wreckage in front of her. She had one hand braced against her hip, the other squeezing her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't do it, Linney." Carl said, looking up at her with worried eyes. Linney glanced down at him and shrugged. "It wouldn't be that hard." Carl crossed his arms over his chest, a scowl on his face.

"It's not safe," he said, his voice angry. She shrugged again. "Carl, I need it, and if I climb over the first car, I can climb through the next one, and that'll lead me into the next one and bingo!"

"I'll tell on you." He threatened and she gaped over at him. "You wouldn't," she replied and his little face screwed up angrily at her. "Linney! You'll get eaten." She shook her head and barely glanced at the walker he was referring to.

She stared at the van she wanted to get to, it was on the other side of a massive twisted multi-car collision and she could see three different tubes of sunscreen sitting in the window, mocking her.

Unfortunately the only way to get them would be to climb over a mangled truck in front of them and then through the front seat of a small Honda, which would lead directly into the back of the van in question. _Yeah, only issue is the Honda's driver_. The walker was strapped into the driver's seat and unable to free himself. He was also in such an awkward place she knew she'd never get a kill shot with a thrown knife.

She looked down at Carl and then it occurred to her that doing this would be reckless, and teach him a bad example. _Stupid examples_, she grumbled to herself.

"We live in a state where it's almost always sunny! How can none of these cars have sunscreen?" She asked the air angrily and Carl laughed. She put her arm around his shoulders and led him back to the RV. The boy had been scavenging with her for hours, while his father and Daryl searched for Sophia.

Andrea and Glenn had moved cars, filled up on all the gas they could possibly need and done a little scavenging of their own, now they were sitting in the shade of the RV, resting, while she and Carl continued the quest for sunscreen. T-Dog was resting in bed, the bleeding stopped in his arm, but the wound enough to take him out of commission for the rest of the day. Dale continued his work on the RV.

When they got back to the RV, Shane was just climbing off the roof and switching off with Glenn. "Think you'd better get on inside with your mom now, man, she'll need some help with dinner." He walked towards the front of the RV and stopped a few feet from Linney.

"How's the scavenging going?" He asked, his voice stiff. She didn't turn to look at him, only moved away from him, into the maze of cars. He followed and she glared back at him. "Keep your distance," she said in a cold voice and he stopped.

"I was really drunk, Linney," he said to her and she glared at him, saying nothing. His face softened for a second and she thought she caught a glimpse of a more normal Shane for a moment, before his features twisted up again.

"It's none of your goddamn business anyway." He growled at her and she raised an eyebrow at him, before advancing on him and shoving him in the stomach in blind rage.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I caught you trying to ra-" He shoved her in return and she stumbled back a few steps. He followed, his face furious, "Caught me trying to what? What was it Linney? What do you think you saw?"

"Don't try to intimidate me, asshole, I know exactly what you were doing." She advanced another step and her face was so tightly twisted in fury that he retreated a step. "And it will _always_ be my business." He glared at her and she pointed an angry finger up at him.

"Lori's not saying anything apparently, so for her sake I won't either, but I am fucking watching you. One wrong move and you're dead, I won't say a thing, I'll just kill you." He pushed her hand away from him, "Get that outta my face, who the fuck do you think you are, you little white trash cu-"

Later she would tell herself that she felt threatened and acted accordingly, but the truth was she snapped. She'd given him so many chances and he'd done so much, violated so many things, and she honestly just hated him and his psychotic tendencies, so she snapped. She ripped her gun out from its holster and slapped him across the face so hard with it, that she hurt her hand.

He howled and dropped to the ground, his hands clutching at his face and Linney tucked her gun away, then shook her hand out, the tingling pain in it making her hiss. Glenn popped his head over in their direction and Dale and Andrea both ran right over.

"Oh my god! Linney! What happened?" Andrea cried, kneeling beside Shane, checking his face. Linney swallowed and shrugged. "Someone got hurt," she replied. She looked up and saw Lori peeping out the RV at them and Linney suddenly felt really good about the pain in her hand. _Totally worth it_.

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"You know, you should go." Shane looked up at Andrea when she spoke. She was helping with his facial injuries. He was still dazed, not sure if it had been her fist, or something else, but whatever it was that clocked him, it hurt.

His lip was split open, his nose swollen and aching and several teeth felt loose, not mention that he was already developing a bruise across most of his face. _All from one little person; can't believe you got schooled by a little girl, you dumb asshole._

"I have eyes, Shane. You don't belong in this group anymore." He glared up at her and she shrugged at him. "I don't mean it offensively, you're just the odd man out. Like me." He watched her suspiciously, wondering how much she knew.

"I've seen the way you watch Linney, I've seen the way she and Dixon treat you, and I know you don't stand a chance there. Also I was around during those early days, I know what you and Lori were to each other back then." Shane hung his head, rubbing gently at his forehead, wishing she'd just shut up. She crouched in front of him and urged his face up, trying to get at his lip with an unguent.

"I know Rick came back and ruined everything for you, ruined everything for everyone, really." Andrea paused thoughtfully, "Huh, never thought about it, but he really did. Wonder if Linney and Dixon have given thought to that." Shane watched her and decided to tune her out. _Could I really leave_? He thought to himself. It was certainly appealing. He would be able to leave this group, leave this dynamic, leave the mess he'd created for himself, start over, be useful elsewhere.

He could do it easily too, he knew Rick wouldn't put too much effort into finding him, not with the little redneck and her hick boyfriend goading him on. And Lori. _Lori would be happy to see you go. You know exactly what you did to her._

He watched Andrea talk and finally said, "Shut up. I can't think, just shut the fuck up." The blonde narrowed her eyes at him and put her hands in the air. "Fine, just think about it." She turned and walked out of the RV and Shane wondered how he'd explain his face to Rick.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

When they came across the walker, Rick hadn't felt fear, just worry. Worry that it had come across Sophia first. It was tall, and not overly thin, obviously a well built man in life, and Rick felt ill at the notion of the little girl trying to escape the grips of anything this large.

Daryl had signaled him to split off, silently, and they moved quickly in different directions. Rick distracted it from several yards away, calling out to it quietly. The thing opened its shiny, blood-red mouth and howled at him and he felt his stomach turn over uneasily. _It's fed recently. Oh, Sophia, no._

The crossbow bolt exploded through its forehead and Rick grimaced at the chunks of skull that splattered out. The creature fell, finally dead and Rick moved quickly to roll it onto it's back.

"It's eaten recently," he said, glancing quickly back at Daryl. Rick clenched his teeth and pulled on the gloves he had stuffed in his back pocket and dug into the walker's mouth, tearing out the little flap of flesh he saw hanging between its teeth.

"That's flesh," Rick said sickly, holding the piece up. Daryl narrowed his eyes and examined it closely and Rick was surprised that the man's face didn't even flinch. His blue eyes looked up to Rick's and he raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, but what kind of flesh." Rick closed his eyes and flung the piece away.

_Oh god help us, there's only one way to find out_. He opened his eyes again and swallowed hard, looking back up to Daryl. "There's only one way to find out," Rick said and Daryl nodded once, moving quickly.

They pushed its arms out of the way and pulled the clothes off its belly. Rick pulled his knife and moved for the thing's stomach but Daryl put a hand up, stopping him

"Here, let me do it," he began, putting a foot on either side of the dead creature. "How many kills you skinned and gutted in your life anyway?" He asked, glancing over at Rick, who shook his head and gestured at the walker, giving Daryl the go ahead.

"Anyways, my knife's sharper," he muttered, before moving quickly and forcefully to cut the creature open, his hands creating a perfect gaping space in the corpse. Rick looked away, up at the sky and willed himself not to feel sickened. _You walked six city blocks wearing walker guts, you can at least witness this._

He looked back down when Daryl dropped down beside the walker, and crammed his hand up inside, under the ribs. His face was pulled in concentration as he searched with his fingers for the stomach.

"Yeah," he finally said, glancing over at Rick, still elbow-deep in walker guts, "Hoss had a big meal not long ago, I can feel it in there." When Daryl ripped the stomach out, Rick felt his gorge rise but smiled grimly and pulled his knife again.

"Let me do this," he said and cut the stomach open. Daryl watched carefully and they both began to dig inside once the stomach was open. When Dixon pulled the small portion of a skull out, Rick felt an immense wash of relief. _It's not Sophia, thank god_.

Daryl turned the skull critically in his hands, before saying, "This gross bastard had himself a woodchuck for lunch." Rick got to his feet, immediately, tucking his knife away. He glanced over at Daryl, noticing the light of the day dimming behind him.

"Least we know." He said to the other man finally, before turning to walk away. He could hear Daryl getting to his feet behind him and then heard him mutter, "Yeah, least we know."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Oh no! Where is she! Why isn't she with you!" When Linney heard Carol crying out in horror, she knew that Rick and Daryl were back. _No Sophia, dammit. _

She listened from the roof of T-Dogs truck, behind and to the side of the RV, as Rick tried to soothe her, telling Carol they'd been tracking her and would go back out first thing. She was surprised to hear Daryl's voice, calm and reassuring, when he said to Carol, "Huntin' in the dark is no good, just be trippin' over ourselves. More people'd get lost. We'll find her in the mornin'."

Carol began to sob and Linney wondered who was comforting her; her crying sounded muffled. Linney lay back down flat on her stomach again, and listened as Lori and Rick each made vows to Carol, to locate the girl. When Andrea piped up and asked in a hard voice, "Is that blood?" Linney pushed herself up onto her elbows again.

"We took down a walker," Rick said and Carol cried out in horror. Rick rushed on to calm her, "There was no evidence that it was ever anywhere near Sophia." She heard Andrea snort and then ask, "How do you know that?" There was silence and Linney was about to climb down and go over to see if they were explaining it without words or something, when Daryl responded in a low voice.

"We cut the sumbitch open, made sure." _Ew_, Linney thought. She lay still, looking in the opposite direction of the RV, watching the road in the dimming twilight, not on watch, but needing to get away from the RV and Shane.

"What the hell happened to your face?" She heard Rick say in outraged tones and Linney tensed up, glancing down at her hand, which still ached. She listened hard and realized that Shane was probably too embarrassed to say it was her. _Haha, asshole._

"Shane, tell me, what happened?" Rick insisted and Shane grunted at him, "Fell," before walking back into the RV. She listened as people thinned out, trickling back inside the RV, on top of the RV, and waited, wondering if he'd find her.

"Hey," he said quietly, his shadowy figure moving to stand in front of her. She lifted herself up onto her elbows, still laying flat on the roof of the truck; their faces were nearly exactly even this way and he stepped even closer to her.

"What're ya doin' way out here?" He said in a near whisper. She shimmied forward a little bit and pressed the tip of her nose to his. "The RV was gettin' tight," she replied, her voice a thread, "I wanted us to have a bit of a break from the intensity of all being together."

She paused and listened to him breathe. "I need you," she added, her voice intense, as if that explained everything. He leaned in the last inch and kissed her, softly at first and then more insistently. She pulled away after a moment and he growled at her.

"What now?"

"You stink Dixon," He was silent, and she chuckled quietly.

"Do not," he replied, leaning towards her again. She rose to her knees and slid off the side of the truck, before he could grab her, walking away from him to the back of the truck. She open the door and grabbed a small bag.

"Come with me." She said coyly, turning her back on him and walking away into the near darkness of the wreckage. She heard him huff in impatience behind her and finally trot after her.

"You're buggin' me right now, I just want ya to know that." He mumbled, walking alongside her.

"Noted." Linney replied, smiling with one side of her mouth. She stopped and looked around and then put her bag down. He watched as she pulled out a bar of soap.

"If you don't mind cold water, I was shown something today that's kinda cool and I rigged something up." She smiled at him and he watched as she removed all weapons and her boots, putting them carefully to the side.

"What're you doin'," he asked, his voice slightly choked, as she unbelted her pants and removed them, following that along with her shirt shortly afterwards.

She stood in her underwear and looked up at him like she couldn't understand his concern. "I'm going to shower," she said, pointing at him, "And so are you." She stood and watched him for a moment.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked him and he raised an eyebrow at her, glancing back at the RV. She smirked at him, "I called in a favor; Glenn's on watch and he won't peek, it's safe." He still didn't move so she stepped towards him and began to unbutton his shirt. He looked down at her, and placed a hand on top of hers; she could tell his breathing was a little heavier.

"Look Dixon, either you strip or I'm cutting it all off, your choice, but you're outta pants, so you may want to just listen to me." He grumbled and began to pull off his things.

Linney watched to make sure he was listening and then turned to the water bottles stacked on the side of the water truck. She grabbed the lid she'd modified earlier and hacked off the top of a full bottle, sticking the modified lid on. Instead of gushing out, it came out in a slow, steady trickle.

"Here's the soap," she said, stuffing the bar in his hands, pointing back at the water, "Make some use of it." She watched him shower and then stuck a second lid on a different bottle and started to bathe herself. She knew it was a sinful waste of water, but she reasoned that he'd had corpses on him today, and if he was clean, she couldn't be smelly either, otherwise he'd be doubly aware of it.

It was a tense bathing experience; again they found themselves watching the other one get clean. _Far cry from a real shower though_. When they were done Linney took the soap and left it by the truck.

"I promised Lori I'd let her know when we were done, so she and Rick could..." Her voice trailed off as she thrust a towel at him. He wrapped it around his waist and watched as she wrapped hers on, over top of her wet under things. They gathered their things up and she led him back to the truck, knocking on the RV door and calling "Lori! Done!" on her way by.

She lifted the back door and dropped the tailgate and flicked on a lantern inside. He blinked to see their sleeping bags and pillows laid out in the back. She put her things down inside and pulled his things from him to do the same. "We get it tonight, but if we're sleeping outdoors tomorrow, it's Lori and Rick's turn," she explained to him.

Daryl still seemed stunned, but Linney was running on her bitch slap high and had previously decided that there wasn't much Daryl could say to put her off tonight. She turned back to him, pulled off her wet under things, tossing them back inside the truck, and started to rub herself down with her towel.

"Are you going to stand there in wet drawers all night?" She asked him, her voice innocently curious. He moved quickly, yanking them off and tossing them in after hers. He pulled her towel away and flung it back into the truck as well.

"You been busy," he growled, pulling her closer. She pushed away roughly and he glared at her. "Get in the truck, Dixon," she ordered, and climbed inside slowly herself. He did so after watching her, and she shut the doors, burying the lantern off next to the seat, so the light was dim and barely visible. He grabbed her and pinned her to the floor, holding her hands tightly above her head.

"Was this all planned?" He asked, his voice low and husky. She nodded and leaned up to kiss him. He held back for a moment, staring down at her searchingly, and then met her lips roughly and she moaned eagerly. He covered her body with his and she could feel his erection digging into her hip.

"This truck's old," she whispered, freeing a hand and burying it in the hair on the back of his head, yanking hard. He growled and pulled away, moving towards her face again, and she put her other hand on his chest, pushing him back.

He looked down at her, his eyes glazed and slightly confused, "What? And?" He asked, like she might be crazy. She hooked a leg over his hip and urged him to roll over, to his back. He went willingly and she leaned forwards, running her fingers up his sides and over his chest, her fingernails leaving light red tracks.

"The shocks are fucked," she said as his eyes widened at the contact and he grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her down to him, burying his face in her neck. He growled against her throat, "So?"

His other hand slid between them, pushing down between her legs, and she sucked in a breath as his fingers found her. She grabbed the hand on the back of her neck and yanked it off, then brought it to her mouth and bit down on the pad of his thumb. He made a noise deep in his throat and briefly squeezed her face with the hand she still partially held to her mouth.

She glared down at him and used both her hands to push his down to her breasts, from her lips. She pulled herself up into a sitting position above him, lifting her hips up so he had easier access to her.

Linney threw her head back and groaned, her breath coming quickly and in little high pitched cries. When she looked back down at him she smiled and he took in a deep breath, pushing his hips up towards her, making her gasp at the contact.

"I asked ya a question," he insisted in a throaty voice. She tried to lift her hips away but both his hands moved to them and held her tightly in place, and he pushed himself up in one hard movement, filling her. Her resulting cry was loud in the confines of the truck. She moved above him, slowly, his hands guiding her hips, and his breath grew choppy.

"It means, it'll squeak, everyone'll know," she managed, barely able to think about what her point with the truck had ever been, let alone the fact that they were still in a truck.

She cried out again and one hand left her hips, reaching up to caress her breasts. She yelped when he pinched a nipple hard enough to make her jump and shiver, and then she glared down at him. He smirked at her. "Oh you liked it," he mumbled and she nodded, "Yeah I did," before laughing and doing the same to him.

He froze and then his brow drew down. "Oh, that's it," he growled and spun her down to the ground, pushing her arms up above her head again. She wrapped her legs around him, locking her heels together, moaning as the added pressure pulled him in deeper.

"What about the truck?" Daryl managed to get out, his tone heavy and low. Linney could barely form a thought and he leaned down closer to her face, their pace picking up as they met each other's heated gaze.

She cried out again, louder, and then grinned at him, before reaching a hand up to grab the side of his face, hard enough for it to feel like a slap.

"I'm saying, let's make some noise."


	51. Chapter 51

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

"What'd ya do to your hand?" When Daryl spoke behind her, she spun around, her sore hand clutched to her chest. She looked down at it and then back up at him. His eyebrows shot up and he reached out, taking the hand in his.

"It's real swollen," he gently turned it to the side, "Jesus, Linney, it's turning purple here, you really bruised it up." He glared at her and took hold of her elbow, tucking her hurt hand against his own chest, then dragged her past the group up into the RV. He sat her at the table and pointed and glared at her when she immediately tried to get up.

"Sit," he ordered, moving to the front for the first aid kit. When he returned with a tensor bandage, Linney winced.

"Think ya sprained it." He muttered, wrapping her hand and wrist up expertly. Linney watched him work the stretchy fabric around her hand and smiled, reaching out with her other hand to brush gently at his hair. _It's getting long_, she thought idly. He shook his head with irritation, "Don't distract me," he groused and she made a face at him.

When he was done, she had to admit the hand felt better, more held together. "Why'd you hit him?" Daryl finally asked and Linney shot her eyes up to him, shocked and angry he'd figured it out so quick.

"I got mad," she said and got to her feet. She turned to head to the door and Daryl grabbed her arm, slowing her. She didn't turn around when he asked, "Did he hurt you?" Linney shook her head and pulled harder, but he didn't let go. "Yer lucky that ain't broke," he muttered. Linney's hurt hand dropped down to tap against her gun.

"This helped." She waited, wanting to go outside, and then he started to laugh. "Ya pistol whipped him?" She turned back to see he was struggling mightily to reign in his laughter. He pulled her closer and briefly hugged her to him, "You're so weird," he spoke into her hair and she pushed away, brandishing her hand at him, "We don't tell anyone, don't think Rick would like it."

"Don't think I'd like what?" Linney felt her heart sink all the way to her shoes. She turned around slowly and Rick was standing just inside the RV, Lori on his heels. Daryl surprised her again by grabbing her arm and holding it into the air.

"This," Rick's eyes went to the wrapped hand and they narrowed, before moving back to her face. _Oh fucking shit, Daryl, he's gonna kick me out_. She yanked her hand from Daryl and spun around to yell at him, when Rick took another step closer. "How'd that happen?" His voice was soft, but firm; he expected an answer.

Linney could feel all the blood rushing to her face, and she struggled to swallow, trying to find a way to word what happened without causing a huge ruckus. Daryl, stepped forwards and rested an arm lightly around her shoulders. She looked up and over at him and saw him toss a quick wink at Rick. "Someone got a little crazy last night, hurt herself."

There was dead silence in the RV and Linney couldn't tell what she wanted to do more: sink through the floor or punch Daryl in the head. When Rick chuckled and then pressed his lips together to smother the laugh and backed out quickly, she realized he bought it, or was at least going to pretend he had. Lori stepped to the side and watched Rick leave, and Daryl gave Linney a squeeze before walking out past Lori as well.

When they were both gone, Lori walked up to her and spoke without looking at her, "Linney, I know what you did." Then she walked away. Linney was left standing in the RV, feeling her feelings and hating it. _What the fuck? All I wanted to do was hit him, why is this such a thing?_

"You're welcome," she muttered.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

They all searched in earnest for Sophia that morning, everyone except T-Dog and Dale leaving and walking the woods. Linney was worried about T, he was running a little hot and she had given him more Tylenol and ordered him to drink water and rest, but knew that they would have a serious problem on their hands if he didn't start improving soon.

In the forest, they moved in a line, spread out so that each person was in sight of their neighbor on either side. Carl was pleased he was allowed to come with them, but truly grumpy that he had to walk right next to an adult without holding his own position.

"We'll find her, right Dad?" Linney could hear his conversation with Rick from her position between the Sheriff and Andrea. Rick murmured back, "We will Carl, don't worry, we won't quit til we do." Linney felt like the little box in her heart that she'd set aside for Sophia was straining at the seams. She kept immediately stuffing her emotions about the lost little girl in the box and kicking it to the back of the room, so to speak, so she didn't have to muddle through the feelings.

"Haaaalt!" Andrea cried out and Linney immediately called it out, the sound moving down the line so everyone stopped. They all rushed to Andrea, and she pointed off through the trees. "There, see?" Linney saw a scrap of white in the distance and Daryl was off like a shot, moving on silent, careful feet towards whatever it was in the distance. They all followed, creeping slowly. Rick and Shane moved up to the small campsite they'd found, while Daryl slowly circled the tent.

Linney couldn't watch, and held guard on the back of the huddled group, listening to the rustles and whispers behind her, but keeping her eyes on the open forest in front of her. She heard Carol calling softly for Sophia but there was no response. When the group broke up, she realized the tent had not held Sophia. Carol walked back, moving like her feet were made of lead and Linney couldn't stop herself from putting a tentative hand on the sad mother's arm, squeezing for a moment then letting go and scurrying off before anyone saw the emotion bubbling up on her face.

They spread out again and Linney held her injured hand against her chest. It seemed to hurt worse than yesterday and she figured she had probably sprained or fractured it. She remembered the last time she'd punched someone hard enough to hurt herself, it had been only a couple years ago. _Eleventh grade_, she thought. One of those stupid situations where some girl got it into her head that Linney was her enemy; based on her looks, based on her clothes, based on her stature, she wasn't sure. But the girl made it her new business to treat Linney like shit, like she was getting paid to do it or something.

Linney shook her head; she'd had an enormous chip on her shoulder back then, and hadn't been able to keep her mouth shut, to ignore the girl, and had shot back at her like a little smart ass, until it escalated into a fight. _Yeah, a 'fight'. _

The girl's idea of a fight had been to grab at Linney's hair and pull, or slap her in the face. When Linney had hauled back and punched the girl in the nose, hearing it crunch under her fist, everyone circled around her stopped their taunting and hollering.

Linney rubbed her fingers a little, through the scratchy tensor bandage. She fractured her knuckles from that incident. _Took awhile for that to heal_. Linney laughed out loud; no one bugged her after that, at least not the girls.

"What's so funny?" Rick asked her. Linney glanced over and saw that Carl had moved on to walk with Lori. She buried her smile. "Sorry, that's inappropriate, I was remembering something from high school, and it made me laugh." She turned away with a wince and Rick cleared his throat. "No, it's ok, probably a good idea to keep your spirits up." Linney nodded without looking over and it was Andrea who asked the question, although Linney guessed that Rick was probably dying to.

"Did you graduate, Linney?" The question seemed innocent enough, but it was always hard to tell with Andrea. Linney took a deep breath and nodded, glancing over at Andrea quickly. "Yup, last summer, with the rest of my class." They trudged along silently for a moment and Linney was waiting for the next question, knowing that Andrea was the type who relied heavily on old world values, even after all they'd been through, and wouldn't be able to resist asking.

"What'd you do after school?" Her question was posed innocently enough, but Linney could sense the judgement underneath. _Can you really, though? Or do you just think you should sense it?_

"I worked," she reached back and lifted her ponytail off her hot neck, before rolling her hand in Andrea's general direction and adding, "Going for more school wasn't an option." Andrea made a noise of understanding and Linney said nothing.

"Fat lot a good it woulda done ya now." Linney turned to see Daryl making his way along the back of the line, moving to stand next to Linney. She smiled at him and he raised an eyebrow at her before turning away.

"We need to head east when we get to that ridge," he directed towards Rick, who nodded and then flinched at the sudden noise clanging through the trees. Linney stopped as the line of people did too and turned in a slow circle.

"Is that... is that...?" She couldn't say it, too busy turning her ears to the strange noise.

"Church bells," Lori breathed and then Rick pointed off to the side. "Think it's coming from down there!" He ran and they all took off after him. "That could be anyone!" Shane called to him and Rick didn't stop, "It could be her, she could be ringing them!"

"Someone else could be ringing them, saying they found her." Carol added breathlessly, jogging alongside Linney. "It could be anything," Daryl added, his voice unhappy.

When they burst into the graveyard, Linney's heart sank. There was no steeple. _It can't be here._ Shane echoed her thoughts, saying to Rick in an urgent voice, "Rick, man, it can't be here, there ain't no steeple!"

Rick tore heedlessly through the cemetery, leaping over tombstones as he made his way towards the front doors of the little church. They all gathered on the steps, outside the church doors and while they paused the bells tolled again, very clearly coming from this building.

Rick cracked the door open, slowly and silently, and then closed it and looked through the crowded group to Linney. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder, yanking her up to him. "There's three of them," he whispered and she understood; no guns, no close combat. She pushed him out of the way and looked back at Andrea and Carl standing right behind her.

"Move guys," she hissed, and they did. Linney pulled a knife out in her good hand and cracked the door open. The first one was nearest to the door, maybe five pews away, wearing a lace mantilla on her head. Linney pulled the door wide open and heaved the knife, breathing out when it sank deeply into the walker's head, pulling the lace up as it tore through the things skull.

The next one was sitting a few rows ahead of the woman and she reached for the next knife, spinning it in her fingers for a moment as she waited for a good shot. Her eyes darted over to the third one who was just starting to turn, just starting to get up. _You've got time, wait for a kill shot_.

She swayed lightly on her feet and then the walker finally wobbled into the aisle, giving her aim at the full expanse of its forehead. She had the knife thrown and the next one into her hand before he hit the floor.

The third one was a big guy, tall and thick, and Linney shuddered when she saw the strange leer on his face. If she didn't know better, she'd think it was grinning at her evilly. _Don't let it spook you, it died and its lips shriveled to pull his mouth into a smile_. But even its eyes gleamed weirdly. Linney hurled the knife in her hands and flinched when it buried itself in his forehead but he didn't go down.

"What the fuck?" She whispered and she pulled away from Rick's restraining hand, which had come up to hold her back at the same time as it became apparent that the knife didn't work.

Linney pulled her huge knife into her good hand and moved down the aisle quickly, running up to the pulpit, tapping the blade on the pews on she went, making sure the creepy smiler followed her. He did, and she rushed along the front half of the church, then down his side aisle and tensed up, ready to slam the huge blade home in its head, but there was a strange hissing noise to the air and a crossbow bolt came through its forehead, inches from her blade.

The thing let out one more growl and collapsed. Linney saw Daryl behind it, crossbow raised, his brow drawn together in irritation. She gestured at him angrily for interrupting, and he gestured right back, obviously unhappy she thought it was her job to take the big guy down.

Rick tore into the room and began to search the side rooms, calling for Sophia. Linney collected her knives dejectedly and yanked out Daryl's bolt and handed it to him on her way out the front door. She slumped down on the bottom step, knowing that they wouldn't find the girl here. _Not with walkers in there, Sophia knows better than to enter a building with walkers in it._

"Don't wanna wait inside?" She turned back and saw Daryl leaning against the doorway, looking down at her. She shrugged, "I didn't burst into flames the first trip in, don't want to push my luck." He shook his head with a small smile and walked down the stairs, past her, to circle the building. Linney heard more laughing and Andrea walked out after him.

"You're not that bad, Linney," the blonde said, before sitting down beside her. Andrea glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow, "Unless you're keeping stuff from us." Linney took in a breath and got to her feet.

"Of course I am," she answered honestly, looking at Andrea curiously, "We all are."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"It's electronic," Glenn said, turning the little button to the side. The bells stopped immediately and Linney hopped up to sit on the air conditioner box next to where Glenn stood. He seemed to get angry and suddenly tore the little button off in frustration. She stared at him impassively when he turned his angry, red, face to her. "It's on a timer!" He said in fury and Linney nodded at him, watching as he hurled the knob into the distance.

Glenn ripped his hat off his head and drew his hand through his hair roughly, before yanking the hat back into place. He paced for a moment and then looked to Linney, his eyes angry and sad at the same time. "How can we have made it out of that mess at the CDC, just to lose her here?" Linney didn't say anything, just watched her friend have a melt-down.

He walked up to her and pointed an angry finger in her face, "If you'd been closer, maybe if she'd been with you, instead of alone..." his voice trailed off and Linney tried to keep the hurt off her face, wondering what hell existed in Glenn's head, that he thought she could have done anything to stop what had happened.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. She shrugged and moved over on the air conditioner, patting the spot next to herself. Glenn climbed up dejectedly and stared down at his hands. "Back at camp, it was a like a game, you know?" Linney nodded and patted his back with one hand.

"Then Amy, Jim, Jacqui... thinking we were gonna die at the CDC... it's not a game, it's not fun." Linney swallowed hard and nodded along with him. _And Merle, he forgot Merle_.

"Sophia's just a kid, this isn't supposed to happen." Glenn finally said and leaned his face into his hands. Linney pulled her hand from his back and put it on the back of his head, patting at his hair. She struggled to keep the Sophia box sealed, knowing if she opened it right now, she'd completely lose it.

"I'm not asking you to go steady, Shane, I'm asking for a ride." Linney jerked her head up and so did Glenn. They met each other's eyes confusedly, after hearing Andrea's voice, and Linney immediately got up off the air conditioner and made her way to the back of the church, slinking along the wall, to hear more. Glenn was right behind her and she held a finger to her lips to shush him.

"I don't need another person to take care of," they heard Shane grumble and then heard Andrea's sigh of exasperation. "I'm not totally useless, I'll watch your back, help with runs, make myself useful." There was silence and Linney turned wide eyes to Glenn and saw her bewildered expression mirrored back.

_Are they leaving us? Mother of god, is he going to leave?_ Linney felt her heart swell with hope but worked to keep it off her face. "Just think about it, ok? Don't leave without thinking about it." Andrea said in a very matter-of-fact way and they heard Shane grunt in reply.

After they'd heard the two of them walk away, Linney and Glenn turned to one another and Linney realized she'd have to make sure Glenn stayed quiet.

"Say nothing, Glenn, please," she whispered urgently. He gave her a startled look. "But, but we should tell Rick! They can't go off on their own!" Linney put both her hands on his arm and dragged him further from the church.

"Glenn," she started, trying to keep her expression neutral and not succeeding, "There is so much more going on than you know, you can't say anything." His brown eyes evaluated her and she realized for the first time that Glenn was not some idiot boy, not all the time, he was smart and shrewd, and saw through her bullshit almost immediately.

"You owe me an explanation, and I want you to pay up," he insisted. They turned when they heard Rick calling them and he put a hand on her arm to stop her. "Tonight on watch, Lin, you tell me everything." Linney bit her lip but nodded.

"I will," she promised, wondering if this was a huge mistake. _Might feel nice to get it all off my chest, though._


	52. Chapter 52

***** Hey everyone, thanks so much for the reviews - I really love that so many of you are such faithful followers :) Here we go with another chapter - hopefully you like this! *** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney! **

When Lori paused on their trek again, looking around uneasily, Linney signaled at everyone else to wait.

"Lori?" Linney asked, stepping to the woman's side. Lori turned nervous eyes to her and her mouth twitched like she was trying to smile and failed. Her face had been a strained mask ever since they heard the one gunshot cut through the air about twenty minutes before.

Linney put a hand on Lori's arm and knew she was worried about Carl and Rick, who were together with Shane. Rick and Shane had stayed to go check in a different direction of the woods, and Carl had begged to join them.

Linney could think of lots of reasons why the three of them shouldn't have gone off alone, but Rick had been pretty clear that she and Daryl were to take charge of the remaining members of the group and get them back to the highway. After finding nothing at the church, he had been so obviously wracked with guilt that it was impossible to argue with him.

Linney rubbed Lori's thin arm briefly, "Still worrying about it?" She asked quietly and Lori licked her lips before pressing her eyes closed and then turning to Linney, her face tense and strained. "It was a gunshot, Linney, it's just..." She trailed off and shivered, despite the muggy heat of the day trapped under the branches of the trees.

Linney turned back when Daryl took a couple steps towards them and said, "We all heard it." Lori pressed her lips together and spun to him, her face insistent and upset. "Just one, though? Why just one? That's not right!" Daryl's face didn't react to her raised voice and he replied calmly. "Maybe they took down a walker."

Even Linney turned to gape at him, knowing the instant she saw his face that he didn't believe that for a second. Lori harrumphed and stalked several steps away, before turning back to them, clearly intent on taking her worries out in the form of frustration, on Daryl.

"Please don't patronize me, you know Rick and Shane wouldn't risk a gunshot to take down one walker, they'd do it quietly." Daryl shrugged and looked away, turning back to the direction they were initially headed in. Linney stepped closer to Lori and gave her a level look, checking to make sure that the woman was going to reign it in and calm down.

Then Carol spoke up, making Linney roll her eyes in frustration. "Shouldn't they have caught up to us by now, though?" Linney turned slowly to look over at her and Carol winced a little at the look on her face. Linney pointed around them, "They could be anywhere out here, or even back to the highway by now."

"Nothing we can do anyways," Daryl said behind her, putting a hand on her sweaty arm. She turned to him and he raised an eyebrow, "We're just running around these woods chasing echoes, doesn't do any good to anyone." She nodded at him and glanced back at Carol, jerking her chin at the woman, to signal her to keep moving.

"So what do we do?" Linney turned back to Lori, who hadn't moved a step forward with the rest of them. She found herself irrationally bothered by Lori's worry. _It's because you're worried, too, and you know it_. She brushed away her inner voice angrily and opened her mouth to tell Lori to get moving and quit worrying, but Daryl put a hand on her arm again, squeezing lightly, clearly asking for her patience.

He stepped towards Lori and gestured around them with his crossbow. "Same as we been doin': beat the bush for Sophia and make our way back to the highway." He held her gaze and she finally pressed her lips together and nodded, seeing his unfaltering expression. Linney hoped that the worried woman could draw a little strength from Daryl's confidence in what they had to do, what their choices and options were.

They got walking again and Linney kept her eyes and ears sharp as they moved along, panting a little as they moved up a ridge. She reached for the bottle of water in the side of her backpack, twisting the lid off and taking a warm sip with a grimace. She wordlessly handed the bottle to Daryl and he took a sip as well before giving it back. She felt her hand tingle slightly inside the bandage over it and wondered if all this heat was making it hurt worse.

"I'm sorry about this," she heard Andrea say behind them, and Linney glanced back to see her walking along next to Carol. Linney slowed her pace so she could drop behind them, finding herself wanting to protect Carol from Andrea. _Why are you so suspicious of her? You've known her longer than anyone but Daryl, you can trust her, right? _

Carol's head drooped for a moment and she wiped at a tear on her face, "It's the not knowing that's killing me, you know?" Andrea gazed steadily at the side of Carol's face before looking back at Linney, her expression hardening for a moment. Linney kept her features smooth and impassive and stared back, waiting until Andrea decided that glaring at her was not a good idea. _What the hell has gotten into her lately; I swear she hates me now, and it's like she's purposely trying to stir shit up. _

The blonde let a small smile touch her lips and spoke to Carol, "For what it's worth, we're all hoping and praying with you that she makes it back safe." Linney jumped a little when Daryl strode over to them quickly, stopping their procession.

He leaned towards them, his face intense and his features hard, "I'll tell ya what its worth - not a damn thing," Carol pressed her lips together sadly and Daryl put a hand on her upper arm and squeezed for a moment, "'Cause we're gonna locate that little girl and she's gonna be just fine."

Linney smiled at him and he returned it briefly, before looking sharply at Andrea and then snorting derisively, "Am I the only one zen around here?" Linney glanced over at Lori to see the woman smiling a little too. Daryl marched forward and said loudly, in an exasperated voice, "Good lord, people!"

Linney chuckled and walked forward, risking giving him a quick hug around his chest before shoving him lightly and heading over to walk with Glenn. She glanced over her shoulder at him and felt her chest tighten at the small smile he was giving her. _He knew just what note to strike to reassure Carol, disarm Andrea, and make me and Lori chill out_. She eyed him one more time and his smile was a little more heated. _There's a lot more going on in him than anyone thinks_.

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As they walked over the next couple of hours, Linney became more and more overheated, feeling like the day could not get any hotter. She could see everyone around shifting uncomfortably, their clothes sweaty and grimy.

"How much farther?" Lori finally asked, using a hand to hold her hair off her neck. Daryl didn't slow, just looked around him and then answered, "Not too bad, 'bout a 100 yards, as the crow flies."

Linney felt irrationally unhappy about this and knew she had a childishly pouty look on her face when he glanced back at her. He raised an eyebrow at her and she resisted the urge to make a face at him. "Too bad we're not crows."

Daryl snorted and turned away, and Linney kept walking. She lifted her hat off her head, crammed the worn item into her back pocket for a moment, and dug a hair elastic out of her pocket, trying to keep stride with everyone ahead of her. She was losing pace with them but was thoroughly distracted by the notion of getting her hair up; it was starting to feel like it was smothering her and she was growing more and more agitated by it's thick, heavy weight. It took longer than needed, with one of her hands rendered mostly useless by a bandage, but she finally managed it, and then looked around at the forest.

"As the crow flies my ass," she grumbled, beginning to walk again, irritated with the heat, irritated with herself for daring to be irritated, irritated with irritation. She chuckled to herself at that thought and didn't notice the unusually silent walker until it ran into her.

She didn't have time to reach for a weapon as it knocked her backwards. She fell hard on her side and realized she was rolling down an embankment, the creature stumbling after her quickly. _So quickly_, she thought, her mind panicking.

She barely had time to cry out once, and then she reached the bottom and slammed into a log, her left side punching through the partially rotted wood. Linney saw the walker heading for her and she moved to pull a knife, but her hand was trapped in the log and she couldn't get it out.

Her other hand was free, but wrapped so she couldn't grasp her knife properly. As it got closer, Linney finally screamed, and didn't stop screaming, praying the others heard her, and that they hadn't gotten too far away while she stopped to put up her hair. She raised her legs, wiggling to kick at it, trying to extract herself from the log, in full blown panic from being trapped.

Her screams and the blood coming from whatever injury she'd sustained on her trip down the embankment and into the log, excited the walker and it was frantic. She couldn't keep it away and her free hand was fumbling at the knives, managing to pull one, but losing her grip on it and stabbing herself in her hip when it fell and she rolled on it.

_Oh god no,_ she thought, as it's teeth snapped at her hand, and she pulled it back just in time, and shrieked louder as it leaned heavily on her feet, desperately trying to get at her face.

Before she could do anything else, the ground began quaking and she looked to see hooves coming towards her in a hurry. "A horse?" She said aloud and suddenly the walker was smacked off of her with such huge momentum that Linney was jerked harder into the log, when the dead creature kicked her as it was smashed off her.

The girl on the horse leapt off and blinked down at Linney for a moment. She looked to be a couple years older than Linney herself, and was quite pretty, her dark hair cut short.

"Are you Lori Grimes?" The girl asked, as she bent to help Linney up. Linney shook her head no, gasping in pain as the girl tried to pull her out, forcing her up against the log, inside it.

"Don't! I'm stuck!" Linney cried out and then grunted, as the girl released her and seemed to realize the problem. "Maybe if you kick it?" Linney urged, and the girl started kicking at the wood above where Linney was partly wedged, her workboots sending splinters everywhere.

With her terror fading and the ringing in her ears subsiding, Linney could finally hear Daryl, Lori and Glenn screaming for her. "I'm over here!" She called and the girl kicked hard enough to make Linney cry out, "Watch it! That was almost my face," she muttered and the girl turned to look at her a small smile on her face, Linney smiled back at her and then screamed when Glenn barreled out of nowhere into the girl's side, tackling her off Linney and into the dirt.

They screamed, she screamed, and Linney thought, t_his could not go any worse_.

That's when the walker sat up with a confused grunt and looked over at her. _Fuck_.

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The mass amounts of confusion that followed made Linney nauseated. Glenn was grappling with the girl on the ground and Linney was still yelling, but Glenn didn't seem to recognize what she was saying.

"It's alive! Glenn! Shit! It's alive!" She screamed as it crawled towards her and she started to kick her feet at it. Suddenly a crossbow bolt exploded through it's forehead and Daryl was kicking it violently to the side, before bending down and grabbing the back of Glenn's shirt and yanking him up off the angry girl below him.

Daryl was yelling at Glenn, about leaving Linney at risk, the girl was yelling at Glenn, about touching her, and Glenn was yelling at them both. Lori came jogging over and barely looked at them, bending to Linney in concern.

"Are you ok? Are you ok?" Linney nodded at her panicked words and then the yelling stopped and Daryl bent to her side, nudging Lori out of the way. "Did you get bit?" He asked, his voice strangled and deep. Linney rolled her eyes, "No! I'm fine, but I'm stuck."

She pulled against the log to demonstrate and gasped when something inside jabbed her painfully in the armpit. "I was trying to kick her free when dumbass here knocked me down," the girl said indignantly. Glenn flushed red and then glared at her, "I saw you kicking my friend! What was I supposed to think?" She was slightly mollified by his explanation and moved back over to Linney.

"Should I keep kicking?" She asked and Linney nodded, turning her head away from the log. Daryl circled his arms around her head and neck, to protect them from splinters and the girl started kicking with the heels of her boots, luckily the rotted wood seemed ready to fall apart and it only took a couple of minutes.

When Linney was free, Daryl dragged her away and they saw the hunk of wood impaled into her arm. Linney felt sickened and looked away. Lori was at her side, immediately grabbing a bandana from her pack. "Do I take it out or leave it in?" Daryl asked Linney, his voice anxious and Linney shrugged, before leaning over with her good arm and yanking on the wood, with her sore hand, pulling it out so they wouldn't dither over it.

It started to gush blood then and Linney felt her stomach churn slowly at the sight. "Oh ew," she said quietly. Lori folded the bandana up into a square and pressed it over top of the wound and Daryl tore a strip off the bottom of Linney's tank top and tied it around and around the bandana, pressing it down firmly.

"Are any of you Lori Grimes?" The girl asked and Lori turned to her, face alarmed and nervous. "I am, why?" The girl swung up onto her horse immediately, "You're the whole reason I'm here. You gotta come with me, Rick needs you."

Lori shot to her feet, her entire body shaking with worry. The girl extended a hand out to Lori, "Come now, there's been an accident, Carl's been shot." Lori grabbed the girl's arm and swung up immediately and Linney cried out from the ground. "Is he ok? Is he ok?"

The girl cast her one wide-eyed look but said nothing. She pointed at Daryl, "Rick said you got people on the highway?" He nodded and climbed slowly to his feet. "You're at that big traffic snarl?" He nodded again and the horse turned around, ready to take off. "Back track two miles to Fairburn Rd, you'll see our mailbox, name's Greene." She gazed back down at Linney, "My dad's a doctor, bring her to him."

Linney tried to sit up and cried out when she realized one hand was hurting and now her arm was too, not to mention her legs, and head. _I'm a mess_, she groaned internally. They rode off then, fast and sure.

Linney gaped up at Daryl, and Glenn, who was watching the horse retreat. "Did that just happen?" He asked, surprised, and Linney nodded, wincing as Daryl helped her to her feet.

"Oh yup," she gasped, "There's something stuck in my leg: hip and calf." Daryl looked at her hip and cringed. "Jesus, Linney, it's one a yer knives." He pulled it out and it also began to bleed.

"Ok, down ya go, time to bandage that up too." He lowered her again and immediately began to remove her weapons and her belt, stuffing them all inside her backpack. He took out one her longsleeved shirts and folded it down into one long strip of bandage and then yanked her pants down a few inches.

Linney glanced up and Glenn looked away in embarrassment. _Don't know why he's so freaked out, he's already seen it all. _Then she laughed and Daryl gave her a look. She smiled at him and he shook his head before swiftly pressing down a t-shirt onto the wound and tightly wrapping the shirt bandage around her hips to press it down. He pulled her pants back up and over the bulky lump and then pulled up the bottom of her pant leg to find another chunk of wood from the log had slid beneath the leg and stuck deep into her leg like a gigantic splinter.

"You have got the worst kind of luck," Andrea said, watching quietly and Linney looked up at her and gasped when Daryl pulled the chunk out, swiftly following up with a t-shirt bandage Glenn handed him.

"She's alive, ain't she?" Daryl asked the blonde aggressively and Andrea put her hands up, backing away a step. Glenn moved around, gathering up her things that had fallen and Daryl got her swung around, to ride half-piggyback, she couldn't bend one hip so that leg had to hang down.

"Is this ok?" She asked in concern and he grunted. "Can't make it all the way back luggin' ya in my arms, but this way should be fine." She took a deep breath and wrapped the arm that wasn't sore around his neck lightly. "Let's see if we can get back without any more problems."


	53. Chapter 53

***** Last night's episode was super great, hope you all got to see it :) Enjoy the chapter, probably won't update again until later tonight or tomorrow morning, got some stuff to go do! *** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, she's mine!**

"What do you mean you let Lori go with that woman?" Dale followed them as they made their way to the RV, his face disbelieving, his eyes wide with worry. Linney spoke to him over Daryl's shoulder, "She saved my life Dale, she can't be all bad," Dale didn't looked convinced and Linney struggled, trying to slide off Daryl's back to talk to the older man.

"Quit it, Linney, you need to get inside." Daryl growled, clamping down on her arms, holding her still. "I think she's fine!" She called to Dale, awkwardly twisting back to look at him.

"Calm down, Linney, I'll come inside, we can talk more." Dale said, waving his hands at her. Daryl brought her through to the bed at the back and dumped Linney down. He immediately pulled off her boots and began to yank off her pants.

"Wait!" She said, slapping Daryl's hand away. He looked over at her in surprise. "Lin, I gotta see what's happenin' with these injuries." She glanced up meaningfully at the crowd of people gathered around her. "Can we have a little privacy, please?" She asked and everyone but Carol and Daryl left to go sit at the dinette. They worked together to remove Linney's clothes and Carol's face was grim and tight.

"I'm grabbing the first aid kit," she murmured, moving quickly to the front of the RV, Daryl unwrapped the cloth on her arm and grunted at the filthy mess beneath. "It's still bleeding," he said quietly, and Linney looked over and knew that it was a lot worse than he thought, but hesitated to say so. She grit her teeth as he and Carol set about trying to clean her wounds, but kept talking to Dale.

"She could have let me die, Dale, but she stayed and helped."

"She was like zorro on a horse man, she just rode up, beat the hell out of the walker, and then took off with Lori." Glenn's voice was suitably awed and Linney grunted as Carol poured hydrogen peroxide in her wound.

"Linney, honey, this has a lot of debris in it, I think some slivers of wood are in there." Linney swallowed hard and looked up at Carol. Carol bit her lip and glanced over at Daryl. "That girl said her dad was a doctor." Daryl nodded and got to his feet, looking down at Linney, who was still bleeding.

"Need to get you to that guy," he finally said. Dale appeared at the door and waved his hands to clear away Linney's concern over being half-naked.

"I still can't believe you let her take Lori," Dale said worriedly, looking to Daryl. Daryl turned red and rounded on the man.

"Climb down outta my asshole man! Rick sent her, she knew Lori's name and Carl's!"

"So what should we do?" Dale asked, trying to placate Daryl. He began pacing in the small space, and waved a hand at Linney. "She needs this doctor, so does T, we need to get them there."

"But what about Sophia? What if she makes it back, and we're gone?" Carol asked in a small voice. Linney opened her mouth to respond and Daryl glared down at her, "You ain't a part of this conversation, yer hurt and that means yer choice don't matter." Linney shifted irritably and then cried out softly when the movement pulled on her arm. Carol pressed a hand to Linney's chest, making her lay down.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with you again, but he's right Linney," Dale began, looking down at her ruefully, "You need medical attention, so we can't let you help with anything more." She closed her eyes and looked away.

Daryl pinched his lower lip in thought for a moment before turning to Carol, "Ok, I say tomorrow morning we pull up stakes, head to this place." Carol nodded sadly and Daryl put a hand on her shoulder, "That'll give us a chance to rig up a big sign, leave her supplies, in case she comes back. We'll come back every day and check to see if she's here." Carol nodded, looking happier with that.

"Sounds good to me," Linney put in and Daryl glared down at her. "Nuh uh, you n' short round head to this doctor's place with T right now, ya'll need medical attention." Linney folded her arms in a huff, but was inwardly relieved that something could be done to help her and T-Dog soon. She felt cold and tired, but was afraid to say anything. When Daryl, Glenn and Dale left to make the arrangements in T-Dog's truck, she stayed quiet.

She lay still as Carol unwrapped and cleaned her other injuries, before wrapping her in fresh bandages and producing a nightgown from her own bag, easing it on.

"It's ok Carol, we'll find her," Linney comforted the woman, after watching Carol stare sadly out the window for a few minutes. Carol looked down at her and stroked her hair off her forehead.

"But we're falling apart while we do," the woman said regretfully, "T-Dog, you, Carl..." Her voice trailed off and Linney flinched, making room inside herself for a Carl box, dutifully stowing her emotions away, unwilling to think of her bright-eyed little friend, possibly lying somewhere dying.

Carol handed her a painkiller that Linney knew was from Merle's stash, she took it because she also knew it would kill all her pains, possibly knock her out while it was at it, too. T-Dog had been given a couple to help with his pain, as well, so she knew they worked well.

When Daryl came back in, she wasn't feeling very well at all, but didn't want to scare him, knowing that he was already fairly panicked at how everything was falling apart around them.

He carried her out to the truck and lay her out in the trunk portion, and T-Dog sat in the back seat.

"I'll keep an eye on her til we get there," the big man said to Daryl, who nodded in thanks.

"Try not to get in any accidents on the way there," Daryl called up to Glenn in the driver's seat as he tucked Linney's back pack in next to her. She looked up at him and smiled, trying to make him feel better.

"It's just some cuts and stuff, I'll be fine, Dixon," she said and he put a hand on her head for a moment before looking away and saying, "I'll see you in the morning."

The door was shut and Glenn turned the truck around and began to drive away. The bumps in the road were faint and Linney felt herself grow suddenly weak and exhausted. Her eyes began to flutter closed and she welcomed the darkness, wanting to get away from the aches and pains everywhere. _All this cause of my stupid hair_, she thought, _I'm totally cutting it when I'm better_.

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_Am I in a bed?_ Linney was coming awake in pieces and hadn't opened her eyes yet, feeling very tired and slightly groggy. She cracked one eye open and realized she was indeed in a bed, in a bedroom. She lifted her head a little and looked around the dark room. She was alone and figured she must be at the doctor's house. She glanced down at her arm and saw that it was bandaged up neatly and professionally. She looked further down and realized that she was just in her underwear and under a sheet, so she couldn't see if her other injuries were taken care of.

She moved her hand to lift the sheet and then stopped, really staring at it. It was re-wrapped, in a stronger bandage, with a couple splints on her fingers. _Guess something was broken_, she thought. She lifted the sheet and saw the same tidy bandages on her hip and further down, on her calf. There was a pull in her armpit, on the side with the hurt arm, and she squirmed until she saw a bandage in her armpit as well. She recalled a stabbing pain in the log in that area and assumed it had done more than just poke her.

She lay still and realized she was thirsty and she had pee. Linney managed to struggle to a half-sitting up position, but realized by the sharp pain in her hip, that she couldn't sit properly. _Fuck, I'm gonna wet the bed._

"Hello?" She called out tentatively, her voice soft and worried. She remembered that T and Carl were most likely in the same house and was loathe to interrupt any treatment they were receiving. She heard footsteps in the hall and the brown haired girl from earlier today popped her head in the room and flicked a switch on the wall next to the door. When the bedside lights blinked on, Linney's thoughts flew from her head as she gaped at them.

"How?" She breathed, staring at the soft glow of the lamp, the girl smiled and answered, "Generators."

"Awesome," Linney said quietly. Laughing, the girl sat on the edge of the bed, "Daddy fixed you up, good thing you passed out, he had to pick some nasty bits of wood outta you." Linney nodded and asked, "Carl? Is he...?" The girl's smile faltered and Linney realized her expression must have become something devastated, because the girl leaned forward quickly and patted her arm reassuringly. "Dad did the surgery, got all the bullet fragments out, he's resting now, so it's in god's hands."

Linney breathed a sigh of relief and then snorted, "Yeah, 'cause god's done such a bang up job lately."

The girl gave her a sympathetic look and placed a cool hand on Linney's forehead. "Well, you don't seem to have a fever, Daddy was hopin' you'd be ok, that they'd cleaned everything out fast enough back at your camp." Linney nodded and grimaced as her body remind her of its current needs again.

"Um, can you, um, help me to the bathroom?" She managed to stutter out, her face turning red. The girl nodded understandingly and carefully eased Linney from the bed. "Wow, you are short," she commented as she bent to slide an arm around Linney's shoulders. Linney glared up at the tall girl.

"What? I thought you were bigger, you certainly looked like a lot to handle when Glenn brought you in." Linney paused in their limping progression towards the bathroom door across the room and looked up at the girl in surprise. "Glenn carried me inside?" The girl nodded and pushed the bathroom door open, flicking on another light. Linney marveled at the electricity for a moment before laughing a little, "Did he survive?" The girl laughed, then nodded, and helped Linney use the facilities, before escorting her back to bed.

When she was settled again, and had a drink of water, she felt better. Linney peered up at the girl for a moment. "I probably should have asked this before you helped me pee, but what's your name?"

The girl laughed and stuck her hand out, "Maggie," Linney took her hand and shook it, "Linney." Maggie nodded, "I know, Rick, Lori and Shane were all pretty freaked out when Glenn exploded through the front door barely holding on to you, sayin' that you were hurt."

Linney looked away, and then clenched her jaw before asking, "Shane didn't carry me to bed, right?" Maggie gave her a strange look and then shook her head, "No, Glenn was pretty manful about it, he carried you all the way down the hall."

Maggie turned to the bedside table, "Here, take one of these, it's a painkiller," Linney took the pill and leaned back on the pillows. "How's T-Dog?" She asked and Maggie smiled a little, still getting used to his name.

"He's got a pretty bad infection, Dad's got him laid down upstairs and on some pretty strong antibiotics." Linney looked around the room and took in a deep breath, feeling comfortable, cared for, and safe, a feeling she hadn't had in a long time.

Maggie gave her a little smile, "I'm going to leave you now, you should get some sleep." Linney nodded and watched as the girl left, turning out the light and shutting the door behind her. She lay in the dark room and stared out at the dark night. _A doctor and electricity_, she wondered, _where the hell are we?_

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_Linney was trapped under the log again, but this time, it was dark out, the sky not visible through the canopy of trees. Everything was dim, shadowy, and shifting. She heard the distinctive growl of walkers around her and began to pull and pull on her arm, which was trapped in the vise grip of the log._

_"Try this," a familiar voice said from behind her, and a hack saw was dropped in her lap, "Worked for me." She turned her head this way and that and tried to see him. "Merle? Where are you? Help me!" _

_"Like you helped me?" His voice was a hiss, right next to her face, but when she whipped her head in that direction he was gone._

_"I told you not to go! I tried to stop you!" She insisted, pulling harder at her arm, starting to panic as she heard the growls and slobbering moans of the walkers getting closer._

_"I was left up there to die, like a fuckin' animal, sweetheart." Linney closed her eyes, wincing at the truth in his words, and when she opened them, he was sitting on the log in front of her, dressed in the clothes he'd left in on the day of the run. Even though she was dimly aware this was a dream, she was so happy to see him she started crying, reaching her hurt hand towards him. _

_"Oh, Merle, I'm so sorry," she cried, and he glared at her. "Don't be sorry for me, sweetheart, be sorry for those stupid bastards," he pointed over her shoulder and Linney could see the outlines of the walkers heading towards her in the dim light. He nudged the saw closer to her, "Get goin', kid, 'less ya wanna be a snack." _

_Linney picked the saw up and stared at it, horrified to see chunks of flesh and blood dripping from it. "Cut it off! Now!" He screamed at her, and she shook her head, staring up into his furious face. "Please, help me get up, Merle." She felt a hand tug at her hair, heard the growl of the dead right behind her._

_She looked up at him as he climbed to his feet, and backed away. "Merle! Come back! Please! Help me!" She screamed and he gave her a sad look and turned his back on her. "Yer on yer own, sweetheart, shoulda cut it off while you still had the chance." _

_Linney screamed for him, as the hands behind her closed around her throat, her neck, her face; she screamed his name as he disappeared and didn't come back._

"Linney!" A familiar voice called to her and Linney's eyes popped open, startled to see Rick there, sitting on the edge of her bed, the bedside light flicked on. He looked pale and wan and had a hand on her good arm, shaking her awake. "Wake up, it's ok, it was just a dream, you're safe here." Linney struggled away from his hand, trying to sit up and crying out when neither her bad hand nor her bad arm would cooperate.

"Hey, hey, hey," Rick soothed her and helped her sit up, leaning her on her good hip. He handed her a glass of water and she gratefully took a sip. He watched her carefully and then took the cup when she was done.

"We heard you down the hall, and Glenn said you were probably having a nightmare, that you had them often." Linney swallowed hard and rubbed gently at her face with her good hand. "Yeah, I do, sometimes," she croaked and cleared her throat at the embarrassing amount of weakness in the sound.

Rick watched her face. "You were saying his name," Linney looked up at him and Rick patted her arm sympathetically, before clarifying, "Merle, you were asking him to help you." Linney felt her face flush and looked away.

"I'm fine now Rick, you can go." She said, her voice tight and even. He nodded and got up, flicking the lights off. He paused in the doorway and she looked over at him. "I'm sorry, Linney," he said, his voice laden with guilt, "I'm sorry we took him from you." She clenched her jaw tightly and looked away, not trusting her voice or her face. When he shut the door, Linney lay back down and cried a little bit, hot tears of self pity, before falling asleep. No dreams this time.

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"She was having a nightmare, about Merle," he explained and Lori looked up from her position on the bed next to Carl. She was stroking his face almost hypnotically, but when she looked up, she seemed relieved to have something to talk about besides their fears and worries.

"Can't say I blame her," she said and Rick grimaced. "That's not fair, the man was like a father." He got to his feet and paced a little bit.

"She nearly got killed today, out looking for Sophia, then she wakes up in a strange house with strange people all alone and hurt, and she dreams about her missing friend."

"Thought you said it was a nightmare," Lori's voice was low and soft and Rick shrugged and then nodded.

"Yeah, it was, but she was crying for him to help her." Lori nodded and looked away. His mind raced over the events of today, the deer, the blood, Carl's screams, the period of time while Shane was out trying to get supplies, returning without Otis, the look on Lori's face when she first arrived at the farm.

He shook his head and slid to sit on the floor next to the bed, reaching up to grip Carl's cold little hand. Lori picked up the other one and the three of them remained linked together until they were asleep together, both of them praying that Carl would pull through, that he wouldn't be claimed by this new world as well.


	54. Chapter 54

***** Told ya I'd come back! Trust me, not posting again yesterday felt as weird to me as it did to you haha, anyways - Enjoy! *** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney!**

As the tufts of hair fell into the sink, he tried to redirect his thoughts, redirect his guilt. _I had no choice, we weren't both gonna make it out._ He skimmed his skull down to a low buzz and admired the effect in the mirror. The torn patch was well camouflaged, but he couldn't hide the deep grooves that lined his face; his expression refused to lighten and he felt certain that anyone could tell just by looking at him that he was a murderer.

_We couldn't both make it home. It was one of us or neither of us_. He glared hard into his dark eyes, his reflection doing nothing to help him understand his feelings. _Carl had to live, he had to survive, it was a choice, the only choice._

Shane flung the electric razor back into the bathroom drawer and cleaned his hair up from the sink, glancing every now and then back into the mirror. _They'll know, they'll know, they'll know_. He slammed his hands against his head several times, hard, trying to clear the guilty thoughts from his mind, replace them with more pleasant thoughts: Lori smiling at him, laying next to a pale, sick Carl, telling him he was welcome to stay, her words sounding like so much more than just an invitation to sit with her.

Tossing the last handful of dark hair into the garbage can, Shane examined his face again, his clenched jaw creating hard planes under his tan skin. _I had no choice, Carl had to live, and one of us had to die to make that happen._

He walked to the door, reaching out to slap his hand over the light switch. Just before he threw the little room into darkness, he glanced back and saw his wide-eyed, guilty expression in the mirror.

_But why did you get to choose who had to die?_

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Carol's low, keening, cries were loud enough to be heard from the roof. Dale shifted uncomfortably in his lawn chair atop the RV and stared out at the dark mass of cars jumbled around them. He briefly considered going inside and asking her to keep it down, tell her that if he could hear her grief, than any nearby walkers might as well.

He didn't get up though, just continued to stare out at the road, his mind flashing chaotically with images of the last few days. _Sophia, Carl, T-Dog, Linney_... _we're dropping like flies, we need to settle, stop this, we can't afford to lose any more people._ His tired heart ached further when he thought about the little girl, huddled terrified in the woods, or worse. He couldn't believe that in less than two weeks, they'd lost so many people, not just the ones in the past couple of days, but the people at camp, the Morales family.

_How do you continue when you are powerless to stop those you love from being pulled away?_ The dim, familiar ache for his wife invaded his chest and he had to consider that the same notion was true even before the world ended. He could hear movement inside the RV, and wondered if Daryl and Andrea were able to get any sleep. He was certain that he wouldn't be able to, which was why he volunteered for watch, wanting to allow the others to sleep after their long trek through the woods today, the horror of learning Carl was gravely injured, and watching Linney nearly lose her life to a freak accident.

_Is anything with a walker an accident_? He grumbled, clearing his throat. _Perhaps a natural accident?_ Dale got to his feet and stretched his sore back. The walkers were definitely turning into forces of nature. An unavoidable part of living now was grappling with the dead.

Dale jumped a little when the RV door banged open and someone stepped outside. He walked to the edge and looked down to see Dixon adjusting his crossbow across his back. The man looked bone-tired, and Dale felt certain that he must be worried sick about Linney; although you could never tell by looking at him, and you would never find out by asking. _Unless you wanted a strip torn off you._

"I'm gonna walk the road," Daryl said, his voice low and gruff, barely traveling up to the roof, "You know, look for the girl." Dale nodded and then Andrea stepped out behind Daryl, barely glancing up at Dale, her face set with angry determination.

"Gonna shine some light in the forest. If she's out there, it'll give her somethin' to look at," Dixon continued, gesturing with his flashlight towards the dark woods. Dale nodded, deciding it was a waste of breath to mention the risk of shining a light around; that it might serve as a beacon, drawing in walkers.

"I'm going with him," Andrea said, her voice and face so defiant that Dale felt a pang of worry. He gestured to her, "Do you think it's a good idea to go with him?" Andrea glared up at him and said only his name in reply, her voice dripping with condescension and fury.

Dale swallowed and looked away, watching as they picked their way down the highway. He understood the need to help, to protect the most vulnerable member of their group, and, in Daryl's case, divert his mind. But he worried about Andrea's motivations. She was so angry with him. Dale sighed, leaning back in his chair. He supposed she had a right to be, he just wished she could see the depth of his worry for her, the depth of his affection; she and Amy were the daughters he'd never had. Losing Amy tore at him daily, and the thought of losing Andrea as well made him feel light-headed and sick.

_At least she's out there with Dixon, that man has proven to be more useful than I ever gave him credit for_.

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Linney woke the next morning and found that her injuries didn't hurt nearly as sharply as the day before. She sat up slowly, taking an inventory on her body. Left arm: throbbing, aching pain around wound, but otherwise ok. Right Hand: stiff, sore, dull ache. Left hip: deep throbbing pain and slight burning around the wound, but nothing severe. Left calf: bright pain, aching shallowly.

_All in all, not too bad, coulda been worse, coulda been eaten_. She shuddered at the thought and slid herself out of bed, moving slowly and carefully. When she made it to the bathroom on her own, she wanted to cheer, but felt pretty certain that the movement might cause more hurt.

Back at the bed, she saw clean clothes laid out on the quilt. _Maggie, thank you_, she thought gratefully, as she picked up the capri pants made of soft sweatpants material. Linney moved carefully, managing to get them on without too much pain. She smiled when she realized why Maggie had lain them out for her, they sat high, on her waist, rather than her hips. _Still too big_, though, Linney sighed, fiddling with the drawstring. The tank top laid out for her was pink and Linney made a face at it, not being a fan of the color, but pulled the soft cotton shirt on, sniffing deeply at the fresh, clean smell.

She paused and sniffed her armpit. _Too bad I'm so gross_, she lamented. Linney ran her tongue over her fuzzy teeth and decided that she would at least brush her teeth. She hobbled over to her back pack and found a toothbrush, pausing to quickly swipe on some deodorant, before using furniture to help her make an easier trip back to the bathroom. Her eyes scanned the counter and couldn't find any toothpaste. She slid open a couple of drawers, feeling like a horrible snoop, but smiled when she found the big tube of toothpaste.

Brushing her teeth turned out to be a wonderful luxury that she drew out for almost 5 minutes, reapplying the paste halfway through. She slid the toothpaste away, back into the same drawer and stared at the item tucked into the back. _I did say I'd do it first chance I got_. She yanked the scissors out, snipping them experimentally in her hands. Linney's eyes darted up to her reflection and she flinched, dropping the scissors in the sink with a huge clatter.

"Oh my god, I'm hideous!" She cried, her voice alarmingly loud in the small porcelain room. Her face was filthy for starters, smeared with greasy looking dirt, but also had dried blood all over her cheeks. She was unable to find a single patch of her own skin color anywhere, except around the small bandage on her forehead, from where she'd smacked her head on something during her tumble down the embankment.

Linney sighed and reached out for the face cloth hanging with the towel next to the sink. She turned on the hot water, relishing in the feeling for a moment, before washing her face, moaning into the towel at the steaming heat coming off it. When she met her reflection again she was startled by the girl she saw. Clean, yes, but with slightly more hollow cheeks than she was used to having, still sporting the same dark circles under her eyes, with a few added bruises thrown around for good measure.

_God, I'm hot - Daryl's a lucky man_. She chuckled a little and then started to clean her neck, rubbing up into her hairline. Her eyes darted over to the shower and she slowly pulled a tiny twig from her hair. _I could totally wash my hair_, she thought excitedly, moving to the bathtub so quickly that she hissed at the pain in her hip. The shower head detached from the wall and after awkwardly balancing on her good hip she got the water going and started to wash her hair, mindful of the bandage on her forehead. When she was done she turned the shower off reluctantly and wrapped a towel around her hair, relishing the clean smell of the fruity shampoo.

Linney looked around and realized she'd destroyed the tiny, clean bathroom. There were dirty fingerprint smears all around the sink, toothpaste on the faucet, scissors on the counter, a dirty facecloth on the toilet seat, and water all over the floor. _How the hell did I manage that_?

She looked for another towel, but realized she had the only one in her hair. Grimacing, she let her wet hair fall all over her shoulders, making the shirt damp, and dropped the towel on the ground, stepping onto it. She began to boogie back and forth a little, trying to wipe up the water that way, jerking with each twist of her hip, saying "Ow, fuck!" in a soft voice every time her hip stitches pulled a little.

"I ain't sure exactly what I'm lookin' at right now." She heard Daryl's voice and her head shot up, to see him leaning against a dresser in the bedroom, watching her awkward, shuffling boogie and murmured curses with something like amusement.

She frowned at him, gesturing at the door. "Don't you knock?" He raised an eyebrow at her and walked into the bathroom, looking around. "Not on the regular, no," he answered, putting a hand on her back and pushing her gently out of the bathroom. He led her to the bed where she sat, tilted onto her right side, to avoid her hurt hip. She watched him go back into the bathroom and squat down, using her towel to wipe up the floor.

"I could get used to this view," she said to him and he glanced over his shoulder, glaring at her. "I told ya once, you was a perv, glad to see I was right." She smirked at him and waited for him to turn around and go back to wiping at the floor before adding, "No, not your ass. I meant you, _cleaning_." He spun around and looked at her in irritated disbelief, before getting to his feet and chucking the towel behind him, into the shower.

"Oh, that's it little girl, ya'll are gonna get it now."

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He heard giggling coming from Linney's room when he knocked on the door, fairly certain he'd find Daryl in there. _Only three people make that girl laugh like that, and Carl's in bed, and Glenn is outside with Maggie_. Sure enough, a moment later, the door cracked open and Daryl stood in the doorway.

"Morning, Hershel's got some breakfast out if you all are interested," Rick said, a smile on his weary face. Daryl nodded, displaying his customary tight expression. He shut the door immediately in Rick's face and he had to chuckle, hoping they were at least being careful with all of her injuries.

A few moments later they emerged from the bedroom and Daryl half carried and half walked Linney into the dining room. The girl looked much cleaner, although somewhat weaker than normal. _Younger too_, he thought, confused. When he saw her smiling over her cup of coffee, the way Carl smiled over chocolate milk, he realized that it was her pink, frilled neck shirt and lack of weapons that made her look more vulnerable. _Make a note not to mention pink makes her look sweet, not if I want to keep my head on straight_. Rick laughed to himself and then smothered it when Shane walked in, his face hard and frightening with the newly shaved head.

He watched his friend sit across from him, his eyes fixed on the plate of food in front of him. _He's taking Otis' death so hard_, Rick thought, his heart aching for his friend. He gave Shane a smile, sincere and warm, when his dark eyes glanced up from the food.

"How's the foot this morning?" He asked and Shane shrugged, shoving a forkful of egg into his mouth. Rick glanced over at Linney and Daryl again, his brow tightening when he saw the look on her face. _Really need to figure out what's happening with them_, he thought, concerned with the mixture of anger, fear, and distaste she wore.

Hershel sat next to Linney, introducing himself and chatting easily with her about her injuries and what he'd done to help her, brushing off her earnest thanks and Daryl's stark, hard, gratitude.

"How's Carl?" She finally asked, looking up to Rick, her eyes hopeful. Rick nodded at her and replied, "He's doing much better, Hershel says he's stable, and if he pulls through today, he should be in the clear." Rick swallowed at the look of nearly painful relief on her face and again felt a wash of gratitude to have found such good people to help him protect his family.

"Hershel, I can't thank you enough for what you've done, not just for my boy, but for all my people." The old man smiled and nodded gently at him, "I'm glad to be of some help."

Rick turned to Shane and reached a hand out, to tap the table between them. "Shane, you know, you know how much..." his voice failed him and he gave his friend a smile so laden with gratitude that he felt like he might cry. Shane only nodded, the haunted look returning to his face, before he pushed to his feet and stalked outdoors, limping slightly.

"Can I go see him?" Linney asked, pushing herself up carefully. Rick nodded and she grinned at Daryl before hobbling away from the table, her movements awkward from her varied injuries. She paused a couple steps away and then turned back and addressed Hershel, "Um, where do I go?"

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"Hey Lori," Linney said softly, poking her head into the room. She managed to smile at Lori for a moment, before her eyes caught on Carl's prone figure and her expression crumpled.

"Oh god, Carl," she whispered, limping into the room. Lori got to her feet, "Sweetie, sit in a chair please, you'll make me nervous standing there hurt like you are." Linney smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, ma'am," she joked lightly, and was rewarded with a small smile from the dark haired woman.

Linney sat in the small armchair, and stared at Carl, her eyes filling up with irritating tears that she roughly brushed away. She leaned forwards and picked up his small hand, unhappy with how cool and clammy he felt. _He's so pale_, she thought, feeling sick. She wanted to pick him up and run him out of the still, dim, room that smelled like sickness and fear, take him somewhere safe and happy. Linney glanced over at Lori and saw the woman staring down at her son, her eyes still heavy with worry.

"I'm so sorry this happened," Linney murmured, rubbing the back of Carl's hand with her thumb. Lori looked up at her and gave her a small, sad smile.

"Maybe this isn't a world for children anymore," Lori said softly, her eyes drifting back to Carl's nearly translucent skin. Linney felt a ripple of fear go down her spine at the absolute hopelessness in the other woman's voice.

"Carl is here, Lori, he's not dead, and Sophia is out there, we just have to find her."

"Well maybe they shouldn't be, maybe this is how it's supposed to be." Linney swallowed hard and squeezed Carl's hand gently, thinking back to his earnest questions about heaven. She shook her head and put his hand back down on the bedspread.

"Bullshit, you can't mean that." She replied, her eyes narrowing. Lori shrugged lightly and got to her feet, walking to the window, staring out at the sun drenched yard.

"How can that thought even cross your mind with him laying here, fighting so hard to live, to come back to you?" Linney felt her chest constrict, wanting to leap to her feet and smack Lori, smack some sense into her. She flinched when Lori spun around and marched over to her, leaning her arms angrily against either side of the armchair, bending towards Linney.

"It didn't just cross my mind, I can't stop thinkin' it!" Lori's dark eyes were narrowed and furious and Linney couldn't help cringing back from her a little. "Why do we want them to live in this world? To have this life? So they can see more people torn apart in front of them?"

Lori stepped back and began pacing, a hand held to her head in frustration. Linney opened her mouth to reply and Lori turned to her again, pointing angrily at her, "So they can be hungry and scared for however long they have before they..." She broke off as her voice choked up and she looked down at Carl, her face tearing itself apart, between fear, anger, and worry.

"So that they can run and run and run and _run_, to survive. So that they end up just another animal who doesn't know anything except how to survive." Lori started to cry angry, bitter, tears and Linney got to her feet and limped to her, wrapping her aching arms around the crying woman. Lori bent into the hug, her face burying into Linney's damp hair.

"If he dies, it ends for him. Tell me how it would be better another way!" Lori cried, into Linney's hair and all she could do was hug her. "He wouldn't have to be afraid anymore, hurt anymore."

"I know it's like we live with a knife at our throats, every second of every day, but Lori, you can't think it's over, that it's hopeless." She pushed the grieving woman off her and put her good hand on her thin shoulder, squeezing tightly. "He asked me if I wished this was all a dream the other day, Lori, and he agreed that he was happy it wasn't." She shook Lori back and forth slowly, "He _wants_ to live here Lori, wants to be here with whoever is left and _live._ That's enough for me, and it ha_s_ to be enough for you." Lori nodded once her eyes tearing up.

"Can you sit with him for a bit, Lin? I need to..." She gestured vaguely at the door and Linney nodded, moving back to her chair, "Go, I've got this, I miss spending time with him." Lori smiled and left the room and then Linney sank awkwardly to the floor, reaching up to the bed to hold his hand while resting her face against the mattress.

She thought about the little boy fighting in the bed above her, his enjoyment over the small things, his smile, his bright eyes, and she cried a little, her entire body burning with hope that he would come back to them.


	55. Chapter 55

***** Enjoy everyone! Not exactly an action packed chapter, but I gotta build some stuff up :) I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

When Rick relieved Linney from watching Carl, she pressed a kiss to her fingertips and placed them on the little boy's forehead, before leaving the room, tossing Rick an encouraging smile on her way by. She paused in the living room and saw Maggie in the distance, in the kitchen, comforting an older blonde woman at the small table there. The woman was sobbing quietly in a way that made Linney's stomach tighten. The other girl looked up and Linney held her serious gaze for a moment before blushing, realizing she was interrupting a private moment.

She walked outside, onto the front porch and looked around, completely astounded. This was her first look at it and the farm was beyond idyllic, completely untouched. She watched as Daryl, Dale, and Glenn worked to set up the tents near the RV, in a small grove of trees between the farmhouse and the little dirt road that served as a driveway. She could see multiple fences looping around various sections of the yard, the house, the barn, the forest. _Such security_, she thought. There were even cows and horses grazing in the distance as well.

"It's beautiful," she murmured quietly, as Hershel walked up and leaned against the porch railing next to her. "I like to think so," he replied and Linney peered up at him. His face was so serene; she had the feeling that as protected as this place was, it had sheltered its inhabitants from having to experience too much.

"Been in my family for 160 years," Hershel added, holding his hand out towards the large porch swing, helping Linney sit down before sitting beside her carefully.

"You don't know how lucky you are to have this place," she replied, wistfully. He glanced over at her and studied her battered face for a moment, as she stared out towards the small cluster of her remaining group members. "I think we do," he responded, and she looked over at him, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Hershel, out there... it's, I mean, it's gone, it's madness," she found herself fairly incapable of properly describing it to him. He patted her shoulder lightly and nodded. "For now, I know it seems bad, but eventually, they'll get this sorted out, they always do." His voice was steady and confident and Linney felt her features stiffen.

"No, I don't think you're right," she said almost immediately, shaking her head at him, "There is no 'they' this time." Hershel gave her a sympathetic smile, "Humans have dealt with plagues since the beginning of time and they always bounce back, it's nature correcting itself." Linney got to her feet, unable to rock back and forth any longer.

"Hershel, listen, we were at the CDC, there is no 'they', no one's cooking up a magic brew to fix this, there is no one in charge anymore." She turned away from him and stared out Daryl, watching as he fussed with a tent peg, then pausing to look over at her, his eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun.

She swallowed and turned back to the old man, "We met a man, at the CDC, a doctor, the last person there, and he told us there is nothing out there, nobody out there. Everything is gone." She took a step closer, staring hard into Hershel's kind eyes, her good hand cradling her bandaged one against her stomach.

"He told us that this was our extinction event, what finally takes us down." Hershel shook his head at her assertion and got to his feet. "I can't believe that, these people are sick, and eventually, it'll work itself out, either through a cure or through some kind of natural intervention." Linney was confused for a moment before she realized that he was talking about the walkers.

"Are you serious?" She asked him, her voice slightly raised and he looked over at her, his expression going tight for a moment. "They are sick people, anyone can see that, they simply need a cure, to heal, to get better." Linney blinked at him and found she had backed up a step away from him, her hand going to her chest in distress at such a ludicrous notion.

"No one is coming to 'fix' these monsters. We are on our own, we have to take care of ourselves, not worry about those undead shitheads." Hershel smiled sadly at her, "I don't believe that," he said again and Linney felt her jaw clench, sudden and rapid fury coursing through her at his smug sureness, his ignorance.

"My dad died, and he tried to eat me. Eat me while I was still alive!" Linney realized she was yelling at him, "He wasn't sick, he was fucking dead! Dead! Rotting already! I had to stab him in the fucking eye so he wouldn't rip me apart!"

Hershel swallowed and shook his head, the pity on his face palpable and Linney felt an angry snarl growing on her face. She wanted to slap the stupid man and drag him out to the highway, show him a herd, drag him to their camp at the quarry, show him their fallen group members. But instead she turned around and limped down the steps, stopping at the bottom and looking back up at him.

"You've been sheltered here, you don't understand what it's like, but you really should, that kind of ignorance will only get your family killed." His face remained impassive and she closed her eyes for a moment. "Sorry," she finally said, waving a hand at him. He nodded and gave her a small smile, before turning and going inside. Linney hung on to the railing and looked down at her feet. _Nice way to treat your host, scream and swear at him, good going._

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked behind her and she turned to look at him, not wanting to get into it. She gestured lamely back at the house. "They live in a dream world," she managed and he nodded, extending a hand to her. "C'mon over to camp." Linney began to limp towards their new camp and ignored his hand.

"For gods sake, let me help you," he grumbled at her and she shook her head. "No, it's just some cuts and scrapes, I need to walk this off as soon as possible." Daryl dropped his hand and walked along next to her.

"Why such a hurry?" He finally asked and she looked up at him briefly, "We need to find Sophia, and I don't think it's safe for us to linger some place where the other people living here don't see the walkers as threats. It's too dangerous for us." Daryl looked around at the safety of the farm and then back down to her. "I think you need to rest," was all he said and she shrugged.

It became obvious, after he gave her the quick tour of their new camp, that Daryl was itching to get back out to find Sophia. But they both knew they had to wait until after the memorial for Otis, out of respect for the Greenes.

Linney sat in a lawn chair outside the RV and Daryl leaned against it next to her as he detailed what he'd like to do that day. Andrea strolled out of the door, overhearing him, and looked over at him askance.

"Do you still really think we're gonna find Sophia?" The blonde asked, her expression unimpressed. Daryl glanced over at her, his face disgusted, and he snapped at her, "You got that look on your face, same as everybody else - what the hell's wrong with you people?"

Andrea said nothing, just raised an eyebrow and looked away. Daryl ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "We just started lookin'!" Linney looked away then too, not really interested in involving herself in an Andrea argument right then, but it looked like Andrea intended to press Daryl.

"Do you really expect to find her, though?" She asked again and Daryl stood up from the RV and walked a few steps away. He turned back to Andrea, his face impassive again, "It ain't the mountains of Tibet, it's Georgia. She could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. People get lost, it happens all the time." Linney understood that he was reaching the end of his patience with Andrea, he was not a wordy person; for him to go on at length like this meant he was seriously close to losing his cool.

Andrea shrugged and leaned against the RV, "Well, you know, she's only 12." Daryl smirked at her, waving his hand in her direction dismissively. "Hell, I was younger than her when I got lost. Nine days in the woods eatin' berries n' wipin' my ass with poison oak."

Linney pressed her lips together and looked down at her hands in her lap. She felt terrible for young Daryl, but at the same time, was able to see that he probably handled it with a fair amount of Dixon panache, even as a kid. So she felt justified in the wild bubble of laughter that was threatening to push out of her throat. _What the hell is wrong with me today? From sad, to furious, to laughing in a 30 minute period._

"They found you?" Andrea asked, curiously and Daryl shook his head, casting a quick, dark glance at Linney, clearly noticing her struggle not to laugh and not happy about it.

"My old man was off on a bender with some waitress, Merle was doin' another stint in juvie. They didn't even know I was gone." His voice was casual, but Linney could hear that it was forced. He walked towards her and knelt down next to the lawn chair she was in, making it look like he just wanted to rest, not get closer to Linney.

"I made my way back, though. Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. I was no worse for wear, 'cept my ass itched somethin' awful." Linney pressed her lips together, the bubble of mirth threatening to escape and she started shaking with silent laughter. She risked a peek over at him and his face was torn between mild amusement and irritation. She tried harder not to laugh and ended up snorting, which threw her over the edge and she burst out into wild peals of laughter.

Daryl and Andrea looked at her in shock, and Linney felt her face going red and couldn't contain her laughter, even as she apologized, "Sorry, I'm sorry, that is a terrible story, I shouldn't laugh!" She laughed harder and Daryl rolled his eyes at her and looked back up at Andrea.

"Well the difference is, Sophia's got people lookin' for her, I call that an advantage." Andrea nodded and said nothing, before heading away, towards the house, her posture clearly stating that her faith in his assertions was nearly non-existent. Daryl glared over at Linney who was struggling to sober herself.

"I'm sorry," she managed, giggling again. "Somethin's broke in yer head," he muttered and she licked her lips before biting down hard on the bottom one, trying to calm herself. "You really shouldn't tell people about having an itchy ass when you tell that story, no one will feel sorry for you."

"Ain't lookin' for sympathy, supposed to be, ya know, inspirational." He said, his voice low, his eyes roving over her face. Linney reached a hand out and patted his cheek once, before looking down at her lap and giggling again.

"Dixon, I gotta tell you, the story is very you, and I would have expected no less than for you to make it home alive, but there is nothing inspirational about an itchy ass."

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Linney listened as Hershel spoke over the cairn they'd built for Otis, the man who'd gone with Shane to get the medical supplies for Carl, the man who died. She glanced at Patricia, his wife, whose stricken face spoke of a depth of pain that Linney hoped she'd never have to know. Linney peeked up at Daryl, standing next to her, his face hard as he stared at the cairn.

_Is he thinking of Merle? We never did this for him._ Linney shifted uncomfortably, the standing starting to cause her hip to ache. She reached out tentatively and put her hand on the back of Daryl's arm, gripping his forearm lightly, needing the contact, and the balance. He didn't move, but when she looked back up at him, he was looking back at her, his eyes softer. She gave him a small smile and then stiffened when she heard Shane begin to speak, having been urged on by Patricia and Hershel.

Linney barely heard his words; her eyes were glued to his face, watching his features while he spoke. As he spoke she realized that he was lying about something. She blinked several times, looking around to see if it was as obvious to everyone else as it was to her. _What is the lie about? What Otis said? What he did?_ She couldn't figure out what the lie was for. Something niggled at the back of her mind, but when she tried to capture the thought, it slipped away, something about a gun.

She nearly jumped when Daryl's other hand lifted hers off his arm, and she flushed when she realized she'd been gripping it so tightly there were little half-moon crescent nail marks in the skin there. He gave her a curious look and released her hand and she quickly rested it on top of her sore hand.

"If ever a death had meaning, it was Otis'," Shane was saying solemnly to Patricia, and Linney felt her eyes narrow. _What meaning does it have though?_

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Rick spread the map out on the hood of T-Dog's truck and held the corners down with a few rocks, watching as Daryl lifted Linney up to sit on the hood above it, to get her off her bad hip and leg. _She should be resting_, he thought, glancing at her worriedly. Shane, Andrea, Maggie and Hershel gathered on the other side of the hood and Hershel looked around at them all before speaking.

"How long as she been missing?" The older man asked, meeting Rick's gaze for a moment.

"This is the third day," Rick replied, noting Linney's wince at the number. Rick turned back to the map, pulling out a pencil and began to draw and sketch on it.

"Ok, so now we'll cut it into grids, search each unit in teams - do this properly." Everyone nodded to him, except Hershel who folded his arms across his chest and nodded towards Rick.

"Not you, not today," Rick looked up at him in surprise and Hershel rolled a hand towards him, "You gave three units of blood, you wouldn't last 5 minutes hiking in this heat." He turned to Shane next and pointed at his feet, "And your ankle; push it now and you'll be laid up for a month." Shane pressed his lips together and looked down at his feet.

Hershel turned to Linney and her face screwed up, angry already, ready to argue. He held a hand up to her, asking for her to keep quiet, one white eyebrow raising, "I don't believe I need to tell you the reasons why you aren't able to do this yet. You need rest and healing, making sure you don't get an infection or rip a stitch."

"I'll be fine, Sophia needs - " Linney began, her voice heated. Rick caught Daryl's eye and the man put a hand on her leg, squeezing a little, and she stopped. "Sophia doesn't benefit from ya gettin' sick or killed," he said in low tones and Linney clenched her teeth but finally nodded to Hershel.

Everyone was silent for a moment and then Daryl tapped a finger on the map. "Looks like it's jus' me, then. Gonna head back to the creek n' work my way back." Rick nodded at him and shaded in an area of the map.

"I'll drive back to the highway, see if she's returned." Shane offered and Rick turned to look around at all their faces. "Tomorrow then, we'll start this thing right," he paused and looked over at Linney, "Except you, you won't be good to look for a while yet." Her face was a thundercloud, but she nodded, looking down at her one clenched fist.

"Everyone needs to be armed, man, if we're gonna be sendin' them out to search. And I mean everyone." Shane said, leaning both hands against the hood, his face hard. Rick nodded but Hershel held up a hand.

"I don't want you to carry guns on my property, we've managed so far to not turn this into an armed camp." Rick turned in surprise to Hershel and stared at him, weighing the determination he saw there. Taking a deep breath, Rick pulled his weapon and put it down on the hood of the truck, looking up to Shane, who glared hard at him, but eventually put his weapon up too, Andrea and Daryl following suit.

Rick looked over at Linney who looked like she might keel over in fury. She met his eyes and spoke through teeth ground together. "I don't have my guns on me anyhow, can't wear them with this," she gestured impatiently at her hip, and then looked up to Hershel.

"This is a huge mistake," she snapped at him, maintaining a level gaze on the man, until he finally shook his head and spoke to Rick. "If it makes your people feel secure, you're welcome to have someone stand on watch, one person with a weapon."

Rick nodded gratefully at him and then turned to Linney. "I'll go ahead and nominate you for that," he said, his voice wry. She smiled, "Good choice, sheriff." Shane surprised him by grunting in agreement, "Absolutely."

There was a moment of silence and Shane cleared his throat, "I don't like to be the one to say this, but someone's gotta: what do we do if we find her and she's been bit?"

Rick took in a deep breath, feeling his chest burn at the thought. He saw Daryl's face harden at the thought and everyone else look away. _I don't even want to say it_, he thought, his mind flashing briefly to Carol, to Carl, to Lori, to what he was about to instruct them to do.

"We do what we have to do."


	56. Chapter 56

***** Hey all - I decided we needed another point of view and Maggie makes perfect sense to me: another female voice, a badass, and a really awesome character (show and books) - so, Hi Maggie! *** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, she's mine!**

"Ya'll need a crane to get up there!" She called up to Linney, watching as the older man, Dale, and the young guy, Glenn, helped her climb up the ladder on the back of the RV. Linney smiled over the side at her, and held a hand to her forehead, to shade her vision. "Don't be sassing the lady with the guns," the smaller girl joked and Maggie laughed, eyeing the pistols slung around Linney's hips and the huge rifle she had in one hand.

"At least you're not very big - ow!" Glenn yelped as Linney punched his shoulder at the comment, rubbing the spot and eyeing her with irritation afterwards. Maggie watched as Linney and Glenn had a short, whispered conversation, both of them glaring at each other. Glenn moved to the ladder and began to climb down off the RV and paused at the bottom to call up, "I expect you to tell me, Lin!"

Maggie briefly wondered what they were possibly talking about, but guessed by the uncertain scowl on Linney's face that it was not something she wanted to talk about with anyone. "Hey, you," Maggie said to him when his feet hit the ground, he looked over at her with suddenly wide eyes and nodded, "Hey, what's up?"

"Your guy, Rick, tells me that you're the "go-to-town" expert," she remarked, watching his face as it went through a quick range of emotions: pleasure, pride, worry, curiosity, before settling on a wary expression.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he replied, shrugging. Maggie walked closer to him and indicated with her thumb back down towards the driveway. "We need to make a run into town, to the pharmacy there, we're runnin' low on medicine and first aid supplies, and ya'll are almost out too." Glenn nodded and jammed his hands in his pockets. The other man, Dale, made his way down the ladder then, too, and gestured at Glenn.

"He used to make all the solo runs back at our last camp, into Atlanta and the surrounding area, he's quick on his feet!" He clapped Glenn on the shoulder and shot Maggie a kind smile before heading off into the grove of the trees, where a camp was being set up for their group.

"Seems you're a man with a reputation for doing things right, are ya in?" She asked him, pleased with the way his nervous eyes took her in, quickly running down her body, before jerking back up to her face. "Uh, yeah, absolutely."

Maggie nodded, turning to walk away. "I'll go saddle the horses," she said over her shoulder, and snickered to herself when she heard Glenn mumble, "Horses?"

She waved to the other women in the new group as she walked by, heading to the stables. _Lots of new faces,_ she thought, her heart aching a little at the thought of these newcomers being the reason for poor Otis' death. _Though, he did shoot their boy. _

She didn't think they were a bad group, all in all. Their leader seemed like a good man, his wife a nice woman, if a little bit hard. The man who went with Otis made her nervous, and she thought back to the way Linney's face had creased with worry at the thought of the man, Shane, being the one to help her to bed.

_What was that about?_ She wondered, admitting to herself that he had frightened even her when he had appeared at breakfast the next morning with a shaved head and hard face. She approached the horses and stroked her hand lightly along the soft brown nose that pushed out of the stall to nudge her shoulder.

_Linney seems like good people, though_. She thought about the small girl, who seemed so like herself, despite their obvious difference in looks. It felt like forever since she had someone around she felt she might be able to relate to, and Linney and Glenn were both her type of people. Linney, because of her tougher-than-nails attitude, combined with an obvious soft side, and Glenn because he was like a wide-eyed puppy. _And cute, don't kid yourself, he's the first guy you've seen in a long while, and he just happens to be adorable._

Maggie chuckled, leading the horses out when she was done. She thought about one of the other men with the group, the redneck, Daryl. Not a bad looking guy, in a scary, dirty kind of way. But he was not her kind of people, she was certain of that. _Too hard, too rough, and too angry_, she thought. Her mind flashed briefly to the image of his face, when he and the others arrived at camp this morning, his expression drawn and etched with stress. _Charged into the house like he owned the joint_.

Luckily, Glenn had been in the front room with her when the redneck had burst in and seemed to know exactly what the man was looking for, or, as it turned out, whom: Linney. She remembered Glenn directing him to her room immediately and he had nodded curtly at them both before walking down the hall, with purpose.

When she'd asked Glenn what that was about, he'd smirked and twirled a hand in the air. "Those two are kind of a thing," he said, a laugh in his voice, and Maggie had looked back down the hallway with wide eyes, surprised that the girl she'd helped the night before was at all with a man like Daryl.

"Don't let those big eyes fool you, that girl's made of some really tough stuff," Rick had said, walking into the room then, and Maggie chuckled. "Duly noted," she replied wryly, thinking to herself that nothing any of them did was going to fool her, until she was certain of exactly how she felt about their arrival.

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Linney was pretty sure that Lori wasn't aware that she up on the roof, and she sat extra still, watching as the slim woman approached Glenn, who was standing nervously in their new camp, waiting for Maggie to get back.

"Here's the group list," Lori said, handing a scrap of paper to Glenn, who nodded and tucked it into his back pocket. "Got it," he replied and he turned to walk away. Lori hesitated and then stepped forward, grabbing his arm to stop him. Linney watched as another piece of paper was produced from Lori's back pocket and she handed it to Glenn, her face anxious and tight.

"Here's one other thing, it's personal, if we could be real discreet about it." Lori tucked it into Glenn's hand watching as he pulled it open, and read it, his brow crinkling in confusion. "What is it?" He asked, obviously not recognizing whatever she had put on the paper. Lori gave him a steady look in return. "Tellin' you kinda defeats the purpose of it being private, right?" Glenn nodded slowly and watched Lori walk away, frozen to the spot as she walked across the yard, to the house, going inside.

"Linney?" He asked from the ground and she called down, "Yup, bring it here and I'll let you know where and what it is," her voice was laced with dry humor, knowing it was probably tampons or something. _Poor Glenn, maybe Maggie can help him_. Casting wary glances back at the house, he climbed the ladder and scooted over to her, bent over low. He thrust the paper into her extended hand and she smirked at him before opening it.

When she read the scrawled words on the paper she felt her stomach do a slow, uneasy somersault. "Oh holy fuck, Glenn," she whispered in worry and when her horrified face looked up to his uneasy one, he paled. "Jesus, Lin, what is it?" He whispered back urgently. She pressed her lips together and swallowed against the bile rising in her throat. _How could she be so stupid?!_ Linney thought in rage, the note crumpling in her clenched fist. Glenn put a hand over hers and worked to pry her fingers open.

"Linney, what is it? Should I get some help? Get Rick?" He was worried and earnest and her eyes shot to his. "No!" She nearly shrieked, before pressing her lips together. "No, Glenn, don't get Rick, don't get anyone," Linney lurched to her feet, awkwardly pacing. "Rick said you shouldn't walk around here too much," Glenn advised her and she spun around to face him.

"Glenn," she started, swallowing hard before she walked over to him again, and he nodded. "This, this is definitely private, but I can't believe she's asked you to get it for her." Linney ran a hand through her hair and whispered, "What a clusterfuck," to herself.

"Lin, just tell me what it is and I'll get it, we can deal with this afterwards." Linney nodded and put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him down to her level so she could whisper in his ear, "It's a pregnancy test."

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Maggie returned to the campsite, riding one horse and leading the other, hoping the guy would be able to do this properly, not fall off or get the horse hurt.

"Hey Glenn, ready to go?" She asked him, watching him as he looked away from Linney, back up on the roof with her again. He nodded in a stunned way and climbed down the ladder, shooting Linney wide-eyed looks. Maggie watched as he got on the horse fairly gracefully, but in a very distracted way.

"Everything ok?" She asked him, as they headed towards the road. He swallowed hard and looked over at her, nodding and blinking a few times. "Ye-yeah, I'm fine, just a little distracted by something Linney told me." She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting to see if he'd elaborate and feeling a little hurt when he didn't. _What do you expect? He's known you a few hours and she's his friend_.

They rode along in silence and as he calmed down, Maggie watched his posture change. He sat up straighter, became more alert, his face still, his eyes constantly searching. She saw him unconsciously ensure his gun was handy at his hip and he moved closer to her.

"Everything ok?" She asked carefully, finding it hard not to feel a little turned on by the switch that seemed to have been flipped inside him, from nervous boy, to cautious, on-guard man. _Jesus, Maggie, you're hard up, girl._

"It's just so quiet, I'm not used to it," he said, his head swiveling to look over at the yards they were riding by as they got closer to town. Maggie nodded. "We've been lucky, I've been lucky; never encountered anything here in town, most everyone fled when things got bad, so not too many sick people left." Glenn nodded and began to carefully peruse the storefronts they were riding by, his body stiff and ready in the saddle.

"Has it been that bad for you?" Maggie asked quietly, and he turned to look at her, his eyes flashing with something close to impatience. "You've been so sheltered here," he said, waving a hand around them, "I can barely understand it." Glenn shifted in the saddle and cleared his throat. "A lot of bad things have happened to us, to people with us, and we've had to fight really hard to get to where we are." Maggie nodded slowly.

"You've lost people then?" She asked him carefully, watching him as they dismounted and tied their horses up outside the pharmacy. Glenn paused by the door and sighed, his pained face speaking volumes more about his loss then his words did, "Yeah, a lot of good people."

He knocked on the door with the butt of his gun and she gave him a funny look. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously and Glenn smirked at her, "Just something Linney said Mer... something Linney told me about, she calls it 'ringing the dinner bell'." Maggie laughed stiffly and then pushed the door open, walking past him.

"This place is empty, I wouldn't worry."

"You don't worry enough, you should always be worried, that's what'll keep you alive." Maggie stared at him for a moment and then shook her head, holding a hand out. "Gimme the list, I'll go take care of things." Glenn nodded and handed her the list.

She turned away, jumping easily over the counter to grab the items her father had asked for specifically. When she glanced back she saw Glenn stuffing things into his bag, in the feminine hygiene section, glancing around and over his shoulder guiltily. _Poor guy_, she thought with amusement.

When they'd spent about twenty minutes pawing through the shelves, taking what they needed plus a little more. Maggie approached him, fully aware that this was the most alone time they were going to get together.

"So, are you involved with anyone?" She asked him, point-blank, putting her basket of things on the ground. She smiled to herself when Glenn's mouth dropped open. "Uhhh, no, no I'm not... why do you ask?"

"Why are you so nervous, it's just a question?" She asked him, putting a hand on her hip. Glenn stammered, not sure what to say and Maggie teased him, "Am I so hideous? Do I scare you?" Glenn shook his head, then nodded, then violently shook his head again.

"No! You are not hideous! Not at all, the opposite of hideous, totally non-hideous..." his voice trailed off as she watched him, knowing that her eyes were appreciative as she looked at him.

"So you think I'm attractive?" She asked and he nodded and then licked his lips and stammered, "I mean, not that I'm attracted to you or anything!" She cocked her head to the side and ran her eyes up and down him, "I think you're attractive," she told him and thought he was going to swallow his tongue.

"Me too! I mean, with you! I do... find you attractive," he paused and then winced, "Unless this is some kind of mean trick, like a country initiation or something." Maggie laughed at him and reached down to pull her shirt off over her head in one smooth movement. She was satisfied when Glenn's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"I'd like to have sex with you, if you're interested, Glenn." He stared at her, his eyes roaming all over her body and then back up to her own steady gaze.

"Really?" He asked, uncertainty and confusion flashing across his face. Maggie nodded and gave him a wry smile. "Glenn, I've been alone here with my family and no friends for over a month, and the world has disappeared around us. But we're both alive and you're cute, so why not?" She pulled her bra off and pried off her boots. She reached one hand out to touch his cheek.

"Now's when you get naked too, so I don't have to be alone here." He nodded and startled to fumble with his clothes, before stepping forward and grabbing her around the hip, pulling her to his chest to kiss her. _A little bravery, a cute butt... I could get used to this_.

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On the ride home, Glenn had a smug grin on his face and Maggie realized she'd have to correct his assumptions pretty quickly. "You can't say anything to anyone about this," she instructed and he nodded at her sadly, before she continued with, "And this was a one-time thing, so don't get too high on yourself." She watched as his expression sagged and felt bad. She knew that she didn't want it to be the one time, that she'd probably want more time with him, but she didn't want to relinquish the control over this situation.

When they arrived back at the farm, she lead him to the stables where they both hopped off the horses. Glenn landed awkwardly and tripped forward a few steps, his bag flying from his hands to land with a thud and spill all over the stable floor.

They both rushed for it at the same time, Glenn trying to push her hands away, saying in a panicked voice, "I got it, it's ok, don't worry about it." Maggie smiled over at him as she picked up a small box that had slid out almost all the way to the stalls and then froze when she saw what the box was, turning back to Glenn with a disbelieving face.

She knew that he was fully aware of what it was, almost immediately. "Glenn," she said, her voice shocked and quiet, "Who is this for?" Glenn swallowed hard, his face a mask of discomfort and her mind flashed to the tense looks and whispered conversations she'd seen him engaging in with Linney.

"Oh my god," Maggie whispered, her eyes widening in worry. "This is for Linney isn't it?" Glenn was turning red and she could tell he was debating something, his expression flickering from fear, to worry, to relief, to guilt, before he seemed to settle on a sort of forced calm. He nodded at her and she gasped.

"Glenn, oh my god, how could she be so stupid?" Maggie breathed in worry. She really liked Linney, but now she had to question the girl's common sense for sleeping with the redneck and obviously not using protection. _She's too young and this is not the world for a baby. Would that guy even stay with her?_ Glenn looked like he might explode and Maggie realized that this was a secret.

"Nobody else knows, do they?" She asked him and he shook his head vehemently. Maggie rubbed her face and looked out the stable doors, back in the direction of the RV. She was fairly certain she knew what a hard, practical girl like Linney might try and do in this situation and she suddenly shot an angry look at Glenn.

"I'm going to talk to her right now, she shouldn't be involving you in her shit," Maggie's voice was angry and she turned on her heel, away from Glenn's guilty and worried face, and marched out from the stable, heading quickly towards the camp. She could hear him trotting after her to stop her, his voice whispering urgently at her to please, please leave it alone. _Not a chance_.


	57. Chapter 57

***** Enjoy people! Some interesting stuff gets going here haha - I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, she's mine! *****

Linney spent her day watching everybody. She didn't feel nosy about it though; after all, she was on watch. She felt safer being armed, and if that meant sitting and roasting under the umbrella on the roof of the RV, then so be it.

She watched Glenn and Maggie ride away and wondered if her friend had any idea how often Maggie was checking him out. _Good for Glenn_, she thought, hoping he wouldn't cling to memories of Amy when he had an opportunity with someone real right in front of him.

Linney felt her eyes narrow as Lori made her way back from the house, heading towards the RV. She liked Lori a lot, but the new issue with the pregnancy test had her worried and irritated. Mostly because Linney knew, without having to do the math, that if Lori was far enough along to be suspicious, then the baby was definitely not Rick's. _Oh god, poor Rick_. Linney stiffened in her chair, leaning forward as if to do or say something when Shane headed towards camp, pausing to intercept Lori.

She reached up to her arm and grabbed a knife, holding it in her fingers by her side. She meant exactly what she had said to Shane before, that his chances were up, next wrong move and he dies, consequences be damned. Lori surprised her by giving Shane a slow smile. Linney watched, feeling like her heart had been rammed into her stomach and was beating wildly there, as Shane asked after Carl and Lori accepted his heartfelt questions. She thanked him, warmly and genuinely, for risking his life to help Carl.

Linney didn't move, not wanting either of them to notice her. Shane moved to walk away and then paused.

"Did you mean it?" He asked her softly and Lori gave him a questioning look, "Mean what?"

"You asked me to stay, told me to stay, did you mean it?" He asked her and Lori looked down at her hands for a moment before nodding. "I did, and I do, not just stay here at camp, but stay as part of the group, as part of Carl's life." Linney realized that Lori must know about Shane's plan to leave and wondered how that came about. _I missed some things while they were here with Carl_.

Shane smiled, his face relieved and happy and he nodded at Lori, before heading away. Linney felt her jaw tighten, irritated with Lori and still pissed at Shane. _How did this Shane thing get more complicated? How can she forgive him?_ She watched Shane walk around the side of the house and thought, _how quickly can I get rid of him?_

As the day progressed, she saw Lori come and go, heard Carol inside the RV, fussing around, saw Dale grapple with setting up a hammock, a tent, and their picnic table. When Linney needed a break, the old man and Andrea helped her down and he took watch for a bit, so she could hobble inside for food and other needs. When it was time for her to get back up on the RV, Andrea had to go find Rick, because she and Dale couldn't lift Linney properly. Rick managed it fairly easily, despite being weakened from donating so much blood.

He sat with her for a bit afterwards and Linney tried not to stare at him while she worried about him and Lori.

"Got something on your mind?" He finally asked her and she grimaced. "That obvious, huh?" He raised an eyebrow and nodded, sitting next to the lawn chair. He patted her boot and gave her an expectant look, but she was distracted by Shane sitting down at the picnic table, Andrea joining him, as he cleaned guns. Linney was silent for a long time, immediately going into a tense, observant state, forgetting about Rick, forgetting about Lori, concerned only for Andrea, and hating Shane.

She kept an eye on them for almost twenty minutes before Dale asked the two of them for help with the wells and they got up from the picnic tables to follow him away.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" Rick finally asked her, his voice low and rumbling. Linney spun to look at him, having nearly forgotten his presence. She licked her lips and then looked away from him.

"Don't tell me nothing is wrong, we both know that I know that something is, and has been, wrong between you two for a long time." She glanced over at him again and decided to tell him something, but not a lot.

"I don't like him, I don't trust him, and I wish he was gone." She finally said, keeping an eye on his face, pleased to see that he was at least unsurprised by her declaration. "I figured as much out on my own," he started, before getting to his feet, "but why?" His voice was firm and she knew that she was going to have to tell him more, that he wasn't letting this go.

"Shane's been... really inappropriate with me, back at the quarry camp, from the day I arrived," Rick nodded and she was a little taken aback. _He already knew, or suspected_. Shaking her head she continued, "The day you left... left Merle," her voice trailed off and Rick swallowed and looked away, closing his eyes for a moment before looking back, "That day, Shane attacked me, it was... very aggressive."

Rick froze and glared at her and she leaned back a little bit in the chair, thinking his anger was with her. "Define attack." He asked flatly, and she swallowed, cradling her sore hand in her lap. "We heard T-Dog on the radio, Amy and I were upset that we weren't sending out a search party to help, I called Shane a coward in front of everyone and he hauled me behind the RV, hurt my arms and my shoulders, pushed me up against the RV... said some terrible things." She stopped, not wanting to tell him anymore and Rick turned away, rubbing a hand over his face. He looked back, his jaw clenched and nodded at her.

"What else?"

"He threatened to kill Daryl on sight, if I said anything."

"That explains the next morning a little better," he commented wryly and she glared at him.

"No, I would've done the same thing, even if you all were wonderful and didn't have a violent predator in your midst." She got to her feet and Rick gave her an exasperated look, waving back at her chair. "You have no balance right now, get your ass back in the chair," he snapped at her and she reluctantly did as he asked.

"Is there anything else?" Rick asked her, his voice tight, watching as she settled in the chair again. She shrugged and Rick dropped to a knee in front of her. "I'm not certain how I'm going to handle this, but it will not be by blaming you, so please don't hide things from me." She looked up into his honest blue eyes and felt her shoulders sag.

"He was in my tent one night when I wasn't, messed it up. He watched me all the time. Things went down at camp the night of the walker attack because Shane had me grounded to my tent after you all left to get Merle." Rick's nostrils flared and he backed away, not certain what to say. "He was going to attack me again that day in the woods, when you walked up." Rick nodded, his back to her.

"He's threatened my life and Daryl's repeatedly, although to be fair, I've done the same to him." She glanced down at her hand. "I broke my fingers hitting him with my gun."

"Really?" Rick's voice was surprised, but not angry. He finally came over and sat down next to her again. "How much does Daryl know?" Linney shook her head, "He knows barely any of it, especially not the day he grabbed me..." She glanced over at Rick, "You know he'd kill him and be done with it."

"Why not let him?" Rick surprised her by asking and Linney shot him a startled look, "Rick... Daryl and I, we don't fit in, at least not as well as the other's, I was afraid to say anything, to do anything, afraid to be kicked out, afraid to leave him here with you guys, put the rest of you at risk." Rick took in a slow deep breath.

"Linney, I'm ashamed of myself, I thought there might have been something wrong, right from the first moment you pulled a knife on Shane, not me, Shane, that morning with Daryl." He turned to her, his brow drawing down, "But I did nothing, and I have no excuse for that." Linney shrugged and flexed her good hand.

"What'll you do now? He just saved Carl's life, he's bonding with Andrea, he and Lori had a chat today about how grateful everyone is to him for Carl." Linney licked her lips nervously and continued, "He is a good protector Rick, he'll protect this group, well mostly, probably not me and Daryl, but everyone else." Rick nodded, getting to his feet, moving to walk away and Linney reached up and grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"Rick, I... I almost prefer you don't say anything to him." Rick's eyes widened and he looked angry at her for the first time. "Linney, he needs to be dealt with, he should've been dealt with, long ago." Linney tried to get to her feet and Rick frowned, pushing her gently back into the chair again. She sighed and looked away, before bringing her eyes to his.

"Honestly, Rick, unless you kill him, talking to him will only result in Daryl or I being killed in our sleep," Rick swallowed and looked away and Linney continued, "I'm just glad I told you some of this, got it off my chest. If you know, I feel safer that nothing else should happen. That we can maybe find a way for me and Dixon to make it through without him going crazy on us, you know?" Rick winced and cleared his throat.

"Linney, I can't just..." She looked up at him seriously, her voice flat and even, "Rick, I'm asking you to help me keep an eye on him, keep him away from us, but not say anything. I am not a fearful person, you know that," he snorted and she smiled a little before continuing, "but if you say anything to him, his very next move will be to kill us, or try to, I guarantee it. I won't put Daryl at risk over that. It's not worth it."

She watched him deliberate, leaving it unsaid that she intended to take care of Shane on her own, one way or another. Also not mentioning Lori's involvement, knowing that was not her information to share. She wanted Rick to know, felt better with him knowing, but didn't want him to put himself at risk by approaching Shane on his own, sure his former friend would have no trouble killing him on the spot, before killing Daryl and herself, and probably others.

Rick nodded and laid a hand on her head for a moment, giving her a pained and regretful look before climbing down off the RV and heading towards the house. _I need to find out what Shane's done lately, with Otis, with Andrea, with Lori, then deal with him, end this myself. _

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As the sun started to set, Linney began to feel very uncomfortable, sore and aching, wishing that everyone would get back so she could excuse herself from watch and take a pain pill, maybe lay down for a little while. She saw movement at the edge of the field and sat up straight, bringing the binoculars up to her eyes.

She smiled when she saw Daryl emerge, happy to see him safe and whole, but then felt a wash of sadness that he was alone. _Sophia, where are you?_ She idly swung the binoculars back to the road, for the dozenth time and smiled again when she saw Glenn and Maggie on horseback, making their way onto the dirt road leading back up to the farm. Linney got to her feet, looking around camp to make sure Rick wasn't around to scold her, and stretched, her back tense and sore. She waved at Maggie and Glenn as they headed towards the stables and they gave her quick nods in greeting.

Linney sat down and looked towards the field again, but Daryl was gone. _Probably back at the house already, reporting to Rick_. She felt a slight dip in the RV and realized someone had just stepped inside. She thought nothing of it until she heard voices inside, and realized it was Daryl, speaking to Carol.

"I cleaned up, wanted it to be nice for her when she gets home." Carol said in her unhappy, shy voice. Linney smiled sadly at the thought and heard Daryl rumble a response she couldn't quite catch. When Carol said, "A flower?" in a surprised tone, Linney smiled again, thinking that it was very out of character for him to bring the grieving mother something as sentimental as flowers. She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the canopy of trees above her, as he explained what a Cherokee Rose was, her smile growing soft as she marveled at the kind of man he was, the way he kept that part of himself hidden away from almost everyone.

"Linney!" She heard Maggie yell her name angrily and looked up to see Maggie charging towards her, weaving around tents and shaking something in her hand. "You want to explain this to me?" Linney squinted at the small box in Maggie's hand and frowned, not sure what could possibly be going on. The other girl hauled herself up the ladder in a hurry and Linney had a second to see Glenn racing towards them, everyone at camp staring up at the scene unfolding on the roof of the RV.

"Why the fuck are you making Glenn get this shit for you? Involving him in your mess?" Linney met Maggie's eyes carefully and raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not really sure what you're talking about," she replied, staying calm.

Glenn climbed up the ladder, too, and rushed to Maggie's side, trying to grab the small box from her hand. "Maggie! Don't! It's not what you think!" Linney glared at them both and struggled to get to her feet. "What the hell is going on?" She demanded, looking from Glenn's panicked face to Maggie's furious one.

"You sending Glenn to get this for you, is what's going on!" Maggie threw the box at Linney and she fumbled to catch it with one hand before getting a look at it. She made a face at the box and then looked back at Maggie in confusion.

"You think this is mine?" She managed to ask, her glance darting over to Glenn, before meeting Maggie's snapping blue eyes. "I know it's yours! Glenn told me! If you needed a pregnancy test, you or your man shoulda got it yourselves!" Linney dropped the box to the roof in surprise and gaped at Glenn.

"You told her the test was for me?" Glenn hung his head, "I'm sorry, she found it and I panicked." Maggie shoved Glenn back and crossed both her arms angrily in front of herself, "Were you too afraid to tell him? Afraid he'd leave you? So you dragged someone else into the mess? If you're pregnant, how do you plan to do this alone? Why would you be so stupid to have sex with someone without protection?" Maggie's questions came at her fast and furious and Linney opened her mouth to respond, trying to wrap her mind around exactly what was happening. _I may have to kill Glenn_.

"_You're pregnant?!_" She looked down to the ground and saw Daryl standing there, his face so tight and angry that she flinched. _I definitely have to kill Glenn now_. She shook her head, staring down at him in horror and then back at Maggie in frustration.

"You're wrong! I'm not fucking pregnant!" Linney yelled and heard murmurs from the campfire that T-Dog and Andrea had just finished getting lit. "Linney, get down here. Now," Daryl demanded, his voice shaking. Maggie reached down and grabbed the box at Linney's feet, hurling it over the edge at Daryl. He caught it in his hands before it hit his head and stared down at the box like it was on fire.

"Here, take this while you're at it! Did you tell her to do this? Did you even -" Maggie began, yelling down at him and Glenn grabbed her. "Maggie! Enough! It's not -"

"Linney! Get! Down! Here!" Daryl yelled and she sighed, preparing to explain yet again that it wasn't hers, but Maggie grabbed her arm and hauled her to the ladder, climbing down and nodding at Glenn to help her down. Linney had her teeth clenched together so hard she thought she might chip a tooth and she glared murderously at Glenn.

"You know you're dead meat, right?" She said to him, under her breath, and he winced. Linney got to the ground and rounded on Maggie.

"How dare you make a huge scene and accuse me of something when you don't even know me!" Linney yelled at the girl, startling her. She turned to walk away and collided with Daryl, who grabbed her good arm and hauled her back to where he'd been standing before. "How could you not tell me you were pregnant!" He said, his voice sharp and furious. Linney wrenched her arm away and pointed a finger at him.

"Look here asshole, I'm not -"

"_You're pregnant?!_" She heard Rick's voice as he came storming across camp and felt like she wanted to just die. Rick joined them, standing next to Daryl, glaring down at her. The sheriff turned to Daryl, his glower deepening. "Were you ever going to tell us?" Rick nearly shouted at him. "You let her go hiking through the woods full of walkers, pregnant?!" Daryl's face tightened into something dangerous and Linney took a small step towards them, hoping to stop this before he punched Rick. _Oh my god, this couldn't be worse if it tried._

Shane walked up then and picked up the box that Daryl had thrown to the ground, a strange look on his face as he read the name on it in the swiftly dwindling light. He looked up at her as if she'd grown horns and muttered, "You're pregnant?" in disbelief. _Fuck a duck_.

He took a step closer to Linney and held the box in the air. "Not being real careful, are you?" He asked, a laugh in his voice. Linney, Daryl, and Rick turned to him at the same time and they all yelled, "Shut up!"

Linney backed away from them and rubbed a hand across her face, moments from losing her cool completely. "I'm going to say this once, and only once, and the next person to say something better be damn sure that it's the right thing to say, or they're getting a knife thrown somewhere tender."

She met their eyes with a vicious glare and snarled, "That box is not for me! I am NOT pregnant!" Daryl seemed to sag in relief and Rick took a deep breath to settle himself. Linney looked over at Maggie who was glaring at Glenn .

"Well, then, who is?" Shane asked. _Oh good, they're all looking at me_.


	58. Chapter 58

***** I realized today that if I continue at my current pace, this story will likely end up with a zillion chapters (or, you know, at least 200). I was momentarily concerned until I realized that the idea actually doesn't bother me. I don't want to rush anything, I love the side stories, the different POVs, the small moments between Linney and Daryl, and I want to keep adding them to the major story lines, like I've been doing so far. I'm hoping that doesn't bug anyone and you all don't mind hanging out with me for that long (I promise to be good company)! As per usual I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

_I'm not pouting, that would be childish, I'm just really angry with everyone and don't want to use my words_. Linney rolled over in bed and glared at the wall of her tent. She could hear the hushed chatting going on around the fire, from the people who were still sitting out there; Andrea, Glenn, Maggie, T-Dog, and Daryl.

She was still sore and stiff, but at least had taken another pill, and was waiting for it to kick in soon, hopefully dragging her down into sleep while it did. After Shane had asked who was pregnant, Linney had to admit to herself that she had behaved like a child. She had crossed her arms in a huff and shoved past Daryl and Rick, heading back inside Hershel's house, leaving Glenn to flounder on his own. _That wasn't nice of me_, she thought, feeling a little guilty.

He had handled it well though, if she went by the soft discussion around the fire later. It seemed that Glenn had said that he saw a spare test kicking around the pharmacy and grabbed it, thinking maybe one day someone might actually need it, and tried to keep it hidden because he didn't want anyone jumping to any conclusions, like they ended up doing tonight.

"I still don't understand," Andrea said outside, a laugh in her voice, "Why on earth you would think blaming it on Linney was a good idea!" Everyone chuckled and Andrea continued, "She's going to rip you a new asshole, my friend."

"I just panicked! Ok? I'm sorry, man, I just panicked," Linney could hear Glenn apologizing, for the hundredth time, to Daryl, who Linney knew was out there, but who hadn't really said anything for most of the night. "Whatever," he grunted in reply, and Linney tensed up, hoping his silence didn't mean he was brooding. _Brooding leads to discussions, and babies aren't high on my list of things he and I should worry about discussing_.

When Daryl was setting up the tent earlier, he had dragged in their cots, sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows, but hadn't set them up. After Linney had stormed off to Hershel's house, she went right to the room she'd spent the night before in and grabbed her backpack and the bottle of pain meds, stuffing them in her pocket, intending to get to the tent, set-up the interior, and go to sleep.

She paused only to look in on Carl, on her way out the door. The little boy was awake, though, chatting tiredly to his mom and Linney hadn't been able to resist stopping in.

"Hey buddy, you look like shit," she said softly, chuckling as she sat carefully on the bed next to him. He had laughed at the use of the swear word and pointed at her. "You don't look so good either." Linney shrugged and smiled at him carelessly, "Nah, I'm good, I'm pretty hard to take down, you know?" His smile in response made her grin until she thought her cheeks might crack. He relaxed against the pillow and looked over at his mom briefly before meeting Linney's eyes, reaching out to pat her knee with one small hand.

"Hershel says I'll be up and around in a few days." Linney nodded, grabbing his hand and pressing a kiss to it as she got to her feet. "You better be, I promised to show you how to throw knives, remember? You better not stand me up." He smiled at her and then yawned hugely.

"Ok, I'm leaving now, go to sleep," she said to him and glanced over at Lori before she left. "Night," she said to the woman and received a tired smile and a nod in response. Linney knew she should be pissed at Lori, but she could hardly even begin to imagine the terror that the other woman was keeping hidden behind her dark eyes. _This is no world for a baby, not now_.

Afterwards, she had whiled away the twilight hours, painstakingly making her bed, one-handedly, and grunting at the ache radiating from her hip. When she was finished, she felt completely wiped out and had removed her weapons, boots and clothing slowly, dumping them on the floor on her side of the bed, and using one of Daryl's clean t-shirts as a night gown. She was unwilling to bother with her own pjs, anything more than a t-shirt seemed far too complicated. But from then, until now, she lay and listened to everyone moving around outside, and then faking sleep when Carol came to check on her.

_That poor woman_, Linney thought, _always mothering someone, when we should be taking care of her_. She lay there, breathing in slowly and carefully when Carol popped her head in the tent and called softly to her, seeing if she wanted dinner.

"She's out like a light," Carol explained quietly to someone and two sets of footsteps crunched away. That was hours ago, though, and now Daryl was opening the tent, having left the campfire, and she kept her back to him, her eyes closed, trying to breathe as if she was sleeping. He moved around the tent quietly as he got ready for bed, and then pulled the blankets back, sliding in carefully next to her. She listened as he settled himself, adjusting the blankets.

"I know ya ain't sleepin'," he murmured, and she cursed softly to herself. _Damn bat ears_. "I'm trying to though, so be quiet," she grouched back, not moving. She was pretty sure she was mad at him, although she wasn't sure why. It wasn't his response to her possibly being pregnant; she knew that she would have reacted worse than him if the roles were reversed.

Hence the reason for the huge box of condoms. _Yeah, condoms we haven't got to use much of_, she groused silently. It occurred to her that being mad at him and keeping her back to him was probably not a good way for them to ever really use the big box though, so she reluctantly turned around to face him.

"Half expected there to be two rooms n' two beds in here tonight," he said in his low voice. Linney shrugged, "That smacks of effort, this is much easier." Her voice was not friendly and she mentally winced at her own obstinacy.

"Gonna be mad at me for long?" He asked, not looking over.

"Yeah, probably," she said, still sulking. He turned to his side, facing her, and she was forced to stare him in the eye. He reached out and carefully ran a finger down the side of her face. "That was pretty embarrassin' for you, I'm guessin'," Linney glared at him in response.

"I was just sitting there minding my own business and then Hurricane Maggie descended on me, and yeah, it was embarrassing."

"So are ya mad at Maggie, then?" He asked hopefully and she struggled to push herself up into a sitting position. "Don't think you're getting out of this," she cautioned him.

Daryl sat up with her and gently picked up her injured hand, holding it as if testing its weight. He sighed and didn't look up, "A'right, get it outta yer system." Linney rolled her eyes and pulled her hand back.

"How could you think for a second that I'd keep something so important from you? Don't you know me better than that? Trust me, if something that shitty ever did happen, you'd hear all about it." He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" She asked, "Why should I have to know it alone? You get to suffer right along with me, pal." His mouth twitched and he nodded.

"K, sorry," he said simply and she felt her eyebrows crinkle. "That's all I get?" He nodded at her and she suddenly laughed, low and breathy.

"I'm going to kill Glenn tomorrow, just so you know," she said lying down on her back. He nodded at her, his face even and still.

"I know ya are," he said easily, and reached out to lift up the sheet lying across her chest. "What's goin' on under there?" He asked, as if inquiring about the weather.

She gave him a prim look in response. "Nothing that concerns you," she said and he looked up, holding her gaze. _I love that even baby talk did nothing to slow this down_, she thought, thinking about her almost constant need for him, _I love that he's so practical; no baby = let's have sex_.

He pulled the blankets back and raised an eyebrow at her wearing his shirt. "Didn' say ya could borrow that," his voice was gravelly, and low, and she gave him a steady look.

"You're welcome to have it back," Linney said, her voice challenging. He moved carefully, mindful of her injuries and pulled it off her, eyeing her bare skin below with narrowed eyes. He paused, looking up at her face again.

"Ya sure this ain't gonna be too much," he gestured at her bandages and she smiled at him, "don't wanna hurt ya." Linney shook her head at him, taking his hand, guiding it down, past her hips, breathing in sharply at the contact. He leaned forward, pressing his face in her neck, kissing along her throat, down to her collarbone, and she squirmed, trying to get him to go faster, but he looked up and shook his head at her.

"Nah, tonight's my turn," he whispered, his voice nearly hoarse, "we do it my way." Linney gasped and felt her body arch into his touch. She managed to say something that sounded like, "Ok."

And it turned out that his way wasn't so bad after all.

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Rick sat in the armchair in Carl's room, next to the bed, staring at his sleeping wife and son. Carl already seemed to have slightly better color, and Lori was curled up on her side next to him, a hand resting on their son's dark hair, as if, even in sleep, she needed to know he was there.

He felt amped up and awake, despite the exhaustion in his bones. The day had been eventful and he needed to mull it over. Time to himself, time to think, was a luxury these days. There was always so much to do and he was glad for the quiet moments, especially now.

He felt terrible for Linney. He felt like a failure as a man, and as a leader, with the knowledge that she'd been suffering under his watch. He tried to tell himself that she should have said something to him earlier, but he knew deep down that wasn't reason enough for his shameful inaction. _You've always suspected, you can't deny that._

Shane. He was hurt, angry, and disappointed that someone he used to be proud to call friend was capable of such behavior. _He was an officer of the law, dammit! He should know better_. Rick rubbed a hand over his face, feeling completely torn. He wanted to confront Shane, force him to admit to what he'd done, to show remorse for it. But he remembered the look on her face when she'd begged him not to, her warnings of what Shane would do ringing true.

_So we just let a predator wander around, force that girl to see him daily?_ Rick argued with himself, trying to come up with different solutions and each one being inadequate. The only real solution was to kill Shane, to prevent him from acting out, from hurting anyone further. Rick sighed quietly and deeply, knowing that he couldn't do that. He owed Shane so much for saving his family, over and over again. Even Linney had pointed out that as a protector, he was useful, good to have around, a strong ally.

_But what kind of ally preys on the weak that way?_ _Are these just the new rules we live with? Ignore some bad things to prevent worse bad things? _He didn't doubt for a second that Linney was capable of taking care of herself, but he knew, and she'd proven, that it only took a second, one slip, and someone could get the upper hand on her.

He thought about how small she was, versus how large Shane was and felt sick. Glancing over at his family, Rick had to leave the room, the negative thoughts carousing through his mind having no place in a room meant for healing. He walked out onto the porch and looked around the dark yard, seeing a couple tents with faint lights inside them. _My people_.

He was doubly hurt that she had withheld this information because she felt that she and Dixon had less worth to the group, that they would be removed immediately, if she dared to complain, or ask for help. He supposed that was his fault. If he had done the right thing, mentioned something to her on any of the many occasions he thought something was wrong, perhaps they could have found another way to remove Shane. He found it hard to believe that the two of them didn't understand their worth, didn't understand how indebted the rest of them were to them for their many acts of selflessness. _No one's told them that_, _though_.

He thought back to the scene at the RV tonight. _God that went badly_. He knew he owed Daryl an apology for thinking things about him that were terrible, for even voicing out loud the notion that he would put Linney in harm's way at her most vulnerable. Dixon was a good man. He knew Daryl was working harder to find Sophia than anyone else, a little girl he had no responsibility to. He hunted for the group, stood watch, helped take care of them, even after what they'd done to his brother. Rick wasn't certain he would have been able to do the same thing in the other man's shoes.

Rick thought about the pregnancy test, having a momentary fond memory of Lori's first test, years ago. He recalled their absolute joy at the little positive sign, their happiness all the way through the pregnancy. He shuddered when he thought about the delivery, how hard that was on Lori's body, how she came close to dying. The thought of any of the women in their group being pregnant, here and now, was nightmarish. No prenatal care, no hospitals, no doctors. Then a baby on top of all that. A baby's cry at the wrong time could be a death knell for the entire group.

He understood why Glenn grabbed the test, what he was probably thinking. But Rick liked to think that none of the current couples in the group were stupid enough to not use protection, although you could never be sure. He and Lori were certainly being careful. Shaking his head, Rick went back inside. He would do as Linney asked with Shane, and also make his apologies to Daryl in the morning. It was all he could do right now.

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Shane lay in his tent, a hand tucked under his head, staring up at the ceiling above him. _Well, tonight was interesting_. He thought back to how angry and cornered Linney had been and was irritated with himself for being a little excited by it. _You're past that now; she means nothing to you now._

Pregnancy. To him, that was the absolute end of their group, the thought of that stupid girl getting knocked up by her redneck boyfriend made him want to laugh. As if the group had the time or energy to take care of and protect any squalling brat of theirs. _Like the world needs another Dixon_.

But in the end it was all apparently a misunderstanding. He recalled Glenn's face, panicked, worried, guilty, as he explained to everyone that he just happened to see a pregnancy test and grabbed it. Shane wasn't certain he bought it, but he couldn't imagine who could possibly be pregnant. Not Linney, she'd made that abundantly clear. Not Andrea, he was fairly certain the woman hadn't knocked boots with anyone in the group. Carol? Possibly, but he doubted it; he didn't think she was able to, just based on a few overheard conversations back at the quarry camp.

Shane slowly sat up in bed. _Lori, sweet jesus_. His mind raced frantically to all the many, many times they'd made love, not once using protection. He didn't know much about how the timing on these things worked, but he remembered a one night stand gone wrong a few years back, the woman had called him about a month later, saying she was pregnant. He'd forced her to have an abortion, obviously, unwilling to have his life ruined by some bar-star tramp, but one month seemed to be a normal timeframe. He tried to keep count of the days in his head and felt fairly certain that it had been a month since she and he had first slept together.

Shane lowered his head into his hands. _Could it be true?_ When he looked up and stared around the dark tent with wide, wild eyes he suddenly felt it was so, felt it in his gut.

_What do I do now?_ Shane lay back down, running both hands along his skull, pressing hard enough to hurt and then suddenly smiled to himself. _I claim what's mine_.

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The next morning came cool and early. Linney shivered a little bit, feeling that her shoulder and back were exposed to the air outside the blanket and she tried to reach for it with her bad hand, hoping to scoop it up onto her naked skin. Daryl's hand moved from the back of her neck and reached down, pulling the blankets up and over her head, before he slid under them as well. The early morning light from outside created a dim, warm space under the blankets, and Linney pressed up against Daryl's side, snuggling her head against his chest.

"Mornin'," he said and she tilted her head up to look up at him. "Morning," she replied, giving him a small smile. He leaned his head down and pressed his lips to her forehead briefly, before lying back again and closing his eyes. Linney knew she should get up, get ready, find Glenn, kill him, maybe grab some breakfast afterwards, but instead she watched Daryl sleeping for a minute or two, trying to be discreet about it.

"Yer doin' it again," he mumbled and she smiled bigger. "Damn, I thought I'd get away with some unadulterated staring for a while," she answered, and he brought a hand up and held her head to his chest. "Not a chance. Sleep now," his voice was groggy and she tried to fall asleep under the weight of his warm hand but couldn't. Linney stretched her arm across his body and rested her wrapped hand carefully on his arm on that side of his body.

"You know," she whispered, trying to be casual, "I can't help but notice that you're completely naked." He peered down at her through one open eye. "Yeah, I am." She stretched a leg across his body as well, hooking it over the edge of his far thigh, pressing herself against him.

"What're ya doin'," he muttered, and she didn't reply, only used the arm and leg slung over his body as leverage to pull herself on top of him, laying on him. She looked down at his face, only inches away, wiggling a little on top of him, and became aware of just how interesting he found this new position of hers.

"All this naked," she began, pressing herself against him, "It's positively indecent." He opened his eyes, narrowing them at her as his hands slipped up and over her back, tracing lightly down her spine, to her bottom, pulling her against himself.

"Indecent?" He asked in a gruff voice, burying his face in the curtain of her hair that had slipped over her shoulder, bracketing his face. She nodded and said, "Someone should really put a stop to it, you're totally out of control." He pulled his face from her hair and kissed her, bringing a hand up to the back of her head, holding her in place.

"I ain't outta control," he growled against her jaw, his breath hot and tickling. Linney smiled and put her good hand to his face, grabbing the hair just above his forehead, lightly tugging his face up to look at hers. She tugged a little harder on his hair before she bent her head to kiss him again, a little more aggressively this time. "Then we have some work to do." His wolfish smile in response made her laugh and they went right to work.

_The rest of the day can wait_.

***** So I don't know about you guys, but I was always pretty certain that Judith was Shane's, that's pretty much the assumption I'm going with here. *****


	59. Chapter 59

***** You guys and your reviews are awesome - just want to put that out there! I appreciate every last one of them :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"Glenn!" Linney shouted his name and saw him flinch before turning to look at her, his face awash in guilt. "Oh, hi Lin, how's it going?" He responded as she marched up to him. She made an exasperated face at him and clamped a hand down on his arm. "Come right this way with me, please," she instructed, hauling him away from camp, towards the fence separating the driveway from the fields.

"Look, I'm really, really, really sor - " he started and she spun to him, holding a hand in the air to signal him to stop. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes for a moment.

"I'm pissed," she said calmly, "But, before we get into just how pissed I am, I need to ask about Lori." Glenn closed his eyes for a moment, before nodding, "I got it to her, don't worry." Linney pressed her lips together then looked at him curiously.

"Did she take it? Did she say anything?" Glenn shook his head and Linney scratched her nose. She turned and paced away before walking back to him. "You realize what problems you could have caused me, right?" She finally said, her voice firm and low. Glenn nodded miserably.

"I feel so bad Lin, I don't know what I was thinking, except that blaming you would be easier to clear up with Maggie because you were already in on the whole Lori thing, that you'd help me find a way to cover up." He pulled his cap off his head and ran a hand through his hair and Linney rolled her eyes and looked away. "Next time," she began, not looking at him, "You say nothing, nothing at all."

Glenn surprised her by saying, "She figured it out, Maggie's the one who guessed it before I said anything! I don't know why she thought it was yours first, but she jumped to that conclusion, I just went along with it because it seemed like the best choice at the time!"

"So, next time tell her she's wrong and to mind her own fucking business! What do you owe her? You just met her! Why did you feel obligated to tell her anything?" Linney shouted at him and then stopped, watching the range of emotions on his face, the guilty look he gave her out of the side of his eyes. _I know that look_, she thought, realization dawning on her.

"Oh my god, Glenn, you dog!" She slapped his arm good naturedly and he smiled shyly at her. "Holy shit, you work quick, man! How long've you known her? Like a day?" Glenn shrugged and then nodded, and Linney darted forward, her good hand reaching up and latching onto his ear like he was a misbehaving child, pinching it.

"I'm glad you got laid Glenn, but if you ever pull some stupid shit like that again just because some girl put out for you, I'll beat you black and blue." Her voice was a low, dark, hiss and even she was surprised at the venom she'd managed to inject into it.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," he whined, nodding at her, "Ok, ok! I get it!" Linney glared at him, put energy behind it to make it scary and then released his ear. She folded her arms across her chest and held the angry look and Glenn comforted his ear.

"I'm your friend Glenn, and bottom line, it's not cool to sell your friends out for a chick." Glenn looked at her and then chuckled. She couldn't keep her glare on her face and soon they were both laughing, nearly hysterically, at the notion of this kind of conversation having relevance in the world that they lived in. When they calmed down, they both leaned back against the fence, staring back at the large farmhouse and their camp in the trees.

"Lin," Glenn began, "You still owe me a Shane explanation, remember?" Linney turned her head to look at him, her face suddenly worried. She thought about her conversation with Rick the day before and wondered if it was wise to spread this information around any further.

"I don't know Glenn, it's not something I really want to talk about anymore. Shane and Andrea aren't leaving anymore, and I already brought my concerns to Rick, and he and I have worked out how we're going to handle this..." Her voice trailed off, watching her friend's face draw into an unfamiliar expression: anger.

"Linney," he said in a tight voice, standing up straight, "I don't know why you think I'm so stupid, but I'm not. I know something weird is going on with him, I saw the way he used to look at you, and Amy used to be really worried about you and him." Linney cleared her throat and looked away, staring out at the tree line at the other end of the field.

"Something weird is going on with him, but it's not something we can talk about, because I think he's dangerous." Linney finally said and Glenn snorted before shoving her shoulder, "Linney! Come on, really?"

"Glenn, look, I really want to trust you, but this is important, more than you realize, and I'm not dragging anyone else into this particular shit-show, if I can help it. We all have enough to worry about: Sophia, Carl, where we're going to live, walkers..." She trailed off and took a deep breath, risking a glance over at him; his face was concerned and she felt terrible for involving him in anything. He took a step closer and surprised her by gathering her up in a brief hug.

"I don't know why you feel like you have to do everything on your own." He said. She pulled away and looked up at him, twisting her mouth to one side in thought.

"Because, I don't want anyone else to have to suffer because of me," she finally replied and he made a frustrated face before finally nodding.

"Well, I'm here for you."

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"So, I guess I'm sayin' I'm sorry," Rick finally said, watching Daryl's impassive face for any sign that he was forgiven. The man only nodded curtly and turned away.

"Wait," Rick said, and Daryl paused before looking back at him, his expression irritated. "What? What the hell do ya want from me? A hug?" Rick winced internally, knowing he deserved that.

"I just wanted to let you know how much we, I, appreciate you. How much we owe you and Linney for everything you've done for this group, without being asked to, without being obligated to." Daryl's features slid back into hard impassivity and Rick gestured at him with one hand, "Don't think anyone's taken the time to say that to you, and I'm sorry for that too."

"Linney tell ya to say that?" Daryl finally asked, after a moment of glaring at Rick. He shook his head in reply, "No, but she made me realize that you two don't feel like ya fit in here, that you don't belong." Daryl raised an eyebrow at him, making a face.

"I don't care 'bout that shit," Daryl looked away, rubbing a hand across his mouth before waving it in the direction of the camp, "But, I guess I can see how she might." Rick decided to risk something then, wanting to let Dixon know that he was on their side.

"She mentioned her concerns about Shane," Rick said, his voice low and even. Daryl's gaze shot back to his, dark and hawk like. "What exactly did she say?" He demanded, his gravelly voice expecting an immediate response.

"That he's unstable, that she worries about your safety and hers, that he's not what he appears to be." Rick explained, trying to be diplomatic, and not spill more than she would have wanted him to. Daryl nodded thoughtfully, his expression still drawn and hard.

"Shoulda killed that bastard when I had the chance," Daryl grumbled and Rick shrugged. "For now, she seems to think he's better off being around to protect the group, an extra gun, an extra body," Rick explained, "And I agree with her, for now. I just wanted you to know I'm aware, I'm involved, and I'm keepin' my eye on him."

Daryl advanced on him a step, "Ya'll are better off keepin' an eye on your son, your own business, let me take care of mine." Rick pressed his lips together and spread his hands in front of him. "I just want you to know I've got your back, and hers." Daryl sneered in contempt and turned to walk away, "Don't need that, nothin' more is happenin' to 'er, n' I'll deal with that asshole when the time comes."

Rick watched as the man made his way across the yard, heading towards the RV, where Linney was sitting with a rifle across her lap. _One of them pulls me in, the other pushes me away_.

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Linney watched Daryl make his way from Rick to her, noting his shoulders seemed tense and his expression even more so. She kept her features even and kept her eyes searching around the fields, back to the road, ignoring him until he began to climb the side of the RV.

"Goin' out to look for the girl again," he said by way of greeting, standing in front of her. She peered up at him, his face cast in shadow with the sun right behind him. Linney nodded and gave him a small smile. He made a face at her but managed a small smile in return.

"Get down to my level, I'm getting a crick in my neck," she said, waving him down. He knelt down in front of her and glared at her. "What?" He asked and she smirked at him. "Have a nice talk with Rick? Are you guys best buds now?" She teased him and he said nothing, just watched her face steadily.

"What?" She demanded and he snorted. "Seems ya told the sheriff about yer concerns, but I know ya'll are keepin' things from me." Linney blinked at him, wondering how much Rick had told him. She looked away, down at the camp, watching T-Dog stack firewood by the fire pit. Daryl turned her face back to him and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Got anythin' to say to me?" He asked, his voice hard and terse. Linney shook her head.

"I just told him we were concerned that Shane was a possible threat to us, that I was worried about it. Rick agreed to keep an eye on the situation." She explained, knowing it sounded weak. Daryl growled under his breath and she saw his face was angry.

"I know yer keepin' something from me!" He finally burst out and she said nothing, frustrating him more. He got to his feet and headed back to the ladder, pausing at the edge for a moment and then storming back to her, kneeling in front of her again and grabbing her shoulders.

"He did something, right? Ya won't tell me cause ya think I'll lose my shit, am I right?" His voice was insistent and Linney nodded, shrugging his hands off her shoulders. "It's nothing to worry about, it's past and it's over, and it's under control now." His face twisted in momentary anger and he put a hand over his eyes, squeezing his temples.

"Jus' tell me," he said, his gaze returning to hers and pinning her to the chair with its intensity, "What was all that shit ya told me last night, 'bout you not keepin' important things from me? N' you been doin' it all along!" She shook her head at him, "No! It's not like that, it's not important to you, it benefits you in no way, it's fine now, I don't want you gettin' hurt when I can handle it!" He leaned back from her, his face going still.

"You ain't tellin' me cause you're afraid I'll get hurt?" He sounded disbelieving and Linney pressed her lips together before nodding. "That ain't yer job," he said glaring at her, "'S my job to protect you, not the other way 'round." Linney glared back, "Like hell it is!"

He was surprised by her outburst and she got to her feet, pacing away from him, before spinning back and pointing an angry finger at him. "Someone's gotta have your back, dumbass." He closed his eyes and sighed and then finally shrugged.

"Don't need ya to watch my back, but I'm keepin' an eye on yers, and he ain't gettin' away with nothin'. I will kill him if he does anythin', whether or not you n' Officer Friendly wanna keep him 'round as an extra shot." Linney rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him.

"So if I understand this correctly, you've got my back, even if I don't want you worrying about me. I've got yours, even though you don't want me worrying about you. Rick's got us both, even though we both really only want him to watch out for himself. And all three of us will kill Shane if he does anything else. Did I get that right?" Daryl nodded slowly and she started to laugh.

"Well, at least everyone's covered, right?" She laughed harder and walked over to him, wrapping her arms carefully around him, hugging him even though he was tense and unyielding. "Go find Sophia, I'll stay here and hold down the fort, and later on we can discuss just how much I like it when you get in a snit." He pushed her away and made an irritated face at her, before quickly bending down and brushing his lips against her cheekbone. She watched him climb down and walk away and then went back to her chair, scanning the horizon with the binoculars.

_Two steps forward and five steps back, every time_.

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Dale appeared an hour later and waved Linney down off the RV. "Hershel wants to change your bandages, I'll cover you." Linney nodded and put the rifle down on the roof before slowly and carefully climbing down off the RV, refusing assistance. When she reached the bottom she nodded at Dale and made her way up to the house, finding Hershel in the dining room.

"Take a seat there, please," he said pointing to the chair opposite himself, the table top covered in an array of first aid gear. "I'm just going to see how everything is healing up, and get you some clean bandages." He explained, reaching towards her head. Linney flinched back, not expecting him to reach for her face.

"Sorry," she said, blushing red at his startled expression, "I keep forgetting about that one on my forehead." He nodded kindly at her and pulled the bandage off carefully. She looked out the window behind him, a clear view of her camp visible from this angle.

She saw Carol and Andrea hanging up laundry, while T-Dog and Glenn set up Lori and Rick's tent for them. Dale was sitting on the RV roof, chatting easily with Maggie, who had stopped by to visit them. She knew that Rick and Shane had each gone out in different directions from Daryl, in the continuing search for Sophia.

Everything seemed so safe, and happy, and hopeful. Linney felt an ache in her chest and looked back up at Hershel's face as he dabbed something around the cut on her forehead.

"This is healing up nicely," he replied in soft drawl, and she nodded. "You'll have a bit of a scar though, I'm afraid." Linney shrugged and watched the man's face as he worked on removing the bandage on her upper arm.

"Are you going to let us stay here?" She blurted out, her curiosity overcoming her sense. He raised his white eyebrows and dabbed at the stitches on her arm. "You're here now," he replied gently, turning to the table to pick up some clean gauze. Linney watched his face. "That's not what I asked."

Hershel sighed, patting tape down over the bandage, before he met her eyes. "I already told Rick, I don't want you people thinking this is permanent, once you find this girl and the boy, and you, are fit to travel, I expect you'll move on - we need to be clear on that." Linney felt her features tighten and looked away.

"That's crap," she said softly. Hershel didn't look at her, only gestured at her to stand up. "Pull down this side of the pants please," he instructed, pointing at her injured hip. Linney pulled down the side of the capris, lifting the edge carefully over the bandage there. He peeled it off and peered at the wound.

"This is also healing better than I expected," he finally said, beginning to gently clean the area. Linney said nothing, just kept looking out the window at her group. She managed to keep her mouth shut, letting Hershel finish with her hip, putting on another bandage. "Up on the table if you can," he said and she awkwardly sat herself up, leaning on her good hip. Hershel moved around to push up the leg on the capris, to get at the bandage on her calf.

"Your body wants to be well, Linney," Hershel said, while cleaning the injury and she grunted in response.

"You don't understand," she finally said in a quiet voice, "You don't know what it's like out there." He glanced up at her and then back down to her leg. He didn't say anything and she pressed forward.

"Don't you see? We're just going to be decimated out there, our numbers will dwindle one by one until we're all dead. We can't survive out there, it's not a world meant for small groups, we need numbers, and a safe place to live." Hershel said nothing and helped her slide off the table and sit in the chair again. He lifted her injured arm up, to check the bandage in her armpit.

"Hershel, I'm begging you, if you knew what it was like, you wouldn't ask us to leave, send us away to our certain, inevitable deaths." The old man sighed and pulled her arm back down. He looked at her steadily.

"Your people are not my responsibility." Linney glared at him. "There are barely any people left in the world, and the ones that are here are doomed to die painfully, screaming." She got to her feet and walked away a couple steps. She swung her hand in his direction in frustration, "You strike me as spiritual man, how could you send us out into that world, when you have so much here? How is that merciful or kind?" He glared at her then.

"Don't call my religion into this, I have to think of my family -"

"And I have to think about _mine_!" She yelled at him, before rubbing a hand down her face. "You have to think about it, please! Please!" She begged him, and realized she was close to tears. Linney angrily swiped at her eyes and clenched her teeth, "Please Hershel, think about it, we can help with things around here, help with food and gathering supplies, offer protection - " He held a hand up and sagged in his chair, closing his eyes against her onslaught of words. He finally spoke, slowly and carefully.

"There are aspects to this that I can't and won't discuss," he began and Linney said nothing, waiting to see what he would say, "But if you and your people respect my rules, no promises, but I will consider it."

Linney smiled at him, "Really?" Her voice sounded so different from the one filled with strangled desperation a moment ago that the old man looked up at her and smiled, he nodded slowly and she impulsively leaned towards him and gave him a quick hug.

"That's all I ask."


	60. Chapter 60

*****Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

That evening, Linney sat awkwardly next to the fire pit trying to light the fire for the night, determined to be helpful around camp, besides just standing watch. She didn't see what good her being on watch was doing anyways since they weren't setting up a night watch. She was torn about that decision. On the one hand, it was nice to sleep the whole night through, and it was nice to wake up next to Daryl in the morning, like they had this morning. _On the other hand, I don't fancy being eaten alive in the night. _

She finally got the kindling to take and smiled at the small fire, feeding it quickly to make the flames grow. She managed to get herself to her feet and hobbled over to the picnic table, where Carol and Glenn were working on dinner.

"Do you guys need a hand?" She asked, watching while Carol dumped a can of potatoes into a frying pan. Carol glanced over at her and smiled, "No thanks, we're getting along pretty well, I like cooking, always have. It's distracting, gives me something to do." Linney smiled at her, not sure what to say.

Carol must have seen by her face that Linney was feeling useless, so she added, "Next laundry day, I could definitely use your help, Andrea pretty much refuses to do it anymore and Lori might be tied up with Carl." Linney nodded, thinking she really didn't want to do laundry, and made her way back to her tent, considering laying down, just to rest her hip. She didn't want to say anything to Daryl, but she was fairly certain she'd made it more sore by fooling around with him. _Hershel never said it looked like I was overdoing it_, she thought to herself, then shook her head. _Hershel didn't know what you were getting up to, though._

She removed her boots and lay back on the bed, her legs hanging over the sides and she must have fallen asleep because the next thing she realized someone was standing over her, shaking her leg gently. She flinched a moment and then realized it was Daryl.

"Sorry," he mumbled, pulling his sleeveless shirt off over his head. She sat up and watched him in the dim light of the fading day and he smirked at her over his bare shoulder. "Don't get any ideas, it's just 'bout dinner time n' I'm starvin'." Linney got to her feet and walked up behind him, pressing her face against his bare back and hugging him.

"Mmm..." she mumbled, pressing her nose into his skin, "You don't smell like crap, did you take a shower?" She could feel his quiet laugh rumbling through his back and he unhooked her arms, pushing her away, "Yeah, Maggie said we should feel free to use that one downstairs whenever we need to." Linney nodded and watched him slide on a clean long-sleeved shirt. He stepped towards the door and put his shoes on, gesturing at her.

"C'mon, I'm hungry, get yer ass out here," he grumbled impatiently and she followed him outside, glaring. When she had her boots on, he stood next to the tent, waiting for her to zip the door closed. "No Sophia," his said in a low voice, and Linney felt the familiar ripple of sadness running through her. She glanced back to the RV and saw the light in the back bedroom was turned off. _Poor Carol_. Linney looked back up at Daryl and he was also watching the RV, his face strained and tired.

"I'm sorry, Dixon," she said softly, reaching a hand out to touch his arm. He looked down at her and she saw a muscle in his jaw tic. "Me too."

Dinner was a quiet, but fairly comfortable, affair. Lori refused to leave Carl's side, and although he was doing much better, he couldn't be moving around much, so she kept him company. Linney sat in a lawn chair, Daryl on the ground at her feet, and ate dinner, surrounded by the rest of the group, around the fire. _This would be perfect if Shane was gone_.

He sat quietly on the other side of the fire, not talking to anyone. Eating his food like it was his job. She wondered briefly if he was as disappointed about Sophia as everyone else seemed to be, but decided he was probably just lost in some twisted, crazy fantasy. When he was done, he got to his feet, dropped his plates in the washing tub and went to his tent.

"No, no, don't bother helping wash up, let me," Andrea mumbled sarcastically and Linney smirked. She got to her feet to wash the dinner dishes with Andrea and they were silent the entire time. Linney could feel the strained atmosphere between them and wasn't sure what to think. For Amy's sake, she desperately wanted to like Andrea, for them to get along, but the woman was just so cold, so remote, and so... _close to Shane, admit it, that bugs you_.

They spent hours around the fire that night, chatting about nothing important, but Linney enjoyed the home-y feel to the activity. Everyone was more relaxed, more at ease, than they'd ever been at the camp above the quarry. _This farm is good for them, good for all of us_. She could see Rick pause every now and then, taking in the fire lit faces around him and she knew he was thinking the same thing. All Linney could do was pray that Hershel would let them stay, let them stay like this; safe, content, at ease.

Later in bed, as she lay on her side, curled up against the side of Daryl's body, her head resting on his chest, listening to him breath in sleep, she idly wondered what might happen if Hershel said no, and anyone in her group decided not to listen to him.

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"You know, I'm just like my dad now," Carl said, lifting his arm carefully into the shirt Linney was helping him put on.

"How so?" She asked, easing the other sleeve around his back so he could slip his other arm into it. He slid his arm through the cotton material and reached up to start buttoning it. "He got shot and almost died, and now I did too." Linney smiled at him, but felt her insides quake at the ease he used to speak about his accident.

"Ready?" She asked him, holding her arms out to him, and he nodded, an excited smile on his face. Linney had come in to sit with Carl, just as Hershel was packing up to leave and the vet had smiled at her, before glancing back at Carl.

"The boy is ready to go outside today, and the fresh air will do him some good," he said, and Linney could feel a smile pulling at the sides of her mouth. Hershel leaned down to her level and said in a low voice, "He wants to surprise his mother, go outside and walk over to her." Linney raised an eyebrow at him and peeked past him to Carl, who was sitting up impatiently in bed.

"Is that a good idea? Won't it hurt him?" Hershel put a comforting hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"No, he's ready, and physically he's stable," he explained and then patted her shoulder before walking away. So Linney went in and helped him get dressed. Now, as Carl gripped both her hands tightly and eased himself to his feet, she felt her resolve waver, terrified that she might hurt him. When his feet found the floor, he was weak, but fairly steady and she wrapped an arm across his back and under his shoulder, letting him lean on her and they made their way outside.

"Wait!" He cried and she froze, her face twisting in anxiety. "What? What is it? What hurts?" She questioned him in absolute panic, and he turned a smiling face up to her. "My hat! Can you get it for me?" Linney sagged in relief and chuckled weakly, "Yes, but first let's get you to the couch." He nodded and they moved to a small sofa in the living room where she eased him down onto the cushions, before going back into the bedroom and retrieving his sheriff's hat, the one that used to belong to Rick.

As they made their way outside, Linney could see Lori and Carol hanging the laundry and silently said thanks again that Lori had offered to do it, if Linney didn't mind sitting with Carl for a bit. Carol looked up to see them and both Carl and Linney put a finger to their lips, indicating they wanted her to be quiet. She smothered a smile and looked down at the basket of laundry.

They made their way over to Lori and when they were just a few feet away, Carl cleared his throat. Lori spun around like he'd called her name, and her face went slack in surprise. "Carl?" Her eyes darted up to Linney and she had a questioning look in them; Linney waved a hand back at the house.

"Hershel said he was ready to come out for a walk, that he needed it actually." Lori nodded and smiled at her son, not bothering to hide the tears slipping down her face. Linney eased him down onto the picnic table and stepped back, her mind flashing briefly on the image of Lori's absolute despair during the early days of his recovery. _God, that must've been a week ago now_. She felt a little stunned that so much time had gone by. Waving at Carl and Lori, Linney headed over to the RV, climbing up to sit with Andrea for a bit.

The woman had pushed and pushed over the past few days, until she was given the ok to sit on watch as well, and Linney was frankly grateful, having grown bored with the dull position pretty quickly. Andrea just seemed eager to do some work that was not domestic in anyway. She sat silently next to the blonde woman and looked around, leaning back on her hands to bask in the sun for a moment or two. Her wounds were well on their way to healing now, and although still bandaged, they didn't seem to hurt her range of motion very much.

"Anything new and exciting?" Linney finally asked and Andrea snorted, "Nope, not unless you count Glenn and Maggie sneaking off to the stables a couple times a day exciting." Linney laughed and so did Andrea.

"Go Glenn," Linney muttered, thinking about how nice it would be to do that with Daryl a couple times a day. She sighed, knowing that would mean pulling him away from the search for Sophia. Carol seemed to have given up hope at this point, and even Linney was starting to feel more and more like they were looking for the little girl's body, although she never mentioned that to Daryl. _She's been gone over a week, that's too long for a 12 year old, especially one as young and fragile as Sophia was._

Rick also seemed to have thrown himself into the task of finding the girl, treating it with military precision. Every morning, they'd all wake up and strategize over the big map they had broken into grids, and then they would go off to search. Today Shane, Rick, and Daryl were out, each on their own. Linney tried to get over the feeling of fear she had for Daryl each time he went alone, and at least managed to keep it from him, but she worried all the same, driving herself crazy all day.

"Hey, Linney!" She turned down and saw Carl sitting at the table, with Glenn and Maggie standing around him. Carl had his face turned up to her and was sporting a big smile. "Can you come show Maggie some of the stuff you can do with your knives?" Maggie grinned up at her, both hands on her hips, "I hear you got some mad skills I gotta see to believe?" Her voice was teasing and Linney laughed.

She glanced over at Andrea before she left and was surprised when the blonde gave her a smile, waving her hands in a shooing gesture, "Go, go, your adoring fans await." Linney laughed again and climbed down, walking over to them quickly. "I'm not tossing them in camp, it's too dangerous." She explained to them, and they nodded. Maggie pointed over at the trees near the stable. "Let's go over there." They helped Carl up and Lori willingly, though worriedly, let them go.

Linney watched as Glenn lined stuff up along the fence at the edge of the trees. She stood back and looked over at them. "Ok buddy, what's first?" Carl pointed at a small cardboard box, with four numbers along the side. "Hit the top loop of the eight!" He cried, clearly excited, and Linney laughed, before pulling a knife from her arm. She glanced over her shoulder at them and narrowed her eyes.

"It's been a week, I might be rusty!" She warned them and Maggie rolled her eyes. Linney smirked at them and turned back to the fence, eyeing up the box, and then hurling the knife. It plunged into the cardboard, and buried itself up to the hilt, right in the centre of the top loop of the eight, as Carl had requested. Maggie clapped her hands and immediately asked her to hit certain points along the fence.

They were all laughing as she threw for them, aiming for smaller and more ridiculous targets each time. It felt like actually having fun, carefree, and normal; just hanging out with friends. Eventually Linney was giving Maggie some pointers, letting her try a couple knives of her own, and patiently explaining what she was doing wrong and how to fix her grip, her throw, her posture, her breathing. Maggie paused after one of her knives actually managed to hit the fence.

"You actually taught me!" Maggie cried in pleasure and Linney smiled, going to retrieve her knives and tucking them away. "Just don't go throwing them at anything besides a post until you get better," she cautioned and Glenn laughed, "Better yet, don't throw them until Linney says you can!"

Maggie shoved his shoulder, and then she and Glenn got Carl to his feet, helping him back inside the house. Linney stood and watched them go and looked over towards the camp, glad to see Rick had returned. She saw Shane sitting against the picnic table and pursed her lips, wondering what was taking Daryl so long to get back today.

She started to trudge to camp, taking the long way through the fields, when she heard a rustle to her left. She turned, startled, to see someone emerge from the tree line. Someone limping, swinging a dangling arm and covered in mud and blood. When the person greeted her with a nod, she realized in horror that it was Daryl.

She started to run for him, crying out, "What happened? What the fuck happened?" She heard shouts from camp and paused, turning back to see Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Glenn charging out towards her.

Daryl paused a few feet away and she moved to step closer to him, wanting to get him inside immediately. That was when the shot rang out from behind her and Daryl spun backwards, blood spraying from his head, collapsing in a heap on the ground.

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Rick raced across the field, hoping that Andrea would just _listen_ for once and let them take care of the threat silently, without a shot needing to be fired. He nearly stopped to walk when he realized that Linney was approaching the walker. _She's got this_, he thought in relief. But they still charged forward, mostly because they were all upset that their safe haven, their idyllic spot, was being breached by one of the creatures they were so desperate to escape, and they had to see it well and truly dead.

As the four of them got closer, he noticed that Linney had stopped and was no longer charging towards the walker. When he heard the gun shot, and saw Linney scream and drop to her knees next to the walker, he thought for a moment that Andrea had missed and shot Linney by accident.

They were fifteen feet away when he saw the sprawled figure on the ground, crossbow laying in the grass next to it. Linney was hysterically crying things out in a voice garbled with fear and horror, as she bent over him, her hands moving over his face, trying to staunch the flow of blood with her hands. _Daryl._ They waved their arms and screamed to make Andrea halt, suddenly terrified that she might try to shoot again and kill one of them.

Rick skidded to a halt next to Linney, grabbing her shoulders roughly to pull her away, and she whirled around blindly and punched him in the jaw so hard he saw spots. She frantically ripped off the bottom half of her shirt and held it to Daryl's head, pressing it over his temple. Glenn dropped down on the other side of the prone man and Rick tried to make sense of what Linney was saying to her friend.

"He's not dead! He's not dead!" She was crying out, over and over again, before reaching out and pulling at Glenn's t-shirt. "Give me your damn shirt!" Glenn pulled it off in a hurry and she tore it into strips, immediately wrapping them over the small pad she made out of the piece of her own top, tying it firmly to his head. Rick could hear Andrea running towards them, yelling in horror at what she now realized she'd done, and he spun to Shane.

"Stop her, keep her away, Linney might..." He said in a frantic aside and Shane nodded once, his face a hard mask, and he turned to hold Andrea back.

"Rick! Rick, he's been hurt, look at..." Linney gestured at Daryl's abdomen and face, where various other bloody wounds lingered and he nodded at the girl, trying to keep his face calm. "Let's get him inside, now Linney, now, back off and let us get him inside." Linney got to her feet and stumbled back, tripping over the crossbow and falling to the ground.

"T, help me," Rick said in a low, urgent voice, and they bent to grab Daryl, hoisting him up in between them. Rick heard the man groan, and hoped that was a good sign, that he was aware enough to feel pain. He glanced up and saw Shane grappling with a hysterical Andrea, Dale at her side trying to calm her. Glenn helped Linney to her feet, as she clutched the crossbow in one hand.

Andrea was yelling at them, "Is he dead? Is he dead?" and Rick shook his head, hurrying them past her, "No, just unconscious, keep away." Glenn had an arm around Linney's shoulder's urging her to keep up with them, and Rick was pleased to see that the younger man was trying to steer Linney away from Andrea, keeping her arms clutched to the crossbow, not able to reach for a knife.

T-Dog shot Rick a glance over Daryl's hanging head between them and muttered, "But look at him, what the hell happened to him? He's wearing ears for christ sake." Rick glanced down and saw it was true. He looked forward and could see a crowd coming from the farmhouse. Rick reached over and ripped the ears off, stuffing them inside his shirt. He glanced over at T-Dog again, a warning in his eyes.

"Let's keep that to ourselves, ok?" T-Dog nodded once, firmly, and in understanding, then they heard Shane holler at them from back where they'd left him, Andrea, and Dale, and they all paused to look back.

"Guys! Isn't this Sophia's?" Shane was holding a grimy and dirty doll in his hands, something that had obviously fallen when Daryl was shot. Linney made a low groaning sound, horrified at the sight and then she jerked away from Glenn and ran up to Rick.

"Worry about it later! Get him inside now! Now!" She yelled at him, her face pale, covered in smears of Daryl's blood, and twisted in a kind of fear that Rick instantly recognized.

Someone she loved was in danger, and he hurried forward, knowing exactly what that felt like. _After what we did to Merle, please god please, don't let Andrea have killed Daryl, too._


	61. Chapter 61

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney surprised Rick, following them into the house and staying out of the way. Hershel only had to tell her once to sit in the armchair in the room they carried Daryl into, and stay out of the way, and she did. She watched everything and he briefly worried she was in shock. Once Hershel was working on cleaning the injured man up and getting their medical supplies ready, Rick realized by her tight posture that she was alert, tense, on guard.

He stepped away from the bed and crouched next to her, carefully putting a hand on her arm.

"I'm not leaving the room," she said immediately, in a hard voice. Rick nodded at her and patted her arm, "I know, and I wouldn't ask you to, I just want to make sure you're ok." Linney glanced over at him quickly, her expression startlingly hard and emotionless, as if she couldn't care less about what he thought.

What he didn't expect was for Daryl to come to so quickly, waking up and grunting at Hershel's gentle work over the wound on his side. His eyes moved around and landed on Linney's tight, tense form, sitting in the chair across the room. "I'm fine," he rasped at her and she didn't say anything, just kept her jaw locked tightly. Rick glanced at her and then sat carefully on the side of the bed and nodded at Daryl.

"That was a close call," he said to Daryl and the other man nodded. "Didn't think I'd make it out from the shit day I had, jus' to be shot by my own damn people." Rick nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. His thoughts for Andrea were not charitable at the moment.

They had specifically told her not to shoot, and she didn't listen and almost killed one of their most valuable members. Only her being a bad shot had saved Daryl. Rick looked back at Linney and saw her watching Hershel's every move, her hands gripping the arms of her chair so tightly that her fingertips were turning white.

"We found the doll," Rick offered, and Daryl looked up at him, nodding slightly, wincing before he spoke. "Found it in a creek bed, she must have dropped it and it washed up there." Rick rubbed his face and smiled grimly at the man, "Well, that cuts the search grid almost in half, finding this piece of evidence."

"Yeah, you're welcome," Daryl grunted and Rick had to laugh a little. Rick glanced over at Hershel, who was starting the sutures on Daryl's temple.

"How's it looking?" He asked the older man, and Hershel raised an eyebrow before shaking his head a little. "I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly, nor the surgical gear."

Rick swallowed, knowing this was not a point in their favor. Hershel was too much of a caregiver not to provide medical attention where needed, but Rick could tell that at the rate they kept being injured, Hershel would soon stop considering letting them stay at all. He glanced quickly back Linney and thought, _not sure how many people wanna stay in this group anymore._

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Linney sat in her chair, her fear for Daryl long since passed. She watched Hershel apply the final bandage and then step to the ewer at the bottom of the bed, washing his hands. He dried them off and then looked down to Daryl, before turning his gaze to Linney.

"It's a wonder you people have managed to survive this long," he said in a low, almost regretful voice. Linney finally got to her feet and nodded at the man. "I agree with you." She saw Rick move, knowing he was looking at her and wondering what was going on inside her head. Hershel left the room and Linney stood by the chair and pointed at the door.

"Please leave," she said to Rick and then man climbed to his feet and left without a word. When the door shut, she finally turned back to Daryl. He was clearly in pain and she tightened her jaw, trying not to take her frustration out on him.

"What happened today?" She asked him and he shrugged, looking down at the bed spread. She moved towards him, helping arrange pillows so he could lay down more comfortably. She sat on the bed and reached out to put her hand lightly on top of his.

"Tell me what happened today," she insisted and he cleared his throat. "Fell down a damn embankment, got the arrow stuck in me, tried to climb up n' fell again, killed a couple walkers, made it back and then got shot by Andrea." Linney took in a tense breath and got to her feet. He reached his hand out to her, trying to stop her.

"Hey, Linney, it was an accident, she prob'ly feels like shit right now," Daryl said, his voice a grumble and she shot him an irritated look. "Do you think I'm stupid? I know that!" She stomped to the door, "Do you honestly think I'd go deck her over an accident? I'm not a complete asshole! Do you really think that little of me?" Daryl peered at her over his shoulder and then closed his eyes.

"Daryl, just..." her voice trailed off and she ran over to his side and leaned down close to his face. "Rest, get better, and then we're going to leave." His eyes popped open and he looked at her in surprise. "What? Why?"

"This group is cursed. They have the worst luck I've ever seen and they're careless and impulsive and I'm done," she felt tired suddenly and avoided his gaze. She got to her feet and looked at the door, "Do you realize that if Andrea wasn't such a shit shot, you'd be dead right now? And that no one is going to do anything but coddle her and comfort her, tell her it's ok and it was an accident? That even if you'd died, they'd be telling her the same shit and trying to comfort me with ridiculous platitudes instead of putting the blame where it belongs?" Linney paced over to the window, then back to the door.

"Meanwhile, you know damn well they're going to keep me from her, guard her from me, like I'm the danger. She's an impulsive, entitled, spoiled, chip-on-her shoulder _moron_, and I'm going to be the one treated like some dangerous criminal for daring to be upset that no one put her in her goddamn place before and won't now." Her voice was loud and she knew that everyone in the house could probably hear her, and she didn't care, "They took Merle from us, and because of sheer idiocy, you came _this close_ to dying!"

"Linney," Daryl finally said and she looked over at him, trying to control her features that were furious and scared at the same time. "I ain't dead, n' Merle ain't either, you know that." She shook her head, stepping to his side again, grabbing one of his hands and pressing it to her face.

"You sleep, get better, nothing is going happen until you're well again." He nodded at her and she leaned towards him and placed a soft kiss on his lips, before getting up immediately and walking out the door, flicking the light out on the wall on her way past. Linney stopped in surprise when she saw Lori sitting against the wall outside the door, her expression morose and worried.

"Linney!" She said, climbing to her feet. Linney paused and stared over at Lori, keeping her emotions on lock-down, her face smooth and blank. "What?" She responded tonelessly and Lori winced a little before putting a hand on her arm.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Linney," the woman said, her dark eyes watching Linney's face carefully. Linney shrugged and moved to walk away, put Lori gripped her arm tighter and pulled her back.

"I couldn't help but hear what you were saying," Lori started, her voice apologetic. "Lori, I swear to god, if you tell me if was an accident I'll lose my shit." Lori swallowed and shook her head sadly, leading her over to the armchairs in the living room.

"Please just sit for a minute," Lori said and Linney took a deep breath and didn't argue. _Here's where she tries to convince me that everything will be ok_. Lori crouched in front of her and nodded at Linney.

"What Andrea did was stupid." Linney snorted and looked away. Lori grabbed her hand and shook her, "Rick's taken her guns away, she's not allowed to carry one while part of this group, anymore. She's off guard duty, for now she's confined to the RV." Linney rubbed her face and nodded.

"Ok, and?" She looked at Lori and saw the woman press her lips together at the expression she saw on Linney's face. "I want you to know that this is being dealt with, that we're taking it seriously, that no one blames you for being angry." Linney nodded and pushed past Lori to get to her feet.

"Linney!" Lori cried angrily from behind and Linney spun around, "What do you want me to say? How am I supposed to feel, Lori? This group is beyond dysfunctional, for so many reasons," Linney glared significantly at Lori and the other woman looked down at her feet before looking up and shaking her head at Linney. "I'm dealing with that on my own," she finally said and Linney took an angry step towards her.

"Are ya? Really? Well, ain't that nice, Lori's gonna protect us all from a predator, thank god for you. He should be dead before somethin' else happens to someone else. Next gal he rapes, you make sure to tell 'er that you were dealin' with it on yer own, so it's ok!" Linney felt her control slipping and her carefully hidden backwater accent was breaking through.

"As for Andrea, well now, 'cause no one had the guts to tell that woman to get the fuck over herself, she's acted out like a child n' disobeyed a direct order tryin'a prove she's Annie-Fucking-Oakley, n' Daryl almost died!"

Linney walked back towards the door, before spinning back on her heel, "Oh, and let's not forget that ya'll already locked a man to a roof to die a horrible death, n' the psychopath in your midst kept me on tent lockdown, resulting in the deaths of over fifteen people! Fifteen, Lori!" She threw her hands into the air and growled, "_N' still, none of ya'll are doin' nothing about it_!" Linney rubbed at her face in frustration, "The inaction in this group is astoundin'! No one does anythin' to fix obvious problems! So they get worse n' ya'll moan 'woe is me' when it's your own damn faults!"

Lori's face was tight and she was obviously angry as well, "If you think you have so much moral high ground, why the fuck haven't you dealt with Shane then? Why is it our job?"

"_Why is it mine_!?" Linney screamed, before lowering her voice and continuing, "I didn't ask for any of this shit, Lori, none of it, I said nothing and I stayed quiet to protect myself and the people I care about. I stayed with this group when by all rights Daryl and I shoulda fucked off, to protect you, and Carl, and Rick from that fucking psycho! Why haven't you balled up n' told your husband what happened? End the threat, Lori! End it and be done with it or jus' admit that you like havin' them both wanting you, and that's why you haven't done anything!"

Linney turned on her heel and charged through the door, shoving past Rick and Glenn who were standing outside and had heard everything she said. Linney stormed over to her tent and went inside, trying to calm her breathing and her thundering heart. She knew it was wrong to dump all the blame on Lori, but she'd reached her limit and couldn't contain herself. Linney removed her weapons so she could change her shirt.

She heard commotion by the house and realized that Rick was arguing with Lori. Her mind shot to Carl and she felt bad, but tightened her resolve. _All I should worry about is me and Daryl, that's all that matters anymore_. She got her shirt on and heard what sounded like someone crying outside her tent.

Linney unzipped the door, stepped out barefoot, for a moment, and looked around and saw nothing; camp was dark, everyone either in the RV or in the house. She shook her head and turned to go back inside the tent. That was when she heard a crunch behind her and something hard and heavy smashed into the back of her head and she collapsed in an unconscious heap.

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As Linney ranted and raved at Lori, he stood in the kitchen, listening to everything. He'd spent days wrapped up in his own thoughts, knowing he should speak to Lori, knowing he needed to make a move, make it clear that she and the baby were his. Knowing he should get rid of Rick while he had the chance.

He'd thought about it several times, while out pretending to look for Sophia; it would be so easy to trail Rick, kill him in the deep forest and bury his body, just another unfortunate lost person who would never return. Shane hadn't though, always holding back, and he liked to think it was because he was a good friend. But tonight...

It seemed as if his hand was being forced. The stupid bitch was outing everything in her angry voice, yelling at Lori while everyone was in the house. _There's no getting out of this now_, he thought. He planned in his mind, to slink out of the kitchen, gather his belongings and hide, waiting out of reach of the group, before killing Rick and returning to get Lori and Carl, take them with him. Dixon being injured made it easier. He knew that killing T-Dog, Glenn and the women would upset him, they all seemed like nice folks, but they were clearly on Rick's side and therefore stood in his way. _Can't have that_. But Dixon; he was pretty sure he'd enjoy killing the redneck.

Linney was a problem. He knew despite her protestations, that she wouldn't leave well enough alone, that she'd be in the way. He had to take her out and he had to do it tonight. Shane turned away from the doorway, towards the kitchen door that lead to the outside, and stopped when he saw Dale standing there, blocking his path, his dark eyes wild and angry.

"What did you do to them?" The old man said in a bewildered, angry voice. Shane smiled at the man and advanced on him. He said nothing when Dale brought his rifle up, pointing it at Shane's chest. "Don't come any closer," he warned and Shane raised an eyebrow an him.

"Shoot if you're gonna, old man, otherwise get the fuck outta my way," Shane said in a low voice, filled with threat. Dale swallowed hard and Shane struck quickly, reaching out and grabbing the rifle, forcing it into the man's chest violently, knocking the air out of him. He wrenched the gun away and smashed the butt end into Dale's head, knocking him unconscious, and he fell to the floor.

Shane sneered at his huddled form and stepped over him, moving outside. He snuck beyond the light splashing out into the yard from the house, hiding in the shadows, watching as Linney pushed past Glenn and Rick, heading to her tent. _Alone_.

He watched Glenn slink after Rick, as his old friend stormed inside to confront Lori. Shane moved quickly out towards the tents, pleased to see that T-Dog, Andrea, and Carol were still inside the RV. He waited until Linney went inside her tent and then snuck up close to it and made some noise, trying to imitate the breathy cries of a woman or a child. Sure enough, she stepped outside, barefoot and with half her weapons missing. _Nosy bitch, made this easy_.

When she turned to return to the tent, he stepped forward and brought the rifle down into her head and she pitched forward into the tent, knocking part of the pegs out of the front, collapsing the front half of the tent. He looked around and then tossed the rifle onto the ground, reaching down and grabbing her quickly, tossing her over his shoulder before darting back into the shadows with her. He knew he had only moments until someone discovered Dale and then they'd be after him.

He stopped at T-Dog's truck, tossing Linney to the ground while he dug around in the back, gathering up some things he thought he'd need and cramming them into a bag. He knew he didn't have time to get the keys for any of the vehicles, so he slung the bag over his shoulder and picked the limp girl up and trotted across the fields, towards the dilapidated barn that Hershel had told them not to go near, saying it wasn't structurally safe. The main doors were padlocked shut and he squinted in confusion at it before running around the side of the barn and climbing the ladder there. He pushed inside, into the hayloft and closed the panel behind himself.

He tossed Linney and the bag to the ground and dropped to his knees, immediately prying the bag open and withdrawing some rope and duct tape. He had her hands and ankles bound tightly in a short time and slapped a piece of tape over her mouth roughly. She still hadn't come to and he smiled, pleased that so far his plan was working. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with her yet. _Kill her, or play with her for a bit before I put a bullet through her face_?

He daydreamed for a moment and when he felt himself growing more and more aroused at the idea of having her to himself for awhile, he decided that he'd keep her here, with him, then deal with Rick once he was done, and then get Lori and Carl out of here, after everything. He heard some strange noises behind him and pulled out his gun and a flashlight, and began to walk around the hay loft quietly. _Empty, probably just rats_.

He looked down over the edge of the hayloft and shut the flashlight off immediately. The entire interior of the barn was crawling with walkers and the stink was tremendous. An idea began to form in his mind and he felt a smile growing on his face. _Hershel, you been a bad man, keepin' this from us_. Shane smiled wider and he turned back to Linney, moving quietly. _Some fun first and then I'll deal with these rotting bastards._


	62. Chapter 62

***** I think it goes without saying that this is a possible trigger chapter, guys. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to update (I was bribed with cookies, what can I say, I love me some cookies). As per the usual I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It was the smell that brought her around; heavy, putrid, rotting, and everywhere. It clung to her nostrils like an oily substance and she felt like it was burning her eyes. Her head throbbed painfully, feeling like sparks of fire were shooting from the back and radiating everywhere. As she struggled to open her eyes, she became aware that the darkness wasn't just behind her lids, it was everywhere.

_Where am I?_ Her mind fought to make sense of all the strange sensations. She felt like she should be in her tent. _Wasn't I in the tent? No, no, there was something..._ She flinched when she remembered the crying sound outside, the dark, the blow to the head. She reached up instinctively to touch her head and realized that her hands were bound tightly behind her. Linney began to struggle against the bonds and whimpered when the tight, coarse rope wrenched against her sore hand, twisting her broken fingers.

She tried to get up and realized her feet were also bound, and shoeless. As she became fully aware, she knew instantly that something was devastatingly wrong, she was on her side, bound, and had a huge flap of tape over her mouth. She wiggled, fishtailing in the dark and managed to flip herself into a sitting position. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she realized she was inside a building, with clapboard walls, the tiny gaps in between them providing slim slits of dull moonlight to illuminate the area. She scooted, using her bound feet to pull herself forward, heading towards the wall.

When she felt her toes touch the wall, she moved sideways and threw her shoulder against it, hoping against hope that she'd find a loose board, a doorway, something. At this point, Linney's only thought was escape, not even sparing a moment to consider who could have done this. When her ponytail was violently wrenched, she fell backwards and screamed beneath the tape. Whoever had her hair was panting and dragged her back to where she had lain before. It felt like her scalp might rip off and the pressure on her already tender head was nearly blinding.

"Don't know where ya think you're going," he snarled quietly and Linney shuddered violently, realizing it was Shane. A light blinked on and she saw they were backed into a corner, barn walls on two sides, and a huge, tall, wall of hay creating a third wall. She watched as he arranged the flashlight against a backpack and turned back to her, his eyes so far beyond crazed that she nearly threw up. She tried to roll back up to attempt to scoot away and he slapped her across the face so hard that she actually heard bells in her head and was only dimly aware when her head cracked back down onto the wooden floor.

"I liked your little performance tonight. Though, unfortunately it's gonna be your last one." His face was lit weirdly with the glow of the flash light and the strange shadows cast across it were nightmarish. _I have to get away, get away get away_, she thought uselessly. She tried to scoot backwards, until her back was pressed against the wall behind her. He watched her and smiled.

"Again, I ain't sure where you think you're going," he laughed quietly and she flared her nostrils, trying to decide if she should show him fear or anger; unsure of which emotion might help her. Unfortunately, she knew fear was winning out involuntarily and he was excited by it. He reached for her and she shrieked behind the tape, twisting to kick out at him as hard she could, surprising him by the movement and hitting his shoulder. He looked irritated and clouted her across the face again.

_No more face shots, you can't pass out again_, she thought desperately. She felt a warm trickle down her face and knew her nose must be bleeding. Shane stared at her face with wide eyes, watching the trail of blood as it dribbled down the side of her cheek, then down her jaw and onto her neck. When he pulled the knife, she kicked wildly and tried to roll away and he grabbed her injured arm and squeezed his hand over top of her healing wound, making her cry out again, muffled against the tape. He grabbed her shirt and brought the knife down, and she braced for the blade, for the slicing pain, thinking briefly of Daryl and praying it wouldn't hurt too much.

She felt nothing, though, except coldness, and realized by the sound of tearing fabric that he was cutting the shirt off her. She screamed again, as he yanked the shredded shirt off her and moved to her pants, realizing with a nauseated feeling that he didn't intend to kill her, not yet. He shredded the pants and pulled them off and she lay in her under things, terrified and furious. _The dream, it's just like your dream! _Her mind was prattling in a frantic and panicky voice and she tried to kick him again, using the leverage of the floor and hitting him in the face this time.

He grunted and she saw her heels had split his bottom lip. Instead of being angry, like she expected, he smiled at her, reaching a finger up to his lip, touching the split and holding up the fingers to her, so she could see his blood glistening there. He launched towards her and threw himself on top of her, bringing the knife to her face and she froze her frenzied struggles as she felt the tip of it pierce the skin on her cheek. He lightly dragged it along, creating a shallow, painful scratch.

"I always wondered," he grunted, struggling to hold her still, "I wondered what this would be like, if you'd fight, what you'd try and do." She glared at him then, as the fear inside her was turned off and she felt a furious, angry flush of rage. He sat up, sitting on her hips, pinning them to the floor and looked at her carefully. "I shoulda done this a long time ago," he commented casually. She squirmed and his weight on her hip combined with her twisting did something to the wound on her hip; she could feel it tearing and screamed again.

He reached out with the knife and flicked the tip through her hair, his face casual and considering. "Gotta admit, this ain't as much fun as it could be, with ya bein' all tied up." He got off her and grabbed her arm, flipping her roughly over, onto her stomach. Her face smashed into the wood and she grunted, twisting again to get away as she felt the knife blade travel lightly from her neck down her spine, to the waistband on her under things. She tensed, the loss of control so huge it threatened to completely engulf her.

Unexpectedly, her hands were freed and she wasted no time, swinging them away and trying to push up, floundering when she realized they were numb and useless. Shane got up and moved away and Linney used her elbows to drag herself away, closer to the wall again. She turned around and saw him leaning casually against the wall a few feet away.

"Come on, Linney, make this hard for me, make it a struggle, this ain't gonna be no fun otherwise." His voice was taunting and she realized sickly that he was looking forward to the fight. Her hands moved up to her mouth and she ripped the tape off, the adhesive tearing at the delicate skin on her lips and face, leaving small burning spots in its wake. She opened her mouth to scream and he dove for her, smashing her head into the wall and wrapping his hands around her neck, squeezing.

"No, no, no, baby, no screaming," his whispered to her as he leaned into it. She threw her hands into his face, clawing at him, trying to knee him in the chest. Her hands dropped to his clenched ones and she clawed at him again, trying to hurt him. _He's too big, I can't_. She felt woozy, and realized that she was going to die. He squeezed tighter and hissed at her, "You fucked with the wrong guy, you trashy little cock tease."

When the black waves lapping at the edges of her vision finally dragged her under, she was mostly relieved.

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Rick stared at the front door, his heart thudding in his chest, his stomach moving sickly. As Linney yelled, he pieced together everything she was saying and realized what her words meant. Shane had attacked Linney, but he had also attacked Lori, raped her, or tried to. _Lori no, please no_. He'd never felt like a bigger failure than that moment. He felt completely incapable of movement, until Linney stormed past him, her shoulder smashing into his chest as she pushed by him.

After one wide-eyed look at Glenn, Rick pushed into the house and found Lori on the couch, her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. When she heard him and looked up, her face crumpled and his heart broke; he knew what Linney said was true without Lori having to say a word. He crossed the room quickly, sinking to the floor at her feet, hugging her to him, his face pressed into her stomach.

He realized he'd been saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Lori, I'm sorry," over and over again when she put her hands on either side of his face and pushed him away.

"Please Rick, let me talk, let me tell you," Lori begged him and he nodded, willing to do anything she asked. She started with Shane meeting her at Carl's school, to tell her that he'd been shot, and she kept going. She and Shane, together. Rick's return and her arguments with Shane about it all. The CDC, Linney arriving just in time. Shane's stares, looks, and asides. Rick felt like each word was a physical blow and by the time she was done, he felt beaten. He wouldn't look at her and she finally cried out, "Say something! Please!" He looked up at her and shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, Lori, I'm sorry," he managed and she sagged in relief, obviously having believed that he'd be angry with her. He'd known, of course he'd known, or at least strongly suspected, that she and Shane had been together when they thought he was dead. He wasn't blind or stupid. But attacking Lori, trying to rape her? _I'll kill him myself, tonight_.

He reached for her and she fell into his chest, and he held her, trying to comfort her. When Maggie screamed from the kitchen, he leapt about a foot into the air. He turned to Lori and spoke urgently, "Get into Carl's room and lock the door." She nodded and immediately got to her feet. He raced for the kitchen and found Maggie on her knees, helping Dale to sit up against the fridge. The man had blood matting the back of his head and looked dazed, but he managed to meet Rick's eyes and say, "Shane, he heard her, he heard it all."

Hershel walked into the room then and froze at the scene. "What is going on Rick?" His voice rumbled angrily and Rick clenched his jaw. "You need to get Dale somewhere safe, with your family, lock yourselves in, don't come out until I saw so." Hershel looked like he might argue, but must have seen something in Rick's face and instead bent to Dale, he and Maggie leaving the room quickly.

"Glenn!" Rick called, and the young man appeared at the kitchen doorway. "Shane, you heard, right?" Glenn nodded sickly and Rick told him briefly what Linney had said, what Shane had done to her. Glenn paled and grabbed Rick's arm.

"Rick, she went outside, alone," his voice was a strangled whisper and Rick spun for the kitchen door, racing outside. He felt naked without a weapon and made a beeline for the RV, yelling at Glenn to check Linney's tent. He burst into the RV and the faces on the three people inside instantly froze in horror.

"T, guns, now." Rick panted out, before turning to the women, "When we leave, shut the doors, lock them."

"What's happening Rick?" Andrea asked, her voice worried, and before he could answer, Glenn came running through the door.

"Rick she's gone, her weapons and shoes are there, the tent is broken," he was out of breath and a ripple of worry for the girl shot down his spine. Rick swallowed and turned to T-Dog, filling him in quickly on what had happened.

"He must have her, we need to find them, stop this." Rick said and T-Dog nodded, his face angrier than Rick had ever seen before. Andrea got to her feet and shot a panicky look at Rick.

"Please, please Rick, let me help." He put her handgun on the table and slid it towards Carol. "Lock yourselves in, if he gets in here, you shoot first and ask questions later, am I understood?" He barked at them and Carol nodded, tucking the gun into her waistband, her eyes huge and teary. Andrea's face flushed and she glared at Rick, "I can't even help?"

"You helped enough today, this wouldn't be happening if you hadn't helped already," it came out as more of a snarl than he had meant it to, but he couldn't contain it. Andrea wilted and sat down in the dinette. The three men ran out, and Rick paused, listening to make sure the door locked behind him.

"All the vehicles are here," Glenn said, looking around.

"That means they have to be nearby, on the property." T-Dog insisted and Glenn shook his head, "Big guy like him could carry her pretty far." Rick put a hand to his eyes for a moment and then shook his head.

"No, he wouldn't, he'd think we would assume he'd make a run for it, not check the property." Rick spread his arms out, "They're on the property, we start with the smaller outbuildings, move around the property, check everything." The others nodded and they raced for the stables and generators. He felt Daryl's absence strongly, and wished the sharp-eyed hunter was there with them, knowing he'd be able to find her faster. _He's drugged up, in bed, and she doesn't have time for us to waste trying to get him. _

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When she came to, he smiled to himself, rolling his shoulders a little, and watched her get her bearings, her eyes blinking rapidly and her hands flying to her recently punished throat. Her eyes were huge when they swung over to him, and she tried to scream again, but all she could manage was a small strangled cry. He approached her again, and he watched her shrink from him, her hands clawing uselessly at the ground.

"Not gonna be screaming much now," he said in a mocking voice and was pleased beyond measure to see her brow drawn down in sudden fury. _Fighting to the bitter end_, he thought, his arousal growing exponentially. When she very suddenly rolled herself towards the bales of hay, balling up so she could hit them harder, he jerked in surprise. The stacks were tall and some were unsteady and he watched them crash away from them, many of them slamming down into the barn below. The noise and action threw the walkers below into a frenzy and their rasping growls rose in volume, to a near fever pitch.

He glanced over at her and saw her face drawn down into disappointment; clearly she'd been hoping the hay would fall onto him. He could pinpoint the exact moment she heard the walkers and his smile grew. "Hear that?" He asked her, grinning down at her as he walked towards her, grabbing her arms and dragging her to her feet, holding her up against himself to keep her steady. He wrapped his arm around her soft waist and squeezed her to him, then walked with her towards the edge of the hay loft.

Even in the dim light, it was easy to see that the barn was full of walkers. She flinched against him, pressing herself against him, and Shane realized she thought he meant to toss her down there.

"I ain't going to waste you yet," he reassured her, dragging her back towards the light in the corner. He felt like his chest might burst, everything was going so perfectly. _Now, we see what she's been givin' that stupid redneck._

"Seems like Hershel's got a big secret, don't ya think?" He asked conversationally, "But don't worry, I'll tell him we found out all about it when I go back to gut your inbred boyfriend." She groaned and tried to hit him again, but he tossed her to the floor, hearing her cry out in a strangled voice when she landed on her damaged hand, and then rolled across the floor, gagging at the pain. She crawled towards the bag and he hesitated a moment too long before he ran for her, realizing as he did that he wasn't going to be fast enough.

She spun and her arm flashed out, her face angry, hard, and menacing. When the knife sank into his chest, he knew it had hit his heart. He stopped his forward rush and stared down at the blade, sunk into his chest, right up to the hilt. He reached for it, pulling it out, dropping it to the floor, watching the blood pour out in fascinated confusion.

"What the fuck?" He said before sinking to his knees, staring at his bloody hands. She crawled closer and then threw herself on him. His arms reached up, grabbed her hair and he pulled. Linney screamed in her strangled voice again before reaching quickly behind herself and slicing through the hair he had gripped in his fist. His arms didn't work right anymore and his hand gripping the fistful of hair fell to the floor with a thud. He found he could only look up at her, feeling a thick glob of blood slop out the side of his mouth.

She had the knife in her hand and kneed him in the wound on his chest.

"That was for Lori," she rasped, the rage in her voice clear despite her damaged throat. She swept the blade down to his neck and he felt a sharp shard of pain as she wrenched it across his throat. He gargled and choked on his blood and she leaned closer, her battered, bleeding, and furious face filling his view, as his vision began to dwindle down to small pinpoints.

"That was for me."

***** Whew, that was a rush, hope you enjoyed the ride, 'cause it ain't over yet... definitely going to update tomorrow! *** **


	63. Chapter 63

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

When he was dead, Linney kept the knife gripped in her fist and flopped off of him, scooting a few feet away, and leaning against the wall, next to the backpack. Her throat felt like it was on fire and she was having trouble breathing. _It's done, he's dead, it's done, he's dead_, she repeated frantically to herself. Linney winced her eyes closed and forced herself to control her breathing. Now that the surge of adrenaline was leaving her body, so was her huge amount of anger.

This was not like killing a walker, this was killing a person, a living, breathing, thinking person. She told herself he richly deserved it, that what he had planned for her and the people she loved was beyond monstrous, but she couldn't rid herself of the image of the moment he died.

She was aware of the pain in every part of her body and leaned weakly down to slash at the bonds on her ankles, finding the growing, exhausted weakness in her body a hindrance. Linney barely had the energy to keep herself upright, and sawing through coils of rope was proving difficult.

When a portion of the wall pushed inwards, she tensed up, suddenly terrified, sure she couldn't defend herself from a single other thing tonight. When Rick's head popped into the room, a huge flashlight in his hand, she breathed a sigh of relief and slid to the floor, laying on her side with a thud.

"_Linney_?" He asked, his voice horrified. She watched as he climbed into the room, stopping only for a moment to glance down at Shane as he hurried over to her. She tried to speak, to reassure him she was ok, but her voice rasped uselessly and her hand clutched at her throat. Rick seemed to understand and moved quickly, pulling his shirt off and then dragging her into a sitting position. He helped her slide it on and she pointed at her ankles, wanting them released.

His face was like a thundercloud as he sawed through the ropes. "Dale saw him go, and we found your tent damaged." Linney briefly touched the back of her head and squeezed her eyes closed. "We searched the property, this was the last place we were going to look." Linney nodded as Rick helped her slowly to her feet. She nearly collapsed when she realized how numb they were and sagged heavily in Rick's arms.

"Ok, up we go, hang on," he said reassuringly, wrapping an arm under her shoulders. "Glenn and T are downstairs, trying to get that padlock off the barn that Shane put there, they don't even know I've found you yet," his face twisted in regret and Linney felt her heart leap in panic. She smacked at Rick's arms and he turned to look down at her. She whipped her head back and forth and gestured frantically at the edge of the hayloft.

"Walkers in the barn," she managed to croak, her throat tasting like blood. Rick froze and stared down at her and she pointed again as they made their way to the edge of the hayloft. Looking down, Rick shone the flashlight down and she could feel his grip on her tighten almost painfully at the view below.

"Holy shit," he breathed and they backed away, Rick turning with her to get out and warn the other's not to cut the lock. When they turned, Linney shrieked, the sound garbled and choked. Rick's hand moved automatically to his gun and he dropped Linney to the ground.

Shane was on his feet again, the flaps of skin at his torn throat still dripping blood. His eyes were shadowed, but the gargling, moaning sound he made while he breathed was all too familiar.

He had turned.

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As they had approached the barn, Rick knew immediately that someone was inside. There was a padlock on the big double doors that looked so out of place it was a dead giveaway. He silently pointed at the lock and then at Glenn and T-Dog, signaling to them that they needed to open it and he immediately ran around the side, finding a ladder that should lead up a hayloft.

When he pushed the door open, the first thing he saw was Shane, very dead, laying on the floor in a pool of blood. He pushed in further and heard a soft thud and turned his flashlight to a dimly lit side of the room, finding a small, nearly-naked, bloodied figure slumped against the floor. "_Linney_?" he asked, hoping against hope that she was alive. Her eyes turned up to his and the relief and pain he saw in them, had him rushing through the room, pausing only a moment to glare down at Shane, wishing he could have been the one to end the threat.

He realized that she was injured, bleeding from several wounds, and only wearing underwear. He didn't hesitate, just yanked his shirt off and helped her put it on. She seemed to gain energy from the thin layer of protection between herself and the world.

He heard a strange rasping noise and realized she was trying to talk. The flashlight shone on her neck revealed ugly, lurid, red marks and he knew she'd been partially strangled. He cut the bonds on her feet lose and tried to help her up, wanting to get her to Hershel as quickly as possible, but she couldn't walk properly and he half lifted her to get her to stay upright. She resisted though, pulling him towards the edge of the hayloft, shaking her head back and forth frantically.

He watched her swallow and Linney finally managed to rasp out, "Walkers in the barn." He moved them both carefully to the edge and looked down to see a couple dozen of them, wandering around and angrily growling at the two of them. His mind raced back to the padlock and he suddenly realized these were not Shane's, these were Hershel's.

"Holy shit," he managed. _Glenn and T-Dog, oh my god_. He turned, intending to drag her outside as quickly as possible, but Shane was on his feet again and Rick's mind stopped working for a moment, before he thought briefly of Jenner at the CDC and moved quickly, pushing Linney to the ground, and pulling his gun.

Shane hissed at them in a walker's growl and Rick could hear Linney close to hyperventilating on the ground at his feet.

"Asshole," Rick muttered, before pulling the trigger, blowing off the top of his head. He tucked the gun into its holster and looked down to see the confusion on Linney's face. "Not now," he finally said, unwilling to get into what she'd just seen, and he knew she was struggling to make sense of how an unbitten man had turned.

He didn't have long to think about it because he heard a loud angry cry and the sound of metal and wood wrenching and cracking and suddenly the ground floor was flooded with light as Glenn and T-Dog managed to yank the doors open.

"Stay here!" He yelled at Linney and he ran for the small door he'd come through, the air coming alive with gunshots as his two friends were suddenly faced with a small horde of walkers. He threw himself down the ladder and ran to their side, trying to take down the group making its way out of the doors.

_There's too many_, he thought, knowing they didn't have enough ammo to do this, especially considering so many shots were missing as their aim faltered in the dim moonlight.

"There's too many!" Glenn yelled, his face pale and tense and Rick glanced over at him. A walker came stumbling towards T-Dog and the man shot it, only to have two more gather around him. Rick opened his mouth to scream at the man, unable to turn and help as he held off the ones approaching himself, when suddenly there was a shot fired from a different direction than where the three of them were trying to hold off the walkers.

One of the walkers attacking T-Dog fell, the side of its head blown off. Another shot rang out and the second one fell. Rick looked over and saw Linney, limping towards them, shooting at a couple walkers with a hand gun as she made her way over, Shane's huge gun slung over her shoulder. She made it to T-Dog and slid the gun off her shoulder and he grabbed it, turning back to the horde and blowing a few more away.

Linney fired carefully, taking her time, to make sure each shot was a headshot, not panicking, and Rick paused a moment to admire her, thinking briefly what an excellent cop she would have made in another life. He shot one sneaking up behind Glenn and watched as T-Dog smashed the head in on the one closest to him. They were done then and Rick felt his head and ears ringing with the lasting effect of so much gun fire. He could only imagine what the people in the house were thinking. Linney gave a little sigh and sank to the ground, and Rick could see her start shaking from cold.

He bent and grabbed the gun from her, tossing it to Glenn. "Make sure they're all dead, then come back to the house." He spoke to T-Dog, then, "Help him, then let Carol know what's happened and tell her and Andrea to stay put for the night." Both men nodded and he crouched down, lifting Linney into his arms carefully. She slung her arm around his neck and kept her wrapped hand tucked against her stomach, clearly feeling some pain in it.

"Hang on, Linney, hang on," he murmured to her and started to trot towards the house. She made a gargling soft cry and he felt her head thump down heavily against his chest. He prayed she had just passed out from exhaustion and shock, not anything more serious.

_Have to get her to Hershel. Have to get to Hershel._

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Maggie had worked feverishly with her father all night, cleaning Linney up, getting her situated in Carl's bed, after Lori and Rick insisted he'd be fine with them in the tent tonight. There were a few tense moments while her dad checked the girl over and then said she was ok, just exhausted and in pain. They shooed everyone from the room, except for Lori, who refused to leave.

She removed Rick's shirt and winced at all the dirt and blood underneath. Her father began instantly to unwrap and check her injured hand, while Maggie cut off Linney's under things and began to clean her hip wound.

"Not too bad, Dad, just pulled a couple stitches," Maggie commented, her father nodded, not looking away from Linney's hand and Maggie unwrapped her arm bandage, relieved to see it looked bruised, the scab cracked and bleeding, but otherwise ok. She cleaned it and then moved on to her face.

"God dammit," Maggie murmured, cringing for her friend. Her lip was split, there was a cut all across her cheek, small red wounds all around her mouth and on her lips, a cut on her nose and the healing one on her forehead was now busted open and split further than it had originally been.

Lori sat stiffly in the corner and Maggie could only imagine what the woman was thinking. She'd heard the argument they'd had earlier, everyone had, and the fact that what Linney had warned Lori might happen, actually did happen, was terrible.

Maggie shuddered, thinking about Beth and what she would have done if her sister was in Linney's place. She gazed down at Linney's still face and clenched her jaw. There was an inherent toughness in Linney, something she was sure was born and bred in the girl, something that Beth could never possess. This was someone born to survive this world.

Her father was checking Linney's throat and made a soft sigh of relief. "Doesn't look crushed," he said in a lighter tone, and Maggie heard Lori's sigh escape her in a rush, "Just bruised, it'll hurt for a day or two, and her voice will take a little while to come back, but other than that, no permanent damage." Her father's voice was deliberate and soft and even Maggie could feel the confident tones soothing her ragged nerves. He paused to give her a shot, something to dull the pain for the night, he said and Maggie nodded, hoping against hope that her new friend would be herself when she woke up, not withdrawn and damaged as she knew most people would be in her place.

They cleaned the many cuts and scrapes Linney had everywhere and Hershel again commented on how lucky she was, to only require a small portion of her hip wound to be re-stitched. "You call this lucky?" Lori asked in a soft, angry voice and Maggie turned to Lori, her face drawn into a scowl.

"Of course he does! She's hurt, but she's alive. It was probably terrifying, but she's going to live and he's dead!" Her voice was rising with her growing irritation with the other woman, and Lori glared at her. Maggie took a step closer to Lori and waved a hand back at Linney, "Maybe if you'd done what you should have, this never would have happened!" Her father's hand dropped down onto her shoulder and he pulled her away from Lori and her devastated face.

"Maggie, go now and find this girl some clothing," his voice was its normal comforting drawl and she glanced down at Linney, who was covered with a sheet. Maggie nodded and left the room, her face torn between anger at Lori and sympathy for Linney.

Maggie walked into the living room and saw it was crammed full of people. Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog sat against the walls in various points across the room, Dale in an armchair, Patricia, Beth, and Jimmy on the couch. They all turned hopeful faces up to her as she walked out and she had to smile.

"She's ok, she just needs to rest." Everyone sagged in relief and Maggie shot her sister a grateful look when the girl got up and handed her a small stack of clothes.

"They're mine," Beth said softly, smiling at Maggie, "I thought they might fit better than yours." Maggie reached out and took them and nodded to the group before going back into the room.

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When Linney woke up the next morning, she yet again found herself laying in a stranger's bed, sore and aching. She looked around the room and realized that this was Carl's room. She pulled herself up and looked down at herself. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt and light cotton pants in the same color. Her hand was wrapped and bandaged and could feel another bandage on her face, on her forehead again.

Linney pushed herself to the side of the bed and hung her feet over the side of the bed, trying to ignore the flashes of memories pushing at her mind, trying to inundate her with images of the night before. When Glenn and T-Dog opened the barn door, everything had seemed to move in slow motion for her and she could hear them shooting, shouting at each other and had crawled over to Shane's bag, grabbing her own pistol and Shane's huge weapon and then had forced herself to walk, moving out of the barn, into the cool night.

She barely remembered the shooting, mostly just the noise. There were some jumbled bits between then and now, a faint memory of Lori sitting on the side of her bed, apologizing over and over again, and then nothing. The bedroom window was open and the breeze blowing in felt wonderful. _Merle was right_, she thought ruefully, _I'm just a shitload of trouble_. She pushed herself to her feet and stood with a hand against the wall, to balance herself, waiting for the sick feeling of dizziness to pass her by.

She made it to the door and stepped out into the living room, seeing no one around. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, and she made her way slowly through the living room, down to the hallway on the other side. She paused outside the door there and took in a deep breath, to steady herself. When she pushed the door open, she found Daryl sitting awkwardly, hunched over to his side, and Rick sitting in the armchair, his face hard and serious.

They both looked over at her and Linney felt her face twitch at the expression on Daryl's face. His eyes were burning and his jaw was hard. Rick launched himself to his feet and came over to help her in, help her sit on the side of the bed.

"Should you be up?" He asked, his face concerned and tight. Linney shrugged, trying to speak and not being able to, her voice rasping once before her throat clicked drily. Her hand went to her throat and she grimaced. She looked at Rick again and shrugged once more. Rick smiled in understanding and chuckled, placing a hand on her head for a moment before leaving the room and shutting the door behind himself, leaving her and Daryl alone.

After a few minutes of absolute silence, Daryl finally spoke. "I can't believe ya never told me," he growled and she looked up at him and said nothing, unsure of how to respond. The glare on his face was only partially for her, she knew. She could tell by his clenched fists that he was thinking of Shane.

Linney swallowed, again trying to speak, and he looked up into her eyes, his glare deepening, and she stopped trying to say anything. "I know exactly what ya wanted to do," he said to her and she looked away. He struggled to sit up more, grunting at the pain in his side and reached for her, pulling on her arm until she scooted closer to him.

"This will never work if ya keep doin' this, if ya keep tryin'a do it all, keep things from me." She looked up at his face and saw the worry there, the anger, the regret. She nodded slowly and he shook her arm a little. "I'm serious, you can't hide things from me, I'm done with findin' things out after the fact. Ya either make me yer partner or ya don't," his voice was still angry and Linney nodded again.

She moved closer to him, sliding herself up next to him, laying down on the bed next to where he was sitting. His hand moved down to her hair and pulled at the shorn chunks of hair sticking out all over the place. He stared at the hair in his hand and then back down at her face. "Yer hair is fucked," he finally said and she pushed into a sitting position again, remembering the moment Shane had grabbed her hair, pulling it hard and painfully. She swallowed hard and reached a hand up to grab at the bits of her hair.

She surprised herself by starting to cry. Her hair, the real last piece of her old life, was gone. She knew it would grow back but she felt like it was the straw that broke the camel's back. The very last insult added to all her injuries, and she cried silently, turning her head away from Daryl, to hide her emotion from him, wrapping her hand into her hair and gripping what remained in tight fingers. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her back towards him and gave her a hard, unreadable look.

Daryl pulled her into his chest as he lay back down and she hid her face against him, mourning her stupid hair and feeling like an idiot for not being able to stop her useless tears. He stroked the back of her head and finally said, "Are you cryin' for yer hair or the fact that ya almost died?" Linney paused and then looked up at his face and couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face at how absurd her tears truly were, when he put it like that. He pressed her head back to his chest and she could feel the laugh rumbling in his chest.

"You would cry over hair," he finally muttered and Linney laughed, the sound croaky and strangled. _I'm totally going to look like a boy. Fuck you Shane_.

***** There will be more fallout from this, moving forward, since I've altered the original storyline (I hope in a good, non-sucky way) - so stay tuned :) *****


	64. Chapter 64

***** Glad you all enjoyed the last couple of chapters! Your response via reviews was great :) As per usual I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"If you would just hold still, I could maybe do this properly!" Maggie insisted and Linney gave her a dirty look in the mirror. Maggie paused, placing the scissors down on the bathroom counter and putting her hands on her hips. "Look, I didn't slice all your hair off, so quit giving' me them snot-nosed looks and let me help," she said, her voice irritated. Linney pressed her lips together and looked back into the mirror, watching as Maggie picked up the scissors again and went back to trying to even out her hair.

Unfortunately, Linney had torn the knife through her ponytail crookedly, so even though some pieces were shoulder length, the other side of her head had hair that barely reached the bottom of her jaw. She tried to keep a stiff upper lip as she stared into the mirror, watching Maggie shorten everything, until Linney's hair looked almost the same as Maggie's did.

"Hey, we could be twins now," Maggie joked, putting her face down next to Linney's in the mirror. Linney glared at the other girl's reflection, certain that her beat to shit face, with its cuts, scrapes, bandages, and bruises, looked nothing like Maggie's. Linney got to her feet and nodded wordlessly at the other girl, and received a sympathetic smile in return. She shuffled out into the bedroom, where Daryl was sitting in bed, talking quietly with Lori. They both stopped and looked over at her, and Linney put a self-conscious hand to her head, very aware of her bare neck and certain that she looked like a train wreck. _At least you're an alive train wreck_, a snide part of her mind reminded her.

"Oh honey, it looks cute," Lori said decisively, getting to her feet and putting a hand on her shoulder. Linney sniffed and looked away, not nodding at all. Lori cast a quick look at Maggie and the two of them left the room. She stood in the middle of the room in her borrowed yellowed pjs and finally looked over at Daryl, absurdly nervous. _It's just hair, you materialistic idiot_.

"Looks a'right," he finally said, in a gruff voice. Linney nodded at him and went towards him when he gestured at her in an impatient way. She sat carefully on the side of the bed, and he grabbed her chin, gently turning her head back and forth. "Lucky you got a nice neck," he mumbled and she looked over at him in surprise. He reached a hand out to trail a finger down her neck and she jerked away from him, the movement surprising them both. She was instantly embarrassed and felt certain her face was turning a bright red.

He cleared his throat and looked away, nodding. "It's ok, I get it, I'm sorry," he said in a low voice and she swallowed again, getting to her feet to move away from him. She was glad for a moment that she couldn't talk, so she wouldn't have to explain how the move to touch her throat reminded her in a blinding flash of Shane running the knife down her face, grabbing his hands around her neck.

He leaned towards her, pulling himself into a pained sitting position. "Did he... did he..." Daryl's voice grew deep and quiet and he swallowed hard, barely able to look at her. "Rick didn't know, Hershel wouldn't say anything 'less ya said it was ok..."

Linney felt like a rug had been ripped out from underneath her and was suddenly unsteady on her feet. She grabbed for the foot board of the bed and stared down at the dark wood. She shook her head, once, twice, and then looked up at him. "No," she whispered, her whole body tingling. The look of relief on his face was huge and she couldn't take it all of a sudden. _Though it wasn't for lack of trying_, she thought, but didn't dare say out loud. She smiled tightly at him and pointed to the door and he grunted in response.

"Yeah, I'll be moving out to the tent today too, jus' gotta wait for Rick to talk to Hershel 'bout that barn," he explained and Linney nodded. She remembered her talk with Hershel, his assertion that walkers were sick people. She knew the only reason he'd have a barn full of them would be to lock up the ones he found important; it was his dead family in there. _And now they're really, really dead._

Linney left the room and walked quietly through the house, out the front door and outside. She flinched when she heard yelling and realized that Hershel was on his knees next to Beth and Patricia, by the barn, the heaps of the dead surrounding them. Rick and T-Dog stood by, guilt on their faces, but their eyes hard; understanding the older man's pain was difficult for them, a walker was a monster, not a person.

She shook her head and headed towards her tent, happy to see that Glenn had fixed it up. Carol was waiting in a chair by the fire pit and immediately got to her feet, trotting over to Linney. Linney said nothing, but when the woman swooped down and pulled Linney to her in a hug, she hugged her back before squirming away.

"Oh sweetie, we were so worried about you, I'm so sorry, so, so sorry," Carol said, the pain in her voice palpable. Linney watched the woman's sad blue eyes and nodded, patting her throat. "I know, Lin, you can't talk, Rick told us that, he told us what happened..." Carol's voice trailed off and Linney saw a sense of understanding in the woman's face. _She's been somewhere similar_, Linney thought in horror, _with Ed_. Linney gestured to her tent door and Carol nodded, turning away. Inside the tent, Linney stripped off the pjs and lay them on the bed, changing into clean clothes, wincing at the pressure on her hip that the jeans caused, but relishing the feel of wearing her normal everyday 'armor'.

She worked carefully to strap her weapons on, pleased to see them all by her bag; Glenn had said he'd gather everything up for her, and he'd obviously come through in that regard. She put her boots on and reached for her black cap, pulling it on over her short hair. Her fingers wrapped involuntarily into the bottom of her hair and she felt her lips twitch. _It's just hair, get over it_.

Linney made up the bed, getting it comfortable, knowing that Daryl needed to rest and lay down. When she stepped out of the tent, she was drawn by moaning and crying coming from the front of the house. She watched silently as Hershel was slowly walked into the house, his daughters beside him, Jimmy helping them get everyone inside. _They're mourning_. Linney saw Rick and T-Dog trailing them and moved to walk over to them.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Rick asked her and she made a face at him. He reached for her chin, wanting to get a look at the awful bruising on her neck and Linney flinched away again, moving before any thought of why even entered her head. Rick's face twisted in sympathy and Linney clenched her jaw, looking away. "I'm sorry, Linney," he said quietly and she looked at him quickly, gesturing with one hand towards the house.

"They ain't happy," T-Dog said, answering her unspoken question. Linney nodded and stared thoughtfully at the barn. "We're hoping once they get over the shock, that Hershel will relent, let us stay, cause as it stands right now, he wants us gone." Her head whipped over to Rick, in shock at his words. He nodded ruefully.

"He understands we had to defend ourselves, but he's angry, upset, grieving for them." Rick rubbed a hand over his face, "But he has every right to be angry with us, for bringing this down upon him; we brought Shane here, we caused all of this, if we'd dealt with Shane earlier..." he trailed off as he stared at Linney's face and she realized by how numb her lips felt, that she must have gone quite pale.

She clenched her teeth harder, willing herself to keep it together and then nodded at Rick before moving away, to sit on the porch swing. _I need some moments to myself, gotta get my head around this_, she thought viciously, and sternly, to herself, _you are not a victim, get your shit together and do it quickly, the world is not kind to victims._

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"I know you killed Shane," Carl said, surprising Linney from her blank staring into space. She looked over at him and nodded, watching as he sat beside her on the swing. "Mom and Dad won't explain it to me very much, but I have ears, you know. I heard, I know what he did to mom, and what he tried to do to you last night." Linney stared hard at him, feeling sad for the boy, sad that he had to have that kind of knowledge. _As if this world wasn't awful enough_, she thought.

Carl took in a deep breath and then looked over at her. "Shane was my friend," he said simply and Linney nodded. "You're my friend too, though," he added and she gave him a small smile. His eyes roved all over her face and she saw him swallow. "He hurt you bad," Carl said, his voice getting angry and Linney looked away, not certain how she should react, especially since talking wasn't an option.

"I wish I'd been there, so I could've killed him, make him hurt for what he did to my mom and to you." Carl's voice was hard, and when she turned back to look at him, his little face was so angry, so filled with loathing that she recoiled a little from it. She reached a hand out and placed it on his arm. He looked back at her and she saw his eyes were filled with tears.

"Why'd he do it, Linney? Why'd he want to hurt you guys? How could he do it?" The tears in his eyes started to leak out and Linney wrapped her arm around his shoulders, hugging him to her side. She shook her head, because she couldn't say anything. _How can we explain to him that Shane was crazy? That he was a dangerous monster? The man was like a second father to him._

"Mom says he was sick, in his head," Carl said, his face half buried in her shoulder. She swallowed hard and managed to croak, "He was, buddy." Carl leaned away and looked up at her, reaching one of his little hands up slowly to touch her neck. This time she didn't flinch and he was gentle, spreading his fingers out. She knew he was lining his hand up with the huge hand shaped bruise that wrapped around the side of her neck and she felt her stomach roil. Carl's hand shook on her neck and she glanced down at him, worried to see such unbridled rage on his young face.

"He shouldn't have done it!" Carl suddenly yelled, getting to his feet. He stood in front of her, his hands balled into little, shaking fists at his side. "He always told me to that it was important to protect people, to help them, especially now, and he goes and hurts you like this!" Linney got carefully to her feet and reached for him and he came willingly into her arms, letting her hug him. "No one's ever going to hurt my mom again, or you," he said and Linney nodded against the top of his head. He stepped back and looked up at her critically.

"I got your back, and you got mine," he stated and Linney smiled again. "Everyone's got everyone," she added, her throat grinding as she spoke, and he smiled at her, nodding seriously. "Your hair looks different," he finally said, after studying her for awhile. Linney made a wry face and swept her hat off her head, showing him how short it was.

"Why'd you cut it? I thought it was nice before," he said innocently and Linney frowned, cramming the hat back on her head. _So did I_, she thought wistfully, _so did a lot of people_. She couldn't take anymore of the boy's honest and unflinching words, so she made shooing motions at him and he shot her another smile before striding away, trying to put a swagger into his step. She could see a change in him, see him becoming a little harder and was torn between thinking that it was a necessity in this world, but also a horrible loss of his childhood. _God dammit Shane, you've hurt more than just people you hated_.

Linney went back to the swing, and after awhile, started to hear more crying from inside, realizing that it was probably Beth, keening painfully for her family. Linney rubbed her hands over her face and got to her feet, knowing she couldn't sit and listen to the sounds of grief right now. Not when she was grappling with her own issues, drowning in them, really.

She found herself heading back towards the barn, surprised to see Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Andrea loading bodies into the back of Otis' pick-up. Rick nodded at her and she pointed at the bodies and shrugged at him.

"We're going to help Hershel's family bury them, Maggie said they'd want to once Hershel had a moment to collect himself," he explained and Linney pressed her lips together, nodding. She watched them for a moment, ignoring Andrea's gaze.

When she could no longer stand to watch them handle the dead and rotting bodies, she turned away and then slowly walked towards the barn, pushing the big door open and wandering inside. The barn was dark inside, but not as dark as before, and she slowly walked around, wrinkling her nose against the horrible smell that lingered. She saw blood smeared on the ground and, disgustingly, random body parts; a jaw, an ear, fingers, a foot.

As she walked behind the piles of equipment, she was surprised to come upon a closed in section, almost like a storage unit inside the barn. She pictured the lay-out of the outside of the barn in her head and realized this little enclosed space had a separate entrance from the rest of the barn. There was no way in from inside the barn. She moved closer to it, noting the strong smell wafting from between the wooden slats and stepped back quickly. _There's a walker in there_, she thought, her stomach churning slowly.

She rapped her knuckles against the old wood and there was an immediate growl from inside. Linney turned around swiftly and began to head for the open barn door as directly as possible. When she got outside, she saw everyone gathered around the truck, even Daryl, as Rick and Hershel spoke in harsh tones to one another.

"Please, let us help you bury them, it's the least we can do," Rick was pleading and Hershel clenched his jaw, trying to push Rick away from the driver's door of the truck. Linney noticed that Carol had a small bible in her hands and realized that everyone had gathered intending to go with the Greenes to bury their people, like a funeral. She paused a moment to wonder if Shane was lying under the tarp that covered the back of the truck bed, which was filled with bodies. _I think Rick has more sense than that._

"You've done more than enough, we are going to bury our family, and I want you and your people gone by the time we get back." There was a murmur of disagreement from everyone and Linney was mildly relieved to see that even Hershel's grieving family disagreed with him. Voices began to raise and Linney tried to get their attention. If they planned to bury family, she didn't want that one walker left behind, it would only cause more heartache later. Linney tried to speak, but her voice was a tiny rasp amidst the shouts from the emotional and heated discussion occurring around the truck.

Linney waved her hands above her head and still no one looked over, so she pulled her gun and fired a shot from her gun into the air. Everyone turned to her so quickly that she nearly stumbled back a step in surprise.

"In the barn," she managed, choking on her own swollen throat, "There's one more." Everyone stared at her and she found herself getting angry that they didn't immediately understand her. Rolling her eyes, she spun on her heel and marched off towards the side of the barn, knowing that someone would surely follow her, and hoping this was enough of a distraction to prevent Hershel and his family from driving off before the last walker was retrieved and put down.

She walked to the side door that she knew would lead to the small enclosed space inside the barn and paused at the door, suddenly sure that whoever had put this walker in there had meant to keep it separate on purpose, keep it away from the common rabble inside. _It's their mother_, she thought to herself, feeling her stomach lurch, _she would be the most important to Hershel and his family_.

Linney turned back and was surprised to see that everyone had walked over. She caught Daryl's eye and he looked about to protest, about to stop her, so she wasted no time, stepping towards the barn and yanking out the wooden bar holding it closed.

When the door swung open, they couldn't see inside at first because it was so dark in there. But the noise was unmistakeable. The walker emerged and she realized with a start that it was not their mother. As it stumbled hungrily out into the bright light of day, Linney felt like time had stopped for her and for all of them.

It was Sophia.


	65. Chapter 65

***** So, I've had some questions about why I decided to have Sophia die, and there are a lot of reasons, and I won't go into all of them. Mainly, like Amy, Sophia's death changes the people around her; Carol becomes harder and stronger, Rick carries the guilt, Daryl begins down the trail of realizing how painful caring for others actually can be. **

**Really, she was a 12 year old girl who acted like she was 8 (as Carol puts it, "she's so young in her way") lost for over a week in the wilderness with no survival skills, so there wasn't really any hope. Finding Sophia became almost this talisman for the group; she was a symbol of their dwindling sense of hope, if they could find her, they could really make it, really live. Thanks for sticking with me and sorry for the long A/N :) As per usual I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, she's mine*****

It felt like minutes until anyone reacted, but looking back later, Linney knew it was probably only seconds. Sophia moved straight for Linney, being the closest to her, and it took Linney a moment to realize what was about to happen.

Glenn reacted before her and fired a shot at Sophia, hitting her in the chest. That was when Carol finally started to scream and sob. Linney spun on her heel and ran back to the group loosely formed behind her, pausing in her headlong rush towards Carol when she saw that Daryl of all people had her held firmly in his arms, preventing her from going to her daughter.

Linney caught a view of Hershel's face, still and horrified, as he and his family realized that the shotgun blast fired by Glenn had left a hole the size of a fist in Sophia's chest, but she was still coming, still growling, still moving. Linney was sickened, knowing that Sophia was most likely providing the wakeup call that the Greene family needed, but wishing with all her might that it this lesson hadn't been needed with Sophia as the example.

It was Rick who finally stepped forward, pulling his gun, approaching Sophia, and then shooting her in the head. It was dead silent, except for Carol's wailing and sobbing, and Linney was aware that she couldn't feel her feet anymore and sat down hard, next to T-Dog. Rick slowly drove his gun home into its holster and turned to face Hershel. Linney watched with nearly uncomprehending eyes as Rick approached the old man, his face hard and angry.

"All this time," Rick began, keeping his voice low and even, "I've been leading my people out to look for a little girl that was locked in your barn the whole time." Hershel met his eyes, his face drooping and devastated.

"I never knew, Otis put them in there. Rick, I never knew." Hershel's voice was shell-shocked and Maggie put an arm around him, drawing him away from the group, stopping short when Carol suddenly broke from Daryl and ran towards camp, heading for the RV. Her cries echoed back to them and Daryl stood watching her go. Linney sat frozen on the ground, knowing she should go to Carol, or Daryl, the two people who had hoped the hardest to find the little girl. But she couldn't move. She just sat on the ground and stared at Sophia's corpse.

"My people counted on me and I had them chasing a ghost in the forest!" Rick finally yelled, advancing a step towards Hershel, his face twisting with rage. Maggie flinched, her arms tightening around her father, and Linney was vaguely aware that the rest of Hershel's group began to drift away, back to the house.

Rick put a hand over his face, obviously attempting to calm himself. "Other people could have been lost, Daryl almost died! And she was right there the whole time." Rick's voice rang out in anger and Linney felt herself flinch at his words. Maggie stepped forward and stood in front of her father, who was opening and closing his mouth like he'd forgotten how to talk. His eyes were hooded and his face devastated beyond words, Linney watched him carefully from the ground, torn between wanting to yell and scream at him, or comfort him.

"Rick, he, _we_, didn't know she was in there," Maggie said in a firm voice, her eyes leaking tears, "We would never have let you go searching for her if we did. Otis must have found her the day Carl got shot." Rick nodded, and Linney could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't agreeing; he was close to losing it. She managed to get to her feet then, using T-Dog's leg as something to lean on. His large hand went underneath her shoulder, helping her get to her feet. She nodded at him blankly and took a step towards Rick, putting herself between Rick and Maggie.

His intense eyes and hard features looked down at her and she put a hand on his arm. "Rick, you know they didn't know, no one did. You did what needed to be done." He blinked multiple times and Linney heard Lori whisper to Andrea and Dale, asking the pair to take Carl back to the house. _Carl, I'm sorry, she was your friend_, Linney thought, without looking back. Rick finally nodded and turned to Lori, his face crumbling under the weight of Sophia's loss.

"Maggie, go, take him to the house," she quietly urged the other girl. Maggie nodded and she and Glenn began to usher Hershel back to the house. Linney watched them go and turned to Daryl. He was standing with his back to the group and she wanted to go to him, to comfort him, provide him with something, but he didn't turn around, he just walked away. Linney watched him go and was partially relieved when she saw him going to the RV.

"We need to cover her up," a voice said, and she turned to see T-Dog standing where he'd been the whole time. Linney nodded at him and watched as he went inside the barn, coming out with an old, dirty, horse blanket. She moved over to Sophia and carefully turned her so she was laying on her back. The huge, savage-looking bite mark on the girl's shoulder spoke pretty clearly to what had happened to Sophia. Linney felt her eyes tingling with the desire to cry, but she buried the urge and instead pushed Sophia's eyes closed.

"We should cover her now, Lin," the big man said, crouching down to her level. She glanced over at him and realized for the first time that T-Dog was upset, equally as upset as everyone else was. She nodded and leaned back, watching as the big man carefully draped the blanket onto the ground and then scooped Sophia up and lay her on it, tucking the blanket around her like she was going to bed. When she was fully wrapped up, he picked her up and carried her carefully over to the truck, laying her gently on top of the tarp.

"We'll bury her," he said to her and Linney nodded, getting to her feet. T-Dog patted a hand against the side of the truck, his face pained and Linney walked over to him, leaning in to give him a hug. He seemed surprised for a moment before returning it. He stepped away, rubbing a hand across his eyes and grabbing a shovel from the ground.

"I'm going to go dig their graves," he said gruffly and Linney nodded, watching as he headed towards the trees that Otis' memorial cairn lay under. She realized that Lori and Rick were deep in conversation and decided to give them privacy. She slowly started the trek back to camp, moving directly towards the RV, climbing the steps with a heavy heart. Carol sat at the dinette, her body turned towards the window, her face calm and devoid of emotion as she stared outside. Linney knew she wasn't seeing the farm outside, but was looking at something beyond it.

Daryl was perched on the kitchen counter, his posture stiff, his face hard and impassive. Linney swallowed and stared at them, each of them a portrait of loss. She placed a hand on Daryl's knee for a moment, before moving to Carol's side, sitting next to her carefully. The woman glanced over at her once and swallowed.

"T-Dog is digging the graves for Sophia, and Hershel's wife and son, now," Linney finally offered, putting her bandaged hand on top of Carol's on the table top. Carol looked down at her hand and then slid hers out from beneath Linney's, nodding slowly.

"We'll go soon and have a ceremony for them, for her," Linney added, her voice still soft. Carol said nothing for a moment and then slowly shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere," her voice was firm but faraway. Linney wasn't sure how to respond.

"Carol, I'll be right there with you, we all will, you need to say goodbye to her," she managed and Carol finally looked over at her, her brows drawing down into a confused glare.

"Why?" She asked Linney, her voice quiet, but unwavering. Linney swallowed, unsure of what to say. Daryl spoke, his voice not looking for an argument, "'Cause that's your little girl." Linney nodded at Carol and felt her face drawing down into a sad frown. Carol's eyes roved over Linney's features and her own face became sad, as she gently touched a hand to the bandage on Linney's forehead. She shook her head and her hand dropped back down to the table.

"That's not my little girl, that's some other thing," Carol finally said, looking back out the window. The RV was silent until Carol heaved a sigh, tears finally filling her eyes.

"I spent all this time, all these days and nights, thinking of my baby, lost, scared, hungry, hurt, calling for me, hoping and praying that I'd come find her, and save her. My heart has been broken thinking of her needing me and not being able to do anything to help her," Carol's voice was soft and calm, and Linney took in a shaking, sad breath, trying to keep her sadness for the woman in front of her in check. Carol turned back to her then, shifting in her seat, picking up Linney's damaged hand and running her fingers over the bandages, gently.

"But none of that ever happened, all my worries were for nothing; Sophia died a long time ago." Linney swallowed hard and got to her feet, pulling her hand gently from Carol's. She held Carol's direct gaze for a moment before nodding, and turning to Daryl. His face and his eyes were burning with emotion he was struggling to keep in check and she knew better than to reach for him, not wanting him to feel weakened by his feelings.

His bright blue eyes bore into hers for a moment and he suddenly got to his feet and pushed past her, leaving the RV without another word. Linney glanced back at Carol and saw the woman looking out the window again and Linney left. She moved slowly through the camp, making her way back to the grave-site. T-Dog had Rick, Glenn, and Andrea helping him now and Linney got closer and saw that they were almost done.

Three wrapped bodies lay next to each fresh grave and Linney recognized the pitifully small one as Sophia's. "Where are the other bodies?" She asked softly and they all looked over at her. Andrea finally spoke, "We bury the ones we love, we burn the rest." Linney took in a deep breath and nodded. She sat down under a tree, away from where they were working, knowing she couldn't help them in her condition.

She observed from where she sat; everyone lowering the departed into their graves, piling the dirt on top, putting small rocks as markers at the head of each one. Hershel's family came out again, all of them dressed as if they were going to be attending church. She didn't move from her spot and when she heard footsteps behind her, she knew it was Daryl. He stood against the tree behind her, his legs next to her.

Everyone else gathered around the graves and Linney waited for someone to start speaking, for Hershel to say something. No one did though. She saw Carl looking back and forth between his parents, his face confused and upset.

"Why is no one saying anything?" He asked, his voice upset, and Lori put a hand on his shoulder to shush him. He shoved it off angrily and moved to stand next to Sophia's grave. He had her doll in his hands and he lay it down on top of the grave, folding it's little arms on top of its stuffed body. He turned and looked up at everyone.

"Sophia was my friend, and she was afraid of everything," he began his voice battling to keep back the tears that were shining in his eyes. "I was going to find her, I wanted to find her and bring her home, make her safe, and make Carol happy." Linney made a small choking cry at the little boy's bravery and obvious sadness. She quickly put a hand over her face to hide the display of her own feelings and managed to struggle to her feet. She took a couple steps away from Daryl, and turned her back on him and the group, staring out through watery vision at Hershel's fields.

"But Sophia won't ever come home now and I wish I could take that away." Carl finished and Linney winced when she heard a sob break through on the last word and she knew by the murmurs she heard, that Lori had gone to his side. Linney was having trouble grappling with all her emotions. _It's too much, it's just too much_, she thought, feeling a wild bubble of emotion growing in her chest, causing her physical pain.

She hadn't had time to come to terms with what had happened to Daryl, and then to be immediately followed up with being kidnapped and attacked by Shane, and now Sophia. Linney wrapped both arms around her chest, feeling like she did after Amy died, that if she couldn't hold herself together she might fall apart. _Is this how it will always be? Tragedy after tragedy?_ She took a couple more stumbling steps away, not sure what direction she wanted to go in. She looked around and decided that she definitely did need to get away for a bit, clear her head, find somewhere private to weep and yell and get herself back.

She started to walk faster, and then she was jogging, and then she was running, despite the pain that rippled up her body from her hips and through her throat as her breath was drawn jaggedly up and down her damaged windpipe. She thought she heard someone calling her, but she knew she was faster than almost anyone else in their group, even if she was injured, and she ran harder, wheezing as she did.

When she reached the stone ruins of an old farmhouse she finally stopped. Bracing a hand against the old wall, letting herself breath, feeling her body scream at her. She slowly stepped inside the ruined outline of the building, really just a couple of walls and a hearth, and she sat down, hidden behind the walls, working to catch her breath. _This is not a meltdown, this a time out, a reboot_, she told herself, trying to force her body and mind to attack her emotions logically. She was disturbed with how much this group was making her feel things, how she was allowing herself to grow attached to them.

_We never should have grouped up with them, any of them_. Linney was not an emotional person, she had grown up subjugating her feelings, keeping them separate from herself, keeping her head above the water as much as she possibly could. _Then the world ends and suddenly I'm a giant baby_. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead gently on them, mindful of the bandage there.

She heard noises approaching her, from the other side of the wall, and knew it wasn't a walker. She was very aware that the only person who could have found her would be Daryl. He stood on the other side of the wall and spoke, his voice gravelly and rough, "You ok?" She didn't answer him and he stepped around the wall, looking down at her. "I asked ya a question," he said flatly and she didn't lift her head from her knees.

"Go away, Daryl," she answered, her words muffled from behind her knees, and he grumbled something she didn't catch. He took a couple steps away and climbed back over the wall. She listened as he settled on the other side of the wall and made a face to herself, angry with him for intruding. "I said go away," she told him. He snorted and she could hear his knife scraping against something.

"I don't think so," he growled and she made an irritated noise in her throat. They sat in silence for awhile and Linney let her mind delve deeply into her thoughts, let herself wallow in the heavy emotions she'd kept walled away for most of the day. She began to feel a small, slowly growing spark of hope and wondered where it could have possibly come from, in the midst of all the shit falling down around her, she was surprised that she could even recognize hope anymore.

_Shane is gone, that means so much. Carl is healing. Daryl wasn't killed. No one has to worry that Sophia was suffering anymore_. These are the good things, Linney told herself, chanting the same things over and over again in her own head. She knew the list of bad things was huge, but was aware that dwelling on them helped no one. _The good stuff is all that matters, it's all that's important_.

Linney lifted her head up and saw that night had descended upon them. _This time yesterday you were near death yourself, and you're alive, the threat to the group is dead, and you have a friend sitting five feet away who won't leave you alone_. She sniffed the air and realized that Daryl had built a fire. She shivered slightly in her t-shirt and managed to climb to her feet. Linney peeked around the wall and saw Daryl sitting in front of the small fire he built, his arms wrapped around his drawn up knees. He glanced up at her and she stared back at him. He loosened the hold on his knees and held a hand out to her, wordlessly.

Linney sat down next time to him, tight against his good side. She drew her knees up again and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest, clutching her to him in a way that let her know this was as much for his own comfort as for hers. They sat, wrapped together tightly, and Linney wondered what this would be like without each other there. She couldn't imagine being able to bear the kind of emotional weight that came with growing attached to other people, without the person she was the most attached to. She didn't think he would have handled anything well on his own, either. _I force him to feel things_, she realized.

_We need each other and I hate that_, she thought, _it makes us weaker_. She knew that heavily depending on someone was bad, because people were so easily taken away now, but she was too far in to ever move away from him. He gripped her tighter and rested his chin on the top of her head and she knew without him saying it that he felt the same way.

_Guess I'll just have to make sure he never gets taken away._


	66. Chapter 66

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Rick and Lori sat huddled together in front of the fire pit, Carl wrapped up in a sleeping bag in a chair next to them, sleeping. The night was cool, but the fire was warm, and it served as a good distraction for the people gathered around it. Rick looked around at the faces of his group. Everyone was warmly dressed and although they weren't exactly sure what time of year it was, Rick could easily surmise that the summer was wearing on, edging closer to fall.

Daryl and Linney were nowhere in sight; he had seen her take off running shortly after the funeral and Daryl had wasted little time in following after her. _They're fine_, he thought, knowing that if there were a pair of people who had proven that they were tough to kill, it was them; they could easily take care of themselves. _It's the rest of us that are a mess_.

Glenn was inside the house with Maggie and Rick knew that the young man was slowing aligning his future and his concerns with Hershel's oldest daughter, and while it made him sad to think that they may eventually end up leaving Glenn behind with the Greenes, he knew it was for the best, and was happy for the two of them.

Carol refused to leave the RV, sitting sullenly at the window and staring out into her memories; Rick couldn't begin to image the woman's pain. He looked over at Lori, her face sad and weary, her eyes locked on Carl, and he had to concede that he at least understood the constant pain and worry that came with having a child in this world.

"So, are we leaving?" T-Dog asked, his tired voice breaking the silence. Dale and Andrea seemed to rouse themselves enough to look over at him as he spoke and then all three of them turned to Rick. He shrugged, staring into the fire.

"I think that is a conversation best kept until Hershel has gotten over his grief," he replied and Dale nodded in agreement. Andrea leaned forward though, her face tight and upset.

"How can we consider leaving? Our numbers have been cut again, we can't move forward with the loss of man-power." Rick jerked in surprise towards Andrea, not believing what she said. He glared at her in furious shock.

"How can you even suggest that Shane was a loss of any kind to this group, after everything that he did, all the pain and fear that he caused?" He snapped and Andrea didn't back down. "He was a protector, above and beyond all his other issues, he cared about the well being of the group, he wanted to keep us safe!" She insisted, and Lori looked up then, her face rigid.

"He wanted to do unspeakable things to someone in our group, he tried to do unspeakable things to me," Lori got to her feet, her slim frame shaking with growing rage, "He wanted to kill my husband, he wanted to kill Daryl, and do you think for a second that he'd stop there? He'd kill anyone who got in his way, including you, Andrea!"

Andrea had no response to that and simply got to her feet and stomped away into the RV, not looking back once. Lori turned to Rick and gestured at Carl, her face sad and shadowed again.

"Take him to the tent, Rick, please, I need to lay down," Rick nodded and watched his wife walk away before bending to his son, scooping him up in his arms carefully, trying not to wake him. Dale got to his feet, his own face stricken, as he stared out towards the RV, clearly unsure about what to think or feel about Andrea's outburst. Rick moved towards his tent, where Lori had flicked on a lantern and was changing for bed.

Settling Carl in bed he paused, keeping a hand against the side of the boy's head, grateful beyond words that his child was safe. "Are you going to look for them?" Lori finally asked, settling herself into their bed, and Rick looked over, shaking his head at her. "They'll be fine, I'm not worried about them." He turned back to the door and paused before stepping out, "I'm going to go talk to T, I'll be back shortly." She nodded and he left, zipping the door closed behind him.

Rick was relieved to see T still sitting by the fire, alone, and he crouched down next to his chair. "Tomorrow, you, Glenn, and I need to get rid of Shane's body and take down his tent, get rid of his stuff," Rick's voice was soft, not wanting anyone else to hear him, "We need to make sure Lori, Linney, and Carl don't see us." T nodded and got to his feet.

"Just wake me up in the morning," he replied quietly and Rick nodded, watching the big man walk slowly towards his tent. Rick knew the camp, the entire group, was weighed down with grief, not sure which direction to turn in, what to do next. Despite wanting to shut down with the rest of them, Rick knew he had to stand up, lead, give them focus. They needed to clean up the messes of the past few days and find a new reason to continue.

He heard the sound of footsteps and saw Daryl and Linney walking side by side towards their tent, feeling slightly relieved that they were back at camp. Linney turned and nodded to him before she pushed the door open on their tent and he tipped his head towards her. When their door was shut, he kicked dirt over their fire and went back to Lori.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney pulled her boots off and spent a moment with her back to Daryl, removing her weapons with one hand for the most part and then proceeded to undress, turning back towards the bed, naked, to grab the yellow pjs she'd left there earlier that day. Daryl was already in bed and he was watching her in the soft light of the lantern he'd turned on that was sitting on the milk crate next to their bed, which served as a nightstand. He watched her get dressed but not with anything like lust or arousal, his expression was soft and intense, and she felt there was something more affectionate and confusing in his gaze, an emotion she couldn't quite read.

She crawled over him, to reach her spot next to the wall and he reached out to flick out the lantern, throwing the tent into darkness. Linney rearranged herself under the blankets, pulling herself up next to him while he wordlessly held his arm open, waiting for her to curl up against his side. She draped her bandaged hand across his chest, laying it on his shoulder and rested her head on him. He pulled her closer and she ignored the small stab of pain in the wound on her other arm.

"Do you still wanna leave?" He asked her after a few quiet minutes laying together. She didn't immediately respond, because she was not sure what her answer should be. Finally she spoke, her voice soft, "I don't know." He grunted and put hand over top of the side of her head, running his fingers through her shortened hair.

"Less to worry about here, now," he replied and Linney nodded, leaning her head forwards so she could kiss the inside of the wrist draped over her head. He pulled away from her for a moment and moved the hand from her hair to her chin.

"We're safer here now, no more people at camp to hurt you, no more searchin' through the woods for a lost kid..." his voice trailed off and she could see the dark shape of his head turning away. Linney pushed up onto her elbow and looked down into his face, able to see him a little more clearly as her eyes adjusted to the dark. "I'm sorry," she said quietly and he turned back to her, his face drawing into a glare. He ran a finger across the bandage on her forehead quickly, and said, "What d'ya have to be sorry for?"

Linney bit her lip and swallowed, "For not telling you things earlier, for losing my temper last night and causing everything, for Sophia..." she paused and closed her eyes for a moment, "I know how badly you wanted to find her." He took a deep breath and she could see him struggling, either with trying to find the words to say, or with the desire to shut down, an impulse that used to come so naturally to him.

"Ya can't change any a what happened, n' it ain't your fault to begin with," he finally said and she nodded, somehow relieved to hear him say that he didn't blame her for anything. He sat up and captured her face in both his hands and leaned towards her, bringing himself up to her face, kissing her gently at first, and then a little more roughly, an almost possessive quality to it. She lay back down when he finished and pulled herself against him again, enjoying the moment of softness with him, knowing that they were both likely to seal their feelings away in the morning.

They lay wrapped together until she felt his breathing change, and knew he had fallen asleep. She tilted her head to look up at him, his face restful in sleep, all the tightness and worry smoothed away as he rested. She thought about life without him, and realized that she wasn't able to envision it very well. In the span of roughly over a month he'd filled a void in her life she'd always been fairly certain she would never let anyone fill. Her father had fallen apart when her mother died, and never recovered. She had lived in constant fear of the same thing happening to her.

And now... _now it would be unspeakable to go back_. She kissed him gently on his jaw and lay her head back down on his chest, listening to the thumping of his heart, and surprised herself by whispering, in a tiny thread of a voice, "I love you."

Linney felt sick as soon as she said it and wished she could cram the words back down her throat. She was relieved he was asleep and hadn't heard, but equally horrified that her voice was traitorous enough to let the thought form into words and make its way out. She briefly considered fleeing the tent, but stayed in place, comforting herself with the notion that he was at least asleep and hadn't heard her ridiculously emotional proclamation.

She managed to settle herself into sleep and drifted away not long after, fully unaware that he had, in fact, been awake, and that it took him hours to follow her into sleep.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney turned away from her eggs in alarm when she heard Lori retching. She put her plate down on the ground and cast a worried look over at Dale, who was eating beside her. Linney ran over to the edge of camp, in front of the RV where Lori was crouched. She reached out and grabbed Lori's hair, holding it out of the way, and rubbing the woman's back until she was finished.

"Lori, please," Linney started, helping the woman sit on a rock and Lori looked over at her, dark eyes wide and worried. "Please don't tell Rick," Lori whispered and Linney pressed her lips together. "How long have you known? A week?" She asked, her voice disapproving, and Lori looked away, holding the back of her hand to her mouth.

"You don't understand," the other woman began, not meeting Linney's eyes, "I can't, not yet, because I don't know what I'm going to do." Linney felt her body stiffen at Lori's words and got to her feet. "Lori, you can't mean to handle this alone," she replied and Lori looked up at her.

"That's exactly what I mean to do," she answered, her eyes hard on Linney's face.

"Is it because of Shane?" Linney asked carefully and Lori pressed her lips together, closing her eyes and nodding. "Lori, you know that he'll never... Rick would never be cruel to you or the baby if it was Shane's." Lori shook her head, her eyes closed so tightly that she looked like she was in pain.

"How can he not?" Lori cried, throwing her hands into the air, "How could anyone not? He was a monster, look at what he tried to do to you!" Linney shook her head, dropping to her knees in front of Lori. "No, no, Lori, you know that isn't true. You can't do this alone, and besides, it's not like there's a clinic you can visit or anything." Lori put a hand over her face and began to cry softly. Linney looked around in horror, hoping that someone else better equipped to handle this would magically appear. When she realized that she was it, she put an arm around the crying woman's shoulder.

"Lori, please, listen to me, I urge you, please tell Rick, let him help you," Linney begged, terrified that Lori might try and do something stupid to get rid of the baby. Lori looked up at her and shook her head and then they both jumped when they heard his voice behind them. Linney looked up and saw Rick, his face tight and concerned as he walked over to them saying, "Tell me what? What's going on? Dale said you were sick?" He knelt in front of Lori and Linney got to her feet quickly, walking away before he asked her any questions.

She crept back to camp, picking up her cold breakfast and shoveling it into her mouth, purposely avoiding Dale's searching eyes. She glanced across camp to see Lori and Rick walking away, his body rigid and her head hanging with something close to shame. _Please Rick, react the way I know you should_.

Linney could barely get away fast enough, washing the breakfast dishes violently, before running to the RV, to check on Carol. Glenn sat on watch and he nodded at her, his features tight, and she knew he'd heard her and Lori. She took a deep breath and went inside, not surprised to see Carol sitting on the bed in the back, staring out the window again.

"Hi," Linney said quietly, sitting down across from her. Carol looked up and gave her a tiny smile. "How are you feeling today?" Carol asked and Linney shrugged.

"I've been so banged up lately that honestly it doesn't feel much different," she replied simply and Carol nodded. "And Daryl? How is he? I worry about him." Linney looked away then, down at her hands. "He's, you know... he's Daryl," she glanced back up at Carol's face and saw the woman smiling sadly, "He's handling it better than I could have thought," Linney finished. Carol smiled at her and reached out, putting her hand on Linney's knee.

"It's because of you, honey, you know that right? I don't think he'd be with us, or if he was, he wouldn't be doing well at all, if you weren't here." Linney smirked at Carol's words and laughed a little.

"That's doubtful, I think I'm giving him an ulcer with all my antics," Carol smiled widely then and laughed, genuinely amused, and Linney felt momentarily pleased that she had the woman laughing, even if it was at her expense. "You're good for each other," she finally said and Linney suddenly leaned towards the woman and hugged her, hard. Carol seemed surprised for a moment but returned it, tightening her arms around Linney.

"You are such a good person, Carol," Linney spit out, feeling foolish for not being able to properly say what she meant and Carol hugged her tightly, laughing a little against Linney's shoulder. "Please, if you need anything, just let me know, you're not alone," Linney said and Carol nodded, finally pushing her away. "I know, thank you," Carol replied and she put a hand on the side of Linney's face.

"You two are good enough, you know that too, right?" The other woman said and Linney cocked her head to the side, not sure what she was getting at. "Rick told Lori you kept things quiet because you thought you weren't valued, that people cared less about you and Daryl than they did Shane." Linney felt her cheeks flush then, and pressed her lips together.

"It's not true, you are every bit as good as anyone here, and nobody wants to see you leave, either of you." Carol's tone was firm and Linney stared at her for a moment, understanding that she probably had a good idea of what it was like to feel inadequate.

"I lost my daughter, and I don't know how I can get past it, except for knowing that Daryl did more for her in the past week than her daddy ever did her entire life, and you run around trying to take care of everyone, but never letting anyone take care of you." Carol moved closer and her face grew sad and contemplative, "The group needs you every bit as much as you need them."

Linney cleared her throat and nodded at Carol, wondering how her visit to comfort Carol had turned into Carol trying to comfort and reassure her. "Thank you," was all she could say in response and Carol nodded, before turning back to the window again, resuming her blank staring outside.

Outside the RV, Linney walked idly around camp, knowing that no one was going to let her do anything today, everyone seemed pretty insistent that she rest and heal. She noticed with a start that Shane's tent was gone, and her mind went to the barn, suddenly sure that all signs of the attack had been cleaned up and wiped away by Rick. Linney headed to her tent and gathered her supplies from her bag, settling herself at the picnic table and proceeding to clean and sharpen her weapons, not sure what else to do with herself.

After a while, Andrea came to join her, sitting across from her and watching her wordlessly. "If you have something to say, you might as well say it." Linney finally said, not looking up from her knife. Andrea drew in an irritated breath and Linney was suddenly certain which side of the fence that the woman landed on when it came to her killing Shane.

"You've handicapped the group," Andrea said, her voice steady and low. Linney shook her head and didn't look up.

"I'm not even going to defend myself against something so stupid," she responded and she heard Andrea grumble in response. "Linney, I understand you never wanted to be attacked, and I didn't see anything else that happened between the two of you, but did you stop to consider what his absence would mean to the group."

"Did you stop to consider what he planned to do the group?" Linney responded, putting her knife down and moving on to another one. "We don't know that he would have done anything," Andrea answered stoutly.

"I do," Linney said quietly, still not looking up. Andrea breathed out harshly in irritation, "Can you at least look at me when I talk to you?" Linney slammed the knife in her hand down into the table, burying the blade into the plastic top, shaking the entire piece of furniture. Andrea leaped in her seat and Linney met her blue eyes with a tight and angry glare on her own face.

"Look, I'm sure you're upset and embarrassed 'cause you're a fucking idiot who tries to defend the camp with a chip on her shoulder so big that it makes you nearly kill the people around you. And I'm sure you think that he was your ticket outta here if for some reason you decided that this place wasn't going to work out anymore." Linney leaned towards Andrea, her brows drawing down even more, "But he was a violent sociopath who wanted to rape, torture, and kill me, kill Daryl, kill his best friend, kill the people who have taken us in, kill anyone in our group who stood in his way, and then kidnap Lori and Carl, to drag along with him, doing whatever he pleased with them along the way."

Linney got to her feet then, and began to gather up her weapons, strapping them on with quick, angry movements. "I didn't take killing him lightly, trust me, taking the life of one of the living still bothers me, but it was him or me." Linney slammed a gun into its holster and raised an eyebrow at Andrea, "And it wasn't going to be me. He was a menace and I had to protect myself and the people I care about. I wish you could understand that." Andrea opened her mouth to reply and Linney held a hand up to stop her.

"Just keep it to yourself. For Amy's sake I was nice to you despite the way you treated me and my friends, and then after her loss, I kept my mouth shut about your attempts to kill yourself, even though we all know damn well she would have been absolutely repulsed and offended by the idea."

Linney turned away, and then paused, looking back over her shoulder, "And now, I can't even begin to imagine what the fuck is wrong with you, so here's the deal: stay away from me, stay away from Daryl, stay away from Carl, and we're good." Andrea said nothing and Linney stomped away, going to go find a tree she could hurl some knives at.


	67. Chapter 67

***** Stuff's gonna pick up again soon! Hope I haven't lost too many of you over the past couple of chapters, seems some people weren't huge fans of me killing Sophia :( Sorry they didn't like it, but not sorry I did it! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, of course *** **

The week that followed Shane's death and their finally finding Sophia went by quietly. Linney healed well, despite having no further medical help from Hershel. Patricia and Maggie helped her clean and change her bandages, as they did with Daryl and Carl. Hershel had withdrawn into himself, to the point where he was doing nothing on the farm, and stopped leaving his room. Maggie was bringing food and water to him, like an invalid, and Linney could see it was slowly crushing her to see her father so without hope.

Rick had informed the group that they would be taking up the slack and a lot of their work swung from the daily grind of survival to actual upkeep of the farm, caring for animals, repairing fences, working in the garden. Linney found it a refreshing change, although she could sense Daryl chafing at the domesticity of the tasks they found themselves faced with.

When she was finally able to take a shower again, Patricia having deemed her wounds and stitches healed enough to safely do so, she thought she might never leave the small shower stall. She was saddened by how much less time it took to wash her hair, but when she examined herself critically in the mirror afterwards, she was pleased to see the majority of her bruises had faded from the horrifying shades of black, blue, and purple to a more mild spray of color; browns, yellows, and oranges. The wound on her forehead had healed enough that it no longer required a bandage, but it was still ugly, and thanks to Shane's making it worse, she was certain she would have a scar now.

Linney carefully ran a finger along the long, thin, scabbed cut that traced the length of her entire cheek, left courtesy of Shane's knife. Despite the fact that it required the least medical attention, Patricia's face had twisted uneasily as she informed Linney that she would certainly find herself with a long, thin scar in the area once the cut had healed.

Linney sighed now, running a hand through her short wet hair. The injury on her calf had healed to the point where it no longer required a bandage at all, as had the one on her arm. Even her hip wound had healed enough to become smaller, requiring only one slim bandage to prevent her clothes from irritating it. _Thanks again, Shane_.

Her hand was doing better. As time progressed, it became apparent that the whole hand was not broken as had been initially feared, but two of her fingers were still probably mildly fractured, according to Patricia, who insisted the two remained splinted together. A light ace bandage kept the rest of the hand wrapped, but allowed her a larger range of motion. Carl was now fond of calling that hand "The Claw" and Linney had spent some time chasing him around, pretending to want to claw him with it, much to Lori's amusement.

During her time working around the farm, Linney observed Lori and Rick and was pleased that they seemed to have moved past Shane and onto dealing with the pregnancy. They still had not told anyone, and Rick had personally sworn Glenn and her to secrecy, after which Linney had threatened to beat Glenn up if he wasn't able to keep his mouth actually shut this time. Lori was more reserved now, though, the reality of being pregnant in this time and place weighing heavily on her. Neither Linney nor Rick could cheer her enough to see it as a good thing.

Carol withdrew from the RV after a couple days, a little more quiet than before, but more contemplative and less sad. She took care of things around camp, throwing herself into tasks, and when Rick arranged for some firearms training for everyone, she went with him and proved to be a surprisingly good shot. Linney had been forced to assist with the training, but she mainly worked with Carl and Jimmy. She thought back to the times with her father, when he taught her to shoot and tried to repeat the same lessons.

Carl surprised them all, by being an excellent shot, confident and comfortable with the gun in his hand, unlike Jimmy who looked like he was using some kind of plastic shooter from an arcade game. Linney knew that Rick and Lori had argued bitterly over Carl and guns, but she had silently agreed with Rick. They didn't live in a world where they could pretend that everything was fine and that a child was always safe. That just wasn't the case anymore. Linney knew that every person had to be willing and able to defend their own life if they intended to keep it.

Linney watched Andrea, watched the woman help around camp, watched her try to become useful, watched her apologize to Daryl, apologize to Lori, and eventually apologize to Linney. Linney had nodded at her apology, her eyes locked on Andrea's, analyzing the woman's intentions. She didn't see her as an actual threat, but as more of a nuisance, a burden, still desperate to prove herself as being more capable than the other's thought she was. Linney was concerned that her behavior was likely to get them all killed, because Andrea just couldn't see past her own warped ego and need for approval and equality.

By the end of that week, though, they were all hoping that this was permanent, that they could make this little life work, and have safety, companionship and happiness on the farm.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Have you seen my dad?" Maggie asked her, and Linney looked up from the fence she was mending. Her one gloved hand was filled with barbed wire and the other was trying to nail it down using the small metal loops that Hershel had buckets of for that purpose. "No, I thought he was still inside," Linney replied, putting everything down when she realized Maggie's face was pale and drawn.

"What's going on?" Linney asked, pulling the glove off and tossing it on top of the fencing gear. Maggie pressed her lips together and shook her head, her face twisting in worry and sadness.

"Beth collapsed, Patricia thinks she's catatonic, and we can't find Dad, he's not in the house anymore," Maggie's voice was tight with worry for her little sister and Linney swallowed, before climbing through the fence and moving to Maggie's side. "Have you asked Rick?" She asked the other girl kindly, and Maggie nodded. Linney began walking back with her, waving over Daryl who was sitting a ways from camp, skinning a deer he had taken down on his latest hunt. He sighed heavily before coming over.

"What?" He grunted, as he reached their side, and Linney gestured at Maggie. "Beth's sick and nobody can find Hershel around the house or the farm, have you seen him?" He narrowed his eyes and shook his head, before heading towards the house himself. He paused and looked back at them, gesturing impatiently, "C'mon, let's go check 'is room, see where he mighta gone off to."

On the way they found Rick, discussing the situation with T-Dog and they all went up into Hershel's room. When Maggie first opened the door, Linney felt like they were intruding, but when they saw the state of the room, she knew instantly that something was wrong. There were boxes everywhere, overflowing with items and clothing. Linney walked to the nearest box in the bed, and lifted a filmy white dress from the top.

"Was this your mom's stuff?" She asked and Maggie nodded, leaning against the wall by the door. Linney looked into the closest, which appeared to be torn apart. "Looks like he was packing it all up," Rick commented quietly, as he picked up a silver flask on the top of the dresser. Daryl nodded his head at it and then looked at Maggie, "Dad a drinker?" She shook her head vehemently, "Not since I was born, but he was an alcoholic before that." Linney felt her jaw clench briefly, but said nothing, only looking away when Daryl's gaze landed on her for a moment.

"I'd say enough has happened to drive him back to drinking," Rick said, examining the flask in his hand, running a finger over the intricate carved pattern on the top. Maggie shook her head, "Not in this house, no alcohol in the house, ever." Linney looked up at Maggie then, and asked, "What about in town? Anything there?" Maggie's blue eyes went to hers, going wide at the thought.

"Oh my god, yes, Hatlin's in town, he used to live there back in his drinkin' days," Maggie's voice was small and disbelieving. Linney turned to Rick and gave him a significant look, "I'd bet anything that's where we'll find him," she said in a firm voice. Rick nodded but Daryl interjected with an angry, "We?"

Linney looked over at him as Rick moved to Maggie's side, asking her to write down where the bar was and how to get there. "Of course, 'we', we can't let Rick go alone," Linney said reasonably. Daryl glared at her, "Ya ain't goin'." She frowned at him, "Yes, I am, if you got a problem with it, then come with me."

He held her eyes for a moment and she added, "Glenn and Maggie have made multiple runs to town on their own, haven't seen a single walker, even left their horses alone outside and still nothing, it'll be fine." Daryl grumbled something, looking away, before turning back to her, pointing a finger in her face, "Ya'll listen to me when we're there, this ain't just about walkers, it's about people, too."

Linney smiled at him and turned to Rick, who had been watching them carefully. "We'll be going with you," she said and he nodded, pleased with that. "Let's get our gear and go pick him up." Linney headed directly back to their tent, adding her second gun, and all her extra knives, mainly smaller ones for throwing. She watched as Daryl grabbed the crossbow, a gun, ammo, a sleeve of extra bolts for the bow and a second hunting knife. Linney slid her black cap from her hair, deciding that she didn't need the bill in her way if they encountered anything unexpected.

Outside, she watched as T-Dog threw a bag of food and water into the trunk of his truck, his face tight and anxious. Lori and Carl were embracing Rick and then Carl ran over to her. "You're going to help my dad, right?" He asked her, glancing up at Daryl, eyeing the crossbow slung over his shoulder. Linney nodded, "Absolutely, we won't be long, just going to pick up Hershel and head back." The boy nodded and then looked between her and Daryl for a moment.

"I'm not afraid," he began, giving them a small smile, "With you guys there, walkers don't stand a chance." Daryl actually grunted in laughter and Linney had to smile. He'd been grumpier than usual for the past week; it was nice to see him laugh and smile.

He had been mostly apart from her during the day, their tasks pulling them to different corners of the property, if he wasn't off hunting, and at night, he was always asleep before she got into bed. She had her doubts about that, thinking he was faking it and just avoiding her. But she was tired from the exertion of laboring all day and not interested in pushing him for anything, determined to let him take his time to get over Sophia and the incident with Shane however he needed to. She was missing him though, missing their chats at night, even when she lay against him, she missed their little moments, their intimacy. She kept telling herself to be patient, that he needed his own time to sort through things.

Now, she took a risk and leaned towards him, popping up on her toes to kiss his cheek when no one was looking. She was stepping away, climbing into the backseat of the truck before he could react. When he slid into the front seat he spoke to her without turning around. "What was that for?" Linney shrugged, then realized he wasn't looking, so she replied, "For luck."

"Don't need no luck, just pickin' up some old drunk," he said gruffly and Linney rolled her eyes. When Rick hopped in and they began driving, Linney leaned back in her seat, with the window down, trying to enjoy the drive. She hadn't left the farm in so long, it felt like a field trip. Rick fiddled with the ancient tape deck on the dash and hit play, surprising them all when it started playing some music from the man in black.

"And this is T's truck?" She asked incredulously and Rick laughed, nodding his head. Daryl shook his head, "Never figured him for havin' good taste in music." Linney smiled and watched the farm scenery go by, as the speakers sang to them about rings of fire. When the fields began to fade into homes, and residential streets, Rick slowed down and Linney kept her eyes sharp, surprised that it really and truly seemed to be a ghost town; there were no walkers anywhere. Rick pulled to a stop in the middle of the street and they all hopped out.

The building to their left was styled to look like a Wild West saloon, with "Hatlin's" written in the loopy script often associated with a bar of that era. It had regular doors, though, which disappointed Linney for some reason, deterring from the authentic feel of the place. When they pushed through the doors, it took their eyes a moment to adjust to the dim, dusty light inside. Hershel was sitting at the bar, his back to them and Linney heaved a sigh of relief, shoving past Rick and Daryl and walking right up to the bar, jumping up to sit on it, right next to Hershel.

She only glanced up briefly when Daryl moved by her, quickly scouting the bar, and then silently disappearing into the back rooms and the bathrooms, to clear the place. Rick moved to sit on the other side of the old man and Linney tried to caution herself to show some restraint when dealing with Hershel. _This is not your father, this is a damaged man_.

"Time to go, Hershel, your daughter needs you." She said, her voice flat. He glanced up at her, his eyes watery and glazed. _Oh wonderful, he's already drunk_. She glanced at the bottle he was drinking from and felt a jagged spike of pain go through her. _Jim Beam, oh how poetic_.

She swallowed and listened as Rick tried to talk the man into leaving. Hershel seemed uninterested in going, despite hearing about Beth. Linney spun around on the counter and hopped down onto the other side, trying to keep her temper in check as Hershel's self-pity became more and more evident.

"I was wrong Rick, too stubborn and too stupid to see what was really happening around me," Hershel said sadly, his face sagging with his heavy distress. Linney turned to him and grabbed the bottle Jim Beam, wrenching the cap off the top and taking a swig, grimacing at the taste.

"Look, Hershel, I get what you're saying, you robbed your family of the opportunity to grieve properly," her voice was casual, and Hershel looked at her, confused, "But doing this isn't going to help." She took the bottle and heaved it across the room, taking satisfaction in watching it shatter.

"Your girls need you, they need their father, they need you to get the fuck over yourself, pull up your goddamn pants and act like a man." Hershel leaned away from her and Linney crossed her arms, barely sparing a moment to glance over at Daryl as he returned to the room.

"I get that this is hard, but I need you to know that you are not special, not at all, not to anyone, except Maggie and Beth." She swung a hand towards Daryl, "He's lost family," she pointed at herself, "I had to kill my only family in self defense," and she pointed at Rick, "And he went through hell to find his family, why do you think your pain is special, that your sadness is special?"

Hershel's face went still and he glared at her, but Linney was pretty well lost to her anger and she leaned towards him, her own glare on her face. "If you want to die, then be a man and kill yourself, but do it quickly," she thumped her pistol down on the counter in front of him, "I want to be able to tell Maggie that you went fast." Hershel stared at the gun and Rick turned to Linney with an incredulous look on his face.

"Linney, I don't think - " He began, but Hershel shoved the gun back towards Linney and finally spoke, "I don't appreciate being spoken to like this," he said, his voice gravelly and Linney shrugged her shoulders, "Then get off your ass and earn my respect, otherwise I have no tolerance for self-pitying drunks." Hershel looked up at her, his eyes sharpening and she held her face firm, trying to keep the hope welling in her chest from showing in her eyes, not wanting him to know just how much she was praying for him to get up and go home with them.

"You're right," the man finally said, his sad face finally lightening a little bit. Rick smiled at her and took Hershel's arm helping him off the stool. Daryl put a hand lightly on her back and she glanced at him over shoulder, pleased to find him smiling a little, though his eyes were still narrowed.

So when the door was pulled open a moment later and two armed men stepped in, they were all surprised and everyone drew weapons at the same time.

One of the men, a slim man with a mustache, quickly ran his eyes over their weapons and lowered his, "Hi," he said, trying to be conversational. Rick nodded at him and Daryl used his elbow to nudge Linney slightly behind him.

"Wanna chat without guns in each other's faces?" The mustached man asked.

**PS - did we all catch last night's episode? Let me just say, HOLY SHIT - very intense, I thought I was going to have a heart attack from all the tension haha! Melissa McBride is **_**so**_** the shit, I just love her :)**


	68. Chapter 68

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

_Well, this is awkward_, Linney thought, watching as the two armed men lowered their weapons, and then put their hands into the air. Hershel sat back down on his barstool and Daryl lowered his crossbow. Linney kept her eyes on the men and when Rick lowered his gun, all eyes turned to her, a gun in each hand, still trained on the newcomers.

"Hey, little lady, we don't mean no harm, just here for a drink," the mustached guy said, his voice casual and friendly. She clenched her jaw harder and Rick glanced over at her briefly. "Linney," he said once, softly, and she took a deep breath, lowering her weapons reluctantly. Daryl nudged her and she slid them into their holsters. The men moved deeper into the bar, and Rick backed up until he was standing in front of the bar.

Daryl pulled out a stack of fat shot glasses, and a bottle of what looked like cheap whiskey and began pouring it into them. The guy with the mustache sat at the table nearest the bar, putting his gun on the table. The silence and tension was so thick that it was making Linney feel a little crazy. She had a sudden desire to just kill the men now and leave, but one glance at Rick told her that was not the right move and she instead crossed her arms over her chest, keeping each hand cupped over the opposite bicep, covering her knives. She was not prepared to hesitate.

"Hey, so, my name's Tony," the mustached man said, and Linney took in his tired, but overall pleasant looking face before turning to his companion, whom he introduced as Dave. Dave was tall and very overweight and Linney eyed the large gun slung over his shoulder. _Must be pretty fucking good with that thing if he's managed to live_. Rick nodded at them, "Rick Grimes," he introduced himself, before waving a hand at the older man, "This is Hershel, and Daryl." Linney wondered if he was purposely leaving her out of introductions, trying to draw attention away from her.

It didn't work, because Tony nodded at them and then tilted his head to get a good look at her from where she stood, partially behind Daryl. "Linney, right?" She glared at him and didn't answer and he smiled. He glanced back to Rick, "She don't talk?" Rick shrugged, "She's a pretty angry person, there's a reason we bring her out with us." Tony nodded, raising an eyebrow at Rick before looking back at her.

"We don't mean to be disrespectful by staring, but you don't see many women or children anymore, if you know what I mean, 'specially not pretty ones," Tony said to her and her only response was to raise her eyebrow at him. Tony smiled briefly and looked back to Rick. "Me and Dave, here, we're from Philly, that place is fucked right up now, totally gone." Linney listened to his thick accent and wondered if they sounded just as alien to him. Rick nodded and waved a hand nonchalantly towards the door, "Atlanta's the same."

Dave nodded and spoke from his position up against the other bar, "We gave it pretty wide berth, ya know? Just crawling with lamebrains," he spoke in a matter-of-fact voice and Linney couldn't keep her hard exterior up anymore.

"Lamebrains? That's what ya'll call them?" She asked curiously and both of them looked back at her and Tony smiled. "Yeah, why? What do you guys call them?"

"Walkers," Daryl answered in a gruff voice and Tony laughed, slapping his knee. "That's a good name, 'walkers', I like it!" He laughed and looked over at Dave, "Lot better than Lamebrains!" Linney couldn't get caught up in their mirth and kept her eyes locked on Tony. _He's running that show, I hope Rick knows that._

Daryl pushed the now full shot glasses towards Rick, who reached back blindly and grabbed them, passing them out to the two men and taking one for himself. Daryl pushed one over to her and she grabbed it, not wanting to drink it, but knowing she'd have to, almost in self defense, to keep up appearances. Hershel declined his and Tony laughed, "Hershel! Not gonna join us in a drink?" Hershel shook his head, a regretful smile on his face, his words slightly slurred when he answered.

"No, I quit drinking today," the old man responded and Tony pounded his drink back before answering, "Picked a helluva day to stop drinking, my friend." Linney chugged her glass blindly, keeping the wince from her face at the taste.

"So what brings you here?" Rick finally asked, watching as Tony refilled his glass. Tony nodded and knocked back another glass, "When we got outta Philly, we headed south ya know, trying to get to DC, but the city there is so messed up we couldn't even get close to it. Just kept pushing south," Tony answered, his voice mildly regretful. He gestured at them, "What 'bout you guys? Got a group?" Rick stared hard at the man, and Linney could almost feel him trying to think of a way to answer.

"We got some guys at camp, just came into town to get some supplies, grab a drink before we all move on," Rick finally said and Linney kept her eyes locked on Tony's face. He happened to be looking at her again and she felt her features bearing down into a even more unfriendly glare. Tony nodded at Rick's explanation and glanced back over Dave.

"We been mostly alone, you know, moving around, following rumors of safe places on our way down here," Tony began, fiddling with his shot glass momentarily, "But none of them turned out to be true, we get there and everyone's just dead." Rick nodded slowly and Linney thought the tension was killing her. She felt Daryl's hand on her hip, a small, hidden from view reminder to stay calm, and she glanced over at him for a moment and took in his impassive features, trying to smooth her own out into a mirror of his. _I won't freak 'til he does_, she told herself.

"What's it been like here?" Dave asked them, his dark eyes crawling over Linney in a way that made her want to vault the counter and beat his head in. She took a step to the side, unconsciously making a move to stomp around the bar towards him, but Daryl's hand closed over her forearm, pulling her back. She looked back at him again and he gave a minute shake of his head. Linney tried to take a calming breath.

"Like everywhere else I imagine," Hershel replied in his slow, careful drawl and Tony nodded. Rick continued with, "A lot of dead people." Tony's eyes moved to Linney again and he took in Daryl's hand wrapped around her arm, before sliding back up to her face.

"What happened to your face?" He asked her, his voice injected with concern. Linney glared at him and said, "Someone tried to take something that wasn't theirs." Rick and Daryl didn't react to her words and for that she was grateful. "That don't look so good," Tony said, eyeing the wound on her forehead. She shrugged, "It was worse before." The man's eyes slid to Daryl, "Did you have anything to say about that, big guy?"

Linney paused, surprised that he seemed aware of some kind of connection between her and Daryl. His hand tightened momentarily around her arm before he let go and Linney figured that his stance next to her was probably enough to telegraph to the whole room that he was just waiting for someone to make a move towards her.

"She took care of it," Daryl responded, his voice low and rough. Linney finally let a smile touch her lips, tapping a hand on a knife on her arm. Tony's eyes moved to her hand and back to her. "Good with those, hey?" He asked, as if it were a game, and she shrugged, sliding the knife out into her hand. She twirled it in her fingers, not taking her eyes from Tony and watched as he nodded at her, his eyes a little more cautious. Rick spoke without looking back at her.

"There's a dart board," he said, his tone light, "Show them." Linney smiled slowly at Tony and flickered her eyes up to the dartboard across the room. She moved incredibly fast, whipping the knife at it in a blur of motion that made Tony and Dave both jump. They both glanced back to see the knife driven through the board, into the wall behind it, right through the bulls eye. "Shit, sweetheart, you coulda made a fuck load of money playin' darts!" Dave said, laughing. Linney said nothing, just settled her hand casually over her arm again, resting on her other knife there.

Tony watched her, his smile not extending to his eyes, and she had a pretty good idea that, after Rick, he'd take her out next, knowing that they likely intended to save her for something else altogether, but wouldn't want risk her attacking them. _If they want to kill you, which I'm seriously doubting at this point, don't think some shiny knife tricks are going to stop that_, she thought sternly to herself.

Tony filled his glass again and passed the bottle to Dave who did the same before handing the bottle Hershel. Hershel passed it to Rick without looking over and Linney watched as Rick refilled their glasses as well. Linney took a breath and drank her shot, not wanting to, but deciding she had to keep up with Daryl and Rick. "So," Tony began, his voice friendly and casual again, "You all don't look too rough, where you set up?" Rick shrugged and replied in a vague voice, "You know, nearby."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him, twirling his cup on the table, "We're just passin' through you know? But it'd be nice to have a safe place to crash for the night, think that could happen?" Rick said nothing and Tony continued, waving a hand at them, "We'd be happy to trade supplies for a night's stay." Rick didn't move and Linney could feel her chest constrict in worry.

"I'm sorry, I don't think that's possible," Rick responded, his voice firm, but regretful. Tony nodded, pressing his lips together. He glanced up at Dave for a moment before looking back to Rick, and then over Rick's shoulder to Linney. "We don't mean any harm, just a couple guys looking to rest for a bit, you all look pretty good, so you gotta be somewhere safe," Tony spoke again and Linney glared at him.

"I know she don't like the idea," Tony said, a smile on his face as he pointed at Linney, before turning to Rick, "But I'm pretty sure you're the guy in charge." Rick shook his head again, "We have too many people in our group, there isn't room for any more." Linney flinched a little when Dave suddenly walked across the room, over behind Tony and she heard the unmistakeable sound of a zipper as the man began to pee against the wall. Linney made a face, disgusted, and Daryl took a casual step to the side, pushing her away from the edge of the bar, to stand further in behind it, putting himself between her and whoever might try and come behind the bar.

"Dave, man, come on," Tony chastised his friend with a laugh in his voice, and Dave laughed. "I apologize for my friend, miss, he's a bit of an asshole," Tony said, looking at Linney, following her and Daryl's movements in a very deliberate way; letting them know that he knew exactly what Daryl was trying to do. Linney shrugged carelessly, "When ya gotta go, ya gotta go," she said in a calm voice and Dave laughed before moving to stand against the wall, a few feet away from Daryl in the open area of the bar.

Tony got to his feet and strolled over to where Dave had been standing before, near Hershel. "So whatcha guys got? Like a house? Store? Warehouse?" Tony asked, leaning casually against the bar, a foot propped up on the stool there. Rick said nothing and only watched him. Dave spoke up, "That housing development a few miles away?" Tony shook his head, "Naw man, we went there, and it was overrun." Dave nodded and Linney kept her eyes trained on Tony, the smaller man being the one she considered the most dangerous.

"Well, this area got a lotta farms, we could see them from the highway," Tony said, running a hand over his face casually, before looking up again and locking his eyes on Linney. "You guys at a farm?" He was asking Rick, but looking at her and she kept her face still. Tony nodded as if she'd answered him outright. "A farm, yeah, lotsa land, water, crops; sounds tight." Linney felt a muscle in her jaw tic; she'd been clenching her teeth so hard. Tony gestured at Rick, "Don't see how there couldn't be room at this farm of yours, you know?"

"I'm sorry, but it's just not an option," Rick spoke calmly and Linney tried to leech some of that calm from him. _The tension is making me crazy_. She just wanted them to make their move already. When Tony turned and vaulted over the bar, Linney and Rick both immediately dropped their hands to their guns and Daryl drew his crossbow up, training it on Dave on the other side of the room. Tony froze and said, "Whoa whoa whoa," he put his gun on the top of the bar, his eyes moving back and forth from her to Rick.

"I'm just lookin' for the good stuff," he said, trying to calm them and Linney moved around the corner of the bar, despite the growl from Daryl that told her he didn't want her doing that. Tony stood at the other end of the L-shaped bar and she stood at the end of that section, so she could see his every move. She kept her hands on her weapons and he raised an eyebrow at her, gesturing towards a bottle in front of himself.

"I just wanted this, sweetheart, calm down," Tony grabbed a bottle of tequila and thumped it up onto the bar top, next to his gun. Linney didn't take her eyes from him, and didn't nod or say anything. Tony screwed the cap off the bottle and looked over at her again, flickering his gaze from her boots to the top of her head. "Hey Dave, think they've got any other gals as cute as this one back at their farm?" Daryl's grip tightened on the crossbow and Rick clenched his teeth.

"Probably," Dave said, casually swinging his gun down from his shoulder, to hang by his side, "Bet that's why you don't want us to come back, hey? Protecting what's yours?" Linney felt her lip curl up into a sneer and wrapped her hand around the butt of her father's gun. "You could come with us, sweetheart, nothing has to happen here," Tony said calmly, pouring his shot.

"You're right," Rick said, his voice no longer low and flat, it was now hard, threatening without having to raise in volume, "Nothing has to happen." Tony looked up at the sheriff and Linney took a step closer. Tony glanced over at her and she gauged how quickly she might be able to draw her weapon and shoot him, before he could grab his own. The man smiled at her and Linney felt her sneer grow angrier. "I think you should leave," Linney said, her voice flat. Tony shook his head and laughed, "It's a free country, I can stay where I want, " he paused and smiled at her in a greedy way, "And, ya know, I can take what I want, too."

When he spun and threw the bottle at her head, she was ready, and ducked, drawing her gun at the same time. She didn't pause, shooting him in the gut the moment the bottle left his hand. She heard another shot and the familiar twang of Daryl's crossbow. Tony's face was momentarily shocked as he grabbed his bleeding midsection and before he could even sink to his knees, Rick spun and shot him in the head. Linney breathed heavily, looking over to see Dave had been shot in his chest, and had a bolt sticking through the side of his head. She licked her lips and stepped back from Tony's bleeding corpse.

She nearly whipped around to draw on Daryl when she bumped into him. He'd made his way over immediately to where she stood and put his hand on her gun, urging it down. She looked up at him and felt her jaw working. He nodded at her and took the gun from her hand, putting it back in its holster. Linney tore her eyes from him to see Rick taking the big gun from Dave's corpse and handing it over to a fairly stunned looking Hershel.

The older man took the gun, holding it in his hands while he stared down at Dave. Rick spoke to her then, "Are you ok?" She nodded and moved with Daryl, back around the bar, to stand by Rick. "So," she started, her voice shaky, "They're really dead." Daryl snorted and she could hear him sling the crossbow back on his back again. Rick nodded, his face not troubled in the slightest, and she knew that there wasn't going to be any kind of "We don't kill the living" speech. Because more important than that, she was slowly realizing, was "We don't let anything kill us".

"We need to go now," Rick said firmly and Linney turned to put a hand on Hershel's arm, urging him up. The older man smiled and nodded at her and she was surprised to see that he was remarkably untroubled by what had just happened. _Am I the only one who had issues with killing people before these two assholes walked in?_

They moved silently towards the doors, the bar darker as the sun made its final descent in the sky and they all froze at the entryway as headlights suddenly washed over them from outside.

"Shit!" Rick hissed, throwing himself to the ground on one side of the door. Daryl shoved Linney, hard, to the ground, and she flung herself against the wall on the opposite side of the door from Rick. Hershel took cover a few feet away, on her side of the door, in the niche between the window and the wall, and Daryl moved quickly and easily to the identical spot on the other side of the wall, near Rick. They pressed their backs up against the wall and listened to a car come to a stop outside.

"Dave! Tony!" Someone called out in a worried voice, and Linney heard three other voices scold the first person.

"I heard shots, man, I know I did." The first voice said. "Shut the fuck up, man, you'll bring every lamebrain in the area down on us!" A second voice snapped. Linney looked over in the dim light at Rick, her eyes wide and worried and Rick put a finger to his lips, indicating quiet. She nodded and leaned her head back against the wall, listening as the footsteps outside trotted up and down the street.

The footfalls got closer and the first voice said, "Bet they went in here, stupid drunks," and Linney stiffened. When the door began to push in, Linney moved by instinct alone and threw her body against the door, pushing it shut immediately. Rick pressed his lips together and gestured at her to move and she looked past him to see Daryl glaring at her, waving his hand, telling her to move. Linney shook her head, knowing that letting these people in would be a mistake.

The door pushed against her one more time and the voices outside grew quiet, before a deep, angry voice said, "Someone's fucking in there."


	69. Chapter 69

***** Ha! One more today - as per usual I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"Tony? Dave?" The voice outside was curious, alarmed, and worried, all at once, and Linney pushed harder against the door. They were all quiet inside the bar and Linney looked over at Rick, feeling a little bit like she couldn't catch her breath. _From one mess to another_, she thought wearily. He held a hand out to her, signaling her to be still. By the footsteps, mumbled conversation, and general scuffling around, it sounded like much more than the four voices they'd heard getting out of the car, and she realized that there could be as many as eight men outside the bar.

"Look, the door pushed against something, I'm not making it up." The voice said again and the door was shoved harder. Linney dug her heels into the floor and pushed against it, biting down hard on her lips so she wouldn't make a sound. "See? I wasn't lying! Someone's in front of the door!" Linney couldn't help roll her eyes at the persistence of the voice and someone in his group must have felt the same way because there was a sudden slapping noise, as one of the people outside smacked his head.

"Shut up, Randall!" Someone else scolded and there was a scuffle before someone tried again to push the door, using slow and steady pressure and Linney grunted, trying to hold it closed. _Shit shit shit shit. _

"Who's in there?" A loud voice boomed out and Linney jumped hard, again looking over at Rick. He was clearly struggling with whether or not to answer, and a quick peek at Hershel and then at Daryl told her that they both thought he should say nothing.

"We're just looking for our friends!" The voice called out again and the one they had called Randall followed that up with, "Dave? Tony? You in there?" Linney held her gun tightly in her hand and tried to calm her breathing, somehow more scared of the people outside than if it had been a pack of walkers, instead. She tried to get up, into a crouch, intent on moving away, but Rick put a hand on her knee, pushing her back down.

Linney could feel her hands and arms shaking with the strain of leaning on the door and the stress of the situation and Rick patted her knee again before leaning a little closer to the door.

"They attacked us first!" He called out, his voice ragged and rough. Linney closed her eyes when he spoke and prayed that they would leave, understand, something, just go away. Hershel let out a quiet breath and when she looked over at him, he was nearly growling at Rick in irritation, clearly not thinking this was the right way to go.

"What do you mean? Are they alive?" The deep voice asked and Linney drew in a shuddering breath, her eyes desperately locked on Rick's face. _Lie lie lie lie_, she thought in a panic. She mouthed the word "Lie" to him and he shook his head. When Linney looked over Rick's shoulder, she could see Daryl, tight against the wall, his face a furious mask. She could say nothing though, even when Rick finally answered the men outside.

"They attacked us first - we had no choice but to defend ourselves!" He insisted, his voice deep and angry. Linney felt like the seconds that followed took forever to pass and she could do nothing but press against the door and pray that the men outside would leave, perhaps in fear of their lives.

The gunshots that rang out, the bullets exploding through the window on door, right above Linney's head, made her shriek in surprise and fright, and there was silence afterwards. Rick and Daryl were both on their feet, crouched over, guns at the window and Daryl was waving at her urgently, to move away from the door. Linney shook her head at him, little bits of glass raining down around her as it fell from her hair.

"We had no choice! You know what it's like now!" Rick yelled and the window on the other door was blown out by the following shotgun blast. Linney screamed again, very aware that if they shot through the door itself, she'd be killed. She decided now would be a good time to abandon the door and rolled away from it, towards the wall. It left Daryl, Rick and Hershel pinned down, but she knew she was smaller and faster than all of them and an idea was growing in her mind. Daryl was signaling at her, actually agreeing with her movements, pointing desperately towards the back room of the bar. Linney ran and there was another blast of gun fire from the door.

When she turned back she could see a hole being blasted through the door, right where she'd been before and only allowed herself a moment to feel sick, as she darted through the door that lead to the back room. It was pitch black and shadowy back there and she stepped onto the first of the eight wooden steps leading down into the large storage area, flinching when it creaked loudly. She stepped back and took a deep breath, before launching herself over the railing, down to the ground, thanking god for her boots when she landed safely and didn't turn her ankle or break a leg.

When she made it to the door that led to the alley, she hunched down, pausing to see if she could hear any voices. A lot of gun fire came from the front room and she paused, anxious, worrying about Daryl. When Hershel crept through the doorway at the top of the stairs she waved at him so he wouldn't shoot her. When she turned back to the door and suddenly threw it open, he whispered harshly, "Linney, no!"

Linney waited to see if anyone would shoot at the door and when ten seconds passed with no gun fire she ran out, her head whipping back and forth. Someone saw her, because there was suddenly yelling and a blast of gunfire tore through the back door, nearly ripping the flimsy thing off its hinges. Linney dove behind a dumpster and sheltered there for a moment, her mind racing. _Throw them off guard, do it!_

"Please!" She called out, pushing desperation into her voice, "Don't shoot! I'm a woman, and I'm unarmed!" She paused, hoping and praying that they'd buy it. She thought her voice sounded painfully, false, but when she heard them answer her, she felt a wave of relief.

"Come on out then, let us see you!" Linney recognized the voice as the deep one from out front and took a deep breath. Crawling out from beside the dumpster, she saw two men past the ruin of the door, a field and some trees at their back. She didn't get up from her crawl, keeping one hand clutched to her upper arm, feigning injury.

"Please! Don't shoot me again!" She cried and the men kept their weapons trained on her, but advanced towards her. She heard a soft sliding footstep from inside the back room of the bar and prayed it was who she thought it was.

One of the men, the taller one, turned to his companion and elbowed him hard, "Go get the girl." The other one advanced on her slowly and Linney let the hand cupping her upper arm move ever so slightly, sliding a knife out and hiding it in her palm. She prayed the dark provided enough cover that they couldn't tell exactly what she was doing. When Linney had crawled up even with the ruined door she knew it was now or never and straightened up, heaving the knife at the tall man, so it caught him through the throat.

The man running towards her never had time to figure out what she had done, because a bolt from the crossbow shot past her, through his eye socket, at almost the same time as her knife left her hand. When an arm wrapped around her and pulled her up to her feet, she knew it was Daryl and resisted the urge to hug him.

"Nice job distractin' 'em, but next time - "

"I know, I know, next time, don't," she said wearily and he chuckled before throwing her against the wall hard enough to almost knock her breath out. "Walkers," he hissed and when Rick and Hershel darted out the door and flattened themselves against the wall, they saw what was really happening all around them.

Walkers had been drawn to the gun shots, lots of them, coming from every different angle of the small town, moving around buildings with lumbering persistence and Linney could hear a car starting around front.

"Where are they?" Linney asked Rick, meaning the men, and he nodded his head at the wall. "They got some people trying to get on the roofs near the truck," his voice was a urgent whisper and she nodded, watching as Daryl dropped to his stomach and edged towards the end of the wall, to peek out at the street. He moved back towards them quickly.

"Two on the roof to the left," he said in a low, gruff voice, "Three more in a truck behind ours." Rick cursed and Daryl got to his feet. Linney squeezed his arm, "We have to take 'em out now!" She pointed past the destroyed bar door and they could see walkers appearing through the field there, moving close enough to see them, their growling and hissing getting louder and louder.

"God dammit," Rick growled, and he turned to open fire on the walkers. Hershel moved next to him and they began to take them down, one by one. Daryl got back to the edge of the wall and lay on his stomach, taking aim and firing at one of the men on the roof. She heard a piercing scream and then a meaty thud as the man was hit and fell from the roof.

"Damn kid moved back, can't get the other one." He growled, getting back next to Linney. She bit her lip and shot two walkers rounding the dumpster that were getting too close. It was painful to be so close to the truck but unable to run to it. "I'm out!" Rick yelled, holding his gun above his head, and she saw with horror that although there was a veritable heap of walker bodies from Hershel and himself, that yet more were pressing forward.

For an instant, it seemed as if they were going to have to risk running to the street no matter what, but they heard tires squealing and the plaintive yelling of someone calling out to the car, "Guys, wait! Please! Wait! Don't leave me!"

"Now! Run! To the truck!" Rick yelled and he pushed her and Daryl on ahead of him. The walkers were right on their heels and Linney turned to shoot down two of them that were too close to Hershel, before racing after Daryl. "Please! Help me!" A voice screamed from the roof above the truck and they all looked up to see a scared face looking over the edge at them. Daryl shoved Linney again and she tumbled into the side of the truck, out of the line of fire.

"I won't shoot! I won't shoot! Please don't leave me!" Linney recognized the voice as one of the guys at the door and peeked up to see a young man, moving to climb off the roof. "We can't leave him," she said quietly to Rick, who cursed again and growled in frustration. "Everyone in, now." He said, biting the words off in irritation. Daryl bodily crammed her into the back seat of T-Dog's truck, and she yelled at Rick, "We can't just leave that stupid kid trapped up there!" as she scrambled across the backseat, to sit on the passenger-side.

"We can't bring 'em with us!" Daryl snapped at her and Rick started the car, pulling it forward a few feet. He leaned out the window to yell up at the kid, "Jump, you dumb fuck! Jump on the roof!" They heard a thump as the young man slid off the one story roof and landed hard on the top of the truck.

"Daryl!" Rick yelled and Daryl growled, pushing Linney over his lap back to the driver's side of the back seat, switching sides with her, and opened the passenger-side door. He leaned up and pulled the guy off the roof of the truck. The young man hit the ground and Daryl yelled at him to get in. When the door was slammed shut, Rick spun the truck around and sped away, dead hands slapping at the bumper as he did.

They breathed heavily and Daryl roughly tore the gun from the man's hands, patting him down immediately, finding a knife and throwing it into the back seat with the gun. "What's yer name?" Daryl barked at him and the man answered breathlessly, a whine in his voice, "Randall."

"Nice to meet ya, Randall," Daryl said in a low voice and punched him in the head, knocking him out cold. Linney sat stunned and they drove down the dark roads towards the farm in utter silence. She pulled her knees up to her chest and roughly ran a hand over her face. Hershel sat in the passenger seat, looking pale and tired. Linney glanced over at Daryl and saw his face was hard, eyes narrowed, the hair around his face was damp from sweat, sticking to his temples and forehead.

"What the hell're we gonna do with 'im?" Daryl snapped at Rick, leaning into the front seat. Rick's jaw clenched and he pressed his lips together, "I don't know! I don't know yet." Hershel cleared his throat and they all looked over at him.

"He's a young man, you did the right thing, Rick; leaving him there was sentencing him to a fate worse than death," Hershel's voice was rumbling and reasonable and Linney leaned her head against her window, not caring to take part in the conversation right now. Sheer and utter exhaustion took over then and she fell asleep, despite the bumping of the road vibrating the window on her head.

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"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog demanded, pointing at Randall, passed out with a quickly swelling black eye, in the backseat. Linney gestured weakly back at the truck, watching as Maggie and Hershel hurried up the steps into the house, "His name is Randall, his people left him behind as walker food, we saved him," she explained. Daryl snorted, "Yeah, _you_ saved 'im, I don't want nothin' to do with 'im, shoulda left 'im there." Then he turned and stormed off in the direction of the dark camp.

_Oh goodie, he's mad at me_, Linney thought tiredly. T-Dog shook his head and turned to speak to Rick, who had Carl glued to one side and Lori to the other. "So what do we do with him?" Rick pointed back at the barn at T-Dog's question.

"We lock him up where Sophia was, keep him bound," Rick's voice was weary and she knew he was experiencing the same fatigue she was. T-Dog moved to the truck, nodding at Glenn on the way over to help, and they pulled out a couple blankets and a bottle of water from the trunk, before grabbing up the unconscious Randall and dragging him to the barn.

"Ya'll go to bed, we can deal with it in the morning," T-Dog said over his shoulder and Linney had to smile. She turned to head towards her tent but Lori grabbed her arm. Linney turned back to her and saw the woman's face was earnest, her dark eyes huge.

"Thank you," she said, her voice soft and intense, "If you two hadn't gone with him... I don't know what would have happened, thank you." Linney nodded at her and allowed Lori to pull her into a hug. Lori laughed after a moment and released Linney. "Sorry," she told Linney, in a laughing voice and Linney smiled back at her, before ruffling Carl's hair.

"Linney?" Rick called her and she turned back to him. "Yes, boss?" She responded and he shook his head at her, laughing a little.

"Tell Daryl thanks, too and let him know we'll deal with Randall tomorrow." Linney nodded at him and then turned and trotted for her tent, desperate to get away from everyone. When she got to it, she was disappointed to see it dark. _He's either already in bed, or not in the tent_. She unzipped the door and poked her head in. _Empty_. She zipped it closed behind her and turned the lantern on, keeping the wick low. She removed her weapons and her boots and began to get undressed, nearly groaning with how irritating it was to not be in bed already.

She left her clothes in an unsightly heap on the floor and slipped Daryl's t-shirt over her head and walked over to the bed, standing next to it, the canvas floor cool on her bare feet. She grabbed a bottle of water from inside the milk crate, which sat on its side to double as nightstand and shelf, and took a drink. She rolled her ankles and shoulders as she screwed the cap off and looked up as she heard the door unzipping. It was Daryl and he stepped inside, his face emotionless and hard. Linney sighed, holding the water bottle in her hands as she watched him follow the same process she just had.

He turned and looked at her for a moment, and she bit her lip and bent to put the water bottle back.

"Look," she began, her voice soft and tired, "I'm sorry about -", her apology was cut off when he moved quickly across the tent to her. His hands grabbed her face, fingers sliding up into her hair, and he crashed into her with a forceful kiss. She stood on her tiptoes and finally remembered how to move and wrapped her fingers around his biceps for balance, pulling herself up closer to him. His hands left her face and slid down her sides, breaking their kiss to pull her shirt up and over her head.

Without a word, he forced her back down onto the bed and kissed her again, hard and hungry. Linney wasn't sure what had come over him, but she was suddenly not tired at all, and after a week of nothing but cuddling at night, she could hardly hold herself back. Her hands went immediately to the waist band on his underwear and she stretched, trying to pull them down quickly. He slapped her hands away, pushing them above her head and holding them there with one of his own, while he moved his face from her mouth, to her breasts, teasing her roughly.

She gasped sharply and arched her back towards him and he paused, looking up at her, "Ya'll are awful eager," he commented, his voice a delightful growling rasp and she moaned in frustration before closing her eyes tightly and crying out as his other hand found her, his strong fingers making her want to fall to pieces almost immediately. And she did fall to pieces, three times at least, before they eventually fell asleep, wrapped around each other, fully sated, and well and truly exhausted. _Ok, so a week is definitely too long; never again._


	70. Chapter 70

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"No," Linney mumbled, gripping his arm, "Don't get up yet." He turned and looked back at her, raising an eyebrow at her insistent tone and looked down at her fingers wrapped around his forearm. "Got stuff to do," he replied, his voice a low rumble. Linney shook her head and wrapped both arms around his, forcing him to stay seated. He finally sighed heavily and lay down on his back and she curled up around him. His arm curved around her shoulders and he began to draw lazy circles on her back.

"Are you going to tell me why you've been so grumpy lately?" She asked and felt his entire body stiffen immediately. She sighed and sat up, pushing a hand against his chest to get up. His expression was tight and quickly shutting down and she grabbed his face with one hand, squeezing it.

"Nuh uh, nope, don't you dare go away," she insisted, and he gently pried her hand from his face. "I don't know what you want me to say," he grumbled and she glared at him. "You've been nearly ignoring me for a week, obviously something's bugging you," she pressed and he smirked at her.

"Didn't ignore ya last night, did I?" He said in a mocking voice and she rolled her eyes at him. "You know exactly what I'm talking about," she said, her voice getting irritated. He glared back at her and she waited, unwilling to let him stew about some imagined problem for any longer.

Finally he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked away from her. She raised her eyebrows expectantly at him when he glanced over at her and he got to his feet, grabbing his clothes and roughly beginning to put them on. Linney scrambled out of bed and started to do the same, keeping herself between him and the door, so he couldn't escape.

When he was dressed he glared down at her, as she tried to remain indignant and serious while hopping around on one foot, trying to get her pants on. "Ya need to move," he finally said and she glared at him, buckling her belt with a vengeance.

"Not until you tell me what's been up your ass for the past week," she replied in equally serious tones. He stepped towards her and grabbed her shoulders, leaning down to put his face near hers. He looked her in the eye and spoke in a voice so gruff that she almost didn't understand him. "I wasn't asleep that night."

Linney blinked several times in a row as her brain whirled around and around, trying to understand him. When it hit her, she felt like she might vomit and backed away from him. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but found that her voice, her stupid, traitorous, voice, that was perfectly alright with blurting out something as dangerous as "I love you" a week ago, couldn't find a thing to say now. Linney bent down and grabbed her bundle of weapons and her boots and fled from the tent as quickly as her bare feet could take her.

As she sprinted away, she heard him call after her once, but she couldn't get away from him fast enough and refused to slow down until she had reached the stone ruins of the old farmhouse again. Once there, she bent and fumbled with her armload of things and crammed her boots on, as well as her weapons. When she was suitably armed, she leaned against the wall and pushed her hands firmly and roughly through her hair, letting her nails scratch along her scalp.

_Ok, so he heard you, and he's spent the past week avoiding you because of it_, she thought to herself, desperately trying to work out what she should do now. _That means he doesn't reciprocate and doesn't like that you felt that way. He thinks you're clingy, over-emotional, and irrational_.

Linney began pacing, and knew she had to get a handle on this before she went back to camp. _There's a lot of stuff to deal with today, we don't have time with this_, she counseled herself and took a deep breath in.

She turned to go back to camp and flinched when she saw him leaning casually against the side of the stone walls behind her. "Shit," she said, her voice alarmed. He raised an eyebrow at her and she immediately turned on her heel to run away again, but he had been expecting it and sprang towards her, wrapping both arms around her to keep her from escaping again.

"Ya ain't bein' very mature 'bout this," he grumbled at her and she stopped squirming. "I'm not the one that got all in a snit for a week because someone said something stupid," she retorted and he chuckled a little. "If I let ya go, will ya run again, or can we talk 'bout this?"

"Since when do you like talking?" She asked, avoiding his question.

"Since ya freaked out over it, makes me curious," he answered calmly and Linney stopped trying to get away and he released her. She wouldn't turn around to look at him though. Linney heard him sigh heavily behind her and she felt compelled to say something.

"It was the heat of the moment, I was really tired and spoke without thinking," she said, hoping he would buy it. He still said nothing and she turned around, looking down at his boots. "I didn't really mean it, obviously," she managed and he shook his head.

"That's too bad," he finally replied and Linney's head shot up, looking him in the eye. "Why?" She asked, thoroughly surprised. He shrugged and looked away, "I know I wasn't supposed to hear it."

Linney said nothing and knew she had about thirty seconds of being able to handle this conversation left in her. "It worried me, 'cause shit's so fucked up all the time, sayin' that means that there's more to lose," he said, his voice a gravelly rumble and Linney inched away a step, preparing to flee again as the conversation became more serious.

"Don't run off yet," he instructed her and she realized she was shaking her head at him. She turned her back on him again, so she could talk to him without him watching her face.

"I meant it, and if you can't say it back, that's fine, I didn't expect that," she said, speaking so quickly the words were mushing together, "And now I have to go before I puke on you," she finished. She began to walk away and his voice rasped out once and she stopped in her tracks. "Of course I fucking do, too" he said and Linney turned and looked back at him. His face was like granite and he was glaring at her like he wanted to hurl something at her. She felt her own features tightening in response and was barely able to speak through the furious expression on her face.

"Ok, fine," she managed. He nodded and replied, "Fine." Then they both immediately walked in different directions. Linney broke into a run after a minute and sprinted back to the barn, a small smile growing on her face. _Ok, so there's that_, she thought to herself, feeling the wind pulling at her short strands of hair as she ran, _could be worse, I could've puked when he said he loved me back_. She felt her stomach lurch a little at the memory and forced herself to stop thinking about it.

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Rick waited by the barn, T-Dog by his side and watched as Linney ran towards them, looking out of breath. "Have you talked to him yet?" She asked, stopping in front of them, gesturing towards the small door that Randall was locked behind. Rick shook his head and she nodded, waiting while T went and slid the bar out from in front of the door.

When the door opened, Randall cringed at the sudden splash of light that flooded in and Rick felt a momentary twinge of regret. _He's just a kid_, he thought, looking from Linney to the young man bound in the small space, _he's gotta be the same age as Linney_.

"Please, don't hurt me, I didn't mean to shoot at you guys, I had to do what my group wanted!" Randall cried, twisting away from them. Rick saw both Linney and T-Dog wince at his voice and Rick closed his eyes for a minute.

"We aren't going to do anything with you, yet," Rick said, his voice flat and even, and the kid swallowed hard before nodding, his face clearly saying that he desperately wanted to believe that. "Where is your group? How many are in it? Are they all like Tony and Dave?" Linney's rapid fire questions threw Randall off and he shook his head back and forth a bunch of times.

"Linney," Rick said, putting a hand on her arm, "Ease up." She looked over her shoulder at him and then turned back to Randall, putting a soft and radiant smile on her face as she hunkered down in front of him. Rick blinked in surprise, as she switched from angry interrogator to pretty little girl in a manner of seconds.

She placed a hand on his arm and patted it gently. "I'm sorry, Randall, I'm just nervous about you," she started, her tone friendly and light, and the young man looked up at her again, appreciation and some measure of calm on his face. He nodded slowly and kept his eyes on her face, clearly preferring her to Rick or T-Dog, "I know, I know, I'm sorry, I'm not like them, I had to pretend to be, you know? They'd have killed me on the spot, you know?"

Linney sat cross legged in front of him and nodded, a sympathetic smile on her face. "Tony and Dave went for me, tried to grab me," she said, her voice tinged with fear at the memory and Randall swallowed hard. "That's why my friends had to attack them, it was them or me." Rick and T glanced at each other, surprised by how well she was playing this. Randall licked his lips and leaned towards her. "They're like that with everyone they meet," he explained, eager to provide her with the information she needed, and Linney nodded, patting his arm again.

"They act all nice, but then they take the women, and the supplies and kill the rest of the people in the group." Randall said, and Rick had to turn away at the implications of that statement. Linney made a small horrified noise and Randall spoke quickly, clearly wanting to comfort her, "You're lucky, your friends were there, they stopped it, I always hated that they did it, I never took part in it, I swear. I just waited at camp usually, helping guard what was there. Yesterday was the first time I went out with the group." Linney got to her feet then and smiled at the young man.

"I'll go get you some breakfast, you must be starving," she said gently, shooting him another stunning smile, and Randall responded with a shy smile of his own. She stepped out, her back to Randall and shot a hard look at Rick, who closed the door on Randall, pointing at it while looking at T-Dog. The man understood and took up a guard position outside the door.

Rick and Linney walked halfway back to camp before stopping. Her face was watchful and tight again, all traces of the happy, young girl she'd shown Randall gone. _That's a good trick_, he thought, again thinking what a good cop she might have made in a different world.

"You caught all that, right?" She asked, her eyes moving back and forth between his. Rick nodded and put a hand on his hip, rubbing his forehead with his other hand. "We can never let him go, he'll bring that down on us," he said slowly and Linney grunted her agreement before turning to head back to camp. He reached out and stopped her with a hand to the arm.

"Linney, that was good work back there," he offered and she looked over her shoulder at him, one eyebrow raised in amusement. "Hey, I know how to be girl when I need to," she said, and he chuckled shortly before glancing back at the barn.

"I don't know what we should do with him, to be honest," Rick admitted and Linney quirked her mouth to one side. "I think we might have to kill him," she said simply and he blinked at her, watching as she turned and walked away.

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Dale sat back against the chair in the kitchen, listening with Andrea and Lori as the screaming and arguing went on upstairs. Maggie and Beth had been at it for almost a half hour at this point and when he glanced back at the women in the kitchen, he could see that it was grating on their nerves as much as his.

"How could you do this to Dad?" Maggie shrieked and they listened to Beth's sob in response. Dale shook his head, unable to believe that this kind of argument was even happening. Hershel had managed to rouse Beth from her nearly catatonic state, but she had gone from that, straight into a narrow-minded determination to kill herself.

"I never should have brought a knife up there," Lori moaned for the fifth time and Dale shook his head. "How were you supposed to know?" He asked her and she smiled at him. Lori had carried up lunch for the girl and Beth had hidden the knife, only being discovered when Lori realized it was missing later. The ensuing anger, hurt, and shock on Maggie's part was heart breaking, but to be expected, as far as Dale was concerned.

He glanced over at Andrea as Maggie yelled again, her words carrying down to them, "This is so selfish! This isn't just about you! You have to think about the people you'd leave behind! You stupid, selfish little brat!" Andrea glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Her attempt at "opting out" at the CDC hadn't faded from Dale's mind yet, and this situation was making the two of them both very uncomfortable, as it rung very familiar to each of them, in different ways.

"I feel like we should do something," Andrea said, turning to Lori to escape the scrutiny of Dale's dark eyes and Lori heaved a huge sigh. "It's none of our business, it's a family affair," she replied, her voice tired. Dale nodded along with her and Andrea raised an eyebrow at each of them, looking back and forth between them. "I think I can say from experience that Beth needs to choose for herself whether she stays or goes, she has to choose to live, not be forced to," Andrea said, her voice hard and clipped.

"How can you say that? She's just a child still!" Lori cried and Andrea shook her head. "No, she's 16 and half her family is dead and she's surrounded by a world of monsters, she needs to decide if she wants a part of this life or if it's easier to let it go!" Lori looked unconvinced and Dale gestured at the blonde woman.

"If she stays or if she goes is irrelevant, she has to think about what this would do to her family," he insisted, and Andrea leveled an angry look at him. He shrugged in self defense, "She is part of a family, no matter what she thinks, she has no right to think only of herself, she has an obligation to think about the people that love her, too." Andrea threw her hands in the air in an exasperated huff and Lori nodded towards Dale.

"That's right, he's right, she's not thinking clearly, she just needs to adjust to life now, adjust to how it is now, if she threw herself into some work, she'd probably forget all about everything," Lori's voice was matter-of-fact and Dale could tell that Andrea took extreme offense to what the other woman had said.

"You think baking a couple pies and washing some socks is going to convince a suicidal girl to stay the knife?" Andrea snapped and Lori's jaw clenched. Andrea leaned towards Lori, gesturing angrily at the woman. "It's so easy for you to assume what's best for everyone, you have it all and haven't had any loss. Here you get to be the happy little wife, with your husband and your son, acting like queen bee," Andrea's voice was a furious hiss and Lori straightened up, her dark eyes snapping.

"Now, now, Andrea, that wasn't necessary - " Dale began, getting to his feet and Andrea rounded on him. "Just shut up, Dale! You forced me to live, you follow me around now, making sure I don't slink off to grab another gun and start shooting at people, meanwhile you aren't protecting the group by being on watch, so just butt out, I can't handle a second more of your self righteous attitude," Andrea's face was red and she glared at him and then back at Lori before storming out of the room.

"That woman should be locked in the barn with that boy that they brought home yesterday night," Lori snarled and Dale took a step back, startled at such angry aggression from her. "This thing with Beth probably just hits a little too close to home for her," Dale explained and Lori snorted before turning back to the sink.

"You go ahead and think that Dale. She's just embarrassed about shooting Daryl, angry that Shane is dead, and bored. She could easily help us with some chores, now that she isn't allowed on watch anymore, but instead she mopes around and tries to stick her nose in everything and I for one am sick of it," Lori heaved the wet dishcloth in her hand into the sink and stormed past Dale, going into the living room.

He stood stunned in the kitchen, listening to Maggie and Beth scream at each other, and the fading sound of Lori's stomping footsteps. Andrea's furious voice still echoed through his mind and he felt momentarily certain that all the women at camp had lost their minds. _Well maybe not Linney_, _she's out there dealing with that boy with Rick, contributing_, he thought, before he heard Linney's voice shrieking angrily from outside, "_Motherfucking fuck_!"

"I spoke too soon," he muttered to himself as he trotted outside to see what was wrong.


	71. Chapter 71

***** I'm so glad you all liked the Linney and Daryl scene, I can't tell you how much fun it is write them, playing it out in my head as if it were on the TV screen! I'm also sort of loving the evolving friendship and respect between Linney and Rick - I think TV-Rick could use a Linney, to help him with things :) As per usual - I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Someone had been in her tent. When Linney went into camp to see about getting Randall a meal, Carol offered to put it together, and while she waited, she decided to grab her second gun. Upon entering her tent she saw that someone had gone through her and Daryl's bags. It was so like when Shane had pawed through her tent that she screamed in frustration, "Motherfucking fuck!" and drew everyone's attention. She had reason to be upset; someone had taken her second gun from her bag.

When Rick and Lori rushed up to the tent, she pointed in anger at the mess. "Someone's stole my fucking gun! They went into my tent, and stole my fucking gun!" Rick's brow drew down in anger and it wasn't long until Dale and Glenn were there too, peeking into the now crowded tent to see what the commotion was about.

"Did they take anything else?" Rick asked, looking around as Lori bent to lift Linney's clothes from the floor, absent-mindedly folding them and putting them on the bed. Linney shook her head and then paused, dropping to her knees like her legs had given out and immediately bending to her bag, tearing through it. When her hands closed around the small glossy squares inside, she breathed a sigh of relief. The only other things she valued were the two items she hurriedly pulled out and stuffed into her back pocket.

"No, just the gun," she said, her voice heavy with worry, "Why would they take my gun? Who would take my gun?" Lori cleared her throat and everyone turned to her. She looked uncomfortable and stuffed her hands into her pockets uneasily before saying, "Andrea." Linney clenched her teeth and tightened her jaw, getting to her feet immediately and walking out the door, intending to find the woman at once. Glenn stopped her, grabbing her arm, and she turned around with a furious look on her face.

"Lin, you don't know it was her," he cautioned and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Who the fuck else would it be?" She demanded, her hand waving around the camp. "Pretty much everyone else is armed, Maggie, Beth, Hershel, Patricia, Jimmy; they haven't been down here for days! And you know how much it just burns her ass that she's not allowed to carry one right now!" Lori and Rick stepped out from the tent and Dale bent to zip the door closed behind all of them, as if trying to offer some kind of privacy to the empty interior of the tent.

"What's going on?" They all turned around and Andrea stood there, her face confused. "Hello? Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" She asked again, her voice mildly irritated, after no one answered her the first time. Linney glowered at her and stepped forward, pointing an angry finger at the woman. "You stole my fucking gun is what's up!" She yelled and Andrea's face was a picture of confusion.

"What?" Andrea asked and Dale moved to stand uneasily to the side, between the two of them. "Someone went into my tent and dug through my stuff, dumped a bunch of it on the ground and stole my gun AND it's holster! Those were mine! Like actually mine, from before!" Linney exclaimed, her face turning red with ire. She had so little as it was, not much to call her own, and the outright theft of her things made her nearly crazed with the heavy sense of violation.

"And you think it was me?" Andrea scoffed and put a hand on her hip, giving Linney a scathing look. "There isn't a fucking thing you've got that I want, little girl." Her tone made it clear that she thought of Linney as beneath her, far, far, beneath her, and it drudged up every single feeling of inadequacy she'd had both before and after the world went to hell.

"Ohhh shit," Glenn whispered right before Linney saw red and leapt at Andrea, colliding with the woman's chest and knocking her flat on her back, pinning her down by sitting on the blonde woman's hips. Everyone around them exclaimed and there was a flurry of voices and yelling. Andrea hauled back from the ground and punched Linney so hard in the face that she saw stars.

"You little trailer trash bitch!" Andrea screamed and Linney moved quickly, delivering a brutal one-two punch to Andrea's gut. Andrea choked out a garbled, squealing cry and her face went green.

That was when hands wrapped tightly around her waist and yanked, pulling her off the furious woman on the ground. Other hands wrapped around Andrea's shoulders, dragging her back across the ground and both of them were screaming obscenities and name-calling. Linney used the grip on her waist as leverage to swing out and kick Andrea, but was jerked back so hard that her steel-toed boots caught only air.

"Calm down!" A familiar voice yelled in her ear and she stopped trying to pry the arms encircling her off of her. Daryl dragged her away, towards the cooking area and pushed her up against a tree. She struggled to see around him and only saw Andrea being hauled away by both Glenn and Dale, as they tried to stuff her into the RV. Linney sneered at her and growled and Andrea's face was twisted in absolute hatred.

Linney muttered obscenities and swore vile oaths while Daryl kept her tight to the tree, waiting for her to calm down.

"We got a fucking problem," Linney heard, and saw Rick approaching her, his face tight with anger as he spoke to her.

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Rick paced back and forth in front of the two people sitting in front of him. Lori had gotten ice from the house and Linney held it to her face, over her rapidly swelling eye and Andrea had a bag of it clutched to her stomach. Both of them were disheveled and dirty and sitting in camp chairs in front of the kitchen area, watching him walk back and forth. He felt absurdly like a school principal and glared down at both of them.

"I expected better from the two of you," he began and silently cursed himself. _Now you sound like a principal, too_. Linney turned her head to look over at Andrea and glared at her with her good eye.

"Hey!" Rick said sharply, causing her to look back up at him, guiltily. "Linney, I know you're upset, you have every right to be. Someone went into your private space and stole something that belonged to you, making a mess of your belongings." She nodded and adjusted the ice with a wince. "But there is no proof it was Andrea! She says it wasn't her and I'm tempted to believe her, despite what other people might think." Linney leaned towards him, her expression heating up and he held a hand up to her.

"Quiet," he demanded and she pressed her lips together, settling back angrily in her chair. Andrea smirked at her and Rick turned to the blonde woman, directing his scowl at her. "And you, Andrea; Linney has done more for this group than almost anyone else here. The kind of disgusting disrespect you showed her turns my stomach and I find it hard to believe that a woman your age would stoop to that level." Andrea leveled a glare at him that made him want to roll his eyes in frustration; this was worse than punishing Carl.

"We need some harmony in this group, there are bigger problems sitting literally on our doorstep, and we can't be at each other's throats like this!" Linney shifted in her chair and glanced over at Andrea. Andrea clenched her hands over the ice at her stomach and looked over at Linney, her expression less heated.

Rick stopped pacing and gestured at Linney. "We _will_ find out who went into your tent and stole the gun, I promise you that, and we'll deal with it then." Linney nodded sulkily and Andrea's expression could be read as nothing less than that of a smug child. "What we won't do is throw around accusations and insults for no reason!" Rick glanced up at Daryl, standing behind Linney's chair and then over at Dale, standing behind Andrea's chair and was again struck with how absurdly this situation resembled scolding children.

"I want you two to apologize and shake on this, like grownups," Rick instructed and Linney's jaw dropped as she shook her head in disbelief. Daryl leaned down and whispered something in her ear and Linney immediately retorted with, "But she -!" and Daryl glared at her before hissing something else. Linney looked ready to chew rocks, but got to her feet, turning towards Andrea, who glared at Rick before getting to her feet as well.

"Sorry," Linney mumbled, shaking Andrea's hand but not looking at her, and Andrea shook back, responding with her own grumbled and reluctant, "Sorry." Rick sighed a little, knowing the show was all for him, but deciding that it was enough for now. "Good, and I don't want to hear of any of this kind of bullshit happening again," Rick finished with that directive, his voice stern and angry. He watched as each woman spun on her heel, Linney stomping past Daryl to their tent, and Andrea stomping over to the RV, slamming the door behind her so hard that the entire vehicle shook.

Daryl and Dale stepped over to him and Dixon surprised Rick by having a strained, almost pained, expression on his face.

"What?" Rick said, his tone bordering on angry and Daryl guffawed once, loudly, before managing to clench his teeth together. Rick felt his cheek tic as the ridiculous situation finally sank in and the two of them nearly collapsed against each other, laughing hysterically and silently, not daring to let either woman hear them laughing.

"Holy fuck, Principal Grimes," Daryl choked out, clapping Rick on the back before turning to head back to his tent. Rick chuckled again and grabbed Daryl's arm before he could get too far away. "Look, we still need to discuss this Randall situation, so let's give her an hour or so to calm down and then we'll meet in the living room." Daryl nodded at him and headed back to his tent, Rick and Dale watching him.

He unzipped the door and stuck his head inside and they heard him ask Linney in a gravelly voice if she was ok, to which she replied in a growling tone, "Get your ass in here for some very angry sex." Rick bit down on the inside of his cheek as Daryl moved inside the tent double time. Rick then turned to look over at a stunned Dale. He clapped the man's arm and said, "Aw Dale, get that look off your face and help me find Carl, make sure he doesn't get within earshot of that tent for the next little while."

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Linney sat on the love seat in the living room of Hershel's home and looked around at the people sitting about the room. Rick sat in an armchair, Hershel in the one across from him. Daryl was sitting next to her on the love seat, and Glenn, Dale, and T-Dog sat on the couch. She realized with a start that this group constituted a council of sorts. _We make the decisions for this group_, she thought in amazement, and swallowed hard at the notion that she was considered important enough to be included, according to Rick.

"So," Rick began, leaning forward and bracing his forearms against his knees, "We've all heard about the kind of group Randall comes from, what they do, the type of men that they are, and I know it goes without saying that we consider them a threat." There were nods all around and Linney squeezed the fresh bag of ice in her hand, pressing it onto a different part of her eye.

"Linney seems to think that he may be telling the truth when he says he had no choice but to be with them, and that he didn't take part in any of their activities," Rick told them, and Daryl grunted.

"Don't mean he didn't like the benefits," Daryl said, his voice angry. Rick nodded and waved a hand at Daryl. "You've absolutely got a point; but the question is, did he have a choice?" Daryl opened his mouth to say something, but Dale beat him to it.

"Look, he likely joined that group not realizing what their game was, and once he figured it out, they probably offered him the choice of sticking around and dealing with it, or death," the old man was insistent and Linney nodded. "I tend to agree with Dale," she said, looking pointedly at Daryl, remembering the argument they'd already had on this topic after their rousing activities in the tent. He grimaced and leaned back against the cushions on the couch.

"Still, if we let him go, what do you think he's going to do?" Glenn asked, his voice anxious. "He doesn't seem well equipped to last on his own; he'll run right back to that group and they'll probably threaten to kill him if he doesn't lead them right back here!" Daryl nodded at Glenn, emphatically, "Exactly," he grumbled, "That kid reeks of desperation. We let 'im go n' he'll be bringin' a shitstorm down on us right quick."

Linney nodded slowly, "I agree with you, I think he'll do the same thing, not because he wants us dead, but because he won't know what else to do." She watched as Rick rubbed his hand over his face again and he clenched his teeth, making his jaw tense up for a moment.

"He doesn't even know where 'here' is." Dale nodded as Rick spoke and their leader held a hand up for a moment, staying the older man's comments before continuing, "He can't lead them back if he doesn't know where we are."

"How long would that last for?" T-Dog said, his voice low and reasonable, "How long would it take his people to search the area, search the farms, til they found ours?" Linney took in a deep breath, immediately seeing the sense in that.

"So, what? We kill him? What's happened to all of you? How can we casually discuss killing a young man who is guilty of nothing but bad luck?" Dale exclaimed, his face horrified. Linney looked down at her feet and glanced over at Daryl, whose face was impassive again. Rick rubbed his forehead again.

"We're screwed here Dale, we can't let him loose, and he can't stay here, and we can't keep him locked forever!" Rick exclaimed in frustration, his expression sickened at the notion.

"Who can't stay forever?" Carl's voice came from the door and Linney felt her brow draw down at his filthy clothes and the mud smeared on his face. "Carl!" Rick said, his voice surprised, "Why are you so dirty?" Carl took a step forward to answer, "Dad, I went into the swamp - "

Rick cut him off by waving a hand at him, getting to his feet to shoo Carl out of the room, "You are covered in mud! Get off Hershel's carpet and go to your mother to get cleaned up." Carl opened his mouth to protest, but Rick ordered, "Now, Carl. Go." Carl backed out of the room with a scowl on his face and Rick turned to Hershel.

"Sorry about the mud on the floors, I'll clean it up before we go," Rick said, sitting back in his chair. Hershel gave him a brief smile and replied, "It's not the first time the mud from those swamps has got on these floors and god willing it won't be the last." They all smiled and then Hershel added, "But Rick, I'd advise you to tell him to stay out of the swamps, that's where we found most of the wandering dead, it's not a safe place for a boy to explore any longer." Linney winced at that and felt a small ripple of fear go through her at the notion of Carl stumbling onto a walker alone and unarmed.

"What about you, Hershel? You haven't said anything yet, and this is your property," Dale said, bringing the topic back to Randall again. Hershel cleared his throat and looked around at them all before looking over to Rick.

"I trust Rick's judgement in this and I think we need to follow through with whatever he thinks is right." His words hung in the air and Linney leaned back in her seat and nodded, agreeing with him. Dale was upset and lurched to his feet, squeezing his hat in his hands.

"I can't believe you people," he said in a tired and disgusted voice. Nobody would look at him and Dale stormed towards the door, pausing at the threshold. "This is a life, a young, innocent, life and you all want to murder him out of misguided fear?" Still no one said anything and Dale clenched his jaw. "This group will be irretrievably broken if you can't show mercy to someone who needs it."

He left the house and Linney gazed over at Rick, watching as the man's face twisted with upset. The group broke up soon afterwards and most of them trailed outside at that point and gathered around the camp fire, eating a late supper with everyone else while the encroaching darkness following sunset blanketed the area. Linney sat on the ground next to Daryl, leaning against him, certain that this was turning out to be a strange and exhausting day indeed, and wishing for nothing more than bed.

When they heard a man's ripping screams of pain and fear burst from the darkness of the fields, everyone leapt to their feet, dinner falling to the ground.

"That's Dale," Andrea breathed in horror and as one, the group raced out towards the sound of their friend's screams.

_God no, not again, please no._


	72. Chapter 72

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney sprinted through the grass as fast as she could, which meant that she pulled ahead of the rest of the group and reached Dale first. He was laying on his back, weakly grappling with a walker that was elbow deep in his guts, moving with a languid kind of hunger that made Linney scream along with Dale before she kicked it in the head as hard as possible, making it tumble off of Dale's ruined body. She reached up for a knife, to slam into its skull, but a bolt from Daryl's crossbow ended the threat and she dropped to her knees next to Dale who was clearly in pain and going into shock.

"Oh god, oh no, oh no, Dale, no!" Andrea cried, throwing herself to the ground next to him. Linney looked over at his wound and knew instinctively that there was nothing to be done for him. She looked back up at Rick whose face was anguished as he paced, screaming for Hershel. Everyone gathered around them and Linney found herself reaching across Dale's body to grab Andrea's shoulder, squeezing tightly. Her shining blue eyes met Linney's before she looked back down at Dale, trying to smile at him.

Hershel ran up and at that point Dale's screams had faded to gasps and his face was tightened up into such a painful expression that Linney began to babble at anyone who would listen.

"He's suffering! He's suffering! Please, help him!" Rick made a pained face at her words and pulled his gun, aiming at Dale's head. But he pulled away, unable to shoot his friend while Dale stared back at him. Daryl took the gun and looked down at Linney and she scooted around Dale, to wrap her arms around Andrea, to keep the woman from trying to stop Daryl. Dale looked over at her and Andrea, tight together at his side and he managed a smile before looking up at Daryl and actually craning his head towards the barrel of the gun.

Linney watched as Daryl's face twitched in pain before he muttered, "Sorry, brother," and pulled the trigger. It was instant and Dale was dead; Andrea started to sob and wail then and Linney pulled her back, away from Dale's ruined body, hugging the woman's head to her chest. Daryl knelt down beside them and wrapped his arm around Linney and the three of them huddled together for a moment in grief. They'd known Dale the longest, he was part of their original group, and Linney couldn't help but note that their original group kept getting smaller.

Hershel draped a blanket over Dale and Linney worked with Daryl to get Andrea to her feet and they half-led, half-carried, her back to the RV. Daryl went back to help with the body and Linney sat Andrea down on her bed, running a hand down the side of Andrea's face. Andrea stared at nothing, and Linney worried that she was going into shock herself. She wet a cloth and began to wipe the streaks of Dale's blood from Andrea's face, neck, and hands and eventually just dug under the bed, into Andrea's bag, getting her a clean shirt and helping the woman change.

Linney helped her lay down, and made Andrea take one of her sleeping pills. The blonde never protested once and allowed herself to be taken care of like a child. Linney sat beside the woman she'd brawled with only a few hours ago, and stroked her hair, letting Andrea cry softly into her leg, until the pills kicked in and Andrea fell asleep. Linney shifted her back onto her pillow and got up, turning the lantern out and stepping outside quietly. A large group of them were gathered outside the RV and Carol was the first one to step towards her, giving Linney a swift hug, before nodding towards the RV.

"I'll go inside now, in case she wakes up," Carol said, her voice sad. Linney nodded absent-mindedly and looked over at a devastated Glenn. It suddenly occurred to her how close Glenn and Dale had been. She stepped towards him quickly and he reached for her, yanking her into a crushing hug.

"I can't believe he's gone," Glenn whispered, his voice broken, as he tried to hide his face from their friends in her neck. Linney nodded and squeezed her friend back, feeling more upset for the other's than for herself.

Glenn stepped back, his head hanging down, and pressed a hand to his face, keeping the other one draped over her shoulder, as if he needed her to keep him on his feet. "He's was fine an hour ago," he began and then he glanced up at her, his features heavy with grief, "An hour ago, Lin, an hour ago he was fine!" Linney pulled him back into a hug before Glenn suddenly pushed her away and raced for his tent.

Linney watched him go and watched Lori lead a sobbing Carl into their tent. T-Dog walked by, his face stiff and hard, a bottle of whiskey in his hand as he marched towards Glenn's little tent. "He needs a drink," T muttered and Linney patted his arm on his way by. Hershel had gone back to his house and was out on the porch, talking to Maggie and Rick. Linney looked around and realized she was alone again, standing in front of the RV, not really sure what she should be doing.

When a hand dropped down onto her shoulder, she nearly shrieked, but the hand slid along behind her neck and tugged her into Daryl's chest, hugging her. He led her back to their tent and they both silently got ready for bed. Laying warm and comfortable under the blankets, Linney wrapped herself around Daryl and he hugged her tightly to him, both of them needing the reassurance that the other was warm and wholly alive.

"I can't believe he's gone," Linney whispered and Daryl didn't respond, just leaned down and kissed her hair. "It happened so fast," she added, her voice quiet and shocked. She could feel him nodding and then he kissed her forehead and gripped her closer. Falling asleep came swiftly for everyone that night, as if grief had stripped away all their energy.

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The service they held for Dale the next morning, expanding the tiny graveyard they'd started, went by in a senseless blur for Linney. She knew that Hershel and Rick both said things, nice, comforting things, but she couldn't keep up. She was beginning to feel like their lives were on a tilt and the angle of the tilt was getting steeper and steeper each day; they were sliding down too quickly to stop and her gut told her that something bad was waiting for them at the bottom.

Daryl shook her shoulder when it was time to leave, and everyone except Andrea left the graveside. She remained on her knees next to Dale's grave, her face blank and tired. Linney felt an ache for how alone Andrea must feel now and she felt bad for all the problems between herself and the other woman.

She and Daryl walked over to where Rick and Hershel stood and Rick nodded at them, his face wiped of energy.

"I think, in light of what's going on, we need to put this Randall thing on the back burner, let everyone grieve, let them get back into their right minds. Dale deserves our full attention to grieve," Rick said to them, gesturing tiredly at the camp. Daryl nodded and Linney just blinked at them all, not really sure what to say, and not caring one way or another. She felt herself analyzing everyone, wondering who might go next, and hating herself for it. Daryl muttered something to her about helping T with stuff around camp, and she nodded before heading back towards Hershel's porch swing, a spot she was quickly beginning to think of as her own private mourning place.

She swung slowly back and forth for a long time, wondering how they could ever feel safe again if something like this could happen within sight of camp. Carl came to join her then and she smiled at him; it felt like she hadn't been able to spend time with him in days.

"Hey bud, how're you doing?" She asked, scooting over so he had room to sit beside her. He shrugged at her and sat down, hanging his head. Linney felt bad for him; life was turning into one endless stream of death for the poor kid and she didn't think she had the words to help him. She leaned back in the swing and pushed at the ground with her toes, to get it going. Carl leaned heavily against her side and she wrapped an arm around his skinny shoulders.

"Linney," he started, his voice quiet and choked, "this is my fault." He started to cry then and she turned in the seat immediately, grasping his shoulders gently, shaking him lightly. "Carl, look at me, look at me please." He gazed up at her, his blue eyes overflowing with tears and she pressed her lips together, shaking her head at him.

"You are not responsible for Dale's death, do you understand? Sometimes bad things happen and there is nothing we can do about it. I know you're sad, but you can't blame yourself, no one can," her voice was firm and she kept waiting for him to nod, or his face to smooth out a little in understanding, but it didn't happen.

Instead he cried harder and twisted away from her, leaping to his feet and pressing a hand to his eyes as he cried.

"You don't understand! It's my fault! I made it come to camp!" He cried and Linney felt her face twist uneasily as she looked at him. "Carl, what are you talking about?" He didn't stop crying and she grabbed his arm gently and pulled him down next to her again. She put a hand under his chin and turned him to look at her. "Come on, buddy, tell me; what are you talking about? I promise I'll listen."

Carl was shaking his head back and forth, "No, you'll be so mad at me! I know it!" He cried out and Linney gripped his chin a little tighter. "Carl, open your eyes and look at my face," he did as she asked and she gave him a sincere and honest look, "You can tell me anything and I will not get mad, I will listen to everything, please trust me." Carl studied her face before swallowing hard and looking down at his knees.

"It was me, Linney, it was me," he said softly and she stared at him, not understanding. "What was you?" She asked, genuinely confused. Carl shot her one teary eyed glance before looking back down at his lap. "I went into your tent and took your gun, then I went to the swamps, to shoot it, I guess, I don't know what I was going to do," he took in a shuddering breath and swallowed hard.

"I found a walker there, it was stuck in the swamp, and I was going to shoot it, but I was afraid to, so I threw things at it." Linney had to concentrate on breathing, her mind flashing back to the image of a muddy and disheveled Carl walking into Hershel's home last night.

"It got loose, it almost got me, and I dropped the gun and ran away," he cried harder and Linney said nothing, completely lost as to what she should do. "When I saw the walker that got Dale... it was the same one! The same one I made get loose!" He leapt to his feet and started crying angrily, swiping viciously at the tears that streamed down his face.

"It's my fault he's dead! My fault! I killed him!" He was shrieking in misery and Linney heard Rick call for his son in a concerned voice, before he appeared on the porch. He looked back and forth between Linney's stricken and disbelieving face and Carl's angry tears and she could tell he didn't know what to think.

"What's going on here?" He asked, his voice stern and Linney looked up at him and opened her mouth but couldn't think of what to say. She got to her feet and walked away from the two of them and heard Carl call out for her, "Linney! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She didn't turn back and walked down the porch stairs, heading towards the swamps immediately.

When she reached the edge of the swamp she saw her gun laying in the mud and picked it up, wiping it off on her shirt. She looked down at the scene there and could see the two holes in the mud where the walker must have stood, and the disturbed ground all around it.

She found that she was surprisingly not upset, she felt terrible for Carl; this was the harshest way for him to learn a lesson and she wished to god that he hadn't had to learn it. When a twigged snapped behind her, she turned to see Rick walking towards her, his face now stunned. _Carl told him_.

"Is that it?" He asked hollowly, nodding at the gun in her hands, and she nodded, her face sad. "I don't even know what to say to him." Rick explained, running a hand through his hair. Linney tucked the gun into the waistband of her pants and stepped towards him. "I know he didn't mean to do anything bad, but not only did his actions get Dale killed, but they could have gotten him killed, too," Rick spoke to her, his eyes almost pleading. Linney nodded at him, not sure what to say.

"I won't say anything to anyone, if that's what you want," she said slowly, and Rick looked at her in surprise for a moment. "You don't think anyone will be mad at him, try to do something, do you?" The growing alarm in his voice made Linney feel bad. She shook her head, "No, I don't, not even Andrea," she answered softly, and he nodded at her. "But Rick, I mean, what are you going to say to him? I don't think he needs to be punished anymore than he already has, but..." Rick nodded at her and she saw the weight of guilt pressing down on him.

_I would not want to be in his shoes for anything in the world_, she thought sympathetically, before patting his arm and moving to walk away. She paused and looked back to see Rick staring at the holes in the ground where the walker had stood and felt a ripple of sadness for Dale, for Carl, and for the father in front of her.

She put her hand back on his arm and he pulled her into his chest quickly, hugging her, Linney was shocked and kept her hands out to the side. "What am I going to do?" Rick whispered in panic, hugging her tighter. "Carl wandering around, causing our numbers to shrink, the enemy in the barn, the dead everywhere, Lori and the baby..." he anguished voice trailed off and she finally hugged him back, her heart going out to him, wishing she could help with him his problems.

She realized slowly that Rick was not only their leader, but now also her friend, and she ached inside knowing that everything was piling up on him, and he wasn't strong enough to deal with it all. She stepped back and put a hand on each of his shoulders.

"Rick, it'll work out, we'll make it work out." He looked down at her and she raised her eyebrows at him and nodded before letting go of him. "Go back, be with Carl, he just needs to know that we don't hate him." Rick nodded and Linney added, "I won't say anything to anyone until you say it's ok, got it?" Rick nodded once more time and put a heavy hand on the side of her face for a second before turning around and walking dejectedly back to camp. Linney rubbed both her hands from her chin up through her hair.

Dale's death, Carl's confession, and now the knowledge that their leader was secretly falling apart under all the strain, were all unwelcome pieces of information.

"So, what the hell was that?" Daryl rumbled from behind her and she turned to look over at him, surprise on her face. "Jesus Christ, you scared me!" She exclaimed, putting a hand to her chest. She stepped towards him and reached for his arm, but he stepped back quickly, his brow drawing down.

"I asked ya a question, what the hell is goin' on with officer friendly?" Linney blinked at him, not sure what he meant. "Huh?" She said, watching as his face got angrier.

"I ain't a fool, that looked pretty fuckin' cozy," he snapped, waving a hand towards the direction that Rick had gone in. Linney realized two things at once: first, Daryl thought that she and Rick were up to no good together, and second, Daryl was ridiculously jealous. _Don't laugh at him, don't laugh at him, don't laugh at him._

Linney laughed at him. He glared harder. "Dixon, I can't even believe that you think I'd do that." His glare loosened a moment and he gestured with his chin in the direction Rick had gone again. "Then what the fuck was he doin' huggin' up on ya like that?" He demanded and Linney shook her head, taking a careful step towards him.

"He's upset, Daryl, like really, really, almost falling apart upset," she explained gently and his face cleared. "Oh," he responded and she stepped closer, pressing her face into his chest. She explained briefly and quickly about Carl and the walker and felt Daryl jerk in surprise.

"Jesus, poor fuckin' kid," he began, finally wrapping his arms around her, "Poor Dale. Fuck." Linney brought her arms up around him and allowed him to hug her tightly for a moment before pushing him away.

"You're an asshole!" She said in irritation and he made a face at her. "You actually think I'd do that to you? After everything?" She snapped at him and he shrugged. "What? Every guy here has prob'ly thought 'bout it," he responded gruffly and Linney shuddered a little.

"Well, I haven't, you dumb ass," she replied and he reached for her face, rubbing his thumb from her temple to her chin. "You are somethin'," he finally said, and she blushed a little, knowing that, from Daryl Dixon, that was akin to the highest flattery.

"Fuck," he said again, looking up at the trees and squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, "Today fucking sucks." Linney slipped an arm around his waist and they headed back to camp.

"We're saying that too often lately," she muttered and he squeezed her around the shoulders briefly.

"That ain't likely to change anytime soon."


	73. Chapter 73

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except for Linney, she's mine!**

"Hershel and I got to talking today, and we've decided to move everyone into the house," Rick announced, standing up from the picnic table and facing the group. They'd all been quietly going about eating breakfast and Linney shivered a little remembering how cold last night had been in the tent.

"Really?" Andrea asked and Rick nodded at her. "It'll be a tight fit, I know, but it's too cold for us to stay outside nights any longer," Rick explained. There was a low rumble of murmurs from everyone and Linney took a sip of her tea, wishing it was coffee.

"So how is this going to work? Where will we all sleep?" Carol asked and Rick nodded, knocking back the last of his own tea. "Carl, Lori and I will share the bedroom he was laid up in last month," Rick began, motioning towards the front bedroom on the house. "Beth, Patricia, and Maggie are going to share a room, freeing up the other bedroom for Andrea and Carol," the two women glanced at each other and smiled.

"Glenn and T-Dog, you'll share the room Jimmy's in, with him. Hershel will keep his own room," Rick looked over at Linney, seated on a lawn chair next to Daryl and he smiled at them, "You two will have the little room downstairs." Linney grinned, pleased that she and Daryl would have a private space, and glanced over at Daryl. "Sound good to you?" She asked him in a low voice and he shrugged, "Wish the bed was a little bigger, yer a fuckin' bed hog," he muttered and she heard Carl guffaw from his spot at the table with his parents.

They all immediately got to work on packing up the camp and Linney found that despite how much she was looking forward to a warm bedroom, she was going to miss their tent, it had been home for many weeks. "Here, Glenn," Linney called, as her friend headed towards the house, pointing at their cots. "You and T should have these, so you don't have to sleep on the floor." Glenn smiled gratefully at her and she watched him pick the folded cots up. _Wonder how long before he and Maggie move into the attic_, she thought in amusement.

She made her first trip inside, weighed down with her backpack, and Daryl's, and their pillows. She passed Hershel in the hallway and was surprised to see him looking happy. "You sure this is ok? All of us cramming in here?" She asked him, as she dumped her and Daryl's stuff into the bedroom, and he nodded, giving her a soft smile.

"If we'd done this two weeks ago, Dale would still be alive," Hershel began, "It's long past due, and I know I'll sleep better having everyone safely inside." Linney patted his arm and nodded, before moving outside and carrying in the rest of their bedding, which she handed off to T-Dog at the bottom of the stairs, for him and Glenn to use upstairs. She watched as Lori and Carol boxed and packed up their kitchen supplies, Carl and Jimmy carting load after load into the house.

"Linney," Rick called, and she looked up to see him gesturing at her from the porch. "What's up, boss?" She asked, trotting over to him. He gave her a tight smile and gestured at T-Dog's truck, "Come with me to gather some planks," he said and she nodded, waving at Daryl across the yard. He was leaning inside of the engine compartment on the RV, trying to get the vehicle started again. He nodded at her and watched as she and Rick hopped inside the truck.

They drove around to the back of the property and opened the trunk, facing a pile of boards and planks of wood. "So what do we want these for?" She asked, putting on the gardening gloves he handed her. Rick pointed towards the windmill. "We're gonna bring these over there, build a platform, for watches," he explained, and Linney nodded, bending to grab the first piece. They worked in silence for a moment and then Rick paused.

"So, when are you going to ask me about Randall?" He questioned, and she glanced over at him, one eyebrow up. "My position is clear - he needs to die," she responded, her voice even and calm. Rick's face tightened and she hefted another piece of wood into the truck. She wiped her forehead with the sleeve of the red flannel shirt Maggie had lent her earlier in the week, when it became apparent that it was definitely not summer anymore.

"Is it that simple?" Rick muttered, half to himself. Linney pulled herself up to sit on the gate of the truck and swung her legs for a moment. "Look, I backed out of being a part of this decision last week," Linney said, holding her hands into the air. Rick nodded his understanding. Linney had tried to get more information out of Randall, using her girly routine, and it had worked too well. He had told her horrific story, after horrific story, of the things his group had done: rape, murder, theft. It made her sick.

When he finally urged her to break him out, to run away with him, back to the camp, she had felt like vomiting, especially when he'd just finished making it all too clear what happened to the women in his group. "You don't understand," he'd said, his voice rushing to clear it up for her, "If I tell them that you're my woman, they'll leave you alone, I know they will."

That was when she had hauled off and punched him in the face, before tearing a verbal strip off him and storming out of his little hidey-hole in the barn. She left all dealings with him to Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog then.

"He knew Maggie, you know, back in high school," Rick said and Linney felt her mind go blank. "When did you find this out?" She demanded and Rick shrugged, "Daryl said Randall told him this morning."

"Why isn't he dead already, then?" Linney cried, sliding off the tailgate and moving to stand in front of Rick. Rick gave her a hard look and raised his eyebrows, "Because, Lin, this is killing someone! Not some game!"

"You think for even half a second that I believe _this_," she threw her hands out to her sides, "Is a game?" He glared at her and shook his head, "No, I don't think that, but we have to be careful about these decisions, be careful where this kind of thinking might take us," he replied, his voice tired. Linney nodded and then took a step towards him, gripping his arm hard in her hand.

"Rick," she said, her voice low and urgent, "We can't set him loose, he knows where we are and we can't leave him locked up in that cold, dark hole, that's worse than torture." He ripped his arm away and turned away, hefting up another piece of wood.

"I know! I know that! I think about it all the time!" He exclaimed angrily and she took a settling breath.

"Rick, I'll do it, if that's what it takes, if that makes it easier," she offered, her voice softer. Rick paused, thumping the board of wood down into the truck. When he turned back to her, his face was pained. "I can't let you do that, Lin, not after everything that's already happened. You shouldn't have to carry that with you," he responded in a low voice and she looked away, absent-mindedly adjusting her hat while she thought about Shane.

"I'll do it," a voice behind them said, and they both turned to see Glenn, standing at the edge of the wood pile, his face flat and hard. "What?" Linney asked, disbelief heavy in her tone. Glenn shrugged, "Look, Dale's death brought it home to me; things are different now, and you can lose the people you care about in a heartbeat." He walked closer and put a hand on her shoulder for a moment, and turned to Rick.

"I can barely sleep at night knowing he's here. I worry about Maggie, and Lori, and Linney, and Andrea, all of the women, thinking about what would happen if he escaped and brought his people down on us, or worse, if he escaped and decided to hurt them, us, while we slept." Glenn stepped towards Rick and Linney could see his jaw and his shoulders were tense. Rick gaped at Glenn for a moment before turning away from them both, one hand to his forehead, the other on his hip.

Linney and Glenn glanced at each other for a moment, before watching Rick again. He waved his hand towards the truck, "Lin, can you and Glenn get that wood to the wind mill? Get the platform going?" Rick's question sounded closer to a demand than a request and she nodded, before realizing he couldn't see her. "Sure thing," she said, "Do you want a ride back?" He shook his head without turning around and Linney gestured at Glenn to get in the truck.

As she drove them back around the front of the farm, Linney and Glenn didn't speak. She watched out the window as T-Dog and Daryl moved some of the vehicles close to the house. They were positioning them by the doors, obviously ready to drive away immediately in the case of an emergency. When they reached the windmill, Glenn grabbed the tools from the backseat and they stood at the base of the structure, staring up.

"Do you know anything about carpentry?" Glenn asked her and she shook her head as she hopped up on the lowest rung of the small ladder that led to the top of the tall, metal, wind mill. "Nope, not a thing," she said, scampering up a couple more rungs. She turned and looked down at him and pointed to the truck. "Grab a couple pieces of those boards and pass them up to me?" She asked.

It took them almost an hour to get the wood lined up across the upper most bars, Glenn handing them up to her and Linney swinging them up to the area they wanted them. When they were both perched at the correct level she noticed Glenn looked a little green.

"I thought you were climbing buildings like a monkey in Atlanta?" She commented and he nodded weakly at her, hammering some nails into the boards. "I did, and I hated it, I'm not a fan of heights," he replied, his voice shaky. Linney chuckled at him and began to hammer in the braces for the bottom of the boards.

"You don't say," she muttered. They worked in companionable silence for awhile before they heard Daryl calling them from the ground.

"What the hell are ya doin' up there?" He yelled and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Glenn and I are building a masterpiece, if you don't mind," she replied and Daryl took in a deep breath. "Do either of ya'll have any fuckin' clue what you're doin'?" He asked her sarcastically and she smirked at him.

"We're doing just fine," she started, and Glenn put the tool bag on top of the wood they'd attached already and all of it crashed and clattered to the ground below. "Whoa," Glenn whispered, both of them flinching with each metallic clank and crash everything made on its way down. He looked up at Linney with wide eyes. "Good thing we didn't test it out on ourselves."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney sat on the ground, watching as Daryl climbed down the windmill with the bag of tools beneath his arm. She found herself idly wishing it was still summer, so she'd be able to watch his arms as he clenched and clutched at each rung on the way down. For now, he was wearing a long-sleeved flannel shirt like she was, with Merle's leather vest on top, the one with the wings on the back. She decided that she liked either view of him, especially since she was able to get in some unadulterated staring time.

"That thing'd hold us all," he said in satisfaction when his boots hit the ground, and Linney tore her eyes away from his denim clad backside to gaze up at the sturdy platform he'd built, complete with walls on the side to prevent anyone from tumbling out. "Sure looks strong," she said, accepting his hand when he held it out to her. She let him pull her to her feet and then wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed her face into his chest. She tilted her head up to look at him from beneath her eyelashes.

"Wanna go test it out?" She asked him and watched as his brow drew down, his eyes narrowing. "Hell yeah, I do," he responded in a growl and she pulled away from him and began climbing.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Rick spent all afternoon working with Jimmy and T-Dog, getting all the lower windows boarded up. He was completely impressed with how hard everyone worked, pulling up the camp and getting everything moved inside or packed away into the barn. They'd decided that all their camp gear would be better off stored in the barn, rather than further cramping the house. Lori, Maggie and Hershel packed survival gear into the basement, behind the heavy metal door there.

"It's enough to last us all for two weeks, if we get trapped for some reason," Lori told him softly, as he surveyed the grey, concrete room. He nodded, "Like a panic room." Lori squeezed him tighter and lay her head on his arm. "It's not the coziest, looks like a prison, but we need back up plans," she assured him, and he kissed her hair.

They'd positioned the vehicles for the same reason, packing a little survival gear in each one. But Rick felt good, felt certain that they'd secured themselves a place that was safe. _If only dealing with Randall was this easy,_ he thought. When they got back upstairs, the two of them stood in the doorway to the living room and watched as Carl talked to Hershel, and Lori squeezed Rick's waist again when Carl giggled at something silly Hershel was showing him.

Their son had been a wreck for the past two weeks since Dale's death, and despite Linney talking seriously to him about stealing her gun and explaining that no one hated him or was angry with him, he had remained withdrawn, crying easily, angering easier. Rick felt a little piece of his chest open up in relief; the crushing fear that Carl's error had broken his spirit finally lifting a little bit. Hershel looked up at them and patted Carl on the back before getting to his feet.

"I found one of Maggie's old comic collections, some silly thing about a boy and a stuffed cat, and I thought your boy might like it," the old man explained and Lori threw herself at him to hug him tightly. Hershel looked surprised for a moment, before returning the hug and Lori kissed his cheek before going to sit with Carl.

"So we're all locked down?" Hershel asked Rick, as the two of them watched everyone gather in the living room. Rick nodded slowly, "We're as ready as we can be and hopefully we can make a couple more runs over the next couple of weeks, big ones, and get enough of everything we need to make it through the winter." He watched as Beth, Patricia and Carol cooked up dinner in the kitchen, while Maggie and Glenn knelt near the fire place, getting a small fire started.

Rick's brow drew down when he realized the count was off. Two people were missing. He turned to Hershel, "Have you seen Linney or Daryl?" The other man's face twisted in thought and he gestured towards the door. "Not since I last saw them working on the wind mill, " he answered. Rick stepped into the room and tapped Glenn's shoulder.

"Have you seen Linney or Daryl? They should be back by now," Rick said, his voice worried and Glenn shook his head, his eyes widening in concern. "C'mon then, we need to go make sure they're ok," Rick instructed him and they moved quickly out the door and made their way across the yard, alert and tense in the dimming light of the waning day.

As they approached the wind mill, they could see the truck sitting there, tool bag on the ground, trunk laying open. There was no sign of the two of them and he only paused for a moment to admire the sturdy looking box that had been built near the top of the windmill, to serve as a look-out point.

"Rick, I don't see them anywhere," Glenn said in a low voice, and Rick nodded, looking around, hoping to see some sign of them. "You don't think Randall's men -" Glenn began and Rick shook his head, cutting that line of thinking off immediately. "No, don't even think that until we know more," Rick cautioned him.

"Linney! Daryl!" Rick called, turning around in a circle, hoping his voice would find them somewhere. What he wasn't expecting was for them to answer from above him. "Um, hey, boss, what's up?" He looked up to see Linney peering over the edge of the box, her hair sticking up everywhere. He could tell from her bare shoulders that she wasn't wearing a top, and when Daryl popped his face over the edge as well, his hair equally as messy, Rick felt an urge to yell at them.

"We thought you were dead!" Glenn yelled first, and Rick looked over at him in surprise. "I didn't think they were dead," Rick calmly said and Glenn ducked his head in embarrassment. "Ok, well, maybe not dead, but certainly not, you know, this!" Glenn was torn between being indignant and embarrassed and Rick had to laugh before waving a hand up at the wind mill perch.

"Get yourselves dressed and meet us back at the house," he called to them and he heard Daryl chuckle while Linney murmured in horrified tones.

_This might be a long winter_.


	74. Chapter 74

***** Alright warning for some gore in this chapter! Enjoy - I OWN NOTHING - except Linney! *****

Gathered in the living room, eating their dinners on plates balanced on their knees, Linney dared to feel comfortable. As she gazed around at the faces of their group, she couldn't help but grow warm inside. There was a low murmur around the room, as everyone carried on separate conversations, laughter and smiles filling the blanks in between talking. Linney leaned into Daryl next to her on the couch and he nudged her shoulder with his own, not saying a thing, but conveying his thoughts nonetheless. He was at ease.

Linney helped Carol clear the dishes and the two of them washed up in the kitchen together. Linney hated doing dishes, but was happy to have warm soapy water to bury her arms in, as she scrubbed at the pots and pans. She heard singing from the other room and paused, turning and dripping dishwater on the floor as she stared back into the living room. Beth, Maggie, and Patricia were singing, some old tune that Linney was unfamiliar with. She glanced over at Carol and saw the other woman's eyes were shining as she listened to the song and dried the pan in her hands.

_Sophia should be here, Dale, Amy, they should be here for this_, Linney thought sadly, trying to push the image of them in living room with everyone else from her mind. When they were done, Linney leaned against the counter by the sink and watched as Carol made her way back out to the living room. Her mind went to Randall, the only threat left, and she knew instantly what she had to do.

When she found herself standing outside the barn a few minutes later, she dug deep, her resolve to see this through becoming more firm. Linney lifted the bar from the door to Randall's compartment and steeled herself for what she knew she had to do. Yanking the door open quickly, it took her only a moment to realize that Randall didn't appear to be in his corner, bound and on the ground, as per usual. He was standing on the other side of the small room and when he turned to her, the grisly smile on his face was a dead one.

_Walker, he's a walker, oh shit_, Linney had time to think, before the newly dead Randall leapt towards her. She had time to let out a shriek, as her hands went instinctively to her waist, to grab for a gun. But he knocked her to the ground too quickly and she had to use her hands and feet to keep him off of her. When a gunshot did ring out, loudly breaking the stillness of the night, Linney paused in horror, as Randall's skull exploded, blood and gore raining down on her head and shoulders.

Linney wiped at her face and pushed his heavy body off of her and turned to see Carl standing behind her, his feet shoulder width apart, a gun trained on where Randall had been moments before. "Carl?" She whispered, her face and voice equally shocked. He finally looked down at her and his arms fell, the gun hanging by his side. "Are you ok?" He asked her and she nodded, climbing to her feet slowly.

"How did -?" She started and Carl swallowed, waggling the gun a little by his side. "I took another gun," he said quietly and Linney nodded, not willing to scold him when he'd just saved her life. She blinked again at him and then nodded, "Well, thanks I guess," she managed to say and he shrugged once more.

Linney turned to Randall and pushed him onto his back. She examined his neck and then sat back quickly on her heels. She glanced over at Carl in growing alarm and then turned back to Randall again, hastily pushing up his sleeves, his shirt, his pant legs, and pulling at the neck on his shirt. "He's not bit," she said stupidly, not sure what to think.

"That's impossible," Carl said in a soft voice, kneeling next to her. She glanced over at him and gestured at Randall. "But he isn't!" She exclaimed, and then moved his head back and forth. "His neck has been broken," she finally concluded. Carl made a small noise of dismay and she looked over at him, seeing his wide-eyed stare looking off into the distance. "I don't know who could have done this," she said quietly and Carl didn't react. She touched his arm, "Carl? Are you ok?" She got to her feet and he remained crouched on the ground.

That was when she realized he wasn't crouched in shock, it was fear. He was shaking head to toe with wild fear and she finally followed his gaze to the woods past the barn. _Oh holy fuck_, she thought in horror.

A huge herd was breaking through trees, possibly drawn by her scream and the loud, sharp, gunshot from Carl's stolen gun. "Carl," she whispered, and she grabbed his arm, yanking him harshly to his feet. He finally looked over at her. "We have to go, now!" She urged him and he nodded slowly, stunned. They turned to run and collided into Rick, who had come to check on the gunshot. "There you are! We were wor - " Linney clapped a hand over his mouth and shook her head, pointing frantically behind herself. His brow drew down and he looked where she was pointing.

"Fuck," he whispered against her hand and she grabbed his arm, making to run back to the house. She stopped after one step, realizing the way was blocked by the approaching dead. "The barn," Rick said quietly and she nodded, each of them grabbing one of Carl's arms and running quickly around the side of the barn. They nearly ran into a wall of walkers and Linney pulled her gun, firing the first shot at one that was hideously close to Rick's shoulder.

"Back! Back! To the ladder!" He yelled at her and she nearly fell, trying to turn and push Carl back the way they had come. The three of them scrambled towards the ladder that Shane had used and despite her misgivings, Linney didn't hesitate, forcing Carl up the ladder before following him up. Rick was right on their heels and they climbed through the door at the same moment that nearly a dozen walkers collided with the ladder. Inside, Rick flicked on a small flashlight and found the other ladder that led down to the barn floor and Linney raced to make sure the doors were sealed shut.

By the angry growling and thumping at the walls of the barn, it became apparent very quickly that the walkers knew they were inside and they had the entire building surrounded. "Rick! What do we do?" She cried, holding Carl close to her side. He cast a wild-eyed look at her over his shoulder and then ran into the shadows of the stalls for a moment, emerging with a jerry can that sloshed around in his hand.

"Get back up there!" He yelled, digging in his pocket and forcing a small metal item into her hand. She stared at it dumbly as Carl began to ascend the ladder quickly, behind her. "Linney!" Rick yelled, and she looked up at him, watching as he sloshed the gasoline all over the floor. "Light it and drop it when I say," he insisted and walked over, grabbing her arm and shaking it roughly, "Do you understand? No matter what, you drop it lit when I say? Got it?" He was yelling in her face and she nodded, understanding what it was he meant to do. She climbed up the ladder and stood near the edge, forcing Carl further back behind her. The loud growling outside was everywhere, pressing on her ears and making her feel crazy.

She slapped herself across the face as hard as she could, to break herself out of her stunned stupor and that seemed to help, her head cleared and she got herself mentally back in the game. Linney watched Rick approach the main barn doors and slam his fists against them, yelling at the walkers outside, trying to get all the attention to that area. When he opened the door, she stiffened in fear, watching as the dark horde of walkers poured into the room. Somehow, Rick managed to stay ahead of them as he raced for the ladder, climbing up out of reach.

"Now, Linney! Now!" He screamed and she dropped the lit lighter and watched as the barn exploded into a sea of fire.

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Nobody realized Linney was gone, until they heard the gunshot. Maggie had helped Daryl search the house for her and they realized in that process that Carl was gone too, as well as the gun from Daryl's bag.

"They're gone!" Maggie screamed, running into the living room. Lori had gestured had at the door, her face pale, saying, "Rick's gone out to find them, he told us all to wait here, to avoid having anyone else wander around." Daryl had snarled at her and pushed Maggie out of the way, bursting out onto the porch. That was all anyone needed and they all poured outside, looking in horror towards the barn.

Maggie had never experienced fear before the way she did in that moment. There were hundreds of walkers moving from the trees around the barn, crowding the structure and swarming over the sides, heading in their lumbering pace towards the house. "Jesus Christ!" Andrea yelled and Maggie turned when she felt Glenn forcing a gun into her hand. Rick's group mobilized quickly, every one of them arming themselves as they stood tensely on the porch.

"Look!" Lori screamed in horror and they all saw three small figures climbing up into the hayloft. _Linney, Rick, Carl, oh my god_, Maggie thought in horror. She watched as Daryl went to vault the porch railing and T-Dog grabbed him and held him back, even though the other man fought back violently.

"Lemme go! Right fucking now!" Daryl roared and Lori walked over to him, grabbing his face tightly and yelling back. "We can't help them by rushing over there! We need to pull attention away, we need to start killing them!" She yelled and Carol screamed, "No! We need to leave! Now!" Maggie swallowed, not certain what her choice would be, until her father stepped forward, fury on his face.

"This is my farm and I'll die before I leave it, we kill them now, give the three of them time to run away," her dad walked calmly down the porch steps and held the large gun in his hands comfortably. Daryl nodded, liking the idea. "Fuckin' right, tonight's as good a night as any," his voice was gruff and hard and with that it seemed that everyone was decided.

"Let's get the cars! Try and round em up, lead them away!" Andrea called, and ran towards T-Dog's truck, with him right on her heels. Maggie turned to Glenn and nodded towards her car, "Let's go!" She screamed at him.

Daryl pointed at the RV from the seat of his bike and yelled to Jimmy, "Get that over by that fuckin' barn! They'll need to get out n' they're trapped!" Maggie paused, watching Jimmy as he nodded, fear on his face, but still clearly intent on pushing right into the danger zone.

They all froze as one though when fire ripped through the bottom half of the barn. _No, oh no_, she thought, her face freezing in terror. Maggie whipped her head over to Glenn, suddenly enraged at the sight of her home, her farm, burning, "Let's go kill those stupid fucks!" Her angry cry galvanized Glenn and he nodded, his face tightening into an expression of anger and determination, turning towards her car and climbing in quickly.

_Please let this work_.

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The last thing Linney expected to see was the RV, plowing through the walkers and pulling up next to the hayloft, outside the barn. She, Rick, and Carl had fled the inside of the barn and were now trapped out on the small landing. Rick's eyes were wild and he clutched at Carl so tightly she wondered if he was hurting the boy.

"Hurry! Hurry!" She heard Jimmy scream to them from inside the RV and Rick wasted no time, leaping over to the roof of the RV. Linney helped Carl over and then jumped over herself. The RV was unsteady and they moved quickly to the rear, only to be thrown down roughly onto the roof when the entire vehicle lurched heavily to one side. By the sickening screams, she knew that the walkers had gotten inside and were killing Jimmy. Carl whimpered in terror and Jimmy's screams went on and on.

It was enough of a distraction though and Rick climbed down quickly, pulling Carl off the RV ladder before he was halfway down. The gap closed though, and Linney was trapped on the roof. Carl and Rick ran and she said nothing, not willing to have them stop. She watched as they raced away, silently thankful that Carl was safe, before the RV lurched again, and she was nearly flung off the side of it. She gripped the bar that Amy and she had clung to long ago, when they were trapped on the RV, and pulled herself back up onto the roof, laying on her stomach.

Incredible heat was pressing down on her from behind and she turned to see the barn almost entirely in flames and glanced down at the ground again; the sea of walkers offered her no options. _Burn or be eaten_, she thought sickly, before the decision was made for her. The RV lurched massively and tipped and she was airborne for a moment as it fell, the ground rushing up towards her face sickeningly fast. She hit the ground and rolled, realizing she had been thrown a few feet from the crowd of walkers. She glanced back and saw the RV had tipped over and crushed them.

Linney could only enjoy that small victory for a moment before she had to start frantically defending herself. She shot and shot and shot at the waves of walkers pressing towards her and briefly contemplated running for the house. One quick glance in that direction told her that the way there was completely blocked. Her ears were ringing with gun fire, her own, and what she came to understand was everyone else's, as they desperately tried to hold off the tide of the dead.

_There's no holding them off_, she thought, _we can only run_. Linney took aim and shoot a few more, running a zigzag line through the walkers around her, ducking and rolling when needed. She fell out of rational thought, and moved in to a completely feral fight or flight mode, quickly choosing to flee, _and_ fight on her way out. When she was out of ammo, she realized she had reached the fields and there was no end to the walkers. In the distance she could hear engines roaring and prayed that everyone was getting out. She pulled the big hunting knives at her waist and used them to slash and stab her way through.

Her hands were slick with gore and it was splattered all over her. She remembered Rick joking with her about her style of fighting being messy. Slowly, it became apparent that the dead were less interested in her. _My smell, what did Daryl say? I camouflaged it_, she thought and then dropped to her knees next to the walker she'd killed last, wasting no time in slashing its belly wide open. When it's guts slopped out sickeningly, she took a deep breath and threw herself down into its gaping abdomen and began rolling around in its innards, grabbing up mushy, stinking handfuls to rub on her neck, into her hair, over her shoulders.

She was slick with it, covered head to toe in blood and gore. She looked around and saw the walkers ignoring her completely. Linney took small, quick breaths through her mouth and sliced out several loops of dead intestine and wound them around her neck and shoulders like the world's most disgusting scarf. Swallowing hard, she pushed her revulsion from her mind and focused on the only thing that mattered: escape.

She walked at the same pace they did, trying not to pull attention to herself. When she reached the road, she paused, to look back at the farm, praying that everyone got out. The blazing fire in the barn had spread through the grass to some of the outbuildings and she felt her stomach sink. _We can never go back_, she thought.

Linney pushed on, frantically running through the map of the area in her head she'd seen so many times while they were searching for Sophia. She knew how to get to the highway, she remembered that much at least, but she knew she'd have to walk all night. The roads were dark, and she alternated between jogging, running, and walking as she pushed on. She'd never felt the kind of fear and desolation she did now, but those emotions only helped drive her forward.

In her mind, reaching the highway was paramount, it was safety, it was the only place that she felt certain they could all find. _If anyone's left, they'll go there_. When she came across walkers, she killed them if she could, skirted them when she couldn't, only stopping once to reapply more camouflage. Her skin was tight and itchy where it was all drying on her and Linney kept praying that she wouldn't get sick from it, thankful that she had no more open wounds. When she reached the on-ramp for the highway, she knew she still had a couple miles until she reached the car that they'd left set-up for Sophia.

Linney pushed herself onwards in complete exhaustion. She'd been going for hours and was physically spent. Her hip sockets and feet ached, her back and neck were throbbing from the impact with the ground after being tossed from the RV, and her tight grip on the knives in her hands were making her fingers cramp and her arms twitch. Still nothing stopped her; she pushed onwards, nearly a walker herself, her persistence was so mindless at this point.

_He'll be waiting for me there, I just know it_.


	75. Chapter 75

***** Thanks for your continuing reviews, favs, and follows everyone, I love them and appreciate them, and they put a big, stupid smile on my face each time my email notifies me that I've got one :) Enjoy - I OWN NOTHING - except Linney! *****

Linney pawed through the back of the minivan, ripping open the suitcases she found packed neatly in there. Her mind was a blank, and she focused only on actions, tasks, needs, all to distract herself from what she'd found on the highway when she finally reached the car they'd laid out with supplies for Sophia. It was nothing, she found nothing. No one was there, and as that endless night finally started to begin it's slow and gradual ascension into the new morning, she shut down, her movements becoming robotic.

She quickly located the van that had an entire family of corpses rotting in the front half, a van she remembered seeing on her scavenging with Carl. She never searched it then, and could only be grateful for that now. She found a bag that looked like it contained clothing for a boy, perhaps one around 14 or 15 years old. She pulled out grey army fatigue patterned cargo pants, underpants, socks, a black long sleeved shirt and a blue t-shirt. Linney was shivering in her bloody, damp, ruined, clothes and wanted to get clean and dry and warm again before she made herself sick.

She threw the suitcase she'd been digging through onto the ground and ripped open the decidedly more feminine looking one underneath. When her hands closed around the cosmetics case inside it, she wasted no time, only pulling out the small travel-sized bottle of shampoo and hard plastic travel case of soap. She put those on her pile of clothes and dug inside the suitcase for a moment longer, pulling out a bra that wasn't going to fit properly, but that she'd wear anyways, and was unhappy to find nothing warm inside. She was looking for a sweater or a hoodie and it was tough going. _Everyone packed to flee in the summer time_, she thought pessimistically.

The next suitcase appeared to belong to the father, and she finally hit pay dirt, yanking out the thick, dark green sweater inside and putting it on top of her pile. She scooped everything up and stopped briefly by the car for Sophia, grabbing one of the blankets there. She waded slowly through the wreck of cars, back to the large truck with the water bottles that Glenn and Shane had found so long ago.

Linney put everything on the ground, a safe distance away, and pulled the two pictures from the back pocket of her gore-stained jeans. She gazed down at them, one an image of a life long since passed; her parents smiled up, safe, healthy, and young forever. The next one was of the two Dixons, both of them seeming to scold her from the small photo in her hand. She shook her head and tucked them both into the back pocket on her new pants. Linney removed her boots, amazingly still clean socks, knives, holsters, belt, and sheaths, stacking them near the new clothes.

She was distantly pleased to see the spout she'd fashioned for the huge water bottles was still stuck on an empty one. Linney tore it off and hacked off the lid on a full bottle, but didn't attach the spout right away. Instead she let the huge gush of water splash down onto her, still fully dressed. The water was icy cold and she began shivering immediately, but she relished the feeling of the gore sloughing off her. When the bottle was empty, she undressed in jerky, quick, movements, flinging her dirty clothes away, until she was naked and wet and almost paralyzed with cold.

She opened another bottle and attached the spout, and began to clean herself, squeezing the entire bottle of shampoo in her hair and lathering it up, letting the cold suds slid over her face, neck and shoulders. She used the soap to bathe herself and ended up using the last two bottles of water to complete the task.

When she was done, she grabbed the blanket and used it to dry herself off as best as she could, before pulling on the clean clothes. She used her belt to hold up the pants that were too big for her, and covered herself in the layers of shirts. When she had her socks and boots on, she gathered up her knives and guns and stuck them all into the wide cargo pockets on the pants, buttoning them all closed.

Fully clothed, Linney went back to the car and grabbed a bottle of juice, tearing the lid off and drinking half of it in several large gulps. She decided not to eat and instead grabbed the last blanket, a big thick one, and climbed inside the car, shutting and locking all the doors behind her. She settled across the deep backseat and wrapped herself up in the blanket, burying herself from head to toe underneath it.

She lay curled up, chattering and shivering, and didn't allow herself to think about Daryl or any of the others. Her exhaustion was so heavy that despite the cold, she fell asleep almost immediately, escaping into a deep and smothering darkness.

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Rick stopped Hershel's big truck on the highway, near the car that they'd left for Sophia, and turned the ignition off with a sigh. "No one's here," he said in a defeated voice and he heard Carl heave out a deep, sorrowful breath in the backseat. Hershel opened his door and stepped outside, looking back at Rick.

"We don't even know for sure if they would come here or not," the older man rumbled and Rick shook his head, climbing out as well. "Yes, they would, it's the only place, Hershel, the only place we all knew about," he insisted, his voice stubborn. Carl walked over to the hood of the car that had instructions for Sophia written on it, and stared down at the meager supplies sitting there. "I'm not leaving," the boy said in a small, angry voice, before turning back to Rick.

"Mom will come, I know she will, and I'm not losing her," Carl's face was rigid with emotion and Rick could only nod vaguely at him. Hershel put his hand on Rick's shoulder and squeezed gently. "You and the boy need to go, Rick, this is still too close to the farm. That herd could be here any minute if they headed this way." Rick shook his head slowly and Hershel spun him around to face himself.

"Rick, keeping that boy alive is the only thing left for you to do. We don't even know if anyone else made it out," Hershel said again, his voice low and regretful. Rick wrenched his shoulder away. "You don't know that! What about your girls? Are you holding out any hope for them?" Rick snapped at the older man, regretting his words when he saw grief flicker across Hershel's solid features.

"I will always hold out hope that they lived, and I will stay here and wait for them, but you need to go, the boy needs to be taken to safety, you know that Rick." The older man was absolutely convinced and Rick turned back to Carl, who was sitting on the ground in front of the car, his features set and stubborn.

Rick gazed at his son for a few more moments and then took several steps over to him. "Carl," he began, and the boy leapt to his feet, his face hard and furious. "No Dad, no! I'm not leaving mom! We left Sophia, we left Linney, I'm not leaving mom!" Rick felt a surge of sadness and regret in his stomach at the memory of escaping the barn, getting off the RV and running to the woods, only realizing that Linney wasn't with them when it was too late. He'd had to drag Carl kicking and screaming to Hershel's truck. He knew the boy blamed him for leaving her behind, and he surely blamed himself.

When they'd been driving off the property, Carl had screamed loudly, and they saw the RV on its side, on fire along with the barn, walkers swarmed so thickly over and around it, that there was no way she could have made it out. Rick hadn't been able to do anything for his son, for himself, and felt his insides crumble knowing that the girl had died so terribly, after being abandoned by people she trusted. _Linney, I'm so sorry._

Before he had to bodily grab his son, and drag him to the truck once more, all three of them froze at the sound of approaching vehicles. He turned to watch in amazement as Otis' blue truck, Maggie's car, and Daryl on the motorcycle, with Carol behind him, came rumbling up. Carl pushed past him and raced towards Lori when she stepped from the blue truck, amazingly whole and uninjured. Rick felt his face twisting in desperate emotion before he charged towards them, clutching his family to his chest, unable to believe that he could be so lucky twice.

He smiled into Lori's hair, squeezing her tightly as he heard Beth and Maggie sobbing in relief against their father. He broke from his wife to hug Carol, T-Dog, even a red-faced Glenn, happy to see them alive. He noted the absence of Patricia and Andrea and realized with sinking despair that their group had been ripped apart even further.

"Where is she?" A loud and angry voice asked, and he turned around to see Daryl, slamming shut the door on Hershel's truck, obviously having been looking inside it. The man charged over to Rick, his face a thundercloud and Rick swallowed hard, his chest tight at the news he had to deliver.

"I'm so sorry, Daryl, I'm so sorry," he began and Daryl's face clenched angrily, before twisting into a burning expression of pain, and then back to red hot fury again. He charged at Rick, shoving him violently against the car with Sophia's name on it and screamed in his face, "You went to find them! You went to get them _both_!"

Rick nodded, hanging his head, and glanced over at the rest of the group; Lori and Glenn's devastated faces at the realization that Linney was gone, and Carl crying fresh tears for his friend.

"She didn't make it, we got off the RV and ran, but she wasn't there, she didn't make it," Rick said, his voice urgent and emotional. Daryl paced away before launching himself back at Rick. "You _left_ her to die!" His voice was cracking in anger and grief and he suddenly threw himself away from Rick, charging towards his bike.

"Wait! Daryl, you can't go back, man! There's nothing there but the dead!" Rick cried, knowing that going back was a suicide run. Daryl rounded on him again, "I won't let her be one of them! I promised..." his jaw clenched tightly and Rick could see him unravelling quickly.

"Daryl, I know! I'm sorry, but you can't go back! There's nothing there but death!"

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Linney shifted in her warm nest of clothes and blankets, becoming slowly aware that someone was yelling, angrily and loudly, outside. She was obscenely scared for a moment, somehow certain that it was Randall's group and she dug at her pants, terrified when she couldn't find her weapons. She realized that they were in the cargo pockets at the same time that she realized it was Rick's voice, yelling at Daryl.

She moved without thinking, throwing the blanket off and popping the lock on the car door, before kicking the door open. She got the blanket tangled in her feet and fell getting out of the car, thumping gracelessly to the ground.

"Ow! Fuck!" She yelped and looked up to see the disbelieving eyes of her group swing to her. She thought maybe something was wrong with them, they all looked like they'd seen a ghost.

"I knew you'd all come here!" She cried, the relief and happiness in her tone making her voice come out in a near squeak. She managed to disentangle herself from her blankets before she saw Daryl violently shove Rick to the side and run to her, his face pale and worn, his expression burning with something strong.

He said nothing, only dropped to his knees in front of her and grabbed her up in a crushing hug, holding her to his chest, with his face buried in her neck and in her hair. She brought her own arms up around him and hugged him back. He was muttering over and over again, under his breath; she was pretty sure he was saying "thank you".

"I knew you'd make it out," she whispered to him, and he pulled a few inches back to look her in the eye, before diving towards her face and kissing her, roughly, passionately, crushing his lips to hers. She leaned into him and let him kiss her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead, and then her neck.

"Rick said you were dead," he murmured, pressing his scratchy face into the soft skin on her neck, and she felt a shudder roll through him just saying the words out loud. _He thought I was dead_. Her mind could barely grasp what that must have felt like, but when she mentally switched the roles she shook with feeling, unable to imagine that kind of pain. _If Rick told me Daryl was dead, I would have lost my mind._

"I'm a lot harder to kill than you people seem to realize," she replied, her voice shaking a little, "But he had every reason to think I was dead." She called over to Rick, "It's a terrible story, I'll tell you it sometime," and was rewarded with his wry chuckle.

Daryl got to his feet, still clutching her to him tightly and the grip lifted her right off the ground, her feet dangling in the air. She laughed and he put her down, running his hands over her face, her damp hair, her neck. His eyes drank her in, roaming all over her. His breathing finally got under control. She smiled up at him and he put a hand to the back of her neck, holding her gently. He looked her in the eye and asked,

"What the hell are ya wearin'?"

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"We need to leave," T-Dog said again, and Maggie looked over at him, his worry and nervousness about remaining on the highway plainly evident on his face. She nodded at him and then again at Rick. "That herd could be here any minute, this place isn't safe," she told him, her voice strained. Rick was staring down at the map they had spread out on the hood of her father's truck and he dragged his finger down the highway, going south, away from any major cities.

"This way, then, we find a place to stay for the night, maybe a few nights, get ourselves together, collect ourselves, before we really get on the move," Rick instructed them and there were nods all around.

"Wait, maybe we should grab some of this stuff, we left a bunch of it behind last time we were here," Linney said and Rick looked over at her. Maggie smiled a little bit when she saw the tight grip Daryl had around the girl's shoulders, clearly still feeling the lingering ache of when he thought she was dead. Rick nodded at Linney and gestured around to everyone. "Ok, make it quick, I'm giving us fifteen minutes and then we leave no matter what," his voice brooked no argument and the group immediately split up, quickly canvassing the area.

"Help me get this trunk open," she said to Glenn and he smiled at her, his eyes crinkling in the corners in the way she loved so much. After his declaration in the car this morning, him finally saying he loved her, too, she felt like he was an extension of herself and shuddered at the thought of what Daryl had gone through this morning, however brief it may have been. _If Rick told me Glenn was dead, I would have lost my mind._

Glenn helped her lift the trunk open on the huge sedan in front of them, the dented lid making it too hard for one person to open and hold properly alone. Inside she found a couple of bottles of water, a small first aid kit and a sleeping bag, along with some tools. The two of them grabbed everything and brought it back to the front of her father's truck, adding it to the pile of blankets, clothes, and food that the other's had already made.

"Maggie, you and Beth should check out this van, there's some ladies stuff in there," Linney said, walking up beside her unnoticed. Maggie jumped a little bit, and then quickly bent to hug her friend again, for the fourth time, before taking Beth's hand and leading her over to the van. Her sister was pale, her skin waxy looking, and Maggie was worried that having Patricia die so violently, literally right beside Beth, was going to be too much for the girl to handle; not to mention Jimmy's death, which Rick had quietly informed her and Hershel was not a good one.

They didn't find much, but they grabbed some things anyway, for Lori and Carol as well. The men's bags of clothing proved to be very valuable and after all the men in the group had picked them over, there really wasn't much left. Maggie moved to stand with Glenn, leaning into his side, resting her head on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his breath and heartbeat. She watched Linney, absolutely dwarfed in her baggy pants and a green sweater so large it looked like a dress, as she again moved easily into Daryl's side. He wrapped an arm around her and pressed her head into his chest with a hand.

The two of them never failed to surprise her, and although Maggie was certain that if she were in Linney's shoes she would undoubtedly not know how to speak to Daryl, nor relate to him, she could recognize that they were beyond important to each other, good for each other.

T-Dog worked quickly to siphon all the gas from Otis' old truck, putting most of it into her Dad's truck, which was nearing empty. The blue pick-up was being left behind; her dad was quick to point out to Rick that it was a gas-guzzler, too loud, and too small to really be useful. Rick nodded once and the matter was settled; Maggie was happy to see her father in such high esteem with the man she knew was officially their leader.

"Ok, let's load it up and head out," Rick called out to them and Glenn gave her a squeeze around her waist before helping them load everything up. She and Glenn had Beth and her dad join them in Maggie's car, and Carol, Lori, and T-Dog hopped up into her father's big truck, with Rick and Carl.

Daryl got on his bike and Maggie chuckled a little to herself to see the way Linney hopped on behind him, nearly wrapping herself around him as she peppered his neck with kisses. The man glared at her and said something over his shoulder to her and Maggie laughed aloud when she saw Linney stretch forward to kiss his mouth to shut him up. When they both looked back at her and realized they had an audience, their faces pulled down into nearly identical frowns and Maggie laughed harder.

On the road, she was happy for the sweetness of their reunion, the brevity provided by watching them together, it all helped distract from the pain of losing Patricia, Jimmy, Andrea, and her home. Maggie fell asleep in her seat, while Glenn drove, and her dreams were filled with longing for better times.


	76. Chapter 76

***** So now we begin our descent out of Season 2 - I won't be jumping right into Season 3 though, I want to experience a little bit of life on the road over that winter. They all allude to little bits and pieces of things they experienced during those months: living in a storage locker, tracking herds, starving - I want to delve a little into all of that. Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

They drove for at least two hours before hearing the horn on Hershel's truck honk once. Daryl slowed the bike and turned around, circling to park right in front of the truck. Maggie's car made its way back and parked as well and everyone hopped out. Rick's face was tight and worried when he walked to the front of the truck and Linney knew immediately that something was wrong.

"It's out of gas," Rick said, angrily. Linney heaved a huge sigh and looked over at Daryl, who was staring down the road with narrowed eyes. "Well, we can head up the road, see if we find some place or some cars we can siphon from," Maggie spoke up and Linney nodded. Rick slashed his hand through the air, as if to cut that idea down in its tracks.

"No, we can't leave people behind with no way to escape, it's too dangerous," he told them and Linney looked over at Daryl again who had turned his narrowed eye gaze back to Rick. "We'll go, me n' Linney, on the bike," Daryl reasoned and everyone nodded, except Rick.

"I don't want us separated," he said flatly and Linney raised an eyebrow at him. "Rick," she said, and he turned to stare at her, his face set stubbornly, "We have to get more gas somehow; we'll have to split up to do it." He clenched his jaw and nodded and then gestured at the sky. "It's nearing dark, no one will go now, we'll set up camp, create a perimeter, put up watches, in the morning, you two can go for gas," he instructed them and Linney tried to keep the tight look of disagreement off her face.

"It's cold out, Rick, too cold for us to sleep outside," she replied and Lori nodded, stepping towards her husband, both arms wrapped around Carl. "She's right, we can't stay here, so completely exposed," Lori said to Rick, her voice soft. Rick looked ready to hit something and spat out, "We all just barely made it off the farm alive, we lost three people and it's a miracle we all managed to find one another, we are not separating to go on a fools mission in the dark!" Linney took a step back, towards Daryl, feeling a little cowed and not wanting to anger Rick further.

It was Hershel who settled it though. "We'll make camp near the vehicles, build a fire and set up guard watches, it's one night and we can make it work," Hershel said in his soft drawl, before turning to Linney, "Listen to Rick, he knows what's best." Linney pressed her lips together and glanced over at the agitated Rick and nodded at him.

They moved quickly then, building a fire off to the side of the road and everyone began to dig through the trunks of the vehicles, layering up with what clothing they could find. Carl, Lori, and Beth were all given blankets to wrap themselves in as they sat near the fire and T-Dog, Glenn, and Hershel drew first watch, standing at various points around the perimeter, staring out into the road.

Linney dug through the saddlebags on the bike and found a little more ammo for her and Daryl's guns, but it wasn't much. She felt better with the guns loaded again, though, and told herself that she'd find more tomorrow. Meager amounts of food were handed out, and Linney ate hungrily; it was her first meal all day.

Rick stood by the fire, looking more and more angry with the questions that Carol and Maggie were peppering him with and Linney wanted to diffuse the situation. "So, I found Randall, before everything went down," she said, her voice quiet, and everyone turned to look at her. Rick raised an eyebrow at her and she scooted closer into Daryl's side, trying to absorb more body heat.

"He had turned," Linney told them and Lori shook her head slowly. Carl nodded at her, "I saved Linney, Dad, I put him down," his voice was proud and Rick nodded at his son, even as Lori's face twisted in horror and upset, hating the idea that her son had to kill anything. "You did the right thing Carl, I'm proud of you," Rick said to his boy and Linney left unsaid that Carl's gunshot is likely what drew the walkers.

"The funny thing is, though," Linney added, "He wasn't bit, we checked and he wasn't bit, but he turned anyways." Rick looked sharply at her and Linney nodded, widening her eyes. "His neck was broken, someone killed him, but he turned without being bit," her voice was concerned and mildly alarmed and she looked at Rick, as if he was supposed to have the answer. "How could that be possible?" She asked him and Rick swallowed, turning away to look out in the darkness.

Daryl's arm tightened around her waist and she realized that Rick actually did know something and if Daryl was on edge because of it, then she went straight over the edge into full blown fear. "We're all infected," Rick delivered this to them in a quiet, hard voice and she heard every person in the group take in a sharp breath.

"What does that mean?" T-Dog asked, his normally calm voice quickening with worry. Rick turned around and Linney saw the flat look in his eyes. "Jenner told me, at the CDC, whatever this is, whatever caused all this," he gestured around himself, "We all carry it. You don't have to be bit; if you die, you turn, become one of them." Linney felt like an ocean was pressing down on her ears and she realized slowly, through the echoing pounding of her own heart, that she'd known all along. Her dad, Shane, both turned without bites.

She glanced up at Daryl and he was staring down at her, his face frozen into a look of anger and upset. She reached a hand up to briefly touch the side of his face and then he closed his eyes and pulled his face away.

"How could you not tell us?" Glenn cried, from his spot on guard, and Rick looked over at him, his expression locking down. "I didn't think it was true, for the longest time. Jenner was crazy, I couldn't believe him, not until Shane..." his voice trailed off and Linney swallowed hard, meeting his eyes and holding them, trying to read what he must thinking behind his sharp, blue eyed gaze.

"And you never told us?" Glenn said again, his voice disbelieving and hurt. Rick nodded curtly at the young man and took an angry step towards him. "I'm leading this group, whether you like it or not, I didn't think anyone needed to know until I was certain!" Rick was nearly yelling at this point and Lori put a hand on his leg from her seat on the ground. "Honey, please, you're scaring Carl, it's ok," her voice was soft and her dark eyes beseeched him to calm down.

It seemed to work because Rick took a seat and glared down at his lap. "I think I've always known," Linney offered, ignoring the incredulous stares she got from everyone. "My dad OD'd on drugs, died, and then turned, and I explained it away in my head, assuming he must have been bitten or scratched and never told me. But the more I think about it, the more certain I am that he simply died and turned." Maggie gave her a tight, sympathetic smile and Linney risked a peek up at Rick, whose face had softened momentarily while he gazed at her over the fire.

Linney felt ridiculously embarrassed and turned her face into Daryl's sweater, burying her cold nose in the fabric near his shoulder. She heard murmuring around the fire, Lori calming Carl, Beth and Maggie discussing the things they'd left at home that they could never get again. Linney was content to snuggle in Daryl's chest and try to warm herself.

After a little while Rick loudly declared that it was bedtime, that everyone needed to hunker down to sleep. Linney and Carol worked to lay the backseat in Hershel's truck flat, creating a bed of sorts that she, Lori, Carl, and Beth were going to share, trying to create some warmth together. Linney and Maggie ended up curled up together in the trunk area of the big open truck, sharing a blanket and huddling together for warmth.

"Now don't you think about gettin' fresh, Miss Linney," Maggie joked with her and they could hear Lori laughing a couple feet away from the mattress created by the flattened seat. "But, damn, Maggie, you're irresistible," Linney cooed back, and they both laughed. Daryl had the driver's seat leaned back, Rick the passenger seat, and they were making do up there. Linney could hear Daryl chuckling quietly.

All the bodies crammed into one car was good in terms of creating a lot of body heat in the enclosed space, but it was cramped and Linney was grateful for once for her size. She felt bad for Maggie, who couldn't stretch out. Sleep came fairly easily for everyone, though, considering that they'd survived a nightmarish attack, lost people, lost their home, and were on the road with no plans, no safety net and no back up. _But we have each other_, she thought, _and that has got to stand for something_.

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"It's time to get up, Linney," a hand shook her shoulder and she cracked an eye open to see Glenn leaning through the trunk door to shake her awake. Linney moved slowly, reluctantly crawling out from the warm nest she and Maggie had been sharing and Glenn crawled eagerly into her spot. Linney gave him a small smile and gratefully accepted his hoodie when he offered it to her. It was warm from his wearing it and Linney added it to the pile of clothing she was already wearing, beginning to feel like an abominable snowman.

When she walked around to the front of the truck, Daryl indicated he would take the rear watch, standing at the back of the trucks, and Linney moved to guard the side near the front, while Rick took the other side. "Are you warm enough?" He asked her and Linney nodded at him, "Yeah, don't worry about it," she told him. The night was cool and clear, the sky full of stars, and Linney took in a deep breath of air, watching as it became faintly visible on her exhale.

"So," Rick said after a while, "You mentioned that you have a terrible story to tell me?" Linney chuckled quietly and nodded. "Yeah, about getting off the farm, you mean?" She asked, and Rick replied with a short "Yes".

"I remembered something that happened when I met Dale, Andrea, and Amy. I got walker guts on me then and the walkers ignored me," she explained and she glanced over at Rick who had a bright expression on his face. "It worked like camouflage, so last night I got some on me and noticed them ignoring me more and more, so I cut one open and rolled around in his guts, covered myself in them." Rick was silent and she glanced over at him again. He was gaping at her, his expression shocked and mildly horrified. She shrugged and looked back out at the woods again. "It worked, and I just kept pushing for the highway."

"Linney, that's awful," Rick muttered, shaking his head. Linney nodded and looked out at the road, remembering the long walk to the highway, the crushing darkness, her worry, her despair, her terror that she had lost everyone and was alone again. "It wasn't fun," she replied in a low voice and Rick shifted on his feet.

"You walked all night, for miles, covered in walker guts, in the dark, alone, without knowing if anyone else was even alive?" He finally repeated, not really asking her a question, more just trying to wrap his mind around the notion. Linney nodded again and said nothing.

"That's why we have to stay together, stay grouped up," Rick finally said and Linney didn't reply. "We have to work together, we can't lose any more people." Linney listened to him and her mind went to Andrea, lost at the farm. Her relationship with the woman had improved marginally over the two weeks since Dale's death and they actually managed to have a good, long conversation about Shane, Merle, and Amy. It had been cathartic for both of them. Now she was gone, and Linney felt sick. _It's just Daryl and I now_, she thought, her mind going over the roster of the fallen from her original group.

"We only get so long on the road, before we have to find a place to stop," he said and Linney looked over at him. He was staring grimly out into the dark. "Hershel says Lori is about two months along and that means we only have about six or seven months before she needs to be somewhere safe and stable to deliver the baby." Linney swallowed hard and rubbed a cold hand across her face.

"First things first, we get gas in the morning and get out of this area," she told him and he nodded to her. The rest of the watch passed mostly uneventfully, with the exception of four walkers that came stumbling out of the woods, which they took care of quickly and quietly, using their knives. When dawn began to break, Rick woke Maggie and Carol, to help him on watch until everyone else woke up, and Linney left with Daryl, to go get gas.

As they motored down the road, she clutched his waist tightly, not for balance, but for comfort. He had been watching her strangely since the sun came up and she knew it was likely due to her conversation with Rick. She knew he'd heard everything. When they finally came across a few houses, he pulled over and they untied the three jerry cans they'd strapped to the back of the bike.

"We'll fill these up n' get it back to the others, then drive up here n' fill up all the way, if we can," he said to her and she nodded from inside her hood. They hit three cars and managed to scrounge up the gas they needed. Linney peeked in the cars and the trunks and saw some gear they could take when the other vehicles were here. Daryl moved quickly and Linney kept her back to him, watching the road.

She darted away from him twice, to slam her knife through the heads of a couple walkers that happened by, likely drawn by the rumbling of the bike's engine. When the jerry cans were full, they worked carefully to attach them back to the bike and Linney decided to break into one of the cars.

"I can see granola bars in there," she whispered to Daryl and he nodded. She looked around and pulled the door open, cringing in case it was alarmed. It was fine though and she let out a shaky breath of relief. She grabbed the granola bars and also a few juice boxes, stuffing them into the saddlebags of the bike. She moved to climb on and Daryl grabbed her arm, turning her to look at him.

His narrowed eyes moved over her face and she had no idea what it might be that he wanted to say, his expression was too hard to read. "I'm sorry," he finally said and she blinked at him. "For what?" She asked, not expecting an apology out of him at all. He clenched his jaw and looked away, "For being left behind, for havin' to wear fuckin' walker guts to get outta there," he managed and she stepped towards him, putting a hand flat on his chest.

"It doesn't matter what happened," she told him and he looked down at her, his face twisting in disbelief. "'Course it does," he replied sharply and she raised an eyebrow at him. He grimaced and continued, "I shoulda come back for ya, but I heard Carol, they almost had 'er..." His voice trailed off and Linney stepped towards him, hugging him. He didn't return it immediately and she leaned back, looking up at him. "Of course you did the right thing, saving Carol," she reassured him, "I can take care of myself, I'm scrappy like that." She smiled at him winningly and it worked, his expression softened and he leaned his head down, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Yer fuckin' scrappy a'right," he muttered and she kissed his nose, making his face twitch as he wiped a hand over his nose. She leaned closer to him and kissed him on the mouth, standing up on her tip toes and gripping his neck to pull her face closer to his. His shoulders sagged and he leaned towards her, wrapping his arms tightly around her, crushing her closer to his face. "We better head back 'fore we gotta find a room somewhere," he murmured to her and she reluctantly stepped away. She climbed on the bike and wrapped her arms around him when he sat down.

The drive back went quickly, too quickly, she enjoyed being able to wrap herself around him, press her face into his back and feel the thudding of his heart. She wasn't afraid of the bike anymore, because he was always the one driving it, bike time meant Daryl time and she could easily get on board with that.

When they arrived back, she could see Rick visibly relax, obviously happy that she and Daryl had returned unharmed. She handed out the granola bars and juice and helped Carol get the truck seats upright again while the truck was gassed up.

"There's 'bout four or five houses altogether," she heard Daryl explaining to Rick and Hershel, as they gathered around the map on the hood of the truck. "We can get more gas, maybe some supplies there," he continued and Rick nodded.

"How did the houses look?" Hershel asked hopefully, "Do you think they'd be secure enough to spend the night there?" Daryl shook his head at the same Rick did. "No, still too close to that herd, we need to keep goin' like Rick said, south, away," Daryl answered and Rick nodded at him, clapping a hand on his back.

Everyone loaded up in the vehicles again and Linney moved back to the bike, climbing on again. When they reached the vehicles they'd taken gas from, there were more walkers than before in the area. Daryl stopped the bike, turning it off and getting to his feet in one smooth movement. He drew the crossbow up and began to shoot.

Linney hopped off behind him and whipped out a couple knives, before running into the fray, moving the way Merle showed her, stabbing and killing fluidly. T-Dog and Rick joined her and Daryl and within minutes they had a pile of walkers laying dead in the road. Maggie and Glenn moved quickly, siphoning gas as fast as they could, and Carol and Hershel were already emptying things from the cars.

Linney collected her knives, wiping them clean on the clothing the dead wore. She watched her group, moving efficiently, already falling into a rhythm that was steady and practiced. _We may just have a shot at this_, she thought hopefully, noting that Rick had a similar expression on his face. When she heard retching and saw that Lori had stumbled out from the truck, to vomit on the side of the road, Beth by her side, rubbing her back and holding her hair, Linney felt a ripple of worry go through her.

This was not going to be easy on Lori.


	77. Chapter 77

***** My research for this chapter involved finding out what Americans call toques, haha - ski caps, right? Wasn't sure, being a Canuck and all! Enjoy :) I OWN NOTHING (not TWD or Walmart) - except Linney *****

They spent the first week in one house, several miles from the place where Daryl and Linney had found gas. Rick watched as everyone rested and grieved, trying to choke back his own concerns about the future. He realized that he was the one that they looked to for solutions, for reassurance, for courage, and he was loathe to let them down by revealing how torn he felt inside.

He was again grateful for Daryl and Linney, the way they stepped up, taking guard shifts, making runs, putting down walkers with as little fuss as possible whenever they encountered any; he couldn't imagine trying to make this work without them. He hated making them take separate guard shifts, knowing that meant they had no time together at night, but he couldn't afford to not have one of them on each shift. As it stood, he kept Linney, Glenn, and himself on one shift, and Daryl, T-Dog, and Maggie on the other shift.

As they packed up to leave the house they had called home for a week, he saw Lori look around sadly at the comfortable living room, clearly wishing they could stay, but Linney and Daryl had reported seeing a rather large herd in town the evening before, when they were out on a run for food. "We'll find someplace new, Mom, you know we will," Carl said, hugging his mother as they walked through the door. She smiled at him and kissed his dark hair, before looking back over her shoulder at Rick. Her beautiful eyes were worried, but for him, not for herself. He found himself mildly irritated by her concern; he felt she should be worrying about herself more.

He knew what pregnancy would be like for her; he'd watched it while she was pregnant with Carl. But that had been in a world with comfort, safety, medical care, and no reason to feel fearful. This time around, it was all the same symptoms, exacerbated by poor nutrition, high stress, and broken sleep. He handed her an extra granola bar as she climbed into the car and she shook her head at him.

"No Rick, I'm not hungry, give it to the kids," she urged him in a quiet voice, pushing the granola bar back into his hands. Rick glared at her and she let her hand drop, keeping the food in her lap. "You need to eat, Lori. Hershel says you aren't getting enough, so please, do me this favor and ease my mind; eat. Please," he replied, his voice serious and solemn. Lori nodded and began to peel the granola bar, and Rick shut the door on Hershel's truck.

"So today, we're hitting that Walmart?" Linney spoke from behind him and he turned and smiled at her, at how ridiculous she looked in her mismatched, oversized clothes. "We need to get as much as we can from it, but mainly, we need warmer clothes. Sticking to the country, to the back roads, means we'll be spending a lot more time outdoors at night, and we all know how cold it's going to get." The girl nodded and trotted away to Maggie's car, leaning on the open window to talk to Glenn inside, giving him the instructions on their destination for the day.

Daryl moved to his side then and murmured, "We need ammo, we're out." Rick turned to him and grimaced, knowing full well that the last bullet had been loaded into its gun the night before, leaving them with very little in the way of protection. "Hopefully the Walmart hasn't been scavenged too badly, there should be something," Rick replied, trying to keep his voice even, to keep the worry out of it. He knew that Lori and Carl were both listening inside the truck and he didn't want to upset them.

As they drove, he listened to Carol and T-Dog exchanging stories about their worst experiences in the big box store they were headed to and Lori chimed in with the story about the time she lost Carl in one. He'd thrown a fit over a toy and ran away, hiding inside a tent in the sporting goods section for four hours. The store had gone on lock-down and everyone inside was in full blown panic. The police were called and they finally found him, napping inside the sleeping bag on display inside the tent. Carol laughed and Rick couldn't keep a smile from his face, pleased that she was able to find humor in the story.

He glanced at Carol in the rear-view mirror and wondered how she was able to go on, alone as she was. She put an arm around Carl and gave him a hug when he told his side of the Walmart story, and Rick suddenly realized that she was able to get past the horror of losing Sophia so terribly because of the rest of them. She happened to glance up and saw him looking at her and he smiled at her, getting a smile in response before she turned to his son and began to rib him about running away.

When they reached the huge parking lot he knew instantly that they were not going to find much inside. The parking lot was a disaster zone, huge blackened craters littered the pavement where it appeared bombs had gone off. Dead bodies were everywhere, along with smashed cars, garbage, and, of course, walkers. It eerily reminded him of the CDC and he had to forcefully shove the memory away. He watched as Linney and Daryl moved off the bike in front of them and the girl began to hurl her knives with her calculated, deadly, accuracy.

Daryl's crossbow shot bolts quickly and accurately, the man's face a tight mask of concentration while he aimed and fired. When they had the walkers thinned out, T-Dog, Rick, Carl, Maggie, and Glenn climbed from the vehicles and made their way over to the other two. He glanced back at the truck and saw Lori and Carol locking the doors and then disappearing from sight, laying down in their seats. Beth and Hershel did the same.

"Ok, time to ring the dinner bell," Linney murmured, once she had collected all her knives and Daryl's arrows, and he heard Carl chuckle quietly; the boy loved the turn of phrase that she had indicated Merle taught her, early on. She walked calmly up to the glass doors, and tapped the handle of her knife against them several times. Daryl spun around and shot a bolt behind Rick, taking out a silently approaching walker and Rick gave him a nod of appreciation before turning to Maggie and Glenn and glaring at them; guarding the rear was their job. They both pulled expressions of chagrin and spun around.

Most of the windows on the building were already smashed in, but he knew it was important to draw as many walkers to the front, into the open and the light, as they possibly could. Linney stiffened and he saw her lean towards the doors and peer inside. She tapped again on the glass and then began to swiftly walk back towards them. She held up all five fingers and flicked her hand open and closed three times. _Fifteen walkers, jesus_, he thought, briefly contemplating sending Carl back to the car.

He watched some kind of silent communication pass between Linney and Daryl and when the first walker crawled through the broken window next to the door, Daryl darted forward and slammed a knife through its face. After that first one, the rest came through in an angry, hungry mob and Linney quickly threw out three knives, one after another, taking out three of them before they even stepped outside. The momentary logjam of walkers at the window allowed Daryl and T-Dog to move to them and stab several in the head.

Linney calmly collected her knives, absent-mindedly wiping the blades off on a walkers t-shirt, and then Daryl pushed one of the doors open, immediately swinging his bow up and shooting. Linney swept in behind him and Rick was again struck by how deadly the two of them were. _We need them more than they need us,_ he thought, suddenly paranoid that they might leave. He shook his head, banishing the thought, knowing that was uncharitable of him to think; he'd seen with his own two eyes Linney's dedication to Carl, and Daryl was protective and close with Carol in a way that he'd never expected.

In the store, Carl surprised and alarmed him by jamming the fireplace poker he had as a silent weapon into the face of one walker, using a boot on the walker's hip for balance to yank it out, before ducking smoothly and stabbing it up under another walker's jaw.

Rick swallowed hard, knowing the boy had learned the moves from Linney. She insisted that being small didn't mean being defenceless, it just meant being smarter and faster. The nights she'd demonstrated the moves for the boy, even Lori hadn't taken it seriously. They were using light sabers they'd found in the rec room of the house they were camped in, and the two of them had laughed hysterically as she demonstrated everything on an endlessly patient T-Dog.

Now, as he son took out his third walker in the span of sixty seconds, he realized that Carl was going to have options in this world that he, Rick, never would, learning skills so early on in life that they would come as easily as breathing to him when he was an adult. Rick chuckled to himself as they gathered and wiped off their weapons, amazed that he would be able to see hope in something like watching his son kill monsters.

Everyone fanned out, flashlights up, and Daryl moved straight to the food area, T-Dog and Maggie following him with shopping carts. Glenn took another cart and made his way to the pharmacy and Rick decided to leave Carl with Linney, sending them to the clothing section, which was nearest to the doors. He intended to go to the sporting goods section. The store had been nearly stripped already and his stomach sank as he realized that they were unlikely to garner much in the way of food, medicine, or guns.

He made his way through the aisles, finding only one walker, who had impaled itself through its eye on a hook sticking out from a shelf. He stabbed it through the back of its head methodically and moved deeper into the store, which was black near the back. The cart he had chosen had a squeaky wheel and it was making him antsy. When he reached the section he wanted, he grimaced. There were no guns left at all. Hopping over the counter, he ripped the cupboards open and found no ammo either.

He moved further down the display case and paused, a smile growing on his face at what he found. He gathered up everything left in the final display case, knowing that at least two people in the group would be pleased. _Better than nothing_, he thought, moving towards the camping area across the aisle.

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"You might need to retire the sheriffs hat in a couple weeks, my friend," Linney said to Carl as the boy pushed the cart down the aisle next to her. He looked over at her and made a face. "Why? I like it," he replied, his voice sounding stubborn. She laughed and smacked the brim down over his eyes. "Just for a couple months, man, you'll need a ski cap or something so your ears don't freeze off," she said in a teasing voice and he lifted the brim back up and smiled at her from underneath it.

They reached the men's section first and Linney yanked the list Lori had made for her from her back pocket, with everyone's sizes on it. "Shine that over here a sec," she said to Carl, and he redirected the flashlight to hover over the list. "Ok, so grab anything warm in any size, 'cause we got one small, that's you, one medium, that's Glenn, three larges, your Dad, Daryl, and Hershel, and then one extra large, for T-Dog." Carl nodded at her and they moved into the mostly empty section. Linney wasn't hopeful; the world ended in the summer time and winter gear would not be readily available.

As she grabbed up a small stack of sweat shirts and flannel shirts, not even bothering to look at the sizes, she thought that they'd have better luck pillaging houses, grabbing the former occupants winter stuff that way. Carl was loading pants in the cart and she grabbed the two remaining packages of socks and the four packs of underwear. When they had all they could find, they moved to the next section, which was for women, and out came the list again. They grabbed everything they could and then, blushing a little, Linney went into the kids section and was pleased to find that they had some tops that would fit her fairly well, in the largest girl's sizes.

They grabbed a couple things for Carl in the boy's section, although he was highly insulted by her suggesting they do so. Then Linney thought of the storage room or the warehouse in the back. She imagined that any stock for fall or winter might be kept back there. She took the cart and Carl back out to the cars, whistling into the store before she did, letting the other's know she was leaving. Hershel and Beth climbed out of Maggie's car quickly and Linney helped them unload everything in the trunks. She grabbed the empty cart and took the flashlight from Carl.

"Get in the truck with your mom and Carol, I'm going inside," she told him and his face scrunched up as he began to argue but she shot him a look and he went into the truck without another word; he was quickly learning when she was in the mood to indulge him and when she was absolutely serious.

"You're not waiting out here?" Hershel asked her and she glanced back over her shoulder at him, shaking her head. "Just let them know I'm hitting the storage room at the back, to see if anything is back there," she explained, and although Hershel looked like he had reservations, he nodded and climbed back into the car. Linney moved inside quickly and made her way to the doors marked "Employees Only", she looked around behind her and didn't see anyone watching her, which was good. She felt certain that no one would like her idea, but she was determined to check it out.

She pulled the cart in after herself and flicked on the flashlight. _Well, here's where Walmart's keeping the decomposing corpses_, she thought, before bending to the side and vomiting all over the floor. There was a literal mountain of putrefied bodies in front of her, and she realized that this must be where a lot of people had been putting their dead, for whatever reason. There were easily 75 bodies, mostly rotted and all of them disgusting. She thought about the bombs outside, the badly damaged front of the store and realized that there had likely been people living inside the Walmart, and they were attacked, either by walkers or another group and many, many weapons had been used, resulting in many, many deaths.

Linney swallowed hard, gagging a little more, and found that one side of the pile was a little lower to the ground than the other. She licked her lips nervously and knew that if she intended to go forward, it was going to be _over_ the pile of bodies. She took her first tentative step, dragging the cart behind her, and grimaced as her boots crunched on something and then next stepped down onto something that made a sickening popping noise. Each step was a symphony of disgusting sounds and she knew that she wouldn't be able to banish the mental images of this climb for a very long time.

She pressed forward, desperately trying to not vomit and managed somehow to make it to the other side. When she got the cart back on the ground, she saw an arm was stuck to the underside, having been ripped out on her way over. Linney took a deep breath and pulled the arm off before flinging it back onto the pile. Her flashlight showed that she was in a huge warehouse-like space and she fretted that it would be nearly impossible to find what she wanted back here; it was just so huge.

She moved down the aisles and saw that, again, people had already been back here, as there wasn't much left in the way of food, medicine, or weapons, but when she reached the back, she found boxes and boxes of clothing, some labelled Fall/Winter Men and Fall/Winter Women. Holding her breath, she tore into the boxes and found jackets. She put the flashlight in her mouth and gathered up a lot of them, filling the cart. She moved further and lost herself to the task, pulling out scarves, mittens, hats and boots. The cart was nearly too heavy to push at that point and she realized that she would never be able to get it back over the mountain of bodies.

An exit sign was reflected in the beam of the flashlight and she redirected the cart over there quickly, running towards it. At the exit she spotted a case of cola sitting randomly on the floor, and smiled, tucking it under the cart. _Better than a shopping spree_, she thought gleefully. She put her hand on the door and paused before pushing it open.

There was a door to her right, it was locked, with a chain, and she went over to it, her curiosity pushing her to find out what was behind it. She grabbed a fire extinguisher from its case on the wall next to the exit and proceeded to bash at the lock until it broke open with a clattering smash. _Here we go_, she thought, and she pushed the door open. Her jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide at what she found inside.

_Well, fuck me._


	78. Chapter 78

***** I was just watching some of season three again with the hubby, and I had a question for you guys: what are your thoughts on Merle living or dying? You all know I like to kill people off for the sake of character growth in the people who don't die, but I always felt like Merle probably could have lived and it wouldn't have been too detrimental to the story. What do you think? I'm still actually pretty unsure of what I should do with my Merle when the time comes! Anyhow, enjoy this chapter and any feedback is much appreciated :) I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

She wasn't sure if she should be excited by the bounty in front of her, freaked out by the five walkers chained to the walls, or grossed out by the guy who had hung himself right in the middle of the room. The wall had a huge bloody suicide note hand-painted on it that said, " I RAN OUT OF MOUNTAIN DEW" and Linney kept her flashlight trained on the note for a minute, trying to determine if someone could actually be crazy enough to kill themselves over soda, or if it was supposed to be a joke. _If it's a joke, it's too late to ask him what it means,_ she thought.

The hanging man was very much reanimated, as were the chained walkers and she had to pause and consider that the chained ones may have been alive when they were attached to the walls. It was hard to tell if they were women or men; their clothes were the fairly standard, durable items that anyone could wear these days. Linney took a tentative step into the room and flinched at the gruesome noises the walker's were making, not to mention the horrific smell invading her nostrils. _I will never get used to that stink,_ she thought in disgust.

"What the fuck?" She heard from behind her and spun around, shining her light in Daryl's startled face. She was barely even frightened by his sudden appearance, though, because the shock of this bizarre little room was taking up all the space in her mind. He didn't even look at her, just shone his light around the room, the beam pausing over the note on the wall. When he looked back at her, he seemed to recover himself and glared at her.

"I don't even need to say why ya shouldn'ta come back here alone, do I?" He snapped at her and she shrugged before realizing that, in retrospect, it was fairly stupid of her. He put a hand on her shoulder and drew her back to his side. "But look! Look at all that stuff!" She cried, trying to shake the weirdness of the room off. Her flashlight illuminated the pile of goods in the corner of the room, and Daryl let out a low whistle.

There were several guns, with several boxes of ammo sitting next to a mattress on the floor. Next to that were a couple of cases of canned food, a few large bottles of water, a few cartons of cigarettes, a few bottles of liquor, and a large first aid kit. But even more impressive were the three vending machines, all cracked open. Linney looked around the room again and realized this must have been an employee break room at one time.

"If you tell me that there are chocolate bars left in there I'll love you forever," she vowed, when Daryl moved towards the vending machines and peeked inside. He glanced back over at her and gave her a crooked smile. "Looks like I win," he said in a low voice. They gathered up all the goods by the mattress and stacked them on the overflowing cart outside, before locating an empty box and loading up every last thing in the vending machines. They stepped out of the room and Linney gestured to the walkers.

"Should we take care of them?" She asked him and he shook his head. "No point," he replied and although it made her feel strangely guilty, she shut the door on the bizarre room and they cracked open the exit door, Daryl pushing the cart outside. It was blindingly bright in the parking lot, back in the sun again, and Linney squinted for the first few minutes, trying to adjust to the sunlight. Back at the cars she smiled broadly at everyone, enjoying their surprised smiles at her full cart, before flinching a little at the look on Rick's face.

_Whoa, someone's pissed_. He stormed over to her and grabbed her arm, hauling her away from the cars. He glared down at her and she cringed a little. "I can't believe you would do something so incredibly stupid," he said, his voice furious. Linney swallowed and looked up at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Rick, I wasn't thinking, I just got so excited thinking about what might be back there," she replied, hoping an immediate apology might appease him.

His brow furrowed further and he shook his head. "I appreciate how much you want to help, but you can't go off on your own, no one can! We stick together, we stick to the plan, we stay in constant communication - that's how we stay alive!" He snapped and Linney felt her cheeks turning red. "You know that Carl absorbs every single thing you do, and behaving recklessly teaches him that it's safe, that it's ok, and it's not!"

Linney cleared her throat and looked around, seeing everyone studiously ignoring her lecture, except Daryl, who kept looking over at her, as if waiting for her to call him over. "Rick, I'm sorry," she said again, her voice quiet. "Linney, I expect more from you," he said in response, his voice lower and less angry. He shook his head and let out another breath, "I keep forgetting how young you are," he added and she glared at him. He held a hand up to her, trying to calm her growing insult. "I'm not trying to be an asshole, but you are impulsive, and you need to learn some discipline in certain things, maybe that'll come with maturity," he explained and she wrinkled her nose at him, resisting the urge to prove him right by giving him attitude.

"I'm sorry, Rick, next time I'll let someone know," she said and he shook his head. "No, next time you'll come to me, share your idea and I'll decide if it's worth following through with, got it?" She held his serious stare for a moment before finally nodding. "You got it, boss," she said softly, before turning away and heading straight to the cart, helping everyone sort through it.

She ignored everyone and tried to wait for the burning shame that was displayed on her red face to go away. She focused on the task of sorting through their loot and was pleased to see that everyone was able to retrieve a warm jacket, other winter apparel, and boots. They all had a new pair of pants and a couple tops too, that Linney truly hoped would be enough to last them all winter. She tore the tags off her new lined coat, and snugged the fuzzy collar around her neck before pulling on a black ski cap.

A hand yanked the cap off her head and she turned around to see T-Dog making a face at her. "Nuh-uh kid, the only hat left is pink, and it ain't gonna fit my big ass head," he rumbled. Linney looked at the bright pink ski cap in his hand and glared at him. "I hate pink," she growled and he laughed, shoving it into her hands.

"Too bad," he said, turning away to climb into the truck. She glared down at the pink cap and heaved a huge sigh. _Scolded like a bad little girl, and now I have to dress like one, dammit_. She crammed the offending article onto her head and then slid the gloves she grabbed onto her hands. Linney was irritated by how soft, thick, and comfortable the hat was, and how her ears warmed up wonderfully almost immediately. _Stupid hat_.

She waited at the bike for everyone to get ready, old clothes and some new ones being left in a huge heap on the ground. When Daryl approached her, he had on a new black jacket, thick and warm looking, with warm black gloves and a black ski cap on his head.

"You look like a cat burglar," she commented and he stared at her impassively. "You look like a cupcake," he threw back at her, pointing at her hat. Linney slapped his arm and glared at him and he climbed on the bike without another word. She climbed behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resisting the urge to purposely pinch him. _You're trying to be a grown up now, so don't act like a baby_. She glanced over at Hershel's truck and saw T-Dog laughing at her, pointing at her hat, and she stuck her tongue out at him, which, of course, Rick saw her do. She realized it looked like she was sticking her tongue out at him, not T, and she immediately pressed her lips together, shaking her head at him.

Rick rolled his eyes and started the truck up, driving away. Linney groaned and rested her forehead on Daryl's back, vowing to herself that she would eat a chocolate bar the moment they stopped, to make up for this little embarrassing episode.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"I'm sorry that my dad yelled at you," Carl said to her softly. Linney turned away from her can of stew and gave Carl a wry look. "I deserved it," she replied, glancing around quickly to make sure no one else was listening. They were all involved in eating their dinners, several soft conversations occurring at once. Carl made a face and looked back at his own food for a moment.

"You just wanted to help," he told her, almost defensively, and Linney put a hand on his arm. She shook her head at him. "No, Carl, I had good intentions, but what if there'd been a bunch of walkers back there and I let them loose? What if I got hurt and someone came to help me and they ended up dying?" He stared at her, no answer ready and she shook her head again.

"Your dad was right, I wasn't thinking, I was being stupid. This isn't the Linney Show, I should have talked it over with him, discussed a plan, not charged off on my own," she spoke in a low, firm, voice and the boy held her eyes, obviously contemplating something. "Are you just saying that to teach me a lesson or something?" He asked shrewdly and she chuckled a little bit. "Well, yeah, sorta, but, I need the lesson too, you know? How would you feel if I'd done something so selfish and it got your mom or dad hurt or killed? Would you be happy with me? Would you care that I was just trying to help?"

Carl leaned away from her and ate a quick scoop of his food, thinking while he chewed. "No," he finally whispered in response, "I don't think I would." Linney nodded at him and then finished her meal. She threw the can and plastic spoon into a bag Carol had placed near the door of the car dealership they were spending the night in. With a lot full of cars, Rick had told them they could siphon plenty of gas, and potentially pick up another vehicle to help carry gear and more comfortably transport everyone around.

The dealership had the standard glass-fronted show room, but the offices in the back were closed off, even offering multiple additional exits from the building in case they had to leave in a hurry. Linney went over to the bags of clothes they'd grabbed that day and pulled out the new jeans for herself, a new grey and blue long-sleeved flannel shirt and a tank top and long-sleeved t-shirt to wear underneath it. She had grabbed herself a bra at the Walmart as well and was excited to put on normal clothes again. With her arms full of clothing, she left the main room, flashlight in her mouth, and headed into a small office, shutting the door behind herself to change.

She put everything down and balanced the flashlight on the desk, before beginning to remove her too-big clothing. She had just pulled off the big bra when the door opened behind her. Linney turned, bringing her arms up to cover her chest quickly, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Daryl entering the room, closing the door behind himself swiftly when he saw she was half-naked.

"Excuse me, sir, do I know you?" She asked him, and he smirked at her, putting his own clothes down on the ground. He stepped towards her and reached a hand out to pry her arms off her chest. She smiled at up at him and he put his hands around her waist, backing her up towards the desk, his eyes locked on her bare breasts.

"I'm still a little pissed at you," he muttered, unclasping her belt and letting her huge pants drop to the ground. He lifted her up onto the desk and Linney nodded, while remaining focused on undoing his belt. The dim light from the flashlights bathed the room in a low, yellow glow and Linney shoved his pants down over his hips before reaching down and putting her hands on him. He groaned and looked up at the ceiling and Linney chuckled.

"Yeah," she began, "I'm willing to bet I'm forgiven pretty quickly." He swatted her hands away and shoved her back down onto the desk and she twisted briefly, pushing a stapler out from beneath her. "This is our last one," Daryl breathed, unwrapping a condom from a small pack they'd grabbed in the last house they stayed at, and Linney snatched it from his hands, taking a longer than needed time to apply it. He was growling at her unnecessary ministrations and pushed her hands away again. She wrapped her legs around his hips, locking her heels together and leaned up on her elbows, regarding him with eyes shadowed by the faint light in the room.

"I'll have to fight Glenn for more," she said in a low voice and he grunted at her in response, before grasping her waist and bringing their bodies together. She clenched her teeth and pressed her lips together in her efforts to keep quiet and when she felt like she might go crazy, she leaned up, grabbing his shoulders. His hands slipped under her behind, lifting her off the desk and fully onto himself. Linney bit at his shoulder at the intensity of the new feeling and clenched her arms tightly around him, her legs still locked around his hips. She clung to him and heard him panting in her ear.

Every other thing in the world ceased to matter to either of them for a few moments and when he sank to the ground, still holding her to him, she spent several minutes trying to catch her breath. Linney watched him as he kept his eyes closed and then moved to kiss him, enjoying the moment of peace and aloneness they had. "We'd better get dressed," Daryl finally said and she groaned. "Fine," she grumbled. He chuckled at her irritation and they started to get dressed. Linney relished the feeling of wearing jeans that fit, that hugged her waist and hips the way they were meant to, instead of drooping and billowing around her.

Daryl made a face when she put the bra on and she giggled before slipping on the tank top, long-sleeved t-shirt, and flannel shirt. "What's that?" He asked, pointing to something on the pocket of the shirt. She looked down in surprise and then grimaced when she saw the cluster of rhinestone hearts on the pocket of the shirt. It was a shirt she'd grabbed from the girl's section, liking the look and feel of the flannel, and loving the fit. It was the largest girl size and she had felt certain she could pass it off as an adult shirt, not realizing that it was stupidly decorated.

"Crap," she muttered, picking at it with a nail. Daryl laughed harder at her and Linney gave him an irritated look. "Don't make me mad, Dixon," she muttered and he yanked her closer and kissed her again, surprising her. "Says the girl in the sparkly shirt," he replied. Linney shoved him away and turned to put on her belt and weapons, boots and socks following right afterwards. She paused at the door and looked over her shoulder at him. "Do you think everyone knows what we were doing in here?" She asked, feeling mildly self-conscious. Daryl shrugged and then shot her a wicked little grin.

"Prob'ly."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Rick sighed in mild frustration when he saw Daryl slip into the office after Linney. He knew what they were up to, and by the smile on Lori's face, he knew that she did too. Glenn and Maggie had wolfed their dinners down and fled the room, saying they wanted to check out the upstairs. Rick and Hershel had rolled their eyes at the same time as the pair disappeared. Rick felt like he was chaperoning a summer camp sometimes.

"They just need to feel alive," Lori whispered to him and he looked down at her, finally smiling a little. "I know," he replied. They were in a secure location, and after spending the day scavenging and killing walkers, he knew that if they wanted to escape, to get a few moments of time alone together, that it was ok. He just couldn't calm down, the weight of leadership was heavy for him now, especially since they couldn't predict what might happen next; he always felt calmer with a plan.

When the two couples returned to the room, Daryl went immediately into the show room, taking up a stance for his watch, Maggie following suit. T-Dog was already positioned at the back of the building. Rick turned around and saw Linney and Glenn, glaring at each, bickering over something. Linney tried to grab Glenn's backpack and he was holding her back with one arm. The two of them were like brother and sister, one minute the best of the friends, the next completely pissed off at each other. Rick sighed again and moved over to break the two of them up.

"What's going on? What are you arguing about?" He asked them and they both turned to him, answering at the same time, their differing answers over-lapping each other.

"Nothing!" Glenn insisted.

"Condoms," Linney said calmly. Rick closed his eyes and took a deep breath, finding a sudden urge to laugh coming over him. He opened his mouth to say something and then stopped. He looked back and forth between them and then pressed his lips together, nodding. "Well, I certainly don't need any," he finally said and Glenn turned bright red. Linney laughed loudly and elbowed Rick in the side.

"See, you hog?" She said to Glenn, "Give me half!" Glenn grimaced and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine! Fine! Get off my back, here!" He thrust a box into her hand and she smiled at him before flouncing back to one of the saddlebags from Daryl's bike. Rick wanted to be irritated with them, for not taking things seriously, but he realized that this kind of ridiculousness was good for him, for them, for everyone. It took the mind off the horror of real life and let them remember what it was like to have the luxury to joke around.

A couple hours later, he sat next to Lori, who was asleep on the ground beside him, and he watched everyone sleeping around him. Linney was laying on her stomach, in between Glenn and Carl, one arm resting over Carl's back, one of Glenn's feet digging into her side, her other hand thrown carelessly on top of Glenn's face. He thought again of how she'd escaped the farm and marveled at her resiliency, to bounce back, nearly completely unaffected by the ordeal. Glenn had voluntarily put himself into any number of dangerous and terrifying situations, and he always seemed to emerge unscathed, perhaps even stronger for it. His gaze moved over to Carl, and he thought back to all the horrifying things his son had seen so far and how he was still able to laugh at a joke, or find joy in the small things.

Rick realized that despite their vulnerability, due to size, or lack of experience, or lack of maturity, the younger people amoung them had the potential to do better in this brutal world than older people did. They adapted quicker and easier, for whatever reason. They rolled with the punches better than anyone else did. Rick lay down next to his wife and wrapped his arms around her, resting one hand against her stomach gently. _Will this baby make it long enough to join them in adulthood? Will we live to see that happen?_

_***** Don't forget to give me your thoughts on my Merle living or dying when the time comes, I'm genuinely curious to know your thoughts :) *****_


	79. Chapter 79

***** Thanks for all the Merle input guys, it actually helped :) I'll keep my final decision a secret for obvious reasons, until the time comes, but I'm glad you all liked my Merle well enough to want to keep him alive! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"I like this one," Carl said, pointing at a loud orange pick-up truck, with flames painted down the sides. Linney laughed at him. "Of course you do," she teased and the boy ducked his head, mildly embarrassed.

"We're looking for function, not style," Rick reminded them drily, his voice floating over to them from a couple cars away. Linney nodded at Carl, "Yeah, nothing fun, my friend," she teased Carl, who stuck his tongue out at her and stomped away. Linney sighed and followed him and found Rick and T-dog combing over a large silver pick-up truck, obviously new.

"Won't that be a gas-pig?" She asked them curiously and they both turned to look at her. T-Dog had a wide smile on his face and she had to return it. "It might need more gas, but it's brand new, less likely to break down, or require any sort of work," Rick explained, running a hand along the edge of the bed of the truck.

"Plus, she's beautiful," T-Dog said, gazing at the truck. Rick have him a small tight smile and then gestured towards her and Carl. "Let's get inside and find the keys," he told them and they all followed after him. They'd been at the dealership for a few days at this point and Rick was getting antsy again, wanting to leave, sensing the area was still not far enough from the herds they'd encountered to be safe. Linney tended to agree with him, but still hated to pull up stakes and leave when everyone else was comfortable.

Daryl was busy loading things up into the other vehicles when they reached the building again and he nodded at Rick, "Find anything?" Rick gestured over his shoulder, "Yeah, silver pick-up, gonna get the keys now." Daryl slammed the trunk closed on Maggie's car and followed them inside, smacking Linney's rear lightly when no one was looking. She smirked up at him and he flickered an eyebrow up at her in response.

She was never certain when he'd let any playful side be shown, and was sure he must be feeling pretty confident today if he was teasing her. "You gonna go with T in the truck?" He asked her, leaning against the huge glass windows inside the showroom and Linney shook her head. "Not a chance, you're stuck with me, Dixon," she replied wryly. He snorted and put an arm around her shoulders to lead her back into the offices, to grab their things.

When everyone was settled in the vehicles, Rick and T finally found the right set of keys and started up the new truck, only to curse in disappointment when they realized the tank was almost empty. "We need to get some gas from the other ones," T-Dog muttered in disappointment and Linney made a face. Glenn climbed from Maggie's car and grabbed the siphoning supplies from the trunk, jogging over to T with them.

Linney watched as they moved into the maze of cars and Rick followed a ways behind, keeping an eye on the surrounding area while the two men worked. Linney sniffed the air and grimaced when she realized that Daryl had lit up a cigarette. "I hate that you do that," she muttered to him and he smirked at her. "It ain't a big deal," he replied casually. She walked over beside him and dug into his pants pocket, pulling out the pack of smokes and lighting one up for herself. His eyes narrowed as he watched her.

"How about this? Is this a big deal?" She asked him, puffing lightly on it. Daryl glared at her and looked away, carefully blowing his smoke into rings in the air. "You don't smoke, don't even know how," he replied gruffly and she shrugged. "I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, what makes you think I haven't?"

It was true that she'd tried smoking, many times, with the older kids in her neighborhood. When she was busted by her dad, he hadn't gotten mad at her, just stared at her for a really long time before walking away and succumbing to a drunken slumber on the couch, not talking to her for days afterwards. His disappointment was enough to make her never try again, besides the fact that she didn't really see the appeal.

Daryl glared at her and reached out, snatching the cigarette from her mouth and tossing it to the ground and crushing it beneath his boot. "Don't be stupid," he finally said to her and she rolled her eyes at him. "Don't you be stupid," she replied and he flicked the cigarette away, tossing his hands in to the air afterwards. "There! Happy?" He snapped at her and she smiled hugely, pouncing on him to hug him, he grunted and glared down at her, before letting her kiss him.

"Ew, you taste like an ashtray," she muttered, pulling away. He made a face and stepped away from her, marching off to the back of Hershel's truck. Linney worried momentarily that she'd pushed him too much and actually insulted him, when she heard him spitting behind the truck. He returned a moment later and grabbed her, leaning his face right down to hers. When he spoke, his breath was minty.

"How's this?" He asked her, his voice low and throaty, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. "Good, minty," she replied stupidly, still mildly surprised at the effect he could have on her. He kissed her quickly and then pushed her away. "Now you stink," he said, smirking at her. Linney glared at him and resisted the urge to smack him before stomping back to the truck to see if she could find the mouthwash he'd used. When she reached the trunk, Carol's hand held the little travel bottle of mouthwash to her, a small smile on her face.

Linney looked up in surprise and pressed her lips together while Carol fought to keep the smile off her face. "Thanks," Linney murmured, gently taking the bottle and turning her back on the laughing occupants of the car. She hadn't realized that she and Daryl had an audience that whole time, and wondered if he had known. When her mouth was rinsed clean, she tucked the mouthwash into a bag in the trunk before heading back to the bike, intent on attacking him immediately, just to show him she didn't care about an audience.

When she reached his side, Rick and T were just finishing with the truck and she knew she'd missed her chance. "Damn," she whispered and Daryl looked over at her, a crooked smile on his face, his eyes narrowed. "You just wait, Dixon, you'll get yours," she vowed quietly. He said nothing, but raised an eyebrow at her. Rick headed towards them and nodded at the two of them before turning his attention to Daryl.

"You remember where we're headed?" He asked and Daryl nodded once, climbing on the bike and starting it up. Linney followed suit, climbing on the bike behind him and wrapping her arm around his waist, the other resting on her own lap. As they filed slowly out of the parking lot, Linney wondered briefly at their destination. Rick was convinced that a certain holiday-style trailer park would be good for them. He had recalled for them a vacation he took there years ago, with Lori, before Carl was born, saying it was near a lake and an amusement park, but that the trailer park itself was fully fenced, with a gated entryway.

Linney thought about the sixty trailers he said filled the space. Sixty possible death traps, as far as she was concerned. She wasn't thrilled that they were going there, but she guessed that probably had more to do with her own personal distaste at the idea of living in a trailer again, and less to do with a concern over their safety. But Rick was right, a trailer could be rigged to run on propane, if they weren't already, and the bathrooms and water might be easier to get up and going. Daryl at least had seemed pleased with the notion.

As they put more miles between themselves and the car dealership, Linney stretched her back and tried to stay alert. She had pulled second shift for watch the night before and was tired. She knew she couldn't nap on the bike though, always afraid that she might tumble off the back if she did. When Daryl began to slow down, she looked up from his back and saw that they were passing a sad and abandoned looking amusement park.

"Almost there!" He shouted over his shoulder at her and she nodded, her eyes glued to the closed park. _It looks like something from a nightmare_, she thought uneasily. When they passed the lake, the signs for the trailer park started popping up. _Midway Estates_ the big sign said. Daryl pulled to a stop outside the closed gates and turned the bike off. The cars stopped behind them and everyone filed out slowly.

"Ok, so, as you can see, there are some walkers in there," Rick started, waving a hand at the gate in front of them. Linney watched the six or seven walkers growling on the other side of the gate, reaching through with gnarled and rotting hands, growling and hissing. "Let's take them out from this side and then get inside," he continued, before pointing back at the cars, "The ones not coming with us stay out here, got it? In the vehicles, ready to drive away if needed." Everyone nodded and Linney stepped towards the gates, knife in hand. Carl moved next to her, holding his fireplace poker in his hands.

"Ready?" She asked him and he nodded. "Ok, watch me and then do the same," she told him and stepped closer, stabbing her knife through the bars on the gate, into the head of the nearest walker. She pulled the knife out and it slumped to the ground. Carl darted forward and stabbed the poker through the eye of another walker and he grimaced as he yanked the weapon back, the end now dripping with gore. It took them less than two minutes to kill everything at the gate and when they turned around, Linney could see Lori's worried face watching them from inside Hershel's truck.

Rick only looked grimly pleased and Glenn moved towards the gates with Dale's old bolt cutters and snapped through the chain holding the gate closed. "Do you think anyone is in here?" She asked Rick and he shook his head. "If they were, they didn't make it," he replied in a low voice and Linney twisted her lips to the side a little, feeling momentarily sad. Glenn and Daryl pulled the gates open and Rick went inside first.

"Don't waste ammo unless you absolutely have to," he hissed at them over his shoulder. Linney glanced over at Maggie, who had moved through the gates after her, clutching a huge machete in her hands. She nodded at her friend and Maggie gave her a tight smile in response. "We'll clear the open areas first," Rick instructed them, signaling at Daryl. They had arranged groups this morning, before leaving the dealership and Daryl, Glenn, and T-Dog moved off in one group, Rick, Linney, Maggie and Carl in the other. Linney's group swept to the right, heading towards a parking lot that was haphazardly filled with cars and debris.

They encountered their first walker, one who was laying on the ground, both legs broken beneath it and Rick bent to it swiftly, stabbing it through the head and looking around. He pointed towards a small playground past the parking lot and Linney saw a handful of small walkers inside the tiny gated park. They all rushed the chain link fence and the four of them moved forward quickly, stabbing at them through the fence. Linney glanced over at Maggie and saw her face was streaming with silent tears at the grisly task.

"It's ok," Linney murmured to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. The other girl nodded and swiped at her face, brushing away her tears. They made their way towards what was probably a general store and Rick put a hand over Linney's when she reached for the doors.

"Don't," he whispered, "We need to clear the outdoors first, before we start going inside the buildings." Linney nodded at him and stepped back and they made their way around the store, she and Rick quickly taking down two walkers hanging out around the dumpsters there. "Dad," Carl whispered in warning and they turned towards the first row of trailers and saw about ten walkers stumbling out from the backyards. Rick nodded at Carl and then looked over his head to Linney.

"Thin 'em out," he hissed at her and she nodded, moving a few steps in front of them. She heaved four knives in quick succession and took down four walkers. Two walkers tripped over the freshly fallen bodies in front of them and Carl leapt forward, stabbing them easily through the back of the head. The remaining four were taken down swiftly and Linney wiped a hand across her face, smearing some blood across her face in an attempt to get it off. She bent and gathered her knives from the skulls of the dead walkers and Rick gestured in the direction he wanted them to go next. They followed him on light feet, moving towards the rear of the row of trailers and they started down along the stretch of unfenced backyards.

A loud thunk against a window made them all jerk towards the sound, looking up to see two walkers throwing themselves against it, trying to get out to them. Linney licked her lips, and pushed Carl on ahead of her. She briefly wondered how Daryl's group was doing and then was immediately distracted by the walkers that came swarming through the small space between two of the trailers.

"Linney!" Rick called softly and she threw several more knives, taking down walker after walker, until she had no more small knives to throw and her arm was aching. The dead bodies created a kind of barrier though, as they all fell on top of each other, the small space at this end of the alley filling with the dead. Maggie moved up next to her and the two of them began stabbing at the ones they could reach that were trying to get through.

"Rick," she whispered over her shoulder and he pulled her back. "We can't reach anymore, but there's a lot them. I should go around the front, get them from there." Rick nodded and bent to the heap at her feet, helping her grab up all her knives again. Linney tucked them away, keeping an eye on what Maggie was doing, watching her friend trying to stab at the walkers pushing at the wall of bodies in front of them.

"You're not going alone," Rick told her and grabbed Maggie's shoulder. She looked back at him, blood streaked across her face and he nodded at Linney. "Go with her," he ordered and she nodded. The two of them moved away and Linney glanced back to see Rick had taken up Maggie's position at the heap of walkers, trying to stab them and hold their attention, Carl had his back to his father, guarding their rear.

The two girls moved quickly around the end of the trailers, peeking around the front. All down the small street of this row she could see the walkers heading to that one alley, pushing against each other. "Linney," Maggie whispered, right in her ear, "There's way too many." Linney chewed on her lips and glanced over at her friend. "Let me throw a few knives, try and thin out the ones on the street," she whispered back and Maggie nodded at her, eyes wide and nervous. Linney hunkered down behind the huge bush next to the trailer they were hiding behind and carefully selected her targets, clearing the walkers in the street closest to them, trying to open a path towards the alley.

They fell quickly, and the walkers near the alley barely glanced over, seeing nothing but their own kind around them. Linney crept along the front of the trailer, Maggie right behind her and she paused in her thoughts long enough to admire Maggie's bravery. Her friend was clearly terrified, but unwavering in her determination. They moved quickly through the small street, gathering up Linney's knives as they went and stabbing at the dead that got too close to them. When the stragglers in the street were all dead, Linney realized that they'd worked their way all the way down to the other end of the street and started back up towards the alley.

"Now we just get the shitheads in the alley," she whispered to Maggie. The close combat had them both heavily covered in gore and she hoped that their smells were amply camouflaged. Linney and Maggie struck at the same time, thrusting knives through the backs of the heads of the walkers in front of them, and then quickly, into the ones past them. The four bodies toppled at the head of the alley and the fifteen or so walkers trapped in between the pile of walkers at Rick's end and the walkers now at Linney's end turned slowly towards her.

They didn't looked overly interested in either her or Maggie; they turned back towards Rick almost immediately, who was still safe behind the huge stack of bodies at his end. Linney took a deep breath and hopped over the four bodies in front of her, moving into the alley slowly, Maggie right on her heels. Linney heaved a couple knives and was disgusted with herself when she missed a couple times; the tight space was messing up her aim, and her throwing arm was admittedly tired and aching at this point. They moved solidly through the dead pawing at Rick's end, growling at him and Carl, and soon all fifteen bodies were down.

"Did we do it?" Rick asked from the other side and Linney smiled at Maggie before answering, "Yup!" She turned to Maggie and froze. There were more walkers ambling slowly towards the entry of the alley on the street end and she cursed. _How the hell do they all know to come here? Are we giving off radar signals or something? _She didn't pause to think, just bent to her knives quickly, Maggie helping her grab as many as possible. Linney began to hurl them, taking down several at the entrance before realizing that there were too many.

"Linney," Maggie whispered, her voice strangled with worry. Linney looked around, trying to figure a way out of the alley. The stack of bodies behind them was too big to climb over quickly and she eyed the drain pipes on either side of them that snaked up the side of the trailers, leading to the roofs. She glanced over at Maggie, trying to keep the panic from her eyes.

"How well can you climb?"


	80. Chapter 80

***** You know what I like? Cliffhangers. I really like them... a lot :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It turned out Maggie could climb, faster than Linney could. The other girl scrambled up the drainpipe with practiced ease and then leaned down and grabbed Linney's arms and yanked her up after herself. They lay on the roof and caught their breath, waving to Rick over the edge to let him know they were ok.

"How'd you get so good at that?" Linney asked, panting. Maggie grinned at her, "I snuck out a lot," she said, her voice quiet and amused. Linney couldn't help smiling back wearily and then they both leaned over the edge to look down in the alley between the two trailers again.

"How many of these things are there?" Maggie groused quietly, and Linney shook her head. "It's like every one of them in the whole freaking park came over here," her friend continued and Linney laughed. The walkers below looked up at them and began to paw at the trailer, their attention drawn to the girls' sounds and movements. _They certainly shouldn't be able to smell us_, Linney thought, sniffing at herself in disgust.

"Let's get down there," Maggie whispered, gesturing to the backyard where Rick was waiting with Carl. Linney went first, Maggie helping to lower her, and Rick grabbing her around the knees to keep her from falling. When she was down, Maggie hung over the edge, Rick and Linney both helping her down. Maggie straightened her shirt and nodded towards the alley. The pile of bodies blocking this end of it was shuddering and shaking as the walkers behind it began to push at them.

"What're we gonna do?" She whispered and Rick looked around, trying to determine what the best course of action would be. When the wall of bodies began to tumble down, the living dead behind it pushing its way through, the question was answered for them. "Take them out, now," Rick urged under his breath and they all moved forward. There were still enough bodies to keep the entire horde of them forcing its way through so it was only a matter of them moving quickly enough to kill the ones pushing through.

It felt like a wild slaughter and Linney could feel her energy flagging as she stabbed and slashed and stabbed. They started to grab bodies and rip them out of the way, to get at the ones behind, and Linney lost track of time until they were done. Rick stood next to the mountain of dead before him and the heaps of them scattered all around them. All four of them were absolutely coated in blood and gore and Carl looked horrifying especially.

Linney couldn't stop staring at him, covered head to toe in blood, his eyes standing out very blue and his teeth very white in contrast. They all threw themselves on the ground for a moment, catching their breaths, resting their weary limbs. Carl looked over at Rick and then back to Linney, a smile growing on his face.

"That was totally bad ass," he said and Rick guffawed once and shook his head at his son. Linney mustered up a smile for him. "Maybe, but it's not a game, any more of them and we'd be done in," Maggie offered him tiredly. Rick gestured at Maggie, nodding his head, "What she said," he told his son. Carl grimaced and then shrugged, eyeing up the pile of walkers. Rick got slowly to his feet and gestured at the rest of them to follow suit.

"We gotta keep going," he said in a low voice and Linney groaned, getting her to feet. "My knives," she muttered, gesturing at the dead around the alley, "They're buried in there somewhere." Rick shrugged at her. "We'll have to get them later when we're clearing these bodies." Maggie groaned loudly at the thought of the work that lay ahead of them, after everything was cleared, and Linney chuckled. "Come on, now," Rick said and they all nodded, joining him as he crept down the rest of the length of the backyards. At the end they trotted quickly across the small street, into the next row of backyards.

They cleared their entire section of the park and realized that they must have drawn all the walkers on their side to the alley, somehow. "I guess that's a good thing," Rick told them and Linney nodded casually. They moved back to the front of the park, keeping their eyes open for Daryl's group. Carl waved at his mother through the gates and Linney could see the woman sagging in relief before her eyes nearly bugged out in shock at their gory appearances.

Linney and Maggie were each ill at ease, watching the side that Daryl's group had moved down, desperate to make sure they were ok. Rick finally rolled his eyes at them and waved a hand in that direction. "Go on, look for them, whistle so they know you're coming, though, you look like walkers yourselves," his voice was tired and Linney nodded before looking over Maggie.

"Let's go get the guys," Maggie said.

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Maggie could feel her pulse thrumming in her neck, her chest, her arms, her head, as she and Linney moved quickly towards the rows of trailers that Glenn's group had gone down. Linney had whistled several times, hoping that they'd get a response. No one whistled back and Maggie felt her skin crawling in worry.

"Why aren't they responding?" Maggie hissed at the smaller girl and Linney shot her a guarded look, keeping her feelings in check. "I don't know, they're probably pinned down somewhere," she responded quietly. Maggie took a deep breath and nodded to herself, forcing herself to think optimistically. Linney suddenly threw Maggie to the ground and dove down next to her, as they were passing someone's patio. She urged Maggie back, so they were taking cover behind a barbecue.

"What?" Maggie mouthed at her friend and Linney looked over at her, eyes huge and wide. She held up five fingers, pointed at herself and Maggie, and then back to the other side of the barbecue. _Five people, she means there's five people_, Maggie thought confusedly. _How are there people here_? Linney swallowed hard and peeked around the edge of the barbecue and Maggie stayed frozen in place. A shadow suddenly fell across them, and something grabbed Linney, yanking her away and Maggie rolled to her feet, drawing her gun.

Her mouth dropped open when she saw the five men in front of her. All of them wearing army fatigues, all of them heavily armed. One of them had Linney locked in a tight grip, pinning her arms to her sides. They shot impassive stares at Maggie and the one in the middle stepped forwards, gesturing at her.

"Lower the weapon, immediately," he said in a deep voice and Maggie looked over to Linney. "Do it," Linney told her and Maggie recognized the look on her friend's face then, the emotion there was clear: fear. Maggie lowered her weapon and the man in front stepped forward and grabbed it from her, before someone came up behind her and wrenched her arms behind her, twisting the machete from her grasp.

"We have some of your men in custody, we'll be rounding up the ones at the gate shortly," the man with the deep voice said, the authority in his voice giving Maggie hope that they didn't intend them any harm, that they were actually military.

"Listen GI Joe, let us and our people go and we'll move along, find someplace else to stay," Linney commented, her voice relaying a dry sarcasm that didn't match the fear on her face. The big man raised an eyebrow at her and smiled. Maggie wasn't comforted by the smile. It looked predatory.

"I don't think so, little girl," he said, his voice rumbling. He made a hand signal and Maggie was shoved forward. Linney became a lot less cooperative all of a sudden and swung her boot at the back of the knee of the man holding her. He lost his balance and she bit his arm and he released her. Linney drew both her weapons, backing away quickly, bouncing into the chain link fence that lined the entire park. She raised one of her hands to her mouth and whistled, loud and long, then short, then long, then short. Maggie felt her insides crawling; Linney was whistling the signal Rick had taught them meant 'drop everything and run, immediately'.

_She knows we're fucked_, Maggie thought in horror, grunting as the man holding her wrenched her tighter, _she's just trying to give Rick and them a chance to leave_. Her mind raced and she remembered the briefing Rick gave them all this morning. _If you have to fall back, head back to the dealership, find a way back. This is where we meet up, in case something goes to shit._

At the time she thought all the nonsense about whistling and signals and briefings was a waste of time, but it was proving quite useful right now. _I guess his paranoia is serving us well_, Maggie thought, watching as Linney whistled the signal again before training her weapons on the men in front of her. A cold metallic cylinder pressed into Maggie's temple and she winced, trying to keep herself from crying out. Linney's eyes darted over to her and her entire face flickered from anger to resigned acceptance and she flipped the weapons around, holding her hands above herself in surrender. Two of the men charged her and Maggie cried out as they barreled Linney to the ground, taking her guns and knives quickly before zap-strapping her hands and ankles.

Linney lay on the ground, looking up at Maggie, mouthing "I'm sorry". Maggie gave her a small smile and one of the men hefted Linney over his shoulder and they shoved Maggie forward. She had no idea where they were being taken, but she felt tremors of terror rippling down her spine, making her legs shake. When she stumbled, the man behind her hefted her up like she weighed nothing and she found herself being half carried, half dragged.

_Please Glenn, please be ok, she prayed_.

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Glenn was pretty sure they were going to die. He looked around the dark and shadowy trailer they were tied up in and amended that, _we are totally going to die_. The three of them had managed to sweep one whole row of trailers before Daryl had signaled them to hide. As they peeked around the row, they saw that the next section of park had been rearranged, trailers dragged around, sandbag barriers up, barbed wire, huge metal sheets creating walls. Some kind of heavily armed camp was on the other side, and they could see obvious signs of living people.

He wasn't sure if it was military or not, but when he saw one of the trailers open up, an entire side of its wall going down like a draw bridge, and a massive horde of walkers tumble out, he stiffened in terror. The look of desperate worry on Daryl's face answered Glenn's internal question of where the walkers were heading. _Towards Maggie, oh my god_. Daryl signaled at them to retreat, and they moved in a crouch, racing back down the row of trailers, to get around to the other side.

_Then those big guys showed up. And they were big, bigger than T, even_. A group of heavily armed men approached them and Daryl looked ready to fight them for a moment until yet more came running in from the alleys between the trailers they'd just run past. Glenn had looked desperately over at his friends and Daryl nodded at him, lowering his crossbow, keeping his hands in the air afterwards. Glenn followed suit, as did T, and the men charged at them, searching them roughly, taking all their weapons.

The three of them were tied up without explanation and dragged away, guns to their heads and pulled through a huge barbed wire lined gate, into the heavily cordoned off section of the park. Glenn looked around in surprise. It almost looked like a military establishment, but there was something off about it. If he had to guess, he would assume that everything was stolen from the military, but that these were not men here to serve their country. They were dragged into a trailer with bars on the windows and the inside was stark, dark, and smelled terrible. Their bound hands were attached to hooks on the walls and then the men left them.

"What the fuck do we do now?" Glenn cried out when they'd been left alone. Daryl shook his head, his face dark and furious. "I don't know man, but there was no way outta that," Daryl grunted and began to pull on his bound hands, T doing the same. Glenn tried to follow suit but the wrenching on his arms felt like it might tear his arms from the sockets.

"Who the fuck are these guys?" T-Dog said in a low voice and Daryl shot him an angry look. "How the fuck should I know?" He snapped back, before shaking his head and breathing steadily. "Not military, that's for sure," Glenn added and Daryl nodded at him. "No," the man replied, his voice gruff and rumbling, "Definitely not fuckin' military."

They waited for what felt like hours. Daryl seemed pretty convinced that once these guys rounded up the rest of the group, they would be back, let them know the deal. "Guys like this, they like their power, they'll wanna make us feel it," Daryl informed them, his voice low and flat. Glenn shuddered at the thought of being shown anyone's power, preferring to just find out the deal, save everyone else, and escape.

When he said as much, Daryl growled at him, "Don't do nothin' stupid, they'll use the women n' the kids to punish us, not you." Glenn felt his heart stutter at the thought of Maggie being hurt to teach him a lesson and felt a wave of blind rage roll over him. _That's not going to happen_, he vowed, determined to do whatever he had to, to make sure that she was safe.

They all jerked to alertness when they heard the loud and piercing whistling coming from the distance. Daryl's face grew tight and worried and Glenn stared at him. "That's the signal Rick taught us, isn't it?" Glenn asked, his voice heavy with concern. Daryl nodded and closed his eyes as the whistling tore through the air once more. "It's Linney," Daryl said in a angry voice. Glenn jerked at his restraints and started to pull harder than he had before.

"Maggie's with her! Rick, Carl..." Glenn's voice choked off realizing that she would only give that signal if they'd been caught, if they were trying to give the people in the cars time to escape. Daryl and T renewed their struggles at the ropes that bound them.

"Hey! You GI Joe motherfuckers! I asked you a fucking question!" He heard Linney shrieking angrily somewhere in the compound and he looked over at Daryl in alarm. "Shut up, Linney, shut up," Daryl growled to himself, his face growing pale with mounting anxiety. Glenn felt a mild bit of relief that she was alive and hoped that meant Maggie and the others were too.

"At least we know she's alive," Glenn offered, by way of comfort and Daryl glared over at him. "She's gonna get her head beat in by those assholes, if she don't shut her fuckin' mouth," he growled, straining harder at his bound hands. Glenn felt his stomach sink when he heard many heavy footsteps approaching the door to the trailer they were in. _Please Maggie, be ok_.

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Rick and Carl stood uneasily by the gates, leaving it open far enough for them to run through when the others returned. He had listened as Linney whistled and whistled, trying to announce her arrival to Daryl's group. There was no whistle in response to say that they'd been heard and he looked down at Carl, the feeling that something was very wrong growing stronger and stronger. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw Lori watching him from Hershel's truck, the old man sitting at the wheel next to her.

When they next heard whistling, Rick stiffened, feeling his heart thump chaotically in his chest. He knew the signal, he had taught it to them all in the hopes that none of them ever had to use it. He never told anyone that he and Shane had devised the whistling together, when they joined the force many years ago, thinking it would make a useful tool in their new line of work. It became a joke to them over time, but he knew the premise was sound and was pleased when this group had picked it up so quickly.

He grabbed Carl, and started to push him out through the gate. The boy swung his terrified gaze up to Rick and tried to resist. "Dad, no! We can't leave them!" His son insisted, and Rick growled at him, "They wouldn't be giving that signal unless something was seriously wrong, we can't not listen to it - you were there, you know why they'd give it, we have to go, now!"

He got to the truck and ripped the back door open, shoving Carl in and hesitating at the door. "Rick, get in!" Lori cried, obviously having heard the whistling. Hershel's face was ragged with worry and Rick took a deep breath, knowing that he couldn't let Lori and Carl drive off alone, leave the rest of their group defenceless, no matter how guilty it made him to leave everyone else behind.

"Go Hershel! Go!" He cried and hopped into the truck, slamming the door behind him. Hershel didn't hesitate, and he turned the truck around, his face twisting with fear for his daughter. As they raced away, Rick was relieved that they'd had the forethought to put everyone in the truck. _This way we leave a vehicle for them,_ he thought, praying that his friends would survive whatever disaster they had encountered.

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Linney was pretty certain that they were in serious trouble. As she was hauled along, she couldn't help but struggle, despite being bound hand and foot. She had no thought to what she might do if she were somehow able to get to the ground, but she had to try; she wasn't capable of not trying.

She caught glimpses of Maggie's terrified face behind her, as her friend was hauled roughly along. Linney swung her legs out and tried to bring them and her knees down into her captor's chest, but he clamped an arm down over her legs and chuckled at her attempts.

She looked around and realized they were moving through huge metal gates, barbed wire everywhere. "What the hell is this place?" Linney couldn't help ask and no one answered her. She struggled more, trying to squirm inconveniently, and yelled, "Hey! You GI Joe motherfuckers! I asked you a fucking question!" There was no response and suddenly they were moving up stairs and a door was pushed open. She saw the man leading Maggie shove her into the room and heard Glenn screaming, "Keep your fucking hands off her! Bastards!"

The man carrying her lumbered into the room after them and she saw Maggie was now bound with rope, against the wall next to the door, her hands hooked up behind her on the wall. The man carrying her dropped her suddenly, in a heap onto the ground, and she cried out when her head smacked against the floor loudly. She closed her eyes and kept quiet, trying to think through the sudden blinding headache she had and heard one of the other big men growl, "Stupid fuck, Grey didn't want 'em hurt."

Big hands clamped around her arms and began to draw her up and the same big man spoke again, "You knocked her out, you stupid fuck, just leave her be, she ain't goin' anywhere." She was laid back down a little more gently this time, hanging limp, playing up her role as 'the girl who smashed her head on the floor and was now unconscious'. The floor vibrated with many footsteps and then the door slammed shut. Linney lay still, worried that they'd left a guard and wanting to use being passed out to her advantage if at all possible.

"You're still a terrible actor," she heard from in front of her and cracked an eye open to see Daryl, bound and hooked to the wall the same way Maggie was, but with a wry smile on his face. She wriggled around and managed to sit up. She smiled broadly at him and looked around to see T and Glenn in the same position.

"You're alive!" She whispered gleefully and saw Daryl crack a small smile at her happiness. She got to her knees and started half-crawling across the room to him. "Maybe, but I think we're pretty fucked," he replied, and Linney shook her head.

"Don't be foolish," she said in a soft voice, and he tilted his head at her in frustration. "You know how I love my knives," she told him, and he squinted at her, shaking his head, still not getting it. She rolled her eyes as she reached his side and leaned up to kiss him quickly, before using the wall to get to her feet. She put herself directly in front of him and pressed her belt buckle into his face.

"I need you take my pants off with your teeth," she whispered.


	81. Chapter 81

***** Wow, chapter 81, I feel so accomplished haha - Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"You almost got it," Linney grunted, pressing her hips closer into Daryl's face. He had managed to pull her belt open and undo the button on her jeans with his teeth. All in an effort to get access to a small knife she had sheathed in a thin strap around her hips, concealed underneath her pants. Rick had found it for her at the Walmart and she had been trying it out for the past few days, trying to get used to it. It wasn't very convenient, but, at the time, she figured it might be a good back-up for a rainy day emergency.

_Guess it's raining_, she thought. "Ow! Careful," she scolded Daryl quietly, his teeth accidentally nipping her skin while trying to draw the knife out. "It's fuckin' sideways, it ain't easy," he mumbled, but moved a little more carefully. He managed to pull it out, holding it in his teeth and Linney moved away quickly, turning her back to him and trying to find his hands on the wall with her own. When her fingers finally closed around them she pulled at them, lifting them up and off the hook on the wall. He grunted at the sudden relief in his arms and shoulders and Linney moved towards him again.

She looked over at Glenn and T, both of whom were watching them with hopeful eyes, as she turned her back to Daryl and waggled her fingers at him. "Ok," she whispered, "carefully put it in my hand." She felt the slight pressure from the blade on her fingertips and grasped it lightly. Maggie's eyes were lit up with anticipation and she could hear everyone hardly daring to breath.

Linney backed up slowly and knelt down behind Daryl. "I need to flip it around, you know?" She said to him and he grunted his acknowledgement. Their fingers worked together carefully and she managed to get a grip on the knife handle in her fingers.

"Glenn," Daryl whispered, and their friend nodded at them, "Need ya to tell us which way to move so she's cutting it in the right direction." Glenn swallowed hard and strained to see what they were doing. "A little to the left, ok now down about two inches - no! Too low, up a little... exactly, ok you're in, go, cut up." Glenn directed them in a eager voice and Linney began to move her arms, sawing awkwardly back and forth at the rope binding Daryl.

He pulled his hands down, putting pressure on the rope and Linney could feel her stomach beginning ache from the tension and tightness she was holding there. It felt like hours, but Linney knew it was probably closer to minutes, when the knife finally cut through his bonds. Daryl's hands thumped lightly to the ground before he pulled them in front of himself and started to shake them vigorously, trying to get the feeling back in them.

Linney moved back to the wall and sagged against it, relaxing her tense muscles. Daryl moved quickly and grabbed the knife, sawing frantically at the ropes on his feet before moving over to T and unhooking his hands. He soon had everyone but Linney free of their bonds and he came to her last.

"These zip-ties ain't gonna be easy," he murmured to her and she shrugged. "I don't care if you cut me, just get me free," she hissed back, and he grunted before cutting violently at the ties. When he managed to cut her loose the first thing she did was throw her arms around him and hug him tightly. He squeezed her back, kissing the side of her head and Linney saw that Glenn had Maggie held tight to his chest. Daryl let her go and bent to her feet, working as quickly as possible to release her.

Linney did her pants back up and clasped her belt together again. When her feet were free she threw herself at Daryl again, clutching him tightly, needing to feel him safe and alive. "They released walkers at you guys, we think, a huge amount of them, they must've known we were here," Glenn said from across the room and Linney met Maggie's eye and then nodded. "Yeah, they did alright, that explains why they kept coming and coming," she said quietly and Maggie managed a tight laugh.

"You killed all of them?" T asked in disbelief and Linney shrugged. "There were four of us, we managed it, and I'd really love to get the fuck out of here so I can go take a nap," she said drily. Daryl kissed the side of her head again roughly before beginning a slow circuit of the room.

"The windows got bars on 'em," he muttered, almost to himself, "Door leads right out to them, they'd see us." He paused, looking around at the walls of the room and Linney began to feel trapped and claustrophobic. "What about the ceiling?" Maggie whispered urgently and they all swung their heads up. The ceiling had large flat ceiling tiles in it, and Linney realized this must have been an office style trailer, not a living trailer.

T knelt down and nodded at her, "Get on my shoulders, see if they lift up," he told her and Daryl helped her up onto his shoulders. T stood up and Linney ducked, so her head wouldn't smack into the ceiling. She pushed carefully at the tile and it lifted up easily, dust and bits of plaster raining down on her face. She stifled the urge to sneeze and pushed higher up on the tile, until her head was all the way up into the ceiling.

"Ok, far left corner, looks like a metal brace is there, attached to a ventilation grate, there's light coming in, it must be from outside," Linney hissed down at them, meeting Daryl's eyes. "The brace might hold me, I might be able to get out," she continued and T-Dog lowered her down immediately.

They moved over to the corner of the room and Daryl helped her back up onto T's shoulders. Linney pushed the ceiling tile up and over, laying it on top of the tile next to it. She reached for the metal brace in the corner, the overlapping metal bars there creating a small platform. Grasping them tightly, she pulled herself up and squirmed around, managing to get on top of them.

_Please let this work_, she thought, intent only on finding a way out, as her feet disappeared into the ceiling after her.

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Maggie watched as her friend disappeared into the ceiling. She clung to Glenn, not wanting to let him go and prayed that Linney might find a way out. She glanced over at Glenn and he smiled at her, the rest of his face so strained that the smile didn't look genuine. She leaned her head on his shoulder and moved so that the two of them were in front of the door, trying to put some kind of barrier between themselves and anyone who might try and come in. _We just need to give her time_.

The ceiling in the corner was wiggling and shaking as Linney moved around up there and Maggie realized that they hadn't discussed any kind of plan as to what the girl might do when, and if, she actually made it out. She heard Linney cursing softly and then a small metallic creak, which grew rhythmic. "What are ya doin'?" Daryl hissed up to her and Linney's face appeared through the open ceiling tile, coated in a layer of dust and plaster bits, which, on top of the liberal amounts of streaked blood that was already there, gave her friend a ghastly, filthy, appearance.

"I'm trying to kick the grate out, it's not screwed in, it's like sealed around the edges or something," Linney whispered back, and Daryl wordlessly held up the knife to her. She snatched it from his hand and disappeared back into the ceiling. Daryl turned back to them, his face hard and shadowed. "We need to jump anyone that comes through that door, get their weapons," he instructed them in a low voice and they all nodded at him, "Gotta arm ourselves, they'll be headin' back soon, they been gone too long as it is."

Maggie glanced over at Glenn and shuddered at the thought of him being injured trying to do what Daryl was suggesting, but knew they had no other choice. She leapt in his arms when she heard a metallic shriek and a small spotlight of light came through the open ceiling. "Linney?" Daryl and T hissed at the same time and her head popped back in through the tile. "I got it off, kicked it outside, I think I can fit through the hole," she whispered, her voice laced with hope. Daryl moved closer, "Could anyone else?" Linney shared a quiet look with him and shook her head.

"No, it's going to be tight enough for me, I don't think..." her voice trailed off as she seemed to realize she'd have to go out there alone and figure something out on her own. Daryl closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before nodding at her. Maggie felt her jaw tighten to prevent herself from crying out, to keep her pleas inside herself; she was suddenly terrified for her friend. Linney gazed over at her and smiled and then ducked back inside the ceiling.

They heard her grunting as she fit through the hole and then heard a faint thump as she fell out the other side. There was silence for a moment, and then Linney spoke in a startled voice, "Oh, hi." There was a bang against the side of the trailer and a heavy metallic thud. There was no noise for a moment and Maggie felt her breaths coming shorter and shorter. She watched as Daryl paced like a caged animal below the hole in the tile, anxiety growing.

"Linney?" He finally called out in a low voice and they waited until they heard her reply, "I'm ok, I'm o - !" She let out a loud startled cry, cutting her words off and there was a very heavy smashing against the side of the trailer, during which they could hear Linney growling and cursing. Daryl smashed his fist against the side of the trailer and called her name in a loud, angry voice, but this time there was no reply.

"Oh god," Glenn muttered, and they both felt the door suddenly and violently push into their backs. They released their holds on each other and pressed hard against the door. Daryl charged across the room and grabbed Maggie, shoving her behind him. "Get in the corner, get back!" He yelled at her and T positioned himself flat against the wall next to the door. Daryl and Glenn stepped back from the door and it was thrust open so hard it smashed into the wall behind it, making Maggie flinch.

Two of the big men swept into the room and Daryl and Glenn each threw themselves at them and Maggie watched as Glenn began to fight the huge guy he was grappling with, punching and kicking. She flinched when Glenn clenched his teeth around the man's ear and tore a chunk out, making the man shriek and drop his gun, which Maggie dove forward to grab.

Daryl had the man he attacked on the ground while T-Dog was bodily blocking the doorway, trying to keep more from entering. Maggie fired several shots in the ceiling, plaster and bits of tile raining down around her as sudden multiple shafts of light shone down into the room through the holes she'd shot. T-Dog was hit with something hard and shoved back into the room, knocking Daryl to the floor. The man he'd been kicking on the ground got to his feet, his face twisted in rage and he made an aggressive move towards the two of them.

Glenn was thrown against the wall so hard, he slumped to the floor, looking stunned, and the man with the bleeding ear howled and ran for him, but Maggie raced forward and swung the large gun in her hand, smashing him across the head, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Maggie put herself in front of Glenn and Daryl helped T-Dog to his feet when he realized more men had entered the room, more than they could possibly handle. Maggie pointed the gun at them, knowing her face was twisted with nearly maniacal rage.

When the older, tall, red-haired man stepped into the room, Linney clenched in his arms, a gun buried in her hair, pressed against the side of her skull, Maggie grit her teeth and raised her weapon pointing it right at his head. The man grinned at her and nodded towards her gun. "You'll probably want to drop that missy, unless you want to see her brains all over the wall," he said in a calm, friendly voice. Linney struggled a little and he chuckled, "You all are definitely amusing, I'll give you that!"

Daryl and T were crouched, tense and defensive and Glenn got to his feet, still woozy. The men they'd attacked left the room, the unconscious one being dragged out. The red haired man stepped further into the room and looked at the man behind him. "Get the gun," he ordered and the other man swept around him, straight to Maggie, ripping the gun from her. She grabbed Glenn and retreated to stand over by Daryl and T-Dog, all three men shoving her behind themselves, as if that would keep her safe.

The man holding Linney suddenly released her, shoving her towards them and Daryl caught her, tucking her behind himself. Maggie glanced over and reached out a hand to touch Linney's shoulder. Linney put her own hand on top of Maggie's for a moment and nodded that she was ok, before moving to stand next to Daryl. He put an arm up to hold her back, as both a protective measure, and to make sure she didn't charge at their captors. The red-haired man kept his gun trained on them and shook his head, chuckling.

"Which one of you is in charge?" He asked them, his eyes grazing their tense and huddled group and everyone of the five of them spoke up at once, saying, "I am." The man laughed and raised his eyebrows. Maggie wasn't willing to let any of the others sacrifice themselves, worried what this group of men might try and do to a leader of theirs. She spoke up loudly, "I am!" Unfortunately, Daryl and Linney both did too. Linney growled at Daryl and he glared back at her.

"I am!" Linney yelled angrily and Daryl shouted back, "Like hell you are!" Glenn looked back at Maggie and then stepped a little closer to the men in front of them. "Our leader isn't here," he offered, his voice struggling to sound brave. The red-haired man nodded at them slowly before locking his sharp gaze on Linney and Daryl. Maggie saw that Linney was shooting the man a furious, hot glare and Daryl wrapped a hand around Linney's bicep, holding her back.

"My name's Grey," the man said loudly, and raised his eyebrows at them. Maggie licked her lips and looked over at Linney, waiting to see what she did. Linney's face twitched into a frustrated expression and she said, "Linney," in a voice choked with rage. "Daryl," he introduced himself, his tone low and heavy. Maggie, Glenn and T all introduced themselves and Grey nodded at them before gesturing to his men behind them.

"Mitch, I want you and your men to escort Daryl and Linney here to my place," he ordered and four men swept around him, two grabbing each of Daryl's arms and two grabbing each of Linney's. Maggie choked out the word, "No!" in panic and reached for Linney, trying to stop them from taking her, but Glenn wrapped his arms around her, holding her back. She watched as they pulled Daryl from the room and thought how ludicrous it was for two of the huge men to be escorting Linney, who looked tiny and helpless between them. Maggie amended that thought when she saw how hard Linney struggled and fought, apparently in an attempt to launch herself at Grey, becoming almost too much for the two men trying to restrain her.

"Linney!" Daryl growled at her and she stopped fighting, baring her teeth at Grey in a nearly feral way. Grey chuckled and nodded at the three of them left. "I'm going to beg your patience for a bit, folks, if you can just wait here," he said, nodding his head towards them before leaving the trailer. Four men stayed on guard inside the trailer with them and both Glenn and T ushered Maggie back, away from them. They stayed on the far side of the room and Maggie finally sank down to the ground, worried sick about their friends, terrified at what might happen to all of them.

Glenn sat down next to her and she turned and buried her face in his shoulder, trying to keep her shudders at bay. T-Dog refused to sit and stood in front of the two of them, his eyes locked on their guards.

"We have to wait, Maggie," Glenn whispered in her ear, trying to keep her calm, "We don't know what's going on, what they might do." Maggie looked up at him and nodded, staring into his dark eyes, trying to glean some comfort from him. "I'll keep you safe," he vowed, his voice choked. Maggie looked at him sadly. _No, I'm going to keep you safe_.

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Linney tried to bite back every vile oath she wanted to scream, every name she wanted to call them, trying to keep her fury restrained as they led her and Daryl across the absurdly well-armed camp to a large green tent at the other end.

When she'd managed to make it through the vent she had fallen hard, gotten quickly to her feet and saw the armed guard just rounding the corner, staring at her in surprise. "Oh, hi," she managed to get out and he charged for her. She had grabbed the metal vent grate she'd kicked out of the wall, and swung it at his head harder than she thought she could and he had collapsed into the wall, sinking to the ground, unconscious. She could hear Daryl calling to her from inside, worry in his voice, and she had called back, letting him know she was ok. Then she was suddenly slammed into the wall and let out a shriek of surprise and anger at herself for getting caught.

When the red haired man had approached her he bent to look in her face and glanced over at his man still slumped against the outside of the trailer. "You are some kind of feisty, kid," he had said, his voice torn between being impressed and being angry. She glared at him and used the leverage of the arms holding her upper body to try and swing out and kick at the man's face. He chuckled and grabbed her from his men, clamping his arm around her so tightly she wasn't sure she could breathe properly, and she felt a gun pressing into her head.

"That's enough of that, we are all going to have a nice little talk now, and you are going to calm the fuck down, girl," he'd calmly informed her and she clamped her mouth shut. As he walked her back around to the front of the trailer and up the steps, she heard fighting inside and felt her stomach drop sickeningly. _Oh god, no_, she thought, fearful that the men were in there, killing her people. When they'd stepped inside and she saw the scene in front of her, she felt better that they were alive, but frustrated that they all appeared to be just as screwed as they were before.

Now, as the men holding her shoved her down into a green canvas chair, Daryl shoved into one next to her, she swallowed hard. It looked like some kind of army command tent, maps on the walls and on tables around the room, a buzzing walkie-talkie in the corner of the room. The man who'd introduced himself as Grey sat on the other side of a table in front of them and clasped his hands together on the table top. Linney looked behind herself and saw two giant guards towering above them. She looked over at Daryl, relieved to see he wasn't hurt, but terrified at what might happen next.

Without thinking, she let one of her hands drop down between their chairs, lightly grasping at Daryl's fingers, needing the contact to face whatever was coming. He clenched them back and she looked over at him, his face hard and furious. His eyes softened as he looked over at her and she recognized the emotion in them, fear for her, fear for their people. Just as quickly as the softness was there, it faded away and fury replaced it. Linney released his fingers and directed a hard look over the table at Grey.

The older man was sharper than she thought, he'd watched everything between them and shot a hard look at her and then over at Daryl.

"Now," he began, his voice even and deep, "I'm a reasonable man, but you've caused a pretty big ruckus here, so I'm only going to ask this once." He looked from Linney's eyes to Daryl's again, his own eyes growing hard and suspicious. "What are you doing on my land and what do you want?"


	82. Chapter 82

***** Enjoy everyone :) I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, she's mine! *****

"Your land?" Linney spat out, her face twisting in surprise. Grey nodded at her and gestured at the two of them. "You're on it, I want to know why," he responded, his brow drawing down. She glanced over at Daryl, completely dumbfounded at such a simple question. "This is like Jenner all over again!" She said to Daryl in exasperation, who blinked at her and then nodded.

"What the hell do you think we're doing here? We're not here for the roller coasters," she snapped at Grey, frustrated that he was asking something that should be self explanatory. Grey pursed his lips in thought before nodding and rolling a hand at her.

"How many in your group?" He asked and Daryl shot Linney a hard glare; she didn't need to be told not to share that information. Grey leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow at them. "My scouts saw you all coming in, saw you break in through the gate, saw you start killing all of our protection," he explained to them and Linney gaped at him. "You use walkers as protection?" She asked him and he nodded.

"Why not? They keep people away, no one in their right minds wants to come into a huge compound stuffed full of them," he stared at the two of them meaningfully, "Which leads me to wonder at why you would try to." Linney felt her face smooth out, this line of questioning had thrown her completely off her game.

"We were lookin' for a safe place," Daryl said gruffly and Grey nodded at him slowly. "None of us knew that this place was already spoken for, we just needed a place to live for the winter, away from the herds, somewhere safe," Linney said, realizing she was rambling far too much. Her exhaustion was growing by the moment. She'd been running tired all day and after all the killing, all the fighting, all the adrenaline, she suddenly felt completely wiped clean.

Grey's face was slightly more sympathetic and he nodded. "You told your people to leave," he said, not really expecting a yes or a no answer, and Linney glanced over at Daryl, who nodded at the man. "'Course we did," he grumbled and Grey tightened his jaw. "How'd you know about this place?" He asked them flatly. "Our leader vacationed here, years ago, with his wife, remembered the gates and the fences, thought it might be safe," she explained and Grey looked away, contemplating their words.

Linney was praying that she was reading the man right, he didn't seem violent, and, as she thought back over this entire situation, any physical aggression from Grey's men stemmed directly from her group's reactions and their lashing out. _Can we trust him?_ She looked over at Daryl who seemed to be mulling something over as well. _I don't know if we can, but we need him to let us go_.

"There are kids on our group," she blurted out and then flushed when she felt Daryl tense up next to her, worried about his disapproval. Grey's eyes swung back to hers immediately and she saw him stiffen in his chair, sitting at attention. "There are kids, a pregnant woman, an old man. We've lost so much, so many people over the past couple of months, we just wanted a safe place for the winter," she explained, staring back at the red-haired man across the table, hoping she hadn't misjudged him.

She wanted him to think that they were weak, that their group was non-threatening. She wanted him to let them go, assured that they would never return, never retaliate. "We've encountered a lot of groups, bad people, murderers, rapists, thieves, violent people," Grey began. Linney nodded at him, and he continued, "People that make a bad world worse." He got to his feet and began to pace on the other side of the table. "The men here, they're all remnants of the different kinds of protective order that used to be in this world: military, police, firemen, security, hell, we've even got a couple FBI here." Grey stopped and clasped his hands behind his back.

"When the world fell apart, we drew together. Our criteria is simple: you're here to live, you're here to put an end to anarchy, and you're here to protect your own." Grey's eyes moved back and forth between them and Linney swallowed hard, not sure what to say.

"We had some run-ins like that, ourselves," Daryl said, "People wantin' the worst kinds of things." He glanced over at Linney and she looked away, thinking of Shane, thinking of Tony and Dave, and the rest of Randall's group. "And how did you deal with those people?" Grey asked them seriously, his face hard. Daryl held the other man's frank gaze and nodded curtly, "We killed 'em 'fore they could kill our own." Grey cleared his throat and sat down.

"We never would've come here, _ever_, if we thought for an instant anyone was here," Linney added, leaning forward in her chair, "Too much is at stake for us, and you holding us here leaves the rest of our group vulnerable." Grey ran his tongue over his teeth as he nodded and said, "Not hard to see that you're all fighters." Linney glanced at Daryl again before looking back at Grey.

"Please, just let us leave, we'll find somewhere else to go, we can't leave our people unprotected," her voice choked unexpectedly on the last word, her mind flashing to Carl. She prayed that Rick got them back safely to the dealership, that nothing had happened to them. Grey watched her, watched the emotion play across her face and nodded at his men. Linney flinched hard when they abruptly turned and left the tent, their sudden, silent, movement startling her.

"I'm inclined to keep you here," Grey said, and raised his hand at them, asking for silence when they both began to protest angrily. "Hear me out, I'm inclined to keep you all here, your other people too." Linney leaned back in her chair and shook her head, looking over at Daryl, relieved to see the same negativity on his face.

"We can't do that, not now," Daryl replied, his voice gruff and angry. Linney nodded, "Excuse us if we don't trust you all very much," she added. Grey chuckled and watched the two of them carefully. "No," he said in a low voice, "I don't imagine you do." He stared at them a little longer before getting abruptly to his feet.

"Here's what we'll do," he said, his voice loud and calm again. "You all get cleaned up," he eyed Linney and she winced, knowing what a mess she was. "Get a good meal in, spend the night, in the morning, you can have your weapons and the vehicles your people left behind, and you can leave." Linney said nothing and Daryl glared at the man.

"Just like that," he growled, suspicion heavy in his voice. Linney felt her own expression drawing down into one of angry disbelief and Grey nodded. "We aren't the monsters here," he tried to explain, waving a hand around himself. "We just protected what's ours, in the way that has always worked, doing what we have to," Grey walked to the door of the tent and pushed it open, letting sunlight flood into the room. "Just like you people, we got priorities, you broke into our home, we reacted the way I'm sure you would have too."

He gestured at the two of them to get to their feet and they all walked outdoors. She was surprised to see Glenn, Maggie and T being led towards them and Grey turned to lead them further into the camp, to a trailer at the end of the row, next to the fence. "You can all stay in here tonight, under guard though, and we'll let you go in the morning," Grey said genially and Linney leaned in towards Daryl, certain that something bad must be waiting around the corner. Grey opened the door on the trailer and ushered them inside.

When he shut the door, the five of them stood in the tiny living room of the mobile home, alone, and looked around at the space, at each other. It was clean, decorated in a homey fashion, there was electricity and it was warm compared to outside. They could see two bedrooms at the end of the hall and another door that probably led to a bathroom. It eerily reminded Linney of her own home growing up, just a clean and happy version of it.

"Well, now what do we do?" Glenn asked.

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"He's obviously full of shit," Linney said, sticking her head under the spray of the shower, "I mean, he's gotta be, right?" She heard Daryl grunt in response, from his seat outside the shower stall on the lid of the toilet. They'd all agreed to take advantage of the shower while they could, but Daryl refused to allow her out of his sight and she hadn't seen the point in arguing. _Not that you could possibly be feeling sexy right now. _

The floor of the shower was running red with all the blood washing off of her and she tried to ignore their situation for a moment, to enjoy the hot shower while she could. All too soon she was done, and stepped out past the curtain. Daryl handed her a towel, his eyes raking her up and down appreciatively. "Ain't no harm in jus' lookin'," he muttered and she smiled at him, rubbing at her hair with the towel, before wrapping it around her body.

He quickly got undressed and stepped into the shower and she could hear him breathe out in pleasure at the hot water. Linney dried herself off and reached for their piles of clean clothes. Grey's people had provided them with clothing to change into. Their dirty clothing had been gathered up and taken away by the first woman they'd seen here, one escorted by five large men. She had been older, round and soft in appearance, a regular looking mom-type. Linney held her arms out to the side , the charcoal colored sweatshirt she'd been given was gigantic on her, but the sweatpants were small enough to fit properly. _Probably for a kid_, she thought in chagrin, bending to put on the thick sports socks that she'd been given.

When Daryl was done, he climbed out, clean and worried looking. She stepped back in the small space and leaned against the bathroom door, watching him put on his own set of sweats. When they were done, they walked out and joined their friends, who had showered and changed before them. T-Dog was resting on a couch and Maggie was sitting uneasily at a small dinette watching Glenn pace back and forth in the small space.

"What do we do?" Glenn asked them, the moment he saw them. Daryl ushered Linney over to the seat across from Maggie and then turned to their friend. "I ain't sure," he said, rubbing his hands over his face and then through his wet hair. Glenn harrumphed and went back to pacing impatiently.

"I hope they feed us soon," Linney mentioned, rubbing her stomach through the immense folds of the sweatshirt. Daryl shot her a surprised look and she shrugged. "What? I'm hungry, we haven't eaten in forever," she told him, defensively. Maggie chuckled quietly and leaned towards Daryl. "I am too," she added. Daryl rolled his eyes and nudged Linney with his hip, so she slid along the bench seat to make room for him.

"Short round, sit yer ass down, givin' me a headache doin' that," he grumbled and Glenn sat down next to Maggie, jiggling his leg with nervous energy. Maggie put a hand on his knee and held his leg still. "Stop that, please, it's ok," she whispered to him. Glenn looked over at her and they gazed into each other's eyes for a moment and he seemed to visibly calm down from whatever he saw in her blue-eyed gaze.

"Can we trust them?" Linney asked quietly, leaning her head against Daryl's arm. "Not to kill us in our sleep? Or to stay here with everyone?" Daryl asked her and she tilted her head to look up at him. "Both, I guess," she replied and Maggie leaned towards them over the table. "In theory, it's a great idea," she said, "but I don't like the way they carry things out, lockin' us up like that, they coulda just asked us questions out there, maybe approached us calmly."

Linney bit her bottom lip at the thought of how that might have gone over. "Nah, ya think Officer Friendly wouldn'ta just pulled on them too? After Randall?" Everyone was quiet at Daryl's statement and he continued, his voice low, "There wasn't a way for it to go any diff'rent." A knock at the door interrupted them and Daryl waved at T, who launched himself to his feet. They approached the door carefully and when it opened Linney could spy Grey, the same woman from before, and a huge group of guards behind them.

"Can we come in?" Grey asked politely and the woman next to him held up a big box. "I've got ya'll some dinner here," she said in a kind but firm voice. Daryl nodded curtly at them and backed up, purposely putting himself in front of the dinette, blocking Linney, Glenn, and Maggie from anyone coming in. He held his hands out towards the box and the woman handed it over. There was a tense silence as they all stood around awkwardly for a moment and then Grey moved over to the armchair and sat down. The woman followed suit, sitting on the couch. Linney met Grey's eyes and raised a brow at him.

"Hope you don't mind, thought we'd come have a chat with you while you ate," Grey explained and Linney said nothing, just stared at him. The aroma wafting from the box was driving her nearly crazy and she swallowed hard, her eyes darting over to it before moving back to Grey's face. The man gestured at Daryl, with a disapproving look on his face. "You better get to feeding those young ladies before Maura here does it for you," he suggested and Daryl turned back to the table, trying to angle his body so that his back wasn't to Grey at any point.

He pulled out several sealed bowls and five plates, with utensils. Daryl looked over at T and nodded towards Glenn and Maggie and the big man squished himself down next to Glenn, while Daryl sat next to Linney again. The arrangement of their seating wasn't lost on Grey and the man chuckled a little. "We aren't going to attack you all, I thought I made that clear," he said from the chair and Linney all but ignored him as the lids were lifted off the food and she saw the vegetables, potatoes, and chicken inside. Maggie expertly and quickly served them all and there was silence as they all ate as quickly as they could.

Linney pushed her plate towards Daryl when she was full, leaning back a little bit in her seat, feeling like she might explode. Daryl finished off her food and all the guys moved in for seconds, clearing every bowl that had been brought to them. Daryl crammed everything back into the box and they all looked over at the people sitting in the tiny living area. "Thanks for the food," Linney said and pushed herself up off the seat to sit on the table, wanting to be able to see the people she was talking to a little better.

Maura nodded and murmured, "You are most welcome, none of you look like you've been eating very well, especially you girls." Linney glanced down at Maggie and the other girl's face was flushing. _Lord if she could see Lori, then she'd really know what skinny looked like_. Thinking of her pregnant friend pushed their issue right to the forefront of her mind.

"So, you plan to give us our weapons and let us go tomorrow," she began and Grey nodded. "I told you I would," he responded calmly and Glenn leaned forward in his seat. "I'm really trying to believe you," he said and Grey raised one eyebrow and nodded. "I understand that, but I hope you go back to your people and relay our offer to your leader." He got to his feet and began pacing, his height making the space seem very small.

"We have women and children here too, you know, and I don't like the idea of a group like yours out in the winter weather, picking off the land, dealing with everything out there," he crossed his arms over his broad chest and glanced back at Maura whose face was strained and sad. "You've got a pregnant woman for god's sake!" He exclaimed.

"We've got the protection, the food, the heat, the medical care; it's all here," he said loudly sweeping his arms out around him. "N' ya'll jus' wanna share it out with people ya don't know," Daryl said sarcastically and Grey shrugged. "I know why you're paranoid, I really do. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and all of that," he stepped closer to them, his red hair glinting under the lamp above the table. "But I've got a wife," he gestured back at Maura and she gave him a soft smile, "I've got kids, we work to protect our own, our people, our things, our homes."

Linney felt Daryl's hand close over her socked foot and she looked over at him. His face was impassive, but she felt certain that what the man was saying sounded as appealing to him as it did to her. "You all seem like good people, willing to fight hard, do anything for the people you're with, for your own." Grey's eyes darted from Glenn, his arm wrapped protectively around Maggie's shoulders, to Linney, with Daryl's hand holding her foot.

"I respect that, I understand that, not one of you tried to cut and run, you did everything for your people," Grey leaned towards them, resting both his hands on the table, looking around at them all, "That's the kind of folks we want here." Grey got up and turned to Maura, gesturing to her. She got to her feet and smiled at them, bending to pick up the box on her way to the door. She stepped outside and Grey moved after her, pausing at the doorway to look back at them.

"This door locks from the inside, so you can rest easy, although I will have guards all around the building, so don't try and make a run for it. Right now it'd be seen as a threat to us and I want you all to make it back to your people without further incident," Grey explained to them and she felt Daryl relax a little next to her at the mention of the locks.

"We'll be by with breakfast and your clothes, and then set you on your way afterwards," Grey said before smiling at them and shutting the door on his way out. T leapt to his feet and locked the deadbolt, pulling the chain as well. Daryl got up immediately and sat down in the armchair. They were all a little stunned and Linney wasn't sure what to think. Glenn and Maggie moved to the couch, snuggling up together at one end, while T prowled around the trailer, obviously not comfortable being confined inside it for the night.

Linney slid off the table and walked over to Daryl, sitting on his lap uninvited, curling up against him. She could feel him tense up, but then wrap his arms around her and she was grateful for him allowing this much public contact. _I need it_.

"So, what? If they don't slaughter us in our sleep, everything's fine?" Glenn finally said and Daryl shook his head. "No, if they don't kill us in our sleep, we get off fuckin' lucky," he amended, his chest rumbling against Linney as he spoke. She nodded, "Even if we did believe them, we'll never sell Rick on this place, you know that," she spoke to Glenn and his face twisted with regret. T came back into the room and sat on the other side of the couch and put his head in his hands.

"It's so tempting, you know?" He said, looking up at them after he spoke and they all nodded. "I feel like this is some kind of crazy dream," he added and Linney could feel Daryl chuckle quietly. They were silent for awhile and Linney realized she must have dozed off because the next thing she realized she was being lowered into bed, in Daryl's arms. He put her down gently and left the bedroom door open behind him as he turned the lights off, and climbed into bed next to her.

"What about watches?" She asked him groggily, and he ran a hand down the side of her face. "Go to sleep, Glenn, T n' I got it covered," he murmured. Linney snuggled up against him, a massive wave of absolutely draining exhaustion washing over her and leaving her fully incapable of even replying. She fell asleep clutching him tightly and her last thoughts before sleeping were of Rick and the rest of their group, praying they had safely made it back to the dealership.


	83. Chapter 83

***** Enjoy everyone! Thanks again for all the lovely reviews, they really spur me on to keep making this a good story :) I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney woke slowly that morning, her head nestled on Daryl's shoulder, her arm slung across his collarbones, resting on the far side of his neck. She shifted slightly, snuggling further into his side when she slowly began to realize that something was off about him this morning.

_He smells different_, she thought in concern, and then as her arm shifted slightly, she encountered something she was absolutely not expecting. _Boobs? What?_ Linney's eyes popped open and she shifted her head, looking up into Maggie's face. Maggie smiled at her and said, "Hi," and Linney leapt backwards as if she were spring-loaded. Maggie started to laugh at her and she heard chuckling from the open doorway where Glenn and Daryl were standing, both of them looking amused.

She glared at Daryl and he casually raised one eyebrow at her, "That was kind of hot," he said in a low, teasing voice and she moved to leap over Maggie at him, but Maggie grabbed her around the waist and yanked her straight back down to her behind on the mattress. "Is that how ya'll treat a lady after a wonderful night? Just up n' run?" Maggie's soft drawl was obviously teasing and Linney met her friend's eye before collapsing into giggles with her. The two of them laughed until they were snorting and crying and Linney knew that it was more than just about the joke itself, it was stress release before the day started to go sideways, which she fully expected it to do.

Afterwards, Linney was in the washroom, Daryl standing outside of the door talking to her in his gravelly voice while she moved through a morning routine. "Short round didn' want T sharin' a bed with his girl, so she moved in with you," Daryl explained. Linney brushed her teeth vigorously and then grabbed a comb lying out on the counter and pulled it through the thick bob of her hair. She glared at her reflection, at the scarring on her forehead and cheek, flaming red now, though Hershel had assured her it would fade to a paler shade over time. Her hair curled in just below her jaw, with wild and wavy strands turning out in all directions around her head.

She turned away in disgust and stomped out of the washroom, unhappy with the way her mind was working this morning. _What does it matter if you look like a pile of smashed assholes? You need to focus on the fight!_ She scolded herself. Daryl gave her a small, tight smile, his eyes narrowed, as he pushed her towards the kitchen area and went into the washroom himself. Linney joined the others at the table and they waited, without talking, for their food and clothing to show up.

Daryl arrived in the kitchen and took a seat next to Linney at the table and they sat silently for a few minutes until the loud scuffle of footsteps outside had them all leaping to their feet. Daryl and T-dog pushed Linney back down into the dinette and Glenn did the same with Maggie. Linney met the other girl's eyes over the table and rolled her own at their protectiveness, knowing that in the event of a threat, being seated at the dinette wouldn't make a lick of difference.

The door was pulled open and Maura stepped in, with a basket stacked high with laundry in her hands. T took the basket from her and spoke a curt thank you, before turning and placing it on the kitchen counter. Grey followed Maura in and he was carrying another large basket, that Linney knew was food. Daryl took the box from him and put it on the table and this time Maggie wasted no time, pulling everything out and serving people.

They all squished into the booth again and ate eggs, toast, coffee and potatoes. Linney packed as much away as she could and then helped herself to more coffee from the plastic carafe that had come with the food. Grey and Maura were relaxing on the couch again and he kept his eyes trained on them.

"You mentioned a man named Jenner yesterday, is he your leader?" Grey said casually and Linney choked on her coffee, her eyes darting over to Grey in surprise. Daryl glared at her, but said nothing else. Linney glanced over at her other three companions and Maggie shrugged at her.

"He was at the CDC," she said and Grey leapt to his feet. "You were at the CDC? I have men that have reported it is nothing but rubble now," he insisted, his voice eager. Linney nodded at him and took a small sip of coffee. "There was one guy left, he was a doctor and had been alone for like a month, he was crazy," she explained in a soft voice, "He let us in, we thought we were safe, but the building was almost out of power and on a self-destruct sequence he lied to us about." She closed her eyes at the memory, at how close they had come to dying.

Glenn picked up where she left off, "He locked us in, wasn't going to let us go, and tried to blow us up with him, but we managed to convince him to let us out, we lost one of our people though." Grey looked sick and Linney wondered if it was at the loss of the CDC or the loss of their people.

"He said they don't know what caused this, they have no cure, no one does, and it's worldwide," Glenn explained, his words falling like little bombs, "He told us there is nothing left, anywhere." Linney heard a small gasp from across the room and watched as Grey moved back to his wife and grasped her shoulder in one of his big hands, sharing a look with her. "We suspected as much," Maura choked out, "but it's still hard to hear."

Linney leaned towards Daryl and whispered directly into his ear in a soft thread of a voice, "Should we tell them?" She asked, and he turned his head to her and nodded. Linney cleared her throat and Grey looked over at them. "Jenner told us something else, told our leader, who shared it with us," she told Grey whose face became still at the seriousness of her tone, he waved a hand at her, urging her to go on. Linney swallowed and said, "Whatever this is, we all carry it, we're all infected already," she spoke looking directly into Grey's stunned eyes, "You don't have to be bit to turn; if you die, you turn, everyone will."

Grey looked like she had hit him with a tank and Maura got up off the couch and left the trailer without another word, her face twisting reflexively. "I'm sorry," Linney said, her voice soft and awkward, "we've seen it though, it's happened, it's true." Grey waved a hand at her and turned his back on them for a moment. Glenn and Daryl both glanced at Linney and she held their worried stares, hoping that this wouldn't unhinge their captor.

When the tall red-head turned back to them, his face was composed, but just barely so. "Thank you for telling me all that, you didn't have to," he said to them, and then turned and gestured at their clothes. "Finish up with breakfast and get dressed, just knock on the doors when you're ready and we'll be ready to escort you out." Grey turned on his heel after delivering the instructions and left the trailer.

Daryl got to his feet and began pawing through the basket and pulled out everyone's clothing and Linney got to her feet and accepted the pile of her things. She moved back to their bedroom and got herself redressed in her own clothes, layering on her jacket, boots, and her pink hat. Daryl put his things on next to her and then helped her attach all her knife sheaths over her coat, to speed things up. When they were all ready, Daryl paused her before she could open their bedroom door. He turned her to him and held her face in his hands, bending at the waist to kiss her, then slowly wrapping his arms around her.

She pressed herself to him and let him clutch at her waist and the back of her head, losing herself for a moment to the embrace. When he pulled away, he ran a hand down her face and then swallowed. "When we get out weapons, don't try nothin', we just leave, quickly, got it?" He grumbled at her and she nodded, her throat suddenly so thick with worry she could hardly speak. They met everyone by the front door of the trailer and Daryl knocked on the door.

A guard opened it and they were escorted through the encampment, Grey joining them at the huge gates. "I'll walk with you to the front," he explained and Linney could barely nod. "Will you tell your leader? We've meant you no harm, and people like you are harder and harder to come across these days," Grey said, puffing as he walked swiftly along with them through the empty trailer park. Linney didn't nod, just held tightly to Daryl's hand and moved quickly to keep up with them all on her shorter legs.

"Have you been on the road since the CDC?" Grey asked curiously as they walked along, and Glenn answered him, "No, we lost a little girl on the road, she ran off into the woods, when a herd moved through. We stopped to try and find her and then some people in our group got hurt and we found Maggie's family, at their farm." Grey nodded and glanced over to Linney, his eyes clearly looking at the thin scar trailing across her cheek. "Another herd moved in, we were run off the farm, lost even more people," T-Dog supplied, his voice deep and unhappy.

Grey clenched his jaw tighter and Linney couldn't tell what he might be thinking. Daryl's hand tightened around her own and she glanced up at him, worried about what might be happening next.

At the big gates, Linney nearly cried out in relief to see Maggie's car and Merle's bike, sitting unharmed where they'd left them. Grey waved at his men and several of them came stomping forward. Daryl tensed up for a moment, shoving Linney behind himself and then relaxing when all the men did was hold out their weapons. Linney took back her guns and the box full of her knives. She couldn't help but smile up at Grey.

"You even got the ones from the walkers!" She said in delight, and began to jam them all back into their sheaths. Grey's eyes watched her, tucking away her many knives, watching as everyone else tucked away knives, guns, and other weapons. Daryl slung his cross bow over his shoulder and Linney suddenly felt a lot stronger and sure of herself. Daryl put a hand on her shoulder and dragged her back and they moved backwards through the gate, away from Grey and his men.

One of the guards shut the gate and Maggie, Glenn and T broke and ran for the car, leaping inside it quickly. Daryl climbed onto the bike in a hurry and Linney slid on behind him. She stared at Grey on the other side of the gates and all she saw in his eyes was concern for them. _Maybe he is telling the truth_, she thought, before turning away and leaning into Daryl's tense back. They sped away down the road and Linney could feel him relaxing marginally, the further they got from Grey's camp.

"Do you think they're still at the dealership?" She yelled over Daryl's shoulder at him, so he could hear her over the wind, he nodded at her, "Least that was the plan!" He yelled back and Linney tucked her head behind his broad shoulders, hiding her face from the wind that tore back at them.

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When they heard the engine rumbling in the distance, every one of them tensed up and Hershel joined Rick by the window. "Could it be them?" The old man asked, and Rick gave him a steady look and shrugged. He clapped a hand to the man's shoulder, comfortingly, and they looked back out at the road, searching for the source of the engine. When he saw the bike, he let out a breath, so relieved that he felt nearly light-headed.

"Is it them?" Lori called from inside and Rick watched as the bike and Maggie's car pulled into the lot. He quickly counted and realized they were all there. "Yes," he murmured and everyone broke and ran for the door. He watched as Beth ran for Maggie, shoving everyone roughly aside in her mad dash to get to her sister, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Hershel was there shortly after, holding both his girls, his face happy and filled with a nearly painful expression of relief. He reached an arm out and snagged Glenn's shoulder, folding him into their family embrace and Rick had to smile.

Carl tore past all of them and threw himself at Linney so roughly she nearly fell down, Daryl steadying her to keep her upright. She bent to Carl and squeezed him tightly, her eyes squinted closed and a huge smile on her face. She pulled his ski cap up and planted a kiss on his forehead before releasing him and letting Carol hug her. Carl surprised them all by reaching over and giving Daryl a brief hug around the waist, the man so shocked that he could only awkwardly pat Carl's shoulder in return.

Lori moved past Rick and enfolded Linney into a hug as well and Linney hugged her back before leaning away and patting Lori's stomach affectionately. Rick shook the men's hands, clapping Glenn on the back, before giving Maggie a hug around her shoulders. Linney approached him and nodded at him.

"Hey boss, what's up?" She said in greeting, giving him a small half-smile, and he grabbed her into a hug that she hadn't been expecting, his exuberance nearly matching Carl's, surprising himself and making her squeak. She leaned away and looked embarrassed by all the attention, moving to stand slightly behind Daryl's arm.

"We need to talk," Rick said expectantly and they all nodded. "Boy howdy, do we ever," Linney said in a dry voice and Daryl elbowed her.

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Linney let Daryl and T-Dog do most of the talking, content to simply sit on the ground next to Carl, who seemed loathe to leave her side, leaning up against her and looking up at her face every now and then. She smiled at him and whispered, "It's ok buddy, we're back, it's all good." He nodded and then leaned towards her, "I didn't want to leave, but Dad said the signal meant leave, no matter what, so we had to." Linney nodded at him and swiped her hat off her head. "You did the right thing, we had no idea what might happen," she told him and he nodded again.

Rick got to his feet and began pacing when they told him about the amenities at Grey's camp, his apparent truthfulness. "Can we trust him?" He asked Linney and she pressed her lips together and shrugged. "He let us go, like he said, but we got no idea if it's part of a bigger game," Daryl said gruffly and Rick rubbed a hand over his mouth.

"Medical care, protection, heat, food," Hershel said in his soft drawl and they all looked at him and he shook his head in disbelief, "It really does sound too good to be true." Linney shrugged again, not sure what to feel. "I can't believe he'd be playing such a long game that he'd let us all go and hope that we'd come back, just so he could do something then," Linney said, her voice unsure. Rick stared at her for a moment.

"I think," Rick began, "I think, it might be worth me meeting the man, seeing what's going on for myself." Lori protested, getting to her feet. "No Rick, you don't go alone, you don't leave us again," she insisted, in a hard voice, and Rick turned to look at her, a silent conversation passing between their eyes. Linney got to her feet.

"Look, if you want to go back, I'll go with you, but I still don't know how I feel about this," she offered and Rick nodded at her absent-mindedly. Daryl glared at her and got to his feet, "I'll go too," he said to Rick. Lori was shaking her head, her eyes wide and upset. "If you go, we all go, we can't be separated again," she spoke firmly and Rick turned away, thinking. Linney watched as his eyes stared through the windows, examining the outside world.

"We can all go," he decreed, "If it's true safety, how can we turn away from it, when we need that so much?" He asked no one in particular and Linney swallowed. "But, Linney, Daryl, and I go in, alone. The rest of you will wait in the cars, ready to drive away, got it?" He turned and looked at everyone, his eyebrows raised, demanding understanding. Everyone slowly nodded their heads and got to their feet.

Linney and Daryl moved to the side of the group, to speak to Rick. "What do you think? Will he treat with us?" He asked them, his voice hard and desperate. Linney shrugged and Daryl spoke, his voice low and gravelly, "I think he will, he was really pushin' it," he clenched his jaw and continued, "But we talk to him by the gates 'til you make your decision, that way we can leave quick if we got to." Rick nodded, putting a hand on Daryl's shoulder briefly.

"N' we leave the kids n' women in the cars, outta sight," Daryl added. Rick's face tightened and he took a deep breath, finally nodding in agreement.

As they were driving down the road, back toward's Grey's encampment, Linney could her feel stomach bouncing and twitching in nervousness, fully uncertain about their plan. For Lori, Carl, and Beth's sake, she wanted it to be safe, to be secure, to be the saving grace they required, but she was nervous.

_Nothin' ever comes for free, ya hear?_ Her father's voice barked at her in her mind and she shuddered.

***** What do you guys think? Is it too good to be true? Is Grey full of shit and ulterior motives?*****


	84. Chapter 84

***** I'm on a roll right now! I have to say I like writing outside of the show storyline more than in it and it makes me nearly crazed with my head so full of ideas :) Hope you're all still with me on this! Some smutty business later in the chapter - Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Pulling up in front of the gates was quite honestly terrifying, and Linney had to ponder for a moment whether or not they were all out of their minds. _Weren't we just hauling ass outta here a few hours ago?_ Daryl climbed off the bike and held out a hand to her, and she climbed off after him. They two of them watched as Rick had Hershel and T-Dog turn the vehicles around, pointing out towards the road, ready to drive off at moment's notice.

"Same signal applies," he told them gruffly and Linney could see Carl glowering at them from the backseat of the truck. He had wanted to come with the three of them so badly, but had been vetoed by every single other person in their group. The three of them walked up to the gates and Daryl grunted when they saw that it was chained up again, with a fresh chain. He lifted it in his hand and then dropped it, the metal clanking loudly into the stillness of the air. Linney wrapped her gloved hands around the bars on the gate and shook it back and forth a little.

"Do we cut it again?" She asked, looking over at Rick and his face was strained as he thought about it. "I don't think that sends the right message; we know this is someone's home now, we shouldn't make a mess of it," he answered. Daryl pulled a glove off and put his fingers to his mouth and whistled loud and piercing. They stood and waited until they finally heard a voice shout out to them.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" The voice yelled out angrily and firmly. "God, these people are all about the stupid questions here," Linney muttered, and Daryl and Rick both looked over at her, scowling at her. "We were invited!" Rick called back, "By Grey; he had my people here today!" There was silence, the other yeller not replying. They waited, the silence growing oppressive. "This was a mistake," Daryl growled, looking over at Rick. Linney nodded slowly, beginning to agree with him.

Rick clenched his jaw and they all turned to walk away when they heard Grey yelling from behind them. "I didn't think I'd see you folks again!" Linney stopped in her tracks and spun around, to see Grey and a large contingent of his men heading towards them. "Sorry about the wait, it's a bit of a trek to get down here, as you well know," Grey explained, reaching towards a padlock holding the chain around the gate. When the chain slithered loose, he pulled the gate open and reached out to shake Daryl's hand, then hers, his large hand dwarfing her own small one.

Grey turned with a serious look to Rick. "You're the leader?" He asked, and Rick studied Grey's face carefully, his eyes sharp and shrewd. "Rick Grimes," their leader introduced himself and Grey reached for his hand. "I'm Grey," he replied. Their firm handshake went on for awhile and Linney wondered if it was some kind of man-test, to see who would break it off first.

"Cop?" Grey asked Rick and he nodded. "Sheriff's Deputy, King County," Rick replied calmly. Linney looked back and forth between them and wondered how Grey knew. Grey smiled at her and gestured inside the park. "Care to come in? Talk a while?" Daryl shook his head, "We stay here, can talk here jus' fine," he told Grey, his voice low and mistrustful, his eyes narrowed and hard. Rick glanced over at them and then looked back to Grey, nodding.

"If you don't mind, we'd more comfortable talking here," Rick explained and Grey nodded slowly. "Like I told them before, I understand why you can't trust me, but I wish you would, you have to at some point, you know?" Rick said nothing and they all jerked when they heard Lori yelling from the truck.

"Carl, no!" They swivelled around to see Carl jogging towards them, and Lori hanging half out of the truck. Linney gestured at her to stay put and glanced over to Rick, who nodded at her to go stop Carl. Linney stormed towards the boy, stopping him several feet away from the gates. "What the hell do ya think you're doing?" She growled at him and he froze, staring up at her, unused to her directing anger his way. "I want to help," he said solidly and she shook her head.

"This ain't a game, buddy, this could go badly real quickly. Your dad is our leader, and if he tells you to do something, you better be doing it," she lectured him, putting a hand on his shoulder to hold him steady. Carl looked past her, to his dad and his eyes grew wide. "So, this is Carl, is it?" Grey's voice came from behind them, loud and pleasant, and Linney spun around holding Carl tightly to her side.

The boy nodded and Grey towered over them, Daryl and Rick at his side as he smiled down at the boy. "Your dad was just telling me that you're learning to become a protector of your group?" Carl smiled at him and pointed at Linney. "Linney's teaching me to be a bad ass," he said innocently and Linney made a face. "Carl! Don't say ass to a stranger," she hissed at him and he ducked his head in embarrassment. Grey chuckled and looked over at Rick.

"You chose the right teacher for that lesson, that's for sure," he told their leader in a quiet aside that had Daryl and Rick chuckling. Rick took in a deep breath and waved Carl over to him. The boy went eagerly to his dad's side and Daryl moved to stand next to Linney. Grey crossed his arms in front of himself and raised an eyebrow at Rick.

"So, now's a good time for all the questions you have," he said leadingly, and Rick took in a deep breath through his nose. "Why here?" Rick asked the man and Grey nodded in approval, liking the first question. "I lived in the area, knew of this place. Lake's good for drinking, lots of land, and of course, gates and fences." Rick nodded and gazed around them.

"That's why we wanted to come here," Rick offered and Grey gestured to Linney and Daryl. "That's what your people said," he answered. "What do you want in return?" Rick asked next and Grey's face hardened. "Your people will take part in runs, guard duty, upkeep, things like that, we expect everyone to pull their weight here," Grey responded, his voice a reasonable rumble. Daryl and Rick were nodding.

"Will we be able to come and go as we please?" Linney asked and Rick gave her a grateful look for the question. Grey shook his head, "No, we make sure the gates are closed at all times on the main compound, only opened for specific and approved reasons," Grey pointed at the big gate behind them, "This one is usually only opened for patrols and runs, coming and going." Linney was shaking her head, along with Daryl.

"We hunt for fresh meat," Daryl said and Grey raised an eyebrow at him. "We have a small farming section, that won't be necessary," Grey told him and Daryl appraised him with hard eyes. "Didn't ask if it was necessary, we hunt for fresh meat," Daryl repeated, his tone harder than before. Grey pressed his lips together and paced away for a moment.

"I think," he began, "As long as you can be sure to keep safety in mind, that allowances could be made for things like that." Daryl said nothing, and Linney peeked up at him. He met her gaze, his blue eyes sharp on her face.

"We got medical treatment available here, doctors, and plenty of room for new people," Grey said, almost bragging, and Linney could see the almost wistful expression on Rick's face. She knew he was thinking of Lori and the baby. "I'm a good guy, Rick, got a family of my own, it's as much a risk for me as it is for you, bringing you in here," Grey spoke convincingly and smiled over at Linney. "But you got some good people here, ready to fight to protect their own, and I tell you, these days, I value that almost more than anything else." Rick took a deep breath and waved a hand at Grey.

"I'd like to look around, if you can ok that," he told Grey, and the big man nodded and waved a hand back at the gate. "After you," he welcomed them.

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Rick looked around, hope burning fiercely inside of him. The compound was beyond secure. There were no walkers, not after his group of four had cleared them all the day before. He saw the weapons, the small gardens, the livestock, the medical building, the huge men.

"Why do ya got so many giant guys here?" Linney asked in her clear voice when Grey was walking them through the smaller, more heavily guarded part of the park and Grey chuckled. "Lots of military here, more than anything else, and I don't know, maybe only the big and tough survive," he answered, before looking down at her, tiny in her pink hat next to him, holding Carl's small hand in hers. The two of them looked weak and small, if you didn't have knowledge to the contrary, and Grey laughed at his own comment. Even Rick had to join in at the nearly identical looks of irritation on Linney and Carl's faces.

"I may have to rethink that opinion, though," Grey amended amiably, and Linney shot an eyebrow up and pursed her lips, nodding. "Yeah, you might want to," she responded drily, looking away. "Well, these 'GI Joe motherfuckers' as you so aptly put it, are double tough, trained in the old world and battle hardened in the new one," Grey said to her and Linney chuckled. Rick shot her a look of disbelief. "You called them that?" He asked, "To their faces?" Daryl was trying to smother a smile at the memory, attempting to hide it beneath his typical impassive expression, and failing miserably.

Linney shrugged and looked around them, "I was mad at the time," she responded and Rick shook his head. _That girl's got more balls than she's got a right to_, he thought, not for the first time. As they continued on, Rick could see them living here, not just surviving, but truly living here. It was turning into a physical ache. He breathed deeply to get himself under control, knowing he still had to proceed with caution, that he couldn't act rashly out of desperation.

"Here's what I think," he finally said to Grey, and the tall man looked at him seriously. "We don't just want to join you, I think it's pretty clear we need to." Grey's face lit up and Rick held up a hand to stay anything the other man might say. "I'm not trying to spit in the face of your kindness, please know that," Rick told him earnestly, "But we'd like to start out in the trailers outside the main compound, have a little more space to ourselves, until we can get our hackles down." Grey looked disappointed and made a face.

"There's no heat or electricity out there," the man informed them and Rick nodded in consternation. "But," Grey continued, "We can certainly look into getting my men to rig something up for you, at least the water and the propane, shouldn't be hard." Rick gaped at him, not expecting the offer and he stuck a hand out towards the red head.

"I'm beyond grateful for your kindness," he said, clearing his throat when his words became hoarse. Linney held tightly to Carl's hand and Rick glanced over at them while he was shaking Grey's hand. He could see her emotions warring plainly on her face; hope, fear, worry, happiness, doubt, anger. His gaze darted to Daryl and the hunter's face was hard and emotionless, his eyes taking in everything around them without giving anything away.

_God, I hope I'm right_.

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There were a lot of introductions after the vehicles were driven inside and the rest of the group stepped out. Linney watched as Grey gently introduced himself to Lori and was especially kind to Beth, who always looked young and defenceless, appearing many years younger than she actually was. _She's only a few years younger than me_, Linney thought with a start.

Grey had them park in the second row of trailers, leading them to a gigantic double-wide. She couldn't help but gape stupidly at it; it was the kind of place she'd viewed as a mansion when she was a kid, and she remembered how jealous she'd been of the kids across town, in the nice trailer park, who lived in these house-sized trailers. Daryl joined her, picking up one of her chilled and gloved hands and rubbing his own hands on it, chaffing it warm. "Bringin' back memories?" He asked her quietly, his voice only half-joking. She glanced up at him and gave him a tight smile. "Not even a little," she responded.

They stepped inside, pleased to see that the entire place was decorated, homey and cozy, like the place they'd stayed in before. It was dark and cold inside, but after they dragged all their things in, Maura and a battalion of women showed up, with blankets, clothes, food, water, propane heaters, lanterns, and greetings. Linney helped them load everything up and saw Maura eyeing up Lori with disapproval, gently steering the thin brunette to the couch, giving her food immediately.

"Lin," Glenn called, "Come check this out!" He waved her over to the window in the back bedroom and she peeked through the curtains. She could see a handful of men working like clockwork, attaching propane tanks and fiddling with the water. "Wow," she whispered, her breath fogging the window, "They mean business, hey?" Glenn nodded and they went back into the living room. Rick was helping the women set up lanterns, they were given a dozen of them, and they were carried into bedrooms, the bathroom, and the rest scattered through the kitchen and living area.

"So, do you think they're pod people or something?" Glenn asked Rick and the man shot him a hard blue-eyed gaze. "I hope not," was Rick's response and Glenn swallowed hard at the hard look on Rick's face. Grey came to visit them later, letting them know how to get into the main compound if there was a problem, and to ask for more of anything if they needed it. When he left, her group was well and truly alone again, but warm, safe and cooking dinner.

"Can this be real?" Linney asked Daryl, as she sat next to him at the dinner table, watching him eat. He shrugged and then nudged her with an elbow. "Quit watchin' me eat, it's weird," he scolded her and she laughed, leaning towards him and kissing his shoulder before turning back to her own food. Everyone was quiet, and Linney got the impression that most of them were hoping this was a dream that would never end. Their happiness made her happy and she could feel most of her worries sloughing away at the normal, warm scene; everyone gathered around the dinner table, chatting and smiling.

There were four bedrooms, and Lori, Rick, and Carl took the biggest one at the back, to share the king bed in there. There was a room with two bunk beds in it, clearly meant for kids and Hershel, Beth, Carol and T-Dog took it. Linney and Daryl were given a small room with a double in it, and Maggie and Glenn were ecstatic to take the other kids room, with the twin beds in it. Hershel eyed them skeptically, and Linney knew he was wondering how often they were actually going to occupy two separate beds.

Rick let them know that there would guard shifts, all night long, and that it would be a single person at a time. He informed them that they would split into three shifts, and the schedule would rotate. It was too complicated for Linney to follow when all she wanted to do was climb into bed and get Daryl naked. Rick took the first watch, T-Dog insisted on the second, and Hershel said he was more than capable of the third shift. When that was decided, Linney immediately grabbed Daryl's arm.

"Goodnight!" She said quickly to the room, and proceeded to drag him behind her down the hall. "Think ya coulda made it a lil clearer 'bout what we're gettin' up to in here?" He asked her in a gruff voice. She pushed their door closed and turned the wick up on their lantern. "I don't care," she said, her voice eager, waving an impatient hand at him. "Get all of that off," she ordered him and he smirked. Linney tore her clothes off in a hurry and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at him.

"You should consider dancing around for me," she said, grinning at him. He shot her an incredulous look and she felt a bubble of laughter building her throat. "You first," he growled at her and she shook her head. "No one wants to see that," she replied, her voice dropping. He yanked off his last sock and tossed it carelessly over his shoulder, advancing on her. He pushed her back down on the bed and she smiled up at him. "I might," he replied and she chuckled. He trailed a hand from her face, over her chest, across her stomach and to her center.

Linney felt herself bowing up at his touch, and he pushed her back down. His eyes were hard and searching as his hand moved against her, and he lowered himself to her mouth, kissing her deeply, grunting in satisfaction at her small cries and moans against his lips. He sat up a little and gazed down at her, his eyes widening when she brought her own hands up to her breasts, nipping at herself.

"I could help ya with that," he said huskily, and she shook her head. "No," she breathed, rising off the bed, her back arching. He raised an eyebrow and leaned in, kissing her again, his tongue moving languidly and possessively against her own. She pushed away for a moment and looked back and forth between his eyes.

"How will you dance for me then?" She asked innocently, and he froze and glared at her. She giggled and then gasped when he started moving again and he smirked at her, his expressive eyes sharp on her face, watching her enjoy him. "You drive me crazy, ya know that?" He whispered to her and she wasn't sure if he meant physically or not, but suddenly that didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore, and continued that way for a couple hours more.

Later, laying entwined and tangled together, the room dark, Linney listened as their hearts finally stopped racing and she whispered to him, "I love you," not afraid this time.


	85. Chapter 85

***** Enjoy everyone! Can't promise as many updates today as yesterday :( But hopefully this longer chapter will help with that! As per usual, I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

When Linney woke up the next morning, the sun was shining softly, filtering through the curtains in the small bedroom. She had her back pressed up against Daryl's side and was staring sleepily at the window. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Linney slowly raised herself up onto one elbow and looked out between the curtains. She was facing the small alley between this trailer and the one next door, and she could tell by the quality of the light that it was early morning.

"Anything interestin'?" Daryl grumbled from beside her, cracking open one eye and she turned to him with a smile. "Not unless you're really into walls," she replied, rubbing her eyes. He sat up slowly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, with a quiet groan at some kind of ache in his back, and she climbed over to sit next to him. She glanced over at him and he glanced back down at her, his eyes narrowed and wary. She couldn't resist waggling her eyebrows at him, suggestively, and he nudged her shoulder, pushing her closer to the edge of the bed.

"You gotta make food this mornin', right?" He asked her quietly and she nodded, twisting her mouth to the side, remembering her instructions from Carol, about how certain duties would be broken down amongst them. She got to her feet and gave him a long, regretful look as she got herself dressed and he laughed at the expression on her face. "Ya look like a kid who just got told there ain't no Santa Claus," he said, the familiar rumble of his voice resonating in her chest and making it even harder to leave him and bed.

She reached behind herself and clipped her bra together, following his eyes as he watched her progress with interest. She bent down and grabbed her tank top, slipping it on. "I'd much rather stay in here, with you," she replied and he smirked again, reaching a lazy hand out and snagging her wrist, pulling her over to him. He put both hands on her hips and gripped her tightly against himself, from his seat on the edge of the bed. Linney stood between his legs and wrapped her arms around him, one hand clutching one of her socks. She kissed his ear, then his forehead. She bent a little and kissed his neck, running her sock-free hand through his hair, scratching her nails along his scalp. He shuddered pleasurably at the sensation and looked up at her.

"That's enough a that, or no one gets any breakfast," he grumbled at her and she smiled at him, cocking up one of her eyebrows, challengingly. He pushed her away, swatting her behind, and she threw a sock at him. "Go make me breakfast woman," he ordered her, heaving the sock back at her head, before laying back down and watching her from his pillow.

Linney sighed heavily and put her sock on, followed by boots and her long-sleeved shirt, holding onto her sleeves when she slipped on the flannel shirt over top, so they wouldn't ride up beneath the flannel sleeves. She touched a hand briefly to the frizzball of her hair and put a hand on her hip, posing momentarily for Daryl. "How do I look?" She asked him coyly and he stared at her, one hand tucked behind his head. "Like you should be making me food," he replied and she leapt towards him, sticking her face an inch from his, putting an arm on either side of his head.

He didn't flinch and she stared into his narrowed eyes, trying to make her own expression threatening. She looked back and forth between his blue-eyed gaze and then kissed his nose quickly and darted over to the door. "Fine," she whispered, "But you'll pay for that comment later." He smirked and leaned back onto the pillow, closing his eyes.

Linney slipped into the hallway, the dim light and quiet house making her feel all alone. She made her way up to the kitchen and saw Carol sitting on watch, resting on the couch. "Mornin'," she greeted the older woman and Carol smiled warmly at her. Linney picked up the kettle and filled it with water, getting it boiling on the stove immediately; she couldn't help but marvel at running water and a gas stove. She rummaged through the goods that Maura and her friends had brought in and found the big box of instant coffee. Linney started to boil more water, in a big pot and found the large cylinder of oatmeal.

"Quiet night?" She whispered to Carol, as she stirred the oatmeal. Carol nodded and smiled and quickly peeked out the curtain of the window next to the couch. The movement was easy and practiced and Linney knew she had been doing it for hours at this point. "Saw their guard switch a couple hours ago," Carol offered, her voice quiet so as not to wake the others.

Linney nodded in interest and pulled out two mugs, dumping in the instant coffee grinds and pouring the hot water on top, mixing it altogether. She handed one mug to Carol, who smiled gratefully, looking pleased that Linney had remembered that she liked her coffee black, after all this time. Linney took a sip of the coffee, her own black as well, and smiled at Carol, nodding at the mug.

"Used to be my job, you know, I remember nothing as well as I do a coffee order," Linney offered and Carol smiled, nodding at the little piece of information of Linney's old life. "So, where do their guards station themselves?" Linney asked and Carol's face became more business-like as she explained that there appeared to be a couple trailers near the front gates that were probably arranged as official guard stations on the inside, because that's where all the shifts were switched. Linney nodded, imagining that there were probably one or two more trailers at the back of the park where yet more guards were stationed 24/7.

"They had two men go out through the main gates as well, and two different men came back inside," Carol explained and Linney nodded, rolling her hand in the direction of the gates. "So, that means they have some kind of patrol outside, too," Linney mused. "Who's got an outside patrol?" Rick's voice questioned from the hallway and they both looked up to smile in greeting at him. He moved to the dining room table and sat down, looking tired, and Linney leapt to her feet, preparing him a coffee, and stirring at the almost ready oatmeal.

She plunked his coffee down in front of him, a little powdered coffee creamer and a tiny bit of sugar mixed inside it, and he smiled at her gratefully. She went back to the stove and mixed in dried fruit with the oatmeal, stirring and listening to Carol explaining the guard shifts she had seen. She pulled out more mugs and made tea for Hershel, Beth, and Lori, handing them their mugs wordlessly as they trailed into the living area. Maggie and Glenn followed soon after, and Linney handed them each a coffee and then began to scoop out the now-ready oatmeal.

Carl, T-Dog and Daryl finally made their way into the living area, and when everyone had something hot to drink and eat, Linney finally sat down next to Daryl, drawing one knee up to her chest while she ate.

"So," Rick started, looking around at all of them, "There's a lot coming up today and I want us all involved." Linney chomped on a chewy dried apple and nodded. "I'll be spending the day talking to Grey, want to get to know the man, find out as much as possible about this place," Rick explained and waved a hand at Lori and Carol. "You two will be meeting with Maura, I gather, shown the facilities, told a little about how things work, find out as much as you possibly can, without seeming overly curious." Lori looked over at Carol and they nodded at each other.

"Hershel, I understand you intend to go visit their farming and medical areas?" The old man nodded and Rick smiled at him. "Good, take Glenn and Maggie with you," he instructed. T-Dog swallowed a mouthful of food and looked to Rick. "I was going to speak to the guards, some of the other people doin' security, see if we can just chat," the big man explained and Rick nodded, draining the last of the coffee in his mug. Daryl got to his feet, bending to grab his crossbow from the floor, swinging it easily to his back.

"I'm checkin' out the area, for huntin' n' to just get a look at what's goin' on outside the gates," he told Rick, his voice gravelly and deep. Rick nodded and Linney scowled, getting to her feet to follow him to the door. "Alone?" She hissed at him and he met her eyes, raising an eyebrow at her concern. "Best if I'm alone," he muttered back, nodding his head to towards the group, "Anyone else with me gets too loud, scares all the game away."

Linney pressed her lips together and followed him out the door, closing it behind her. She grabbed his arm and made him turn to her. "Well," she started, looking around to make sure they had no audience, "Be fucking careful." He smirked at her and wrapped an arm loosely around her neck, pulling her head to him and planting a quick kiss on the top of her hair. "Always am," he said gruffly before turning away and loping off towards the main gates.

Linney watched him go and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering a little bit. When she stepped back inside, everyone was moving around, getting dressed for the outdoors, gathering weapons and water. Beth and Carl stood in the kitchen and looked up expectantly when she walked in.

"Dad says we're going out with you today," Carl informed her, smiling at her from under the brim of the sheriff's hat he only wore indoors in the cold weather. Linney raised an eyebrow at him and glanced over to Beth who nodded, her blond ponytail bouncing on her shoulder. "Mr. Grimes says that the three of us should explore, make it look like we're just curious kids," Beth's voice was soft, but pleasant, and Linney smiled at her, shrugging one shoulder.

"Guess that could work," she looked down to Carl and then back up to Beth, "Go get ready for the weather, it's like super cold out today." They nodded and made their way down the hall to their respective bedrooms and Linney walked over to Rick, who was strapping on his gun by the couch.

"So, anything in particular to look for today, boss?" She asked him and he raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't know, just be nosy, look inside doors and windows, above and under things, snoop around, you know, the stuff kids do," he explained and Linney rolled her eyes.

"Anyone here who's met me will know I'm no kid playing at a spy game," she muttered and he laughed, clapping a hand lightly on her shoulder. "Just play the part and you'll be surprised at how easily people forget little details like that," he counseled her and she nodded reluctantly, heading down to her room.

She put on her coat and applied all her weapons, before yanking her stupid pink hat down on her head, and stepping out into the hall. She saw Lori helping Carl wrap his gun belt over top of his coat and watched as he slung his fireplace poker through a loop in the belt on the opposite side from the gun. Linney looked over to Beth, in her pink hat, white and pink scarf, and matching gloves, her blonde hair falling across her shoulder and realized that the girl had no weapon.

"You," Linney said, pointing at the girl, and Beth looked up, "Yeah?" Beth replied and Linney nodded her head towards her bedroom, "Come here, you can't go out unarmed." Beth followed her in and Linney dug around in a bag pulling out an axe, that was attached to a workman's tool belt, keeping the head of the axe sheathed.

"Can you swing an axe?" She asked the blonde girl and Beth turned her round eyes over to Linney's face and nodded, flicking one fair eyebrow up. "I did grow up on a farm, you know," Beth said drily and Linney smiled at her spirit; after floating along like a ghostly waif for the past month, Linney was relieved to see some fight in the girl. Linney helped her apply the belt around her waist, over the coat and realized that Beth was slightly taller than her.

"God, am I the shortest one here?" She mumbled and Beth laughed quietly. "No, Carl's still shorter," Beth offered and Linney groaned, "Don't remind me, that's pretty certain not to last!" They met Carl in the hallway and Linney waved at Lori before leaving. "Don't worry!" She called over her shoulder to the obviously worried mother and Carl chuckled beside her.

They stepped outside and their breaths were immediately visible and Linney was again glad for their warm gear. She lead them away, down the little row of trailers they were in and then paused, looking at their expectant faces.

"Ok, so Rick wants us to be nosy," she explained and Carl chuckled again. "I'm pretty good at that," he said laughing, "At least mom says I am." Beth laughed too and nodded her head to the small trailers at the end of their row. "Those look small and interesting, let's go there," she suggested and Linney smiled at her. They made their way down the rows and for once Linney didn't try to reign in her motions, or watch the way she walked, the way her feet moved, as much, wanting to appear less controlled, less suspicious, more carefree and thoughtless.

They all moved around the trailer, peeking through the windows. "Looks like storage," Carl noted and Linney nodded. The inside of the small trailer was stuffed full of boxes. Beth looked over at Linney her eyes lighting up. "Let's go inside," she whispered and Linney laughed quietly, realizing that the girl was actually having fun. The door was locked, but Linney and Beth boosted Carl to a window and he managed to pry it open and climb inside, unlocking the door from the inside. When they climbed in, they immediately began prying at the boxes, peeking inside them.

"This one's medical stuff," Beth said and Linney nodded, gesturing at the box in front of her. "This one too," she commented. Carl pointed at the side of the boxes and said, "We're stupid, look what's written on all these boxes! We didn't need to climb in here." Each box had the term "_Midway Med_" scrawled across the side and Linney shrugged.

"We're supposed to be nosy, we would have wanted to take a peek anyhow," she reasoned, and the other two nodded. The girls left the trailer and Carl locked the door behind them, before climbing back out the window. They looked around the empty street carefully and then ran down the row of backyards, laughing when Carl tripped over a small plastic slide and fell. His little face flushed, until Beth climbed up on the slide and slid down it, nearly getting her rear end stuck in the narrow slide. While they screwed around, laughing at each other, Linney quickly got to her stomach, peeking underneath the trailers.

She was trying to make sense of what she was seeing. It appeared to her that most of the trailers had boxes in the centre of them, with wires coiling out and around them. "Is it some kind of electricity thing?" Beth whispered beside her, having dropped to her stomach as well, and Linney shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I wonder it's under all of them?" Linney replied.

Some of the trailers had open bottoms, that you could see underneath, others had little wooden walls built to enclose the underneath of the trailers. "Carl, without touching it, crawl underneath the trailer and get a look at this," Linney whispered and she gestured towards one of the enclosed bottom trailers. "I'm going to peek under there, see if I can find it there, too." It took her a few minutes, but she was finally able to kick in a small section of the little barrier wall and wasn't surprised to see the box and the wires there, too. She realized the wires went out and under the trailer, connecting to the trailers on either side.

Within a half hour, the three of them were able to determine that every trailer in the outer section of the park was wired together, each one with a box underneath it, in the middle. "I think they're bombs," Carl whispered, as the three of them lay flat on their stomachs, staring under the last trailer. Linney looked anxiously over at him, worried about the implications of the entire park being rigged to blow up. Beth made a small nervous sound and got to her feet.

"But why would they use all these trailers as storage for so many important things, but also have them set to blow up? What's the point of storing things here, then?" Her soft accent was worried and Linney shrugged. "Maybe it's like a last resort kind of thing," she offered and watched as Carl climbed the small porch, scrambling to the roof of the trailer. "Come on," he called down to the girls, "Let's look on top now!" Linney and Beth glanced at each other and made for the roof, scrambling up with relative ease.

Linney smirked over at Beth. "Now, I know why your sister is such a good climber, but you don't strike me as a bad girl, sneakin' out all the time," she teased and Beth smiled at her. "No, I just liked to climb stuff a lot when I was younger, nothing worse than that!" Linney nodded at the blonde's explanation and the three of them stood on the roof. From their perch, they could see almost all of the roofs, and Linney could see that there was nothing remarkable on top of them, certainly not bombs.

"This is boring," Carl echoed her thoughts and they laughed. "Graham!" They heard a deep voice call out and Linney signaled the other two to drop down. They all lay flat on their stomachs on the cool metal roof and listened to the man with the deep voice talk to the man he'd called Graham.

"Grey's got them all over the place today; lettin' them in a little too easy, if you ask me," Deep Voice said, and Graham replied, "Well, pretty sure he ain't asking you." There was a grumble and Deep Voice began talking again, about Daryl, she knew.

"Let Robin Hood out this morning, said he was gonna hunt, which, I mean, whatever man, go hunt, but we got food here, so I gotta wonder what else he's after."

Graham replied in a reasonable voice, "Did you send Manny out after him? To track?" Deep Voice grunted in disgust and said, "He lost 'im after a few minutes. Said he thinks ole Robin knew he was being followed." Linney looked over at Carl and Beth and they all grinned. _Of course he shook you, you idiots_, she thought, feeling utter disdain at the thought of anyone trying to track Daryl.

"We need to report on the other group," Graham said, his voice more serious than before. Deep Voice cleared his throat. "Did the scouts say how close they are?" Graham detailed to Deep Voice the movements of another group, heavily armed, clearly trying to locate the group at Midway Estates, and from what Linney could tell, not up to anything good. She gathered that this other group was a threat, one that had been looming for some time and that they were as aware of the other group as the other group was of them. She glanced over at the kids and saw the concern on their faces; neither of them was stupid, they understood a possible threat to their safety when they heard one.

_I'll have to tell Rick about this, he needs to talk to Grey ASAP,_ she thought hurriedly. The three of them were shifting uncomfortably, all wanting to get off the roof, but feeling totally pinned down. She was absolutely certain that she didn't want Graham or Deep Voice to know they'd been eavesdropping.

"You seen those three kids? Running around crawling all over shit, all morning," Deep Voice grumbled in irritation and Linney smothered a giggle. "Their leader oughta rein that kind of crap in, you know?" Deep Voice continued, "Gonna git those little shits hurt, or worse, they'll touch somethin' they shouldn't." Graham's voice was reasonable in response.

"Grey said let 'em run around, so we let 'em run around." Linney decided they needed to get off the roof and put her mouth to Carl's ear. "We need to get down, on the other side of the trailer, _quietly_," she whispered and then added, "Pass it on." Carl nodded, whispered to Beth, and the three of them began to inch their way across the roof listening idly as the two men bitched about various other members in their group that apparently annoyed them. They used the awning over the back porch to swing down to the ground as quietly as possible and then sprinted away.

When they reached their trailer, they all stumbled in through the door and collapsed on the couch, completely out of breath.

"There is so much we gotta tell Dad," Carl huffed out and Linney nodded over at him, leaning her head back on the couch and closing her eyes for a moment to catch her breath. _Boy, do we ever_.


	86. Chapter 86

***** Hey all, just a reminder as you read through this, that although I do stick to the timeline/canon fairly well, this is AU, so if I introduce people or things a little off timeline, or in a way that doesn't exactly match the comics/TV show, that's on purpose - I'm not trying to be inaccurate, I'm trying to write my story in new and interesting ways haha :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney (and Grey's whole encampment) *****

That evening there was a nearly overwhelming amount of information to share. Rick insisted that everyone be present; he wanted them all privy to the same information, telling them that it would be easier and safer if they were all on the same page.

To their credit, neither Beth nor Carl seemed bored in the slightest, absorbing everything they heard with interest and providing information when asked or prompted by Linney or himself.

"Grey informed me today that security is their highest priority here," Rick began, looking around at all the gathered faces, "They have constant guard watches all over the park, the surrounding area, the abandoned amusement park and even up and down the roads around here." Several eyes widened at this news and he nodded at them. "If any of their teams out on a run encounter people, they hang back and send out a security team to monitor, follow, and learn more about them, before either approaching them or finding out where that group is from and giving them wide berth, or..." he paused and looked around and then took a deep breath, "Or, ending the potential threat."

There were several raised eyebrows and Rick could nearly read everyone's thoughts on that topic without them having to speak. "What gives them the right?" Hershel asked him and Rick met the other man's sharp blue eyes. He clenched his jaw before answering, "He says the criteria for being 'an unsuitable inhabitant' for this world are pretty clear, and they act to protect the greater good, not just their own people, but people like us." Daryl flickered up a doubtful eyebrow and rumbled out, "Bet they don't just leave behind all the loot they find."

Rick nodded; the man had hit the nail on the head. "How can they determine who's really bad and who isn't, then?" T-Dog demanded, "What's to stop them from thinking someone's got a lot of guns and food and must be bad, and swoopin' down with their army and taking what they want?" Everyone looked in agreement and the murmuring rose in volume at that idea. Rick held up his head to calm them down.

"Look, I know it's easy to think that, but I honestly have to say that I don't think that is the case. This guy, Grey, he seems to be driven by a fairly exact moral compass, he would see that as an egregious affront to his own ethics and wouldn't dare do it." The skeptical eyes around him told him that no one agreed and he shrugged.

"They have a lot more people here than initially meets the eye, although he declined to give me an exact number, most of the men, except for those involved in the agricultural and medical areas, are on guard watch," he explained. "Where did they get all the weapons from? They must need a lot of them," Lori asked. Daryl spoke up then, his voice even and gravelly, "He told us most a the guys here are military, cops, guys like that." There was a murmur around the group and the hunter continued, "Prob'ly got all their shit from the bases they used to be part of."

Rick nodded, Grey had already told him as much. Rick relayed what Grey had told him, that in such a short period of time, they'd been attacked several times already, been made to defend themselves with deadly force. After losing half their original group shortly after everything fell due to one such attack, they had moved to an extremely defensive stance, barricading the women and children, medicine and food, in behind heavy walls, leaving the wider rest of the park as bait of a kind.

"That may explain what we found today," Linney said, from her seat on the ground next to Daryl. She met Rick's eyes and continued, "We found a couple trailers, small ones, stuffed full with marked boxes, like medicine, food, or ammo. Which is weird, because why would they leave such important stuff, clearly marked, outside of their main stronghold? Even for overflow storage, that's weird."

"It's the cheese," Glenn said softly and everyone looked at him in surprise. He winced and cleared his throat when Rick shot him an expectant look. "You know, like a mouse trap, you can't lure the mouse in without the cheese," he explained. Carl leapt to his feet, "Dad! If the boxes are the cheese, the trap is the bombs!" He exclaimed and Maggie spat out, "Excuse me? Bombs?" Rick waved at everyone to calm down and glanced over at Linney. He waved a hand at her.

"Why don't you explain what you found," he said and Linney rearranged herself, sitting on her heels and flushing a light pink with all the attention. "We found what we think are explosives, underneath every trailer in this outer area, all of them carefully wired, it looks like, and wired to each other," Linney's voice was flat, her discomfort at sitting on top of explosives clear. Beth spoke up then, her soft voice nearly too quiet to hear, "We tracked the wires, everything connects together and the wiring goes under all their metal and barbed wire fencing, into the main part of their camp, we think they can maybe control the bombs from in there."

Lori shot to her feet, her face anxious and strained, refusing to sit down even when Carol tried to urge her to. "We can't stay here," she insisted, her voice throaty with worry, "Rick, we can't sleep here, on top of bombs." He nodded at her, his face patient and he waved her down. "I know, just stay calm, please," he urged her, and she held his gaze for a moment before sitting down again. Carol absent-mindedly patted Lori's knee to help calm her.

"Look, for what it's worth, Grey repeatedly tried to convince me to move us all into their encampment, he is genuinely concerned about us being out here," Rick told them and Daryl scoffed, "'Course he is! He can't use his fuckin' bombs without us gettin' in the way." Rick shrugged, nodding slowly, "I'm sure that's part of it, but you know, if he can't use his bombs because of us, that puts his people in danger, too, not just us."

Linney glanced over at Beth and Rick saw the silent communication move between them, Beth's gentle face tightening for a moment as she pressed her lips together, widening her eyes meaningfully and nodding towards Rick. "Is there something else I'm missing?" He asked the two of them and both of them flushed. Linney nodded and glanced over at Daryl briefly before turning to Rick.

"We overheard two of their men chatting today, they were talking about another group, not ours," she began and everyone sat rapt as she continued, "It sounds like this other group is trying to hunt out Grey's encampment, makes me wonder if the other group got its hands on one of Grey's people, found out enough about this place to want a slice, but not where it is." Linney got to her feet and began pacing, gesturing with her hands.

"With all the safeguards here, all the precautions, and security they have, Grey's men sounded legit scared about this other group. They said that if they didn't stop them out on the road, if the group got here, nothing would be able to stop them from doing whatever they wanted." Linney looked down at Daryl again and then back up at Rick and he internally flinched at the disquiet in her normally fearless green eyes. "I don't know what the history is, but if all of this," she gestured around herself, "Isn't enough for Grey's people to feel safe from another group, then I'm pretty fucking sure we don't be around when and if this other group shows up."

"It sounds personal," Carol spoke quietly and Linney looked over at her and nodded. "I thought so to, like maybe Grey and this other group's leader had a beef with each other," Linney agreed and looked back to Rick. "I think between this other group, and the bombs below us, this place may be too good to true," she concluded and he took in a gigantic breath, sighing it out thoughtfully. He got up and moved to the window by the front door and stared out at the dark night.

"Either way, we aren't going to solve this tonight," Rick said, not turning away from the window, "I'll talk to Grey in the morning."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

After their gathering, most people drifted off to bed. Linney had drawn first watch and was out on the tiny front porch with Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn. "We never should have come back," Glenn moaned for the fifth time, from his seat on the steps, and Linney gently swatted the back of his head. "Well, we did, focus on solutions, man," she scolded him and Maggie chuckled, snuggling into Glenn's side. Daryl was perched on one of the railings, smoking, and he turned towards Linney, who was seated on the railing opposite him.

"They followed me today," he said, his voice low. Linney nodded at him, a tight smile on her face. "We heard them talk about, they were pretty pissed they couldn't track you," she told him and Glenn snorted from his seat. "Like they had a chance," he muttered and Daryl smiled at him briefly.

"Did you find anything?" Maggie asked him and he shook his head. "Not much to hunt 'round here," he told her, blowing out a huge puff of smoke, "Nothin' wants to be this close to all these people." Linney clenched her hands into fists inside the pockets of her jacket and ducked her head a little, to bring her neck into the warmth of the jacket's collar. "They called you Robin Hood," she murmured and there was a beat of silence before all four of them started laughing quietly.

"They got guys out there, in blinds, in the trees, all 'round this place, even down by the water," Daryl told them and Linney imagined what lonely and cold guard shifts the people out there must have to sit through. He sighed and arched his shoulders for a moment, grinding his smoke out on the railing next to him. "They're scared a somethin'," he told them and Maggie shivered a little.

"I can't imagine the kind of threat that would scare these people," she muttered and Glenn looked over at her, his own face tightening in worry. Linney looked around at the tidy rows of trailers, hers eyes catching on the ones she knew were baited traps, and the ones she knew were little more than guard shacks.

"A monster," she whispered and Daryl climbed off the railing and put a hand on her arm, urging her down to stand in front of him. He opened his jacket and wrapped it around her, pressing her into his chest as he held his jacket closed around her back.

"We should go inside," he murmured and she nodded. They filed inside and saw Rick in the middle of a serious conversation with Lori, which they abruptly ended at their entrance. Lori nodded at them all and swallowed, swiping a hand across her eyes before leaving the room, rushing down the hallway to their room. Rick cleared his throat and looked at Linney. "All set for watch?" He asked casually, and she nodded, waving to Glenn and Maggie as they made their way down the hall.

"I'll see you in the morning then," Rick said and left the two of them alone in the darkened living room. Daryl threw his jacket over a chair at the dining table and helped Linney pull hers off too. "You wake me in a few hours," he told her. He had pulled second shift, and Glenn had third. Linney nodded and stepped closer to him, tipping her head up to look up at him. His face remained even and he examined her face in the light provided by the one lantern for a moment before leaning down quickly and kissing her.

He walked away swiftly then, heading towards their room and Linney relaxed on the couch. She was secretly pleased she had pulled this shift, it made it easier for her to sit and think about the day, to process all the new and, frankly, disturbing information she had obtained today, without being too tired. She repositioned herself next to the curtain and gently flicked the lantern off, throwing the room into darkness.

It felt odd, not being on watch for walkers. Watching out for people was harder, they were so much less predictable. Although she was fairly certain that Grey had no intent to harm them, she was concerned that simple proximity to this place was putting them in harm's way. _All these people, all these guns, these walls, the bombs... who could be so bad that they would scare anyone here?_

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"It's nothing for you to worry about," Grey told him jovially, clasping his hands on the table in front of them. Rick eyed him thoughtfully and then leaned forward, his face calm. "My people are sleeping on top of bombs, you have traps waiting everywhere to catch the unwary, and your own men, guys that look tough as nails, are scared shitless about a faceless enemy intent on destroying them," Rick's voice was easy and conversational and he got to his feet, leaning his hands against the table.

"You can't tell me there is nothing to worry about," Rick growled, and Grey ran his tongue along his teeth and then pressed his lips together, nodding slightly the whole time. "Move your people in here, Rick," Grey said in a softer voice. "The safest place for them is in here, then it doesn't matter what we're up against." Rick pressed his lips together and stood up from the table, pushing his hands off it in irritation.

"Grey," he said, without turning around, "I'm only going to ask one more time: Who are they?" Grey said nothing and Rick nodded, pushing the door open and moving to step outside. _We'll leave immediately_, he thought, a heavy sense of disappointment pressing down on him.

"Rick!" Grey called and Rick turned around, raising an eyebrow at the man. Grey got to his feet and stalked over to Rick's side, every move broadcasting irritation. "His name is Phillip."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney sat on the roof of their trailer, watching Carl and Beth practice fighting moves with each other, calling out to them when they did something wrong. T-Dog was yet again their endlessly patient stand-in as a 'bad guy', and Linney had to admit she was impressed with all three of them. A brown head popped up over the side of the trailer, and Maggie scrambled up quickly. She grinned at Linney and sat down next to her.

"How's the fight club going?" She joked and Linney smirked at her before chuckling. She cast a hand down at the scene below, as Carl managed to neatly slip from T-Dog's grasp and sweep his legs out from under him. He still had the light sabers from the house they had stayed in and swept his red one down dramatically to T-Dog's neck.

"Boom, you're dead!" He crowed triumphantly and Beth giggled, passing her green light saber from hand to hand as she waited for her turn. T-Dog rolled his eyes at Carl as he climbed to his feet, before shooting a genuinely pleased smile up at Linney. She and Maggie looked at each other and laughed harder.

"You're a big softie, T!" Maggie called down, and the big man dipped his head in acknowledgement before turning on Beth, snarling as he moved towards her, zig zagging the way a walker would. Maggie's eyes were locked on her sister as she watched the slim blonde dart away, ducking and turning in the efficient way that Linney and Daryl had shown her earlier that morning, before sweeping her light saber around and tapping the back of T's head with it.

"Nice kill shot, honey!" Maggie called and Beth turned around, beaming at her sister. Linney leaned back on her hands and stared up at the grey sky. _Looks like rain_, she thought, her mood sinking. Rain this late in the season meant it would be hard and cold, close to little pellets of ice. She shivered and hoped that Rick was in the progress of fixing this whole mess somehow, she didn't relish the thought of moving on in this weather, but she also didn't want to be blown to smithereens, so she was slightly torn.

"It'll all work out, you know?" Maggie said softly from beside her, leaning back and mimicking Linney's position. Linney glanced over at her and shrugged. "It has to, I guess," she answered her friend. Movement in the distance caught her eye and she saw Rick heading back to them, his stride purposeful, his face tight, his hand hovering over his weapon, the way it usually did. She gestured towards him with her chin and spoke to Maggie, "Speaking of working it out; here comes our fearless leader."

Maggie looked over to where Rick was and they both climbed down off the roof. At their movement, the people inside filed out slowly, the kids stopped their fight scenarios and Daryl materialized from next to the porch, where he'd been sharpening weapons. Rick moved towards them and Linney felt her stomach tensing up, trying to prepare herself for whatever verbal blow was to come.

Rick put both his hands on his hips, and looked down at the ground, shaking his head before looking back up at them. _He looks exhausted_, Linney thought with sympathy, leaning against Maggie's shoulder, her friend pressing back; they both needed the support.

"I spoke with Grey," Rick began, "And while I don't doubt his sincerity in promising to keep us safe, we need to leave." Everyone murmured unhappily and Rick nodded at them. "He told me what's coming, the kind of man they're up against, the kind of group that man leads... we aren't going to stick around and have any part of that, we leave in the morning."


	87. Chapter 87

***** Enjoy :) I OWN NOTHING - except Linney and Grey and his people :) *****

"Please tell us," Linney asked Rick again, following him from the trailer to Hershel's truck. He looked over at her, a cross expression on his face as he dropped the bags he was carrying into the truck. "Linney, what Grey said isn't important, only that we are getting out of here, before those people get here," he said vehemently and she glared at him, resisting the urge to stamp her foot.

Rick turned his back on her and she made a furious face before yelling, "Rick!" He turned back at her angry shout and she stepped towards him, trying to keep her voice even, "Why? Why won't you tell us?"

Rick grabbed her arm and towed her back to the door of the trailer, where T-Dog, Glenn, and Daryl were organizing bags of food. He glanced at them and released her roughly. She put her hands on her hips and stared at him expectantly. "Grey knew him, this guy, Phillip, from right after things went down. They were in the same small group, holing up in an apartment building in a little town not far from here," Rick's voice was low and irritated and Linney could feel Daryl moving up to stand behind her.

"They disagreed over something serious, and they fought and it brought walkers down on them. Phillip's kid was bitten and turned." Linney made a horrified face and reached a hand behind her, grabbing for Daryl's. He squeezed her fingers and didn't let go. Rick's face twisted bitterly, "Grey left, with his family and a few others, came here, and a few of them started searching for survivors while the rest of them started building it up."

Rick paced away for a moment and then came back to them. "He says this man has amassed a huge amount of people, a lot of weapons, and has been hunting for their camp, but hasn't found them, yet." Rick turned to T-Dog, "You know your theory on Grey taking stuff from people? Killing them and saying they were bad, just to get their stuff?" T nodded and Rick continued, "Well this Phillip guy, he does that, all the time. He and his men will wipe out entire camps, killing _everyone_." Rick's emphasis on the word left no doubt in their minds that everyone including women and children.

"Usually it's night time assaults, they shoot up a lot of people and then just bomb or set fire to the rest, take what they need either before, during, or after," Rick's voice was filled with heavy disgust and Linney could feel her stomach curdling. "So how sure is it that they'll find this place this winter?" Glenn asked, his voice surprisingly hard. Rick looked over at him and nodded, looking away quickly before meeting Glenn's eyes again.

"They've got a couple of Grey's men, snatched them up on a scouting trip," Rick paused and glanced quickly over at Linney before continuing, "They aren't getting the location of this place from those men, so they are leaving pieces of them at the place they were grabbed, as a message for Grey." Linney felt her lip curling into a sneer and heard a grunt of disgust behind her, from Daryl.

"We need to get the hell outta here, tonight," Daryl said, his voice low and insistent. Rick shook his head and gestured around them, "It's not safe, we can't flee in the night, it's just asking for trouble. We pack now, sleep, go in the morning. Grey agreed to give us some food and medicine in the morning for our trip." Ricks voice left no doubt that he expected his orders to be followed and Linney shifted uneasily, squeezing Daryl's hand in hers reflexively.

"So," she said softly, and all the men looked at her, "Grey turns out to be a good guy after all." Rick's face shut down, growing hard and impassive. He headed towards the house, pausing only to say, "That doesn't matter." He went inside and Linney spun around, looking up at Daryl, trying to search his eyes in the fading light of the day. "This feels bad," she said, her voice troubled, her face pained. His eyes softened at her distress and he put a hand on the back of her cold neck.

"It's one night, little coward, we'll be fine," his voice was a comforting growl and she nodded. He kissed her hair quickly and she stepped away from him, going inside to insure their room was fully packed up. Rick was having double shifts pulled that night; she and Glenn were on first. Linney bent to her bag and made sure she had every knife strapped to her, plus both her guns. They had been given a huge amount of ammo that afternoon, almost like a peace offering from Grey, his man Mitch bringing it over. It felt good knowing she had more than enough ammo to last the next couple of months.

Linney's hand paused over the bag, staring down at her two pictures, laying on top of her clothes, and she reached for them. She stared at the one of the Dixon brothers and tucked it down into her bag, stuffing it down the side, securely. She paused, her parents in her hands, and nearly screamed when Lori spoke from behind her.

"Are those your parents?" Linney put a hand to her chest and turned to the Lori, who was wincing at the look on Linney's face. "Holy goddamn woman, you should be a ninja," she gasped and Lori laughed, putting a hand on Linney's shoulder and smiling apologetically. She nodded at the picture, "Is that your mom and dad?" Linney nodded and handed the photograph over to Lori, who stared at it for a moment.

She looked back over at Linney with a warm smile on her face. "I can see where you get your good looks from, Lin, you take after your mother and she was beautiful," Lori's voice was soft and pleasant and Linney flushed red, taking the picture back and hastily dropping it on the top of her clothes in the backpack. "Thanks," Linney managed, and Lori smiled at her and urged Linney from the room for dinner.

Her mind went back to the one time Merle had seen the picture and how mad he made her when he had whistled and said, "Whoo-wee, sweetheart! I forgot what a fine piece of ass your momma used to be!"

She had glared at him, resisting every urge to smack the lecherous smile from his face and had tried to snatch the picture back from him. He had easily held her off, with one hand, and she had stopped trying to kill him when she noticed his face grow heavy and unhappy. He had abruptly thrust the picture back into her hands, turning away and speaking in his rough, gravelly voice, "Your daddy loved the shit outta you, kid... what a fuckin' waste."

"Lin?" She looked up, trying to shake the cobwebs of her memories from her head and smiled at Lori, who paused ahead of her, at the other end of the hallway, watching Linney's face. "I'm fine, sorry, just a random Merle memory," she said, her voice straining with forced easiness. Lori's features smoothed out and she swallowed, nodding at her. "Come on, come have dinner," the mother said softly and Linney followed her towards all the light and sound in the living area, forcing her memories from her mind.

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"Glenn," Linney hissed into the dark, "I can hear you jiggling your damn leg from here, settle down, man." The noise stopped. "Sorry," he whispered back. Linney shook her head and looked out the window again. They had moved their cars earlier, away from the trailer and parked them over in the parking lot, closer to the gates, ready to go. Rick hadn't explained why, but Linney knew he was worried about being prevented from leaving and wanted to be able to leave, drive through the gate if they had to.

Everyone had gone to sleep a couple hours prior and now Linney couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding that had been dogging her steps all night. Apparently neither could Glenn, because she heard his leg jiggling start up again. She turned in her spot on the couch, towards the table where he was sitting and opened her mouth to tell him to quit it when she felt a low rumble and heard a distant crashing sound.

"What the hell was that?" Glenn whispered, and Linney got to her feet in a rush. "Go wake Rick," she hissed, moving to the door. She cracked it open and slipped outside before Glenn could say anything and made herself start moving, heading towards the heavily fortified section of the park. She stuck to the shadows and had moved one row towards it when she heard and felt an explosion, coming from the camp. The sound of screams rang through the air and Linney froze, crouching up against a trailer.

Her heart was thundering and skipping along at a rabbit's pace and she forced herself to keep moving. It was absolutely obvious what must be happening, especially since the sky over the far side of the park was now violently lit up in a hot orange glow. _Oh shit, oh god, oh shit_, she thought in a panic as she got closer. When she was at the end of the last row, she scrambled quickly up on top of one the last trailers and got to her feet. The camp was chaos, the screaming growing louder as everyone scrambled. She could hear gunfire now, and saw that the very end of the once well-fortified camp appeared to be gone, a smoldering rubble left where it once stood.

Linney gaped in horror at the scene. There were many large trucks, and many men swarming into the camp, gunning down everything, but mostly firing off huge weapons that caused their targets to explode on impact. She felt an oily sense of dread creep down her spine and tried to make her legs move. She knew by now that everyone in her group must be able to hear the carnage happening in the armed portion of the camp, it had amped up to a fever pitch and Linney knew they had to run, had to go, before something set off the bombs.

A hand grabbed her ankle and yanked her down and she started to scream until a hand closed over her mouth and Daryl's voice hissed in her ear. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why'd ya come out here alone, we gotta go, we gotta go now!" She nodded against his hand and he climbed down, pulling her down after himself. When she heard the heavy screeching of metal, she knew that whoever had come, was making their way from the armed camp, into the big uninhabited section. She sprinted next to Daryl, his hand dragging her along and he made for the cars.

She could see everyone scrambling into the vehicles and there was a sudden huge blast behind her when one of the guard trailers went up in a huge explosion. "My bag!" She screamed and wrenched from Daryl's grip, meaning to run back to their trailer to grab it. Daryl scooped her up around the waist and ran with her towards their vehicles. "It's here, you idiot!" He yelled back and Linney saw T-Dog frantically throwing bags into the pick-up. She watched him grab her backpack and lose his grip, half the contents spilling out everywhere.

Daryl saw too and tightened his grip on her. "It's all replaceable! Get on the fuckin' bike!" He screamed in her ear and suddenly the explosions behind her began to go off like domino's. As Daryl nearly threw her on the bikes and the other vehicles began to race towards the gate, Linney looked back and saw the chain reaction of explosions ripping through the trailers behind her. She saw men diving for the ground and heard a lot of screaming and yelling. At the gate, Glenn scrambled frantically from Maggie's car, Dale's bolt cutters in hand.

He snapped through the chain on the gate and threw it open. They all sped through as she heard and saw gunshots, several holes being punched into the back of Hershel's truck in front of them. Linney realized she was screaming and clamped her mouth shut, tensing up, waiting for one of the bullets to hit them, exposed as they were on the bikes. Daryl was cursing roughly ahead of her and yelled back at her, "Keep yer fuckin' head down! Keep it down!" She ducked as low as she could without falling off, and felt his body curling over the handlebars, trying to stay low himself.

They tore down the road and Linney clung to Daryl, panting in desperation and fear. She heard more and more explosions behind them and knew that this entire area would be absolutely swamped with walkers within a matter of hours. T was in the lead, driving the pick-up like a madman and by the way he was moving along, she knew he had zero idea where he was going. Linney's mind was reeling in panic.

_Away, we need to get away._

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In the light of day, it was obvious that they weren't going to find any survivors in the rubble of the larger portion of the trailer park. The fortified portion was a different case, they'd been especially ordered to fire on specific targets, after days of carefully scouting the area. The leader, Grey, had been purposely saved. Martinez informed him in a quiet aside that there were specific plans for the man when they got back home.

No one knew about the bombs rigged all over the park and they'd lost a lot of men. Shumpert didn't think he was going to like the inevitable task of speaking to the women back home, letting them know that their men had died, but Martinez always made him do it. Saying it was because he always looked so sorrowful and pouty as it was.

Shumpert groaned internally and watched as the new guy, the racist freak, dug through piles of stuff laying around the trailers, tossing aside useless stuff, pocketing anything that looked worth saving.

"Yo, asshole! Wanna quit pawing through the trash and get back here, help with the bodies?" Martinez called to the man who acted like he couldn't hear them, his dry chuckle coming back to them on the damp morning air.

Shumpert exchanged a look with Martinez and knew his friend was thinking it would have been better if the stupid asshole had been left on the side of the road, where the Governor found him. They'd all talked about it, and no one could figure out what the hell the Gov saw in the man; but save him he did and now this piece of garbage was out with them, being deemed healthy enough to do so.

He bent to a burnt body at his feet, recognizing by the shoes that it was one of their own guys. The blackened and skeletal looking body croaked at him, reaching towards him slowly, dark flakes blowing off it in the wind and Shumpert winced briefly before shooting it in the head. "Can't bring this one back!" He called over to Martinez, and the other man looked up, shrugging. "Whatever, leave it there," he replied.

They both twisted on their feet when they heard the idiot pawing through the trash yell out a string of curses. He had moved out of sight, into the parking lot, and the two of them raised their weapons, signaling the other men to stand ready, as they raced towards him. When they got there, he had his back to them, and was holding a small piece of paper in his hand. When they got closer, they realized it was a picture.

When Merle Dixon turned around, his face was sagged into an expression that Shumpert wouldn't have thought possible. Grief. He clenched the small photograph in his hand tighter and his wild-looking blue eyes darted up to theirs, as if he hoped they had the answers he needed.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Martinez barked, and Merle lunged at him, growling, pushing Martinez up against the side of a building with his good arm, the photo still clutched there. He held the man to the wall, pressing into his tanned throat with his regular arm, while Merle's metal forearm aimed the huge blade on it at Martinez's forehead.

"Fuck you asshole, I oughta vent yer fuckin' skull," Merle snarled and Shumpert raised his gun, his eyes dropping down to the picture involuntarily. It was of a pretty woman, a young man, and small baby. Merle glanced back at him and the troubled, angry look on his face dropped away and was replaced with a large smile. He started to laugh, the sound dry and forced, and backed away, putting his hands in the air.

"Calm down boys, jus' a little fun," he said pleasantly. Merle tucked the picture into his pocket and turned on his heel, heading back towards the ruins of the main camp. Shumpert followed him, after a glare from Martinez, staying a few paces back. Merle marched straight towards their trucks, throwing up the back doors on one of the bigger transports. He climbed in and Shumpert followed suit, waiting to take him down if need be. The Governor was inside, standing over their red-headed prisoner, who was bound and gagged on the floor, his face bruised and bloody.

Merle nodded at the Gov and dropped to his knees in front of the man on the floor. "You had my kin here," he growled, the menace in his voice unmistakeable. The man, Grey, the Gov called him, glared at Merle before the knife on the metal arm was waved in his face.

"Man named Daryl, girl named Linney," Merle continued, his voice low and dangerous, "Prob'ly here with some fuckwad sheriff n' his merry band o' assholes." The man on the ground smiled against the gag, the sight ghastly when it became apparent his teeth were mostly gone and blood was drooling out around the already soaked gag. His auburn eyebrows drew down into a glare and his smile was angry. He shook his head at Merle, laughing at him behind the gag.

Merle cocked his hand back to punch the man, when the Gov's own hand whipped out, grabbed Merle's arm.

"Merle!" His voice cracked out commandingly, once, and Merle clenched his jaw, baring his teeth in rage at the man on the ground, before obediently getting to his feet and turning to the Governor.

"Now is not the time or the place," the Governor said in a low, firm voice and Merle nodded, swallowing and stepping back. He marched from the truck, the Governor and Shumpert following him. He watched the Governor pull Merle away, talking to him calmly. Merle showed him the picture and the Gov put a hand on the redneck's arm. He was reassuring the man of something, and Shumpert stared in disbelief as the Governor's words calmed Merle down.

_Can't believe that piece of shit has kin, or fucking cares about them. Never woulda thought._


	88. Chapter 88

***** Oh holy crap guys, I'm dying, I both can't wait for, and am terrified of, the finale tonight! Seriously, if they kill off Daryl I'm probably going to need a couple days to collect myself before returning to this fic! Enjoy :) I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"It's gone," Linney spoke in a choked and teary voice, and Maggie leaned towards her and gave her a sideways hug. They were seated on the floor of a shoe repair shop, where T had finally directed them, after driving crazily all night long. As exhausted as they all were, no one could sleep easily. Daryl, Rick, and Glenn were prowling back in forth at the front of the store, alert and on guard, unwilling to let their defenses drop for even a moment.

Linney tore slowly through her backpack one more time, coming up with the picture of the Dixons again, but not of her parents. She knew it must have fallen out when T-Dog accidentally spilled half her bag out onto the ground. She wasn't crying, she didn't think that was an appropriate response to losing something as silly as a photograph, but her chest hurt all the same. She and Maggie were sitting next to each other, leaning up against the back side of the cashiers counter, Beth's head resting in Maggie's lap, as she tried to sleep.

"I'm going to forget them," Linney whispered, more to herself than to Maggie, and her friend kept her arm wrapped around Linney's shoulders, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry, Lin," Maggie replied, brushing her free hand idly through Beth's mess of white blond hair. Linney sighed and leaned her head back against the counter, purposely knocking it on the wood a few times. _We barely made it out alive and you're whining about a picture, you idiot._

She knew that, without a doubt, they were lucky to be alive. She also knew that Grey and his people were probably dead, the threat they'd been the most worried about over the past couple of months had finally caught up with them. _And they almost caught us with it_. Linney looked back down at her bag and sadly zipped it closed before pushing it off her lap and onto the ground next to her. Their growing hope that Midway Estates may turn out to be the saving grace that they were looking for was brutally dashed now, all thanks to some faceless madman and his army of monsters.

She felt a heavy pressure on her shoulder and looked over to see that Maggie had fallen asleep, her dark head coming to rest on Linney. She stared down at her friend's sleeping face and then looked away, across the small space behind the counter, to where Carol and Lori were sleeping leaning against each other, Carl sleeping fitfully against his mother's other shoulder. Hershel was sitting alone a ways further from them, staring down at his hands, not saying anything and Linney had no idea where T-Dog might be. _Probably on guard somewhere. _

In addition to everything, Daryl was fuming with her, barely able to talk to her when they arrived here. She knew her stunt of running off alone in to the dark park, to see what was going on, was stupid, and she knew the defense that she had acted on instinct was not a good one. Even Rick was upset with her for running off headstrong and unthinking, again. She shuddered to think what may have happened if someone had attacked their trailer while she was running off, and she wasn't there to help her group.

Linney felt fidgety and wanted to get up and check out what was happening on shift, but the way Rick and Daryl had both ordered her to get behind the counter and rest, left her certain that her presence would undoubtedly be considered a bad thing. She examined her dirty fingernails and thought about all the gear and goods back at Grey's camp and wondered if any of it would still be there. _We can't go back, it'll be thronged with walkers._ In fact, she was certain that entire area would be smothered and dangerous, the noise, the smell, the fire, would bring down every walker nearby, effectively closing off one side of the state from them.

_We'll have to go another way_, she thought dismally, knowing that the other direction was one they'd initially ruled out because of how barren it was. _We have no choice._ "What choice?" She heard from beside her and turned to see Glenn, crouching down next to her. She realized she had spoken her last thought aloud and winced.

"I was thinking about where we go from here," she murmured and he nodded, glancing around her to Maggie. She smiled at him. "Wanna switch places?" She offered and Glenn gave her a small shy smile before nodding. They moved carefully and slowly and soon Glenn was holding Maggie to his chest. Linney scooted further along the wall and moved to the end of the cashiers counter and peeked around it, to survey the front of the store. She saw Rick, neatly hidden behind a pile of boxes, watching the front window, his eyes sharp, his expression wary and alert. She couldn't see Daryl but forced herself not to worry about it. _He's not a reckless idiot, like you are._

Linney finally grumbled to herself, and lay down, using her bag as a pillow. She squeezed her eyes closed and tried to banish the thoughts of the night from her mind. With her view of the world closed off behind her eyelids, Linney finally let herself dwell on her missing picture. She focused intently on the image of the photo, trying to burn the memory of her mother's face and her father's smile into her mind._ I can't forget_, she told herself, _please don't forget_.

She realized she had fallen asleep when someone lifted her head and shoulder carefully from her bag and her head was on a lap, resting more comfortably. She knew it was Daryl without opening her eyes, and brought a hand up to rest on his hip before dipping back into sleep, his hand heavy and comforting on her hair.

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In the morning, Rick knew that it was time to move, despite the fact that everyone was exhausted and upset. As he helped Lori into Hershel's truck, she squeezed his hand and he looked up into her dark eyes, which were soft and worried. _Worried for me, again_. He leaned in kissed her forehead and she held him to her for a moment before letting him go. He would have done anything in that moment to make her safe and happy, but he knew that was not likely to happen.

Midway Estates had been their best chance at anything like that, and it had turned out to be a massive mistake. He felt a slight twinge of guilt, knowing that Grey, and all his people, were probably dead. Only Rick's own paranoia had kept his group alive. _If we'd been behind those walls with the rest of them_... his thought trailed off, knowing that they'd certainly be dead in that case. The twinge of guilt came from not even attempting to help Grey and his people, even though deep down he knew that there wasn't anything his own small group could have done to help anyone.

He spoke briefly to Daryl, Linney, Glenn, and T-Dog, letting them know that they were going to continue south-east down the rural highway they had been on yesterday. "There's a small town coming up," he informed them, "Maybe 40 miles down the road, so we push for there, hope we can re-fuel and get supplies there."

Everyone nodded dully, all of them looking hollow-eyed and exhausted, except Daryl, who appeared the same as he always did, even-featured and cool-eyed. He thought Linney looked especially bad, and wondered briefly if she was sick; her skin was pale, her eyes heavily circled and bruised-looking, her cheeks more hollow than they should be.

He bent a little to look her in the eye. "Do you need to ride in one of the cars today?" He asked her and she shook her head, shooting him a weak smile. "No, sorry, I know I look pretty shitty, but I'm fine, just a little bummed out," she replied drily and Rick smiled a little at her description. _Bummed out, indeed._

He watched Daryl lead her back to the bike, talking to her as they went and she shook her head vehemently. He assumed that Dixon was trying to convince her to rest in one of the cars and turned away, letting their conversation become private. He climbed into the front seat of Hershel's truck and started to drive, taking the lead today. He was worried about what they might find in the next town, but knew they had no other options. With how tired and down-trodden they were, he was concerned only that they might have a hard time taking on walker-related opposition. _At least we have ammo now_, he thought, feeling grateful towards Grey for providing them with more.

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Maggie was mad at Daryl. She knew a lot of that might be fueled by disappointment and fear after the events the prior night, but she was still feeling pretty justified. She sat in the passenger seat of her car, fuming, arms locked tightly over her chest. Glenn kept glancing over at her anxiously. "Maggie, you gotta let it go, it's none of your business," he urged her and she made a face at him. He pressed his lips together and looked back at the road.

It was so apparent to Maggie that Linney was beyond heartbroken about her picture being left behind, that she couldn't believe that everyone wasn't able to see it. Maggie glanced over her shoulder, into the backseat, where her father and Beth were crowded together. She was briefly relieved to see her father finally sleeping and Beth was humming softly to herself as she stared out the window. _At least I have them, even if I forget mom and Shawn, I have them_, she thought gratefully, saying a silent prayer that she always would.

Linney hadn't wanted to tell Daryl about her picture, deeming her feelings on the issue "stupid". Maggie tried to convince her otherwise, especially since the man seemed to be in a especially foul mood over the loss of their safe haven and Linney's reckless run to see what was going on. "Lin, you're hurting, you should share that with him, be able to lean on 'im," Maggie had insisted that morning and Linney's face had shut down, her eyes going flat. "No, it's not important, it was just a picture," Maggie winced at the tone of her voice and then had waited for a moment to corner Daryl, determined to make things right for her friend.

She had grabbed his shoulder and he spun around to her, glaring down at her hand, and she removed it haltingly from him. "Look, I know it's probably not my business," she began and Daryl's face had tightened up into one of annoyance. She had pushed on nonetheless, "But, Linney lost her picture of her mom n' dad last night, she's upset." She had stared meaningfully at him, expecting some kind of reaction, maybe a dawning realization or sympathy or something.

Instead his expression remained the same and he had just narrowed his eyes further at her. "And?" He had asked rudely and Maggie hadn't known what to say for a moment, until she got mad, then she had plenty to say.

"And? What kind of a stupid question is 'and?'?" She snapped at him, and his glare deepened. "She's your girl and she's hurting, and I know you're pissed at her for running off, we all are, but I think she could use a shoulder to cry on, and it should be yours," Maggie's voice was an irritated hiss and his lip had twitched at her, pulling into a sneer.

"Ya'll should mind yer own fuckin' business," he growled at her. When he moved to turn away, she had leapt in front of him, putting herself in his path, widening her eyes in frustration. "Oh, would you just listen for one second?!" She exclaimed in a whisper and the expression on his face pulled into an expression designed to scare her off, she knew, but she stubbornly held her ground.

"Even if you just pretended for a moment that you actually cared about the things she won't say, that might help," she hissed at him, "Just saying you know she lost it, and that she's sad, and that you're sorry, would mean a lot to her." He looked furious at her. "You don't know a fuckin' thing 'bout either of us," he had said gruffly in return, "Now back the fuck off n' keep outta my business." Maggie had watched him walk away, and wanted to throw something at the back of his idiot head.

When Glenn approached her afterwards and she related everything to him in a huff, she was doubly irritated when he didn't agree with her. "Maggie, just let them deal with their own shit, this is all hard enough," he said quietly and when she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, he continued earnestly. "If Lin wants something, she'll get it, and if she wanted him to sympathize with her, then she'd get it, so just let it go."

Maggie stared out the window, at the bike in front of them, Linney's pink hat looking out of place on the back of it. She watched her friend rest her head against Daryl's shoulder, a smile of her face as her mouth moved. Maggie realized the girl must be taking advantage of the open road, and the noise of the wind to sing to herself and chuckled. _Ok, well she doesn't look that upset_, Maggie thought to herself and then flushed when she realized that she really may have over-stepped her bounds with Daryl this morning.

_Was I just itching for a fight_? Maggie leaned her head back wearily on the seat and closed her eyes, vowing that she'd bite her tongue and not interfere; she'd just be the shoulder her friend needed, instead.

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As they drove along, Linney relaxed against Daryl's back and tried to distract herself. She was purposely forcing herself to relinquish her feelings about losing the irreplaceable connection to her old life, using the tools she had learned to rely on so heavily throughout her entire life; burying her emotions beneath a layer of denial and uncertainty, so they could explode to the surface at a later time.

Her mind was fighting, bucking against her, not willing to allow her to let it go, seemingly determined to make her experience her own emotions. So, she started to sing to herself, like she had when she was a little girl, clouding her mind with lyrics and imagery to force the bad thoughts away. She remembered her favorite song when she was a kid and began to sing to herself, happy that the wind buffeting around her was loud and choppy, pulling the soft words from her mouth as she sang them, and blowing them down the highway behind them.

_We would shout and swim about_

_The coral that lies beneath the waves_

_Oh what joy for every girl and boy_

_Knowing they're happy and they're safe._

She ran through the entire song several times until she was sufficiently distracted and able to chuckle at herself. When they slowed, approaching the limits of the small town Rick was leading them to, Linney straightened up, looking around in anticipation. She felt Daryl similarly tense in front of her and when they finally pulled off at gas station, she scrambled quickly off the bike, checking her knives and her guns were straight and accessible.

There weren't many walkers in the small parking lot, less than a dozen, but Linney knew she wasn't the only one itching for a fight when Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn, and Maggie all moved quickly towards them and together, she and her group obliterated the threat. Linney collected the two knives she'd thrown, wiping them off on the walkers' shirts and looked around, almost eager for more. She saw everyone else turning around and around too and wondered if they had all lost their minds a little bit together, they all seemed suddenly possessed with the need to kill something. _It's the only enemy available_.

Rick signaled them to pull the vehicles closer and once they were there, Glenn and T-Dog immediately set about getting the gas they needed. Daryl appeared at her arm and elbowed her lightly. "C'mon, let's clear that store," he said in a quiet voice and she looked up at him and nodded. They moved towards the door and he nodded at her. She tapped lightly on the glass and they heard noise from inside. She stepped back and let him pull the door open and they paused, waiting to see if anything would rush towards them.

They could hear the familiar sounds of a walker, and she knew that it was probably stuck. He nodded at her again, pointing inside with his crossbow and she swept inside, looking around quickly. There were two walkers, one trapped behind the counter and another impaled to the wall, a metal pole piercing it through the chest, trapping it against the wall. Linney swept a knife out and heaved it quickly at the one trapped behind the counter. It grunted and fell, dead.

She felt Daryl's presence behind her and he said, "Get the one on the wall," his voice rasping quietly. Linney reached for another small knife to throw and he put a hand over hers. "No, hand to hand, kill it that way," he was staring her directly in the eye and she couldn't read the expression there, but she nodded, pulling out the giant knife at her waist and moving quickly towards it. She paused out of reach of it and then darted forward, ducking it's flailing arms and stabbing it in the face. She felt the bundle of emotions inside her lunge up, right to the surface, begging to be released, and she pulled the knife out of the walker's face before plunging it back in, crying out with the effort.

She didn't realize she'd been stabbing and stabbing wildly at it until a big hand caught her arm and stopped her. She looked back and saw Daryl, standing there, her knife arm in his grip. "You killed it, it's good," he said, his voice scratchy and quiet. She nodded and wiped the blade off on the thing's shirt before tucking it away at her hip. He pulled out a bandana and began to wipe her face with it. Evidently her wild release of emotions via psycho stabbing had sprayed her with some blood. When he was done, he tucked it into his back pocket. She felt wonderful though; she couldn't properly mourn a picture, but she could certainly unleash her anger and frustration over losing it on an enemy worthy of death.

"How're ya feelin' now?" He asked quietly and she looked back at the dead walker and shrugged. "Less like I want to kill something," she replied, a wry smile growing on her face. He chuckled and nodded. "Good," he told her and she moved to turn away, to head towards the small aisles of food. He grabbed her arm again and she turned back.

"I'm sorry 'bout your picture," he said gruffly, his eyes on hers for an instant before skating away uneasily. She cleared her throat and nodded, biting her lip. "Thanks," she muttered and he looked back at her face, examining it carefully, like he was looking for something. "I mean it," he insisted and she smiled at him. "Thanks?" She said uncertainly, not sure what he was looking for. He shifted uncomfortably. "D'ya need to cry or something? I can let ya cry," he grumbled. Linney opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again, not really sure what to say to that.

"Are you trying to comfort me?" She asked him curiously and he looked relieved, nodding slowly. Linney pressed her lips together and then guffawed, clapping both hands over her mouth, hoping she didn't hurt his feelings. He glared at her then and stepped back. "I fuckin' told her ya'd be fine," he growled and Linney stepped closer. "Did Maggie tell you to talk to me?" She asked him in surprise and he nodded slowly, peering at her through narrowed eyes.

Linney laughed again, and stood on her tip toes to kiss him lightly on his frowning mouth. "I appreciate it, but honestly, killing a couple walkers made me feel better than a long talk," she said and he stared at her evenly. "You know I care how yer doin', right?" He finally asked, sounding like he was choking on his words and she blinked at him a few times. "Of course I do," she replied dumbly and he relaxed and turned his back on her. "We need to collect the food," he said shortly and she turned away to a row of chips, running the whole strange sequence through her mind.

_I think that was a Dixon version of a heart to heart._

_***** Good luck with the finale today people, seriously I have like zero fingernails left to bite! *****_


	89. Chapter 89

***** Holy Hannah, how about last night's episode, eh? Thought my heart was going to explode, I was so on edge the entire time! And now we have to wait 7 months for more! Enjoy guys :) I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

They found shelter that night in a run-down, ugly, filthy, little home. Linney recognized a lot of the decor from her old life. _It probably didn't look much different back in the day,_ she thought, looking askance at the ground she was sitting on.

"I don't feel great about sleeping in here," Glenn whispered to Maggie and Linney chuckled. The only good thing about the place was the little fire place and after they made sure all the curtains were tightly drawn, they built a small fire in it, offering light and warmth for the night. Carol was over the moon about being able to properly heat up their dinners that night, even if it was just beans.

"Mom," Carl said, scooping up a mouthful from his can and looking up at his mother, "I don't think I like beans anymore." Lori gave him a rueful smile and rubbed his back. "I know baby, but it's food and we should be grateful," she replied and he nodded slowly before turning back to his food. Linney leaned against the wall, propping her feet up on her backpack and ate her can of beans methodically, not even aware of the flavor anymore.

"Shove over, make a little room for me," Daryl said to her in a low voice, one of his big boots tapping at the side of her feet on the bag. She smiled without looking over and made room on the backpack for his feet. He had inhaled his dinner and was resting against the wall next to her. The distance of her legs to the bag was too short for his feet to rest properly on it and they hung over the edge. Rick was sitting next to the window, his dinner growing cold beside him, as he watched the outdoors through the side of the curtains. Linney watched him watching the front lawn and wondered if and when he'd let them know what his plan might be for the winter.

The freezing rain the other night made it clear that they were definitely edging closer towards winter, and even though she knew it wasn't set it stone that they'd get snow this year, she was concerned that they might. _Even without snow, it'll be too cold without proper protection_, she thought, eyeing up Beth and Lori. "You look tired," Daryl said to her, his voice quiet enough that their conversation wouldn't be overheard. She turned her head on the wall and gave him what she knew was a wan smile.

"I'm fine, it's been a long couple days," she replied, setting her food off to the side, not fully finished. He nodded his chin towards it. "Finish yer damn dinner," he ordered her and her nose crinkled. "I'm not really hungry," she told him and his eyes narrowed down to suspicious slits. "You ain't barely eaten all day," he accused her, his voice like gravel, "Gettin' too skinny." She glared at him and picked the can up, deliberately taking one more bite. She chewed while glaring at him and his expression didn't relent.

"Need to take a piss," he grumbled, getting to his feet and she waved a hand at him distractedly. "Don't fall in," she muttered and he grunted something before saying, "Finish yer damn food." Linney waited until he left the room and then quickly scooted across the floor. She used her spoon to plunk a scoopful of beans in to first Lori's, then Carl's, then Beth's cans, dividing what was left evenly. Lori opened her mouth to protest and Linney held up a hand to stay them. "Just eat it, Lori," she insisted in a soft voice and Lori nodded reluctantly.

Linney put her can in the garbage and caught Rick's eye briefly, his expression intense. She looked away quickly and scurried back to her bag, resting her feet on it again. When Daryl reappeared she smiled at him and he settled down next to her, using an arm to urge her against him.

"Here," Carol said softly, a little while later, handing them a couple blankets. Daryl took them, dipping his head at her in thanks. Carol handed out the rest of the bedding and they all hunkered down to sleep. Rick insisted on first watch that night, Maggie taking second, and Hershel had argued with Linney earlier before winning third. Linney shoved her bag at Daryl and he looked at her quizically.

"You need a pillow," she said, "And you're my pillow, so just take it." He nodded at her, a small smirk on his lips before stuffing it under his head. "We can share one blanket, right?" She asked him softly, her eyes darting over to Carl and Beth. His expression softened for a moment and he nodded again. "Yeah, you ain't very big, go ahead," he told her. She tiptoed over to where Beth and Carl were sleeping, in between Hershel and Lori. She held a finger up to her lips to Lori's questioning look and quickly spread the blanket over the two youngest in their group, adding to their own.

Hershel nodded his head at her, a grateful smile on his face and Linney moved back to Daryl's side, laying against him, happy that he would be able to sleep the whole night through with her. She made sure the blanket covered them both and snuggled her head into his shoulder. The fire was dying slowly and the room was much more dim, but when she tilted her head up to look at him she saw his eyes still open. "Go to sleep, Dixon," she whispered and he turned an eye down to look at her.

"Maybe if you quit talkin' I will," he answered and she rolled her eyes at him, before turning her head down again. His arm came up around her and it wasn't long until they were both asleep.

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It wasn't lost on him how people in this group sacrificed for his family. He watched Linney give up the rest of her dinner for the kids and Lori, knowing that Glenn and Maggie had done the same thing at breakfast, Carol following suit at lunch. The only pillow they had right now was beneath Lori's weary head, and Rick knew that Carl and Beth would sleep more warmly than anyone tonight.

He sighed, his eyes yet again trailing over his sleeping group, and then he looked out the window. A part of him felt like he should be putting a stop to it, not letting anyone sacrifice that way for others, but he couldn't. He worried almost around the clock about Lori, the baby, Carl, even Beth. The weakest in the group made him ferociously protective and he recognized the same glint in the eyes of the others.

He mulled over plans for the next day and looked up in surprise when he noticed Hershel sitting down next to him. "You should let me take your shift, Rick," the older man said, his voice low and rumbling. Rick shook his head before rubbing briefly at his eyes. Hershel glanced back at the group and nodded his chin towards where Carol was sleeping, next to Lori. "Carol has offered to take third shift; she and I can both sleep in the cars during the day, Maggie too, but you need to sleep, to stay alert," the man went on and Rick looked away.

"I'm fine," Rick said shortly and Hershel put a hand on his arm. "No, Rick, you're not, and we're in one little room here, anyone on watch could alert the rest of you in mere seconds, there is no need for the strongest here to take night watch if we're safe, you all should save your strength for the days," he nodded with his chin towards the window, "For when we're out there." Rick opened his mouth to protest but closed it again when he saw both the conviction in Hershel's eyes and the sense in his words.

"Alright," Rick said quietly, getting to his feet, "I will. Thank you." If Hershel was surprised by his acquiescence, he didn't show it and Rick clapped a hand gently on the man's back. He moved across the room, picking up Hershel's blanket and bag, laying down by Lori and Carl's feet, putting himself between them and the doorway to the room. He settled his head on his arm and closed his eyes, forcing himself to turn everything off and focus only sleep. It took him a long time, but he managed to fall into a deep, much needed slumber.

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Linney grunted with effort, forcing her knife through the walker's head before pulling it out and moving on to the next one. She danced around it and stabbed it through the back of it's rotting skull and flinched when one of Daryl's arrows shot past her head, thunking into the face of a walker right behind her. She smiled briefly at him and grit her teeth, yanking the knife free. She heard cursing and saw Maggie pulling and pulling on her crowbar, which was stuck in the walker she'd just taken down.

"Need help?" Linney called to her and Maggie grimaced, shaking her head. "Almost... Got it..." she grunted, her voice strained and thick as she pulled. It came free suddenly and Maggie lost her balance, falling to her behind hard. Linney suppressed a laugh and moved over to her friend, extending a hand to her. The girl climbed to her feet and gestured across the lot, to where T-Dog and Glenn were swinging wildly at the walkers they were killing there.

They jogged over and Linney threw a blade, taking out one walker, then slammed her big knife through another's forehead before retrieving the thrown knife. Glenn was panting as he swung the metal pipe in his hands, smashing in the entire forehead of the walker in front of him.

"Goddamn, this is hard work," T-Dog muttered before bashing in the head of another walker. Linney nodded at him and walked away calmly, towards where Rick and Beth were watching Carl as he approached three walkers alone. Carl shoved the fireplace poker into the head of a huge man, his arms swinging wildly towards Carl, and then jumped backwards as the man fell forward, his legs snapping grossly at the calves as he tipped towards the ground.

Carl reared back, ready to kill the next one when Linney whistled at him. He turned to her, putting his back to the walker that was four feet away and scowled. "What? I'm busy!" He insisted and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Save a couple for Beth, she needs the practice," Linney told him, her voice instructional. He nodded and took a deep breath, stepping back. Beth smiled at him and then looked over at Linney who had just reached her side.

Together they stepped over to a thin, rotted woman in what looked a torn jogging suit. "Ok, Beth, I know it's not the same, but you remember the moves, I want you to pretend she's running at you," Linney told her and Beth's face became grim and determined, her own fireplace poker, gleaned from the small, dirty house, in her hand. The girl stepped towards the walker, ducking under it's flailing arms, spinning quickly, her blonde ponytail sailing out around her. She brought the poker up and around in one smooth motion and plunged it through the back of the walker's head. Beth turned to Linney, a huge, proud smile on her face.

Linney gave her a thumbs up and then pulled a theatrically horrified face. "Oh no, Greene, that other guy is right behind you!" Linney's voice was alarmed and she gestured at Beth impatiently. "It's all one move, remember? Don't pause to celebrate, you keep the flow going!" Linney coached and Beth nodded quickly, spinning towards the next walker, ducking, turning, stabbing. The movement was graceful, even if she hadn't followed the entire exercise the way Linney wished she had.

Beth liked praise, and so did Carl, but Carl would have swept through all the walkers, not paused to celebrate or look around for encouragement. It was a habit that Linney intended to break in the girl as quickly as possible.

"Next time, you don't pause, you fucking kill them all, got it?" Linney snapped at her and Beth nodded smartly, the corners of her mouth pulled down in a small frown. Linney clapped a hand on the girl's shoulder and relented a little bit. "But nice work, you didn't even puke," she said in a low voice. Beth's smile lit up again and Linney clapped her shoulder once more before walking back to Rick.

"Did we get them all?" He asked, looking towards Maggie, Glenn, and T-Dog, who were resting on the ground near their kills. Linney nodded, glancing up at him. "Sure did, boss," she answered and he managed a smile for her. When they had seen this house from the road, Linney knew without even being able to see Rick's face that he would want them to stay here as long as possible. It had huge, thick, tall, wrought iron fencing, all the way around the entire property, firmly planted in concrete, with an equally heavy gated driveway.

When Rick had them pull over she and some of the others had run to him, standing outside the gate. The yard was filled with walkers, who snapped and snarled when they saw them all grouped up at the gate. "Why aren't they coming over here?" Glenn asked in confusion and it slowly dawned on them all that the walkers were stuck.

It was Hershel who eventually determined that it was likely that rain had made the ground soft and wet over time, and since the yard was already muddy, with no grass, they had likely sunk into the mud, deeper and deeper as time went on. They had all been at least lower-calf deep. Their upper bodies swinging angrily and wildly at the group of survivors at the gates, but not budging an inch.

Linney knew by Rick's elated expression that this was the stroke of luck he'd been hoping for. The vehicles were moved into the driveway quickly, the gate closed and locked behind them, using their own chains and padlocks. Linney, Daryl, and Rick had cleared the big house swiftly, finding it absolutely devoid of walkers. They were able to take their time killing off the dozens of walkers around the house and when Linney had mentioned to Rick that this was a perfect training exercise for Beth, he went with her to talk to Hershel.

The old man had made Linney prove the walkers weren't a danger, which she did, dancing around one, making it swivel it's hungry head around to follow her, pulling desperately at it's stuck legs but being unable to reach her. Satisfied, he allowed Beth out and Linney found herself wishing she'd made everyone hold back and had the girl kill every last one of them.

Watching the slender blonde make her way over to Maggie, she amended the thought when she saw that despite her self-pride, Beth's legs were shaky. It was her first time killing real walkers and Linney told herself to slow down and not scare the girl. "How's yer lil killing machine?" Daryl said to her, making her start and she glared over at him. Rick chuckled and walked away, leaving them alone for a moment.

"She's not a killing machine, not yet," Linney said to him, her tone exasperated. He slung an arm around her shoulders and briefly kissed her forehead and she knew immediately, by that little gesture alone, that he was more relaxed and hopeful than he'd been since they'd fled the trailer park, over a week ago. Linney smiled at him and then nodded towards Beth. "I want them both to be little ass-kickers, better than me, better than you," she told him, her voice light and determined.

When he didn't answer, she looked up at him and his gaze was something soft and pleased. She shrugged, embarrassed for some reason, and stepped away from his side, grabbing his free hand lightly. "Come on, let's get our shit moved in," she told him, tugging him towards the vehicles.

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It became quickly apparent that the house had once held a group of survivors, like their own. They discovered one of the back doors was hanging open and Rick surmised that was how all the walkers ended up trapped in the yard, not in the house.

"Yeah, but a whole group? A whole grouped turned and no one tried to leave?" Glenn asked, his face pale at the thought. "If they grouped up early, they may not have understood all the rules, how it is now," Rick explained, "All it would take is one or two bitten people, or worse yet, someone dying and no one being aware that they would turn." They were all silent at the implications.

"I hate to say it," Linney added, "But it's survival of the fittest now, in it's truest sense." She looked around at everyone, at the hard and tired faces. "If your group makes it this far, then you're doing something right," she elaborated and Rick nodded at her. "Don't think you'll find many people unable to take care of themselves past this coming winter," he said to them.

They closed the back door, and prowled the house, trying to find what the other group had left behind. There were no weapons, but many cots, sleeping bags, lanterns, some first aid, some food, and happily, several large jugs of unopened water. "Better than gold," T-Dog said to Linney, as he hefted up several of the bottles to take down to the kitchen. She smiled at him and picked up the rest of them, following him down the stairs.

It was decided that they'd all stay on the first floor for now, and Maggie and Linney were tasked with sealing all the windows, nailing them closed, pulling curtains or putting blankets over the windows, to keep the light and warmth inside at night. The men began moving furniture from the large living area, replacing it with all the cots from upstairs. Between the multiple cots, and the couches, there was a bed for everyone and Linney grinned at her friend.

"I think my back is so happy it could sing," Maggie whispered to her, holding a hand down to Linney, waiting for a nail. Linney handed one up and nodded in agreement. After they'd sealed in the last window, they went into the living room, where Carol and Lori were putting people's bags and blankets on top of their beds. As she moved through the house, she could hear Daryl chastising Glenn upstairs, for swinging his hammer incorrectly, "It's a fuckin' nail, not a goddamn piñata," and Linney found Hershel in the kitchen trying to figure out how to set up a camping stove they'd found there.

"I got it," Linney said, nudging the older man aside and he smiled at her. "Thank you, Linney, I was beginning to think that we'd have to use this as a doorstop." She reached for a small, metal attachment and began to screw it on. "Hershel," she started, not looking over, "There's something thats been bugging me since the farm."

A quick peek told her he was waiting for her question. "Do you know who killed Randall?" She asked him, clipping on another part to the stove's lid. When he didn't answer right away, she reached for another clip and began attaching that, elaborating. "I went out there that night to do it myself, but I know Glenn wanted to, and Daryl, and Rick was considering it." She reached towards the box and pulled out a small metal piece that screwed onto the propane attachment.

"But his neck was broken. I think that rules out Glenn, or any of the women, that's a tough thing to do. And if Daryl did it, he'd have told me, and Rick wouldn't do it without talking about it first. T-Dog wouldn't do it without Rick's approval first, which would mean more talking," Linney grabbed a little propane canister and screwed it on.

She experimentally flicked the stove on, using it's built-in ignition system and smiled when the element lit right away. "Excellent," she said, clapping her hands together lightly. She turned to look over at Hershel, still waiting for him to answer and he raised one white eyebrow at her and nodded.

"You're more astute than people give you credit for," he said, his voice a low drawl and Linney smiled at him. "I'm a lot more everything than people give me credit for," she replied and he smiled. "It was Jimmy and I," he answered, not surprising Linney. She had long suspected it but didn't want to approach it, afraid she'd seem like she was accusing him, when really he'd been doing them a favor, in terms of ending a threat.

"We couldn't have that man on the farm any longer, he was a threat to everyone's safety. I knew Rick wouldn't be able to go through with it, and I couldn't stand the thought that anyone in the group would need to carry that kind of guilt or pain around with them, not after Sophia, Dale, and what Shane did," Hershel explained in a quiet voice. Linney was leaning against the counter and nodded at him.

"We would've done it, you didn't need to be the one to take on that burden. We're tougher than we look," she told him and he smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder gently. "And so am I." He replied calmly. She gave him a smile in return and he left the room. She watched him move away, finding her esteem of the southern gentleman rising.

_You are definitely one tough old bastard_.


	90. Chapter 90

*****Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

Merle Dixon made him nervous. He watched the one armed man warily, from the other side of the basement and tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. Phillip wanted him to help plan their first big expansion, so Milton couldn't argue with the redneck's presence, but he couldn't make himself comfortable with it.

"I think," Milton began, his voice soft and uncertain, "If we put a generator here, and here, we'll be able to keep that whole row active." He was gesturing at the map of Woodbury that Phillip had brought with him and circled the areas lightly with pencil. The tall man nodded, his face thoughtful.

"Merle, how many rigs do we have for the walls?" The Governor asked over his shoulder, not turning to look back at the man he was addressing. Merle took a step closer, crossing his arms in front of himself. "We got four right now," he rasped, "We can get 'em in place n' get the wheels off quick enough once they're in." Phillip nodded thoughtfully before waving Merle over imperiously. He pointed at the map and Merle bent to see where he was indicating.

"Did we finish the sweep of this area? All the biters gone?" Merle nodded at Phillip and a slow smile spread on the Governor's face. "Good work, get your men, let's get those walls up." Merle nodded and turned, leaving the room, pausing to shoot a mocking, devious smile at Milton on his way out the door. _He knows you're afraid of him and he likes it_, the smaller man thought worriedly.

"Milton?" Phillip asked him and he looked up. "Yes, sorry, once the walls are up, I'll have Martinez and a few of his men help move the generators and we'll get them hooked up," he informed the Governor. "The people can finally move out of that dungeon we've been stuck in, maybe spread out a bit in the safe zone, have their own homes," Phillip said, his voice solid and pleased, referring to the gymnasium they'd been camped in for a little over a month. Milton nodded and gestured towards their other lists, the ones that indicated their stock on things like food, water, weapons, and fuel.

"I'm assuming the runs for fuel will become a weekly thing, to manage upkeep?" Milton asked, adjusting his glasses on his nose. Phillip nodded at him. "I'll get Merle on that, we should have it continue until we have enough for regular usage and a large amount in reserve," the Governor said distractedly, and Milton quickly jotted that down on the list, a note for himself to plan a storage site and a method for keeping it accessible.

Phillip walked to the window and looked outside, watching Merle's men move by, getting a good view of their boots from the basement level. Milton watched him, watching them, and listened as Merle's distant voice, muffled by the walls, barked gruff orders at the men outside. "Phillip," he said quietly, and the Governor turned to him, a questioning look on his face. "I wish you would reconsider putting Merle in charge of such important aspects of rebuilding, the risk is too great," Milton told his boss and Phillip's face frowned at him, as he crossed the room quickly. He put a heavy hand on Milton's shoulder and looked down at him, his expression serious.

"I've told you before, I need to have every tool in the box; Merle is my hammer. He gets the job done, no matter the expense," Phillip's brow drew down, "We all have a role to play, Milton, and his is to get out there and make sure these walls go up and nothing gets in, and you know he'll see it through, especially if his pride is on the line." Milton swallowed, and found the courage to say, "You heard what he did to the man, Cortez..." Milton's voice trailed off and the Governor glared at him.

"He had a man who wouldn't take orders, he handled it the only way he saw fit, it was brutal but effective," the Governor's voice brooked no argument and Milton nodded sickly, thinking back to Cortez's ruined mouth, all his teeth kicked out, when they returned from their run. He'd lived, but would definitely make an ineffective walker should he ever turn. Milton had heard the whispers, Cortez had pointed out a deadly risk in Merle's plan to get a huge transport truck, and Merle had rounded on him, beating the man down quickly, using several derogatory terms.

"Milton," the Governor said softly and his round eyes turned back up to Phillip's face, "This is a world where, outside these walls, brutal but effective is the only way to live." Milton nodded dumbly, feeling pretty certain that they were always going to have a problem on their hands with Merle. Ever since their return from Midway Estates, a month ago, Merle had been more than just a brutish thug, he'd behaved slightly more unhinged than usual, the Governor having to take him aside for several pep talks to calm him down.

The rumor was that they'd unknowingly killed Merle's missing family during the attack and the man seemed determined to take that out on those around them, unless Phillip was there to calm and direct him. Milton wasn't sure if the rumors were true, didn't know if Dixon had it in him to care enough about the supposed little brother and little sister he'd lost, but he was fairly certain that all 30 of their people were at risk while Merle walked around, barking out dangerous orders and kicking in teeth.

"Now is not the time to worry about Merle, now is the time to get the walls up and the lights on before winter begins, to start turning this into an operating town," the Governor said and Milton nodded obediently, watching as Phillip left the room. His stomach turned sickly, knowing that he was probably off to the other room in the basement, the one where their red-haired prisoner languished. Milton tried to push the thoughts of what the Governor was doing to the man who had gotten his daughter, Penny killed, from his mind, not wanting to dwell on it. He put his list down and moved to the window.

As he craned his next to look out the window, he saw the men jumping into their trucks and saw Merle standing a little distance away, looking down at a small picture in his hand, his face flat and impassive. _What can he be thinking?_ Milton worried, as the man abruptly shoved the picture in his back pocket and stalked towards the trucks, swinging into one. Merle's eyes turned down, to look into Milton's as they drove by and the dangerous looking man grinned at him, making Milton scuttle away from the window, quickly.

_I pity any family that man may have ever had._

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"I'm really surprised that there's not more stuff here, you know?" Glenn said, his voice low and quiet. Linney brushed a hank of hair out of her eyes, tucking it beneath her hat as she looked over at him. He was gathering up the few cans left on the shelf in the little grocery in town. "I think a lot of groups probably scavenged the areas around them already, and then they died," she replied, matter-of-factly, and his face twisted into one of sadness.

"That's a crappy thought," he muttered and she tossed a box of tissue at his head. "Ow!" He cried, glaring up at her. "What? It's not crappy, just logic," she said defensively. She had thought a lot about it over the past couple of weeks, as she and Glenn went out again and again to scavenge for supplies to bring back to the group at the big, fenced house. He grabbed the box of tissues and shoved it into his backpack before getting to his feet.

They moved deeper into the store, heading towards the pharmacy at the back. "We've killed most of the walkers here, emptied most of the stores, and I think next Rick will tell us to hit the houses, and that's where we'll find everything," she reasoned and he nodded slowly, shining a flashlight into the murky pharmacy area. "Not looking forward to that," he murmured. Linney climbed over the counter, a knife in hand and gestured towards a door at the back of the small area. He shone his light there and they both saw the door jiggle slightly. The moved towards the door and Linney paused, a few steps back.

Glenn took a few deep breaths and then nodded at her before reaching for the doorknob and pulling it open. He stumbled back in alarm when the walkers inside pulsed out the door. Linney threw several of her knives in quick succession and it became apparent that wouldn't be enough. _How are there so many in there?_ She thought in a slight panic, drawing her gun. Glenn had his gun out now and they both started shooting at once. When the walkers lay dead, Linney shook her head briskly, trying to get the ringing out of her ears.

She bent to the heap of bodies and began to collect her knives as Glenn climbed carefully around them and peeked into the room. "Wow," she heard him say, his voice impressed and surprised, "All kinds of good stuff in here!" Linney made her way into the room and widened her eyes. The room was crammed full of medicine, food and water, a small boon before them. She turned to Glenn and saw his face was equally as surprised as hers.

"No way all those people were living in here," he said quietly and Linney nodded slowly, agreeing with him. She glanced over her shoulder at the dozen or so dead bodies on the ground. "I think," she began, slowly, "That they were put here, like a security system, or protection, to keep this little cache safe." Glenn's eyebrows darted up in surprise and he smiled at her. "That's brilliant! They would've thought that anyone that found this place wouldn't be able to fight them all off, they'd have to run, leaving the goods behind," his voice was slightly awed and Linney looked around uneasily.

"Let's get this shit and get out of here, I don't like feeling as if we're sitting in an open trap," she muttered and he nodded in agreement. They snuck out quickly, bags loaded heavily from their find and they eased along the side streets they'd used getting into the small shopping district, before tossing their bags into the pick-up. Linney clambered up into the driver's seat and Glenn sat in the passenger seat. On the drive back, Linney kept her eyes peeled, a lot more wary than she'd been before.

"We have to talk to Rick about this," she said suddenly, and Glenn turned to look at her in surprise. "Why?" He asked and Linney made an irritated face at him. "Glenn, come on, think about it, anyone who put a pack of walkers in there, thinking it'd keep people away, would have done so knowing that they at least could get back in whenever they wanted," Linney glanced over at him and saw he hadn't followed her train of thought yet. "That means they have numbers or big weapons, or both," she concluded and his face tightened in immediate anxiety.

"I think you're right," he finally said, his hands fidgeting on the door. When they were safely back behind the gates of the house, Linney nodded at Glenn, and Maggie, who had run over to help. "Can you guys handle this? I need to talk to Rick," she said and Glenn waved her away. Linney trotted towards the house, and found Rick in the back, on the small porch, showing Carl how to clean and reassemble his weapon.

"Hey Linney," Carl said, a smile on his face. She smiled back at him, "Mind if I borrow your dad for a minute?" Carl nodded and Rick rumpled his hair as he climbed to his feet, moving towards Linney. "What's wrong?" He asked her, as she lead him further into the muddy back yard. "That obvious, huh?" She replied and he raised an eyebrow at her. Linney sighed and gestured back the way she had come. "We encountered something disturbing in town," she began, before launching into a description of what they'd found and what they thought it meant.

"Someone could be looting all the towns around them, and hiding their loot, to come back for when they either needed it, or had the room to keep it closer to their own encampment," he said and she nodded, relieved that he saw that as quickly as she had. "What should we do?" She asked and Rick put a hand over his mouth, rubbing at the stubbly beard he was growing there as he thought.

"I want to say that we should search the town and strip their little caches bare," he told her, his voice rough, "But I worry that if they come back and see what's been done, they'll know someone's nearby and search for us." Linney twisted her mouth to the side and looked over her shoulder at the house. "We can't lose this place, Rick," she said softly and he gave her a meaningful look. "I know that, I know that," he answered. He paced in front of her, deep in thought, and she adjusted her weapons and buttoned her coat up, shivering a little bit from the cold.

"Ok, here's how we proceed," he finally said and she looked up expectantly, meeting his sharp blue-eyed gaze. "You and Glenn keep on with your runs, clear the rest of the stores, and as you do, start checking back-rooms, store rooms, bathrooms, employee rooms, that kind of stuff," he instructed her and she nodded along with his words, "See if there are more of these caches, but don't touch them right away. We should confirm our worries first before actively considering them a threat." He clapped a hand on Linney's shoulder and leaned down a little, putting his face on level with hers.

"You and Glenn take extra precautions, move like shadows," his voice was a whisper and a warning and she felt a shudder move through her unexpectedly, "Someone might be watching and I don't want them to see either of you." Linney held his intense stare for a moment before stepping away from his hands and nodding.

"You got it," she replied finally.

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"Maggie, remember to look where you're throwing!" Linney called out and the taller girl nodded before heaving a knife, this time embedding it a few feet from the target, instead of into the ground below it. Linney arched an eyebrow at her and smiled. "How was that?" Maggie asked her happily and Linney shrugged. "This time try remember you're throwing a knife, not a fucking dart, and maybe you'll do better," Linney said and Maggie made a face at her. Linney walked towards the wall, yanking out the knife, Beth and Carl looking on in interest.

She walked back to Maggie and put the handle of the knife into the other girl's hand. "Show me your grip," she ordered her and Maggie quickly put her fingers around the length of the handle. Linney nodded and put her hand on Maggie's, rearranging her fingers. "It should feel natural, but not like you're cutting something, because you aren't, you're throwing, it's a different grip," Linney said, remembering to keep her voice loud enough that Carl and Beth could hear.

Maggie tried to throw one more time, this time catching the outer ring of the target. Linney clapped her back, "Nice work!" Maggie flashed her a grin, retrieved the knife, and handed it to Linney. Beth glided forward, excited for her turn. Linney eyed her up emotionlessly. "Ok, show me what you got, Blondie," she challenged the younger girl. Beth smirked at her, flitting the blade through her fingers in way that spoke to the notion that she'd been practicing her grip in her spare time. Linney monitored Beth's stance, admiring the way she kept her shoulders down, her body turned towards the target, her head level and her breathing calm and even.

Beth tensed her arm and brought it up, her wrist snapping forward. The knife glimmered quickly as it left Beth's fingers and flew towards the target. When it sliced home, almost exactly on the bullseye, Linney resisted the urge to cheer and dance around. She was exceedingly proud of Beth, but she remembered learning with her dad, how he'd rarely, if ever, complimented her while he taught her. She knew that lack of praise created the burning need inside her to do better, be better, be so good that he would be forced to tell her she was great.

"Good aim," she said to Beth, forcing her voice to remain even and calm. The blonde smiled at her and collected the knife, bringing it back to Linney, who gestured towards Carl. Their knife-throwing practices, whenever they could fit them in, consisted of each person involved throwing until they hit the target, and then moving on to the next person. Carl stepped up beside her and she handed him the knife. He pressed his lips together in determination. He was not a natural at this, like Beth seemed to be, neither was Maggie. But he was determined, Linney had to give him that.

His hold on the knife was precise, exactly what she'd shown him, his stance a mirror of what she'd demonstrated and he hurled the knife, burying it right into the second ring of the target. Linney clapped him on the back. "You've been practicing," she said pleasantly and he nodded, moving to retrieve the knife. Aim was hard for him, he was used to the gun, it was like an extension of his arm and he could shoot true almost every time with it, the knife was harder for him.

"We all have," he said proudly, looking back at Beth and Maggie. Linney took the knife from him and tucked it into it's sheath. "Let's go inside guys, I'm freezing my nuts off," she told the rest of them, eliciting the giggles she was looking for from the younger two. Maggie walked slowly beside her. "Thanks for doing this," her friend said quietly and Linney nodded at her, a sideways smile on her face. "Of course!" She said, surprised. "I'm going to turn your sister into such a bad-ass," Linney said earnestly, not joking. Maggie smirked at her and nodded.

"Yeah, I don't doubt that you are," Maggie replied. As they ascended the stairs at the back of the house they knocked their boots against the outside wall, knocking off any dirt they may have picked up outside, before going in, neither of them wanting to bring Carol or Lori's wrath down upon them for messing up the home they were so desperately trying to keep clean and homey.

"Glenn told me about what Rick wants you guys to do, what he thinks is happening in town," Maggie whispered to her, as they pulled off their outside gear, hanging it all up by the hooks at the back door. Maggie climbed up on a counter and sat, waiting for Linney to remove and then reapply the sheaths of knives that went on top of her coat, as she took the coat off. Linney moved slowly, nodding at Maggie.

"It's creepy to think about, right?" Linney said, and Maggie nodded. "Do you think we should go? I don't really want to get involved in another turf-war," Maggie said, worry lacing her tone. Linney shrugged, attaching the last clasp. "That's for Rick to decide, he's not reckless Maggie, he's not taking this lightly, you know he isn't," Linney reassured her friend and Maggie pressed her lips together tightly before nodded and finally smiling.

"You're right," she said and Linney smiled, ushering her into the living room.

_I hope I am._


	91. Chapter 91

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

After canvassing several of the places they'd already searched, it became very clear that someone was using this small town as a method of storage. The last place they had visited was a doctor's office, and it had about 15 walkers locked into one small exam room. Linney swiped at her face, wiping all the blood from around her nose and mouth. _This place turned into a real bloodbath_, she thought tiredly. She and Glenn were resting in an exam room next to the one they'd been forced to clear.

When Glenn put his head up to the door and knocked softly they'd both leapt in fear, letting out screams, when the door pushed open forcefully, into his face, knocking him to his behind on the ground. After a wild scramble down the hall, they'd been forced to turn and face the crowd. _Thank god for the narrow hallway_, Linney sighed internally. She glanced over at Glenn, his own face streaked with blood, a bruise forming on the side of his head, where she'd slammed it into a wall trying to get him out of the way of a swinging walker arm.

"Sorry about your face," she said quietly and he looked over at her and shrugged, before lightly rubbing at the spot. "It was that or be scratched," he managed, before laying his head back down on the exam table. The flurry of shooting, stabbing, and crushing was on replay behind her eyelids so Linney sat up, determined to avoid it. "We need to get back," she said wearily. Glenn nodded, getting to his feet with a groan. Linney put an arm under his shoulders, making sure he had his footing and they crept from the building.

Outside, the sky was dark and she knew that Daryl was probably losing his mind, as well as Maggie. "We're long overdue," Glenn moaned softly, clutching at his head. "I know, we need to get back quickly, before anyone comes looking for us," she answered him, dragging him along with her to Maggie's car. They'd started driving the little sedan instead of the truck, both of them thinking it was a little more nondescript than the huge silver pick-up. They zigzagged the quiet back streets, Linney trying to be extra alert; she knew Glenn was probably feeling woozy and a little out of it.

When they reached the car, Linney cracked open the passenger door and dumped Glenn down into the seat. She heard the distinct sound of a car door slamming, not far away and met Glenn's eyes. "Guess they came looking for us after all," she muttered and pressed Glenn's shoulders down into the seat. "Just stay here, rest, I'll go let them know we'll be right behind them, don't want anyone wandering around for us after dark," Glenn nodded tiredly at her words and leaned his head against the seat.

Linney closed the door, automatically shutting it in the slow, quiet fashion they'd all grown accustomed to. She made her way towards the street, where she'd heard the car door shut, and she was just about to step into the street when she realized that whoever had shut their car door, hadn't done so properly, in the method Rick insisted upon. _Think carefully, that's not normal for us._

Linney glanced back at the car and couldn't make out Glenn's shape, it was so dark. She eased carefully around the wall and moved low and fast, to get behind a mail box on the corner. She peered around the edge of the box and saw that it was certainly not her group that had arrived. There were three large trucks in the street two blocks ahead, groups of men milling around them. Linney felt her breathing slow down and her muscles tighten in sudden fear as she watched the distant, shadowy figures go into the doctor's office she and Glenn had just left.

"I'm tellin' ya, that's the third place that's been opened up, all the biters killed," one of the men said. Linney saw them turn in her direction and ducked back quickly, her heart pounding. "We need to get down there, check the houses, make sure the fuel hasn't been touched," one of them barked. Linney pressed her shoulders into the side of the box and prayed they wouldn't go on foot, leading them right past her and Glenn. She dared to peek again and saw they were all reaching into the trucks, grabbing weapons, and took the opportunity to dash down the street, back to the alley. She heard the voices getting closer, many footfalls making their way to the mouth of the alley.

Linney moved fast, opening the car door, grabbing Glenn's arm and yanking him out. She pressed her free hand to his mouth and when he looked over, he saw how wide her eyes were. She shut the car door gently and moved with Glenn quickly, to the rear of the car. "Who?" Glenn whispered in her ear. She shook her head and leaned up to his ear, "At least 20, all armed, it's their stuff." Glenn's eyes almost bugged out, knowing exactly what that meant. The alley ended a few feet away with a tall chainlink fence and a dumpster behind them. When parking the car, it seemed like a great idea, either drive out, or if they were trapped by walkers, hop the fence and make a run for it down the other side.

The fence was not an option now though, it would make too much noise. "Dumpster," she hissed and he nodded. They raced to the open dumpster and climbed up and over the edge as quickly and quietly as possible. The dumpster had two lids, each covering one half of the huge metal box and right now one side was open and the other closed. When they were inside they scooted to the closed side and prayed that the darkness would hide them. She crouched shoulder to shoulder with Glenn and clutched his arm in both of her hands. His cold hands were on top of hers, gripping her just as tightly, and she could feel him shaking.

"It's ok, Lin, it's ok," he whispered in her ear and she realized that she was the one shaking, not him. The men were in the alley now, they could see flashlights quickly blaring up and down the brick walls and she held her breath.

"Gotta car here!" One of them yelled and Linney clenched her teeth together, praying they weren't found. "It's empty, man, forget it," another voice said and Linney felt herself nodding along at that sentiment. _Yeah man, just forget about it_, she thought tensely.

"Martinez, man, come on, leave the fucking car, it's not our type!" A deep voice called out and Linney and Glenn both tensed when they heard footsteps right outside the dumpster. She could see a man's hand clench around the edge of the dumpster and slowly reached to her arm, sliding out a knife. The hand unclenched and they heard footsteps move away. They stayed frozen for a few minutes longer, until it became clear that the group had moved on and was several blocks away.

Linney let out the breath she'd been holding and felt Glenn do the same. They crawled out from the closed part, as she tucked the knife back into it's sheath, and Glenn boosted Linney up. She sat on the lip of the dumpster and steadied Glenn as he climbed up, then they both jumped down and Glenn swayed on his feet. "Now we stink," he whispered and Linney let out a quiet, nervous giggle. "Better than being dead, right?" She asked him and he opened his mouth in the dim light of the moon to answer when suddenly a much brighter light flickered on his face and his expression turned to one of fear.

Glenn reached for Linney and at the same time she felt an arm latch around her neck and drag her back against an unfamiliar chest. "Don't move man and I won't kill your little girlfriend," a voice above her said. She realized this was the Martinez that the others had been yelling at and froze, turning her head to look up at him. He was handsome, with a dark goatee, his eyes were dark and hard. Linney struggled and the grip around her throat tightened.

"That's enough," he snapped at her and she looked back over at Glenn. "You the ones takin' our shit? Where are your people at? Can't be killing them all on your own," Martinez said, his voice hard and interrogatory. He hadn't though to pin her arms down and Linney looked at Glenn and whistled quietly at him. His face twisted in a grim look, recognizing the whistle as Rick's signal of "I'm moving ahead", and Martinez tightened the hold on her neck.

"What the hell? Are you a little bird? Jesus, what - " Martinez began to talk but Linney reached for one of the smaller knives at her hip and plunged her hand backwards, meaning to catch his face. He jerked at the last second and it caught his shoulder. At the same time, Glenn dove for the car, scrambling into the passenger seat, and pushing the driver's door open. Martinez howled and screamed and Linney was released. She spun and kicked him in the crotch and he dropped his gun. She grabbed it, training it on him as she moved towards the car door.

He was sinking to the ground, bent around himself, her knife still sticking up and out of his shoulder. His arm holding the flashlight swung around and she got the light directly in her face. Linney squinted and turned, leaping into the car and turning the ignition. They squealed out of the alley and she felt hands slapping at the rear of the car as the leapt the sidewalk. Several gunshots followed and the back window was blown out.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Glenn cried, and she knew Martinez's men had come back when they heard him scream. She thanked god that the men had chosen to walk to their next cache and gunned the engine, driving away as quickly as possible. They took a circular route, before stopping several blocks from the house. She turned the car off, and leapt out, leaving the keys in the ignition and her door open. She ran to the trunk and Glenn joined her there. "What are you doing?! We have to get back!" He cried and Linney grabbed the collar of his jacket and shook him, yanking him down to her level.

"Glenn! They know this area better than we do, they'll catch up to us, this is a decoy, they'll search this area first, instead of near the house!" She yelled at him and he nodded, his features settling. They grabbed their backpacks and extra weapons from the trunk and ran away from the car, the doors open, interior light shining, a pinging emitting from the dash, letting them know they'd left everything open. They ran like crazy, sprinting as hard and as fast as they possibly could, taking alleys and backyards, until they made it home.

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Rick could hear them before he saw them, their breath was wheezing and short. He and T-Dog raced to the gate, unlocking it and letting them in. Linney's eyes were wild and she glanced over to the truck, started up, lights on, Maggie and Daryl hopping out of the bed of it. Carol was standing next to the truck. "We were just going to come for you two," Rick started and Glenn grabbed his arm, shaking it insistently.

"I can't explain now, but move the vehicles around the back of the house, now!" Glenn yelled and Maggie leapt towards her father's truck without question, starting it up. Daryl climbed onto the bike with similar speed, pulling it around as well. When they had moved away, Carol wasted no time moving the pick-up after them. Linney grabbed T-Dog and pointed at the house. "Get in there, tell everyone to turn off everything, lay low, stay quiet, no light _at all_," she ordered the big man and he nodded curtly, jogging towards the house.

Rick put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to him. "What happened?" He demanded, and she wrapped an arm around his leading him away from the gate. "The people, the ones with all the stuff, they showed up, they know someone's messing with it, they almost caught us, had to stab one of their guys," she informed him, her words coming out in short pants. Rick stiffened and moved them both quickly towards the rear of the house, feeling his chest tighten with worry.

Glenn picked up where Linney left off, "They shot at us. We had to leave Maggie's car, several blocks from here, as a decoy. Hopefully they won't look here, but we don't have time to leave." Rick nodded at him and suddenly Maggie rounded the corner, throwing herself at Glenn, exclaiming at his appearance. Linney moved away from Rick too, and raced towards Daryl, who gathered her up into a tight embrace, holding her away from himself for a moment to look her over, his face angry and worried.

"Everyone, inside, now," Rick ordered, his voice tight with concern. They all nodded and went in through the back door. They gathered in the living room, where everyone was huddled. Hershel had moved all the weapons into the room and Rick nodded at him gratefully.

"I'm gonna make this quick: another group knows we are in town, but not where. They aren't happy and they almost took Linney and Glenn. She had to stab one of them to get away and then they ran," Rick looked around at all the anxious faces. "I want weapons divvied up, someone stationed at all the windows," he instructed them, and then pointed at Beth, "You will go between us all with any messages or warnings so we can keep it fairly quiet." She nodded at him seriously.

He turned back to survey the group, "No lights, no movements, no sounds. We should be safe here, but we'll keep an eye out; any person who steps foot on this property is a threat and you shoot to kill."

Everyone split up, and Rick stationed himself at a window in an upstairs bedroom. When he turned and looked across the hall, he could see Linney in the opposite bedroom, at the window there. The house was silent, everyone on edge and on guard and Rick forced his stomach to quell itself. _We'll be fine, we have to be fine, we'll be fine_.

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"She stabbed me! That little bitch stabbed me!" Martinez cried and the men around him helped him to his feet. He intended to track them down, her and the little asian guy, but he needed a bandage first. _Besides two trucks of guys went off after them, they'll report back soon_. They all jogged to the truck, keeping their heads on a swivel and he rolled his eyes in irritation when Merle stomped over to him and shoved him hard against the side of one of the trucks, next to it's open door.

"Let me see, ya fuckin' pussy," the redneck growled, ignoring the irritation on Martinez's face. Merle yanked the knife out of his shoulder without warning and stood in the light of the door, examining the blood-tipped weapon in his hands. Martinez looked away when Shumpert approached him, helping him yank off his coat and pressing a bandage to the wound, wrapping a long strip of gauze around and around the shoulder and arm to hold the bandage in place.

"That'll be fine," the big dark man told him, his face flat and always vaguely sad looking. Martinez nodded curtly and pulled his coat on gingerly. _Can't bandage my fucking balls_, he thought, wincing at the lingering ache there.

"I'll be good god damned," he heard from behind him and turned to see Merle holding the knife right up into the light, staring at it in total disbelief. He turned to Martinez and held the knife up. "Tell me what happened. Now," he ordered and Martinez worked to keep the worry from his face.

He recognized the look on the redneck's face, as the one he'd worn for a couple weeks after the incident at Midway Estates,: slightly crazed, thoroughly angry, and definitely dangerous. It had been over a month since Midway Estates, and the Governor had informed him about what they'd inadvertently done to Merle's family there. _Partially explains why the racist fucker lost his mind, but his fucking family is all dead, don't know what it could be now._

"We saw the car, you know that," Martinez started and saw Merle's jaw tighten dangerously, jutting out with his glare. "You left, I stayed, figured if someone came back for their car, I'd catch 'em. Sure enough, two kids climbed outta the dumpster, little asian guy and some girl." Merle slammed the knife into the seat of the truck and stepped towards Martinez. "Then what?" He snarled and Martinez looked at him warily, growing slightly pissed off with Dixon's weird behavior. "I had the girl pinned, to get answers, but she pulled a knife outta no where, stabbed me over her shoulder, got away, got my gun, they drove off - you all saw that, even you tried to shoot them."

Merle stepped away, glaring out into the night and then turned back to Martinez, his face hard and unreadable. "What she look like?" He snapped, his voice low and rasping. Martinez shrugged. "I don't know, some girl," he saw Merle's eyes tighten into a deeper glare and continued on, trying not to sound like he was tripping on his words. "Not very big, pretty, white girl, I don't know man!"

"N' she was with some asian kid?" Merle asked and Martinez nodded. Merle clenched his teeth and grabbed the knife from the seat before swinging around into the driver's seat. He got on the walkie talkie and informed the other groups they were not to kill those they found, the Governor wanted them alive and well. Martinez narrowed his eyes and climbed up after him, settling painfully into the passenger seat.

"Good call, man," he muttered and Merle looked over at him sharply. "Why?" He asked gruffly, and Martinez gestured vaguely at his shoulder and then his stomach. "She fuckin' stabbed me, then sacked me, asshole, I got some payback coming, knock her around a bit too," he said vehemently and was unprepared for Merle's reaction. The bigger man lunged across the seats, the blade flicking up on his metal arm, hovering over Martinez's face.

"You don't fucking touch anyone, _until I say so_," he growled, his voice a low rumble of rage. Martinez glared back until he found the knife point touching his cheek. "Gov put me in charge, compadre, so ya'll will do like I say or I'll fuck ya up," Merle's snarled warning was clear and Martinez nodded.

_That fucking guy, what the fuck is wrong with him? Gov's gone and put a psycho in charge._


	92. Chapter 92

***** Just want to say thanks to all my recent followers and favoriters - you guys are a lovely ego boost each time I get a notification :) Also, a giant huge thank you to all my reviewers, you guys are awesome and I love the handful of you that keep up with every chapter, letting me know what you think - I endeavor to be worthy of your praise! Enjoy - I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

The night went on forever. Linney felt like there had never been a time before she'd been watching the front of the house, and that there would never be a time after. No one approached the house, but they were out there, she had tensed up several times, hearing their engines purring off in the distance, seeing the headlights a couple times, and once, even hearing someone yell.

By the time the pale fingers of dawn started to reach for them, she felt dead on her feet. When Rick appeared at her side, getting her attention by putting a hand on her shoulder, she was too exhausted to even leap in surprise, only turning mildly shocked eyes to him. He grimaced when he saw her face. "We're splitting into watch shifts," he murmured to her and she nodded dumbly at him. He urged her to feet and she stumbled after him. Maggie was sitting where Rick had been previously, and a quick glance to the far end of the hall told her that T-Dog was maintaining his watch position of the night before.

"You and Glenn need to rest, you were both on your feet all day yesterday, and then last night..." Rick's voice trailed off as they reached the bottom of the stairs and she nodded. "But what about that other group, shouldn't we be leaving?" She asked him and Daryl answered from behind her, a heavy hand on her shoulder leading her to their bed as he spoke. "Watch shifts all day, me n' Rick goin' out tonight to see if they left town yet, then we leave in the mornin'," his voice was rough and Linney strained against his hand trying to get to her feet.

"Wait, I should go tonight, I know the town better," she insisted and Daryl shook his head, his hair falling across his forehead. "They know you, least the guy ya stabbed does, ain't safe," he replied in a low voice and Rick's voice came from across the room. "Daryl and I could be drifters, could be anyone, but they know you and Glenn, it's not safe," his voice left no room for discussion, but he went on anyways, "Glenn hit his head yesterday and neither of you is any good to us tired and injured."

Linney looked back up to Daryl's face and his eyebrow was raised at her, as if asking her if she was done arguing yet. She finally smiled at him and shoved her boots off, removing her weapons and dumping them on the floor next to the bed. "Fine, fine, you win," she muttered to both of them and was surprised when Rick shot them a relieved smile and left the room. Daryl squatted down next to the bed and watched her with narrowed eyes as she got comfortable under the blankets.

"You need to sleep too," she told him resentfully and he raised an eyebrow again. "I know that," he replied gruffly, pulling the blanket up higher over her shoulder. "Got some shit to do, then I'll be in," his voice was rough and she really looked at his eyes, seeing how tired they were too. "You better," she whispered, running a finger along the puffy look of sleeplessness under one his eyes. He smiled at her and then she was asleep, her body so weary that she didn't even know it had happened.

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He really could not believe the luck they had. Every time they dared to feel even somewhat settled, it was ripped away from them. _It's this area, it's cursed_. Which was true, he supposed, between the, at least, two large herds they'd tracked, the enemy at Midway Estates, and now this mystery group hunting for them here... _it's a sign, we need to move further away._ Rick rolled his shoulders tiredly, the rifle slung across his arms shifting, and turned to Dixon, who was prowling along silently next to him.

"What are the chances you think, that this group is the same one that did in Grey's place," Rick whispered to him, and the hunter barely spared a glance over at him. "Pretty damn good," was the grumbled reply and Rick nodded. The sky was dark again, the night cold, and Daryl had them moving at a pace that nearly made them invisible. Rick had no delusions about ignoring the hunter's instincts, Daryl was better suited for hunting and tracking than Rick could ever be and he was happy to follow his lead right now.

A hard hand on his shoulder jerked him towards the side of the house they were passing and Rick pressed against it, nodding at Daryl's signal to keep quiet and move forward. They crept slowly around the house, towards it's front yard, and when Daryl signaled him down, he dropped like a silent stone. That was when he saw and heard the men out front. They were all fairly well illuminated under the clear moon above them, and Rick thought that they looked like the kind of men he would normally toss into the drunk tank on a Friday night.

There was one truck, with five men sitting on and around it. Rick watched as they drank from water bottles, lit cigarettes, checked weapons, and leaned against the truck. "We ain't never gonna find them people," one man said to another, "Martinez is fuckin' crazy, those people lit outta here right away, I bet."

"Aww, ya know he's just pissed some little girl got the drop on 'im," another voice added and they laughed. "Right in the balls, too!" Someone piped up and they laughed again. Rick glanced over at Daryl and could see the grim smile on his face at that. Both men tensed up when they heard the quick footfalls of someone running. Another man arrived on the scene, younger than the others.

"Pete! What'd ya find?" The first man asked, dragging on his cigarette. The running man, Pete, grabbed a water bottle and took a deep sip. "Pretty sure I found 'em," he said between pants, and Rick moved to get to his feet. Dixon's hand shot out and held him down tightly, shaking his head without looking over. Rick could feel his muscles twitching in protest, ever fiber of his being wanted to get back to Lori and Carl.

"Big ole house, fenced and all, thought to myself, where'd I hide from biters and bad guys?" The other men laughed at Pete's words and he swigged another mouthful of water, "Hid myself next door and saw vehicles behind the house, some movement at one of the windows," Pete looked around at the gathered men. "They're in there, hiding out, watchin' for us, I'm sure," Pete concluded and the other men all moved to stand around him, by the truck bed.

"Show us on the map, then we'll call Martinez and get over there," another man said, fussing with a huge lump of paper. Rick knew in that moment that not only had they found their home, but that he and Daryl were too far away to beat these men there, should they drive away. He got to his feet and pulled his weapon. It was not something he relished doing, but he told himself that his group should be the only thing that mattered to him, ever. Daryl watched him and said nothing, only pulling his crossbow as he moved forwards on silent feet, positioning himself behind the edge of the porch.

When Rick pulled the trigger, Pete's head sprayed a fountain of blood and bone matter on the man behind him, and at the same moment, a crossbow bolt exploded through the temple of the man holding the map, and before any of the men could react, Rick took down two more. Daryl fired two shots from his gun, not wasting time with reloading the crossbow, and all six men lay dead, in under a minute. Daryl snuck forward, crouched low, and moved around the bodies, surprising Rick when he returned with an armload of weapons.

"We need to get back, get the fuck outta here," Dixon growled at him. Rick glanced back once at the bodies, and nodded.

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After sleeping deeply, waking up for second shift, then crashing hard into sleep again, Linney awoke the second time feeling vastly better. She went up and saw Carl and Carol on watch, the little boy's attention deeply focused on the front yard, barely sparing a look at her. Linney was proud of him, but didn't waste any time up there. She went back downstairs and spoke hurriedly to Lori.

"How long ago did they leave?" Linney asked the woman. Lori pressed her lips together and replied, "At least an hour ago." Linney nodded slowly, a strange feeling tingling up and down her spine. "I think we should pack," she told the pregnant woman and Lori put a hand on her shoulder and led her away from the others. "If you think we should, we will, but can you tell me why?" Lori's voice was soft in volume but firm in tone, and Linney smiled at her, seeing where Carl got some of his iron will from.

"No hard proof," Linney replied, a wry smile on her face, "Just a gut feeling, and I know that sounds stupid, but I think -" Lori cut her off, holding a hand up in the air. "Honey, you're gut is good enough for me," her voice was sincere and Linney chuckled quietly. She had Beth and Lori add to the watch upstairs and the rest of them moved quickly, packing supplies, bedding, as much as they could into Hershel's trunk, before stuffing the rest into the pick-up's bed. T-Dog had a tarp ready and expertly tied it down over everything.

Linney crept around the front and hid in the bushes by the gate, ready to open them the second Daryl and Rick returned, or open them if they needed to flee suddenly. They appeared suddenly, silently, and Linney whistled at them, so she wouldn't alarm them when she leapt to her feet in front of them.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately, pulling the chain and the padlock off and keeping them in her arms as she jogged with them back to the house. "They're closing in," Rick murmured and he gestured at her. "We need to get everything packed, now," he told her and Linney gave him a crooked smile, before placing the chain and lock in the pick-up.

"We already are, we can leave immediately," she said quickly and Rick smiled at her, his expression almost amusingly grateful. "I'll get everyone in the vehicles," he told her and went inside the house. Linney turned to Daryl, examining his eyes critically in the moonlight. "What happened?" She asked him and he stared at her for a moment, before replying. "Had to take some of 'em out," he finally responded, his voice low. Linney nodded at him and turned towards the house, but he grabbed her arm and turned her back.

He didn't say anything but he examined her face and she stared back up at him. When he cupped a hand behind her neck and leaned towards her, quickly burying his face in her throat, kissing the vulnerable skin there, she sighed. He spoke in a soft rumble against her, "Don't know how ya always smell so good." She laughed and he leaned back. "Me neither, I stink," she told him and he bent his head and kissed her on the mouth, hard, before releasing her and turning towards the house.

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"Motherfuckers!" Martinez shouted and Merle looked over at him. The man was furious as they dragged the bodies of their men away from the truck. "Those fuckers did this!" The man yelled again and Merle strode over to him, distaste on his face and irritation flowing through his mind like a churning river.

"Calm the fuck down ya stupid pussy," he growled at Martinez. Merle kicked a boot toward Pete's body, his head destroyed, "These assholes shoulda been on watch, shoulda been payin' attention," he leaned towards Martinez, his jaw jutting forwards in anger, "Deserved what they got."

Martinez turned away and stalked towards the truck they'd arrived in. Merle finally knelt at the body he'd been eyeing up since the moment they arrived and roughly yanked the bolt from it's head. He examined it in the bright light of morning and knew, could feel it in his gut, that this was Daryl's.

"Where ya goin', little brother?" He muttered to himself, idly wiping the bolt off on his pants. First the knife, then Martinez's description of the pretty little white girl who didn't hesitate to try and stab him in the face, now the bolt. It was true that when they'd found the sedan, it was registered to a Maggie Greene, but that didn't mean anything, cars could come from anywhere. He thought back to the house they'd found a couple hours before they had found the bodies.

There were cots everywhere, targets spray painted onto the side of the house, gouge marks all over them. _Hell, there were them tracks, too_, he thought, his mind replaying the images of the bike tracks they'd found in the mud around the back. _Can't be sure it was mine, but it all seems like it's gotta be._ They were all certain that the house was the one this other group had been in, there was garbage and tracks all around the house. He'd spent a while going over the tracks by the targets, noticing how many of them were small. _Could be hers, could be kids_, he mused.

"Merle!" Martinez's voice cracked out from their truck and he rolled his eyes before heading over there. "What?" He demanded and Martinez gestured to the front seat. "We're heading back now, they left and we aren't losing anymore men," the other man told him and though Merle agreed, he didn't like being ordered around. "We leave when I fuckin' say so, not before, dipshit," he snarled and Martinez clenched his jaw before turning back towards the truck, to sit sullenly in the passenger seat. Merle turned and looked back at the house, the heap of their men on the front lawn.

_Ya ain't gonna find 'em here, trails gone cold,_ he told himself, feeling a ripple of anger go down his spine that they'd slipped away again, so close. _Least ya know they ain't dead, ya can still get yer hands on 'em._

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They drove all day, frantically at first, then at a more even, measured pace. They stopped only once, at the side of a rural highway, to take a quick break, before Rick was ordering them back in the vehicles. He kept them going until the sun set, and then they pulled off into a small motel parking lot. It eerily reminded Linney of the one she, Daryl, and Merle had spent their first night in and when she saw his face as they climbed off the bike, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

He smirked at her as they cleared the rooms they were going to be using, even laughing as she swished the shower curtains around. "Can never be too careful," she murmured, and Rick shot them a strange look. "Story for another time, boss," she told him and he nodded before moving into the next room. In the end, they cleared two rooms, leaving the connecting doors open between them. It took them only a matter of minutes to get their gear inside and have the doors and windows shut and locked tightly behind them. Lori, Carl and Rick took one bed, Beth and Hershel the other, and in the next room, Carol, Linney, and Maggie were going to take one bed and the guys the other, although, with switching for watch shifts, she knew it would never be too crowded.

They ate cold food that night and no one talked that much. There was no lingering feeling of fear, no shattered emotions this time, and Linney wondered if they were all losing their ability to care about not having a home. Right now, at least to her, it was more than enough to know that everyone was safe, warm, fed, and that they had a roof over their heads for the night.

Linney took first watch in her room, T-Dog on watch in the other room. She kept her eyes trained outside the window, through the small crack in the curtain she was spying through.

She watched the slow, rambling, procession of a walker, casually and idly making it's way down the highway, past the motel, not sparing a glance over at them. It kept going and she wondered why. _Does something draw it in that direction? Does it have any ideas floating around in it's head?_ It stumbled over it's own feet at one point and landed heavily on it's side, before getting back to it's feet in fits and jerks, it's wrist now bent at an awkward angle. When it was finally out of sight, she turned back to look at the room, at her friends sleeping. Daryl was in the bed right behind her, facing her, but fast asleep. She examined his face, pleased that he couldn't tell her to stop.

She resisted the urge to brush the lock of hair falling over his forehead back and when he started to move around restlessly in his sleep, she worried about what he was dreaming. Whatever it was, she could tell it was not overly pleasant. She didn't wake him though, leaving him to his nightmare, knowing he wouldn't appreciate being roused. She simple leaned towards him and smoothed her hand along his face, gently and slowly, smiling to herself when he stilled and muttered her name.


	93. Chapter 93

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

"How many tattoos do you have?" Carl asked with interest, gesturing towards Daryl. He looked up in surprise at the boy and Linney chuckled, knowing the answer to the question, but not wanting to sound inappropriate or weird by leaping in with an exact count. "Enough," was Daryl's curt answer, as he pulled a flannel shirt on over his sleeveless one, hiding the one tattoo that had been partially visible on his back when he stretched.

"Did they hurt?" The boy persisted, watching Daryl button the shirt, his eyes alight with child-like curiosity. "No," Daryl answered, glancing over at Linney, an almost pleading look on his face. She smiled at him, wrinkling her nose in amusement. "You lookin' to get a tattoo, little man?" Maggie asked and Carl shrugged, and then they all laughed when Lori's voice floated in from the other room, "No he's not." Her tone was dry and even Carl had to smile.

Glenn was seated against the wall a few feet away, next to Maggie and leaned forward. "They had to have hurt a little bit," he stuck in and Daryl shot a withering glare at the younger man.

Glenn took it in stride and gestured at Daryl, "I heard some places hurt more than others." Daryl narrowed his eyes at Glenn and looked away, back to Carl. "Don't matter no more, no more parlors 'round to get a tattoo done anyhow," he said his voice rasping slightly. Linney got up from her seat by the window and threw herself down on the edge of the bed, laying on her side next to Daryl and Carl, propping her head up on her hand.

Carl looked over at her and back to Daryl, the avid interest in his eyes not waning. "Do you have to go to a parlor to get one done?" The boy asked and Daryl shrugged. Linney tapped Carl's knee and said, "They use a needle-gun thing that needs electricity," she explained and Carl nodded slowly. Daryl shifted forward, "There's another way, gettin' a prison tattoo -" he began, Carl leaning towards him expectantly, but Lori's voice floated out again, "No there's not." They all laughed again and Carl rolled his eyes in his mom's direction.

They were quiet for a few moments then, Linney enjoying the idle period with nothing to do, Carl fiddling with one of the light sabers, Maggie and Glenn sorting through the food and taking a lazy inventory, Daryl going over his weapons, Beth napping on the other bed. Carl turned to Linney with sudden interest.

"Do you have any tattoos, Lin?" He asked her curiously. "No," she, Daryl, and Glenn all answered at the same time. The significance of that wasn't lost on anybody and she could hear Lori, Carol, T-Dog, and Rick smothering laughter in the other room. Both Linney and Daryl whipped their heads over to Glenn who was slowly burning into a very dark red color.

"What d'you know 'bout that short round?" Daryl growled and Linney could tell immediately that he wasn't really upset, just trying to purposely terrify Glenn for the hell of it. _It's working_, she thought wryly, pulling herself into a sitting position. Maggie's face was remarkably smooth and Linney saw instantly that he'd told her already. _Good boy, Glenn, secrets are bad_. Daryl looked back over at her and she gave him a huge grin before slapping his knee and laughing.

"Oh calm down," she told him and he raised an eyebrow at her. She gestured at Glenn, "He met me at the store with Merle that day," she began and Daryl nodded, "I remember that, Lin, not some kinda idiot." She laughed again and gestured at Glenn. "He hid, with a bunch of mannequins, and saw me getting changed, that's all - scared the shit out of us both, right Glenn?" He didn't answer and she saw him staring at Daryl, worriedly.

Daryl grunted and nodded, casting a glare over at Glenn before smirking a little and turning back to his weapons. Linney met Maggie's eyes and they grinned at each other. The sense of laying about with nothing to do continued through the day. Lori had been feeling extra queasy the morning after they arrived here, and for several days afterwards, and Rick had deemed it time for a short rest, for her sake. Linney couldn't blame her, all the tense moments and sleepless nights over the past couple of weeks were enough to get to anybody.

By mid-afternoon, she was completely restless and got to her feet, wandering into the other room, pausing when she saw almost everybody napping, including Lori, pillowed up against Rick's chest while he stared off into space. "Hi," Linney whispered, and he looked over, giving her a small smile. "I'm thinking of heading down to the front office, see if they got any vending machines, extra pillows, gun behind the counter, that kind of thing. Does that sound ok?" She asked him and he held her eyes a moment before nodding.

"Don't go alone," he warned her, and she felt a presence at her back. Linney looked over her shoulder to Maggie and Beth behind her, both of them smiling. "We'll go too," Beth offered quietly and Hershel looked up the armchair he was napping in, suddenly very much awake. He had a bible in his lap and put that down on the table next to him. "No," he answered his youngest daughter and before Linney could open her mouth, Beth stepped forward.

"Daddy, I got my knives, I got my poker, and it's just a couple doors down," she insisted softly, "I need the practice and Maggie n' Linney aren't gonna let anything happen to me." Hershel looked above her blonde head, to Maggie, who nodded. "She's right daddy, we'll keep an eye on her, you know we will," Maggie backed her sister up and when Hershel's blue eyes moved to Linney's face, she didn't smile, just gave him a hard look. "You know I will," Linney told him and his features softened. He nodded reluctantly and looked to Rick.

"As long as it is alright with you Rick, it's alright with me," Hershel drawled in a low voice and Rick nodded. The girls moved back into the other room and put their warm things on. Maggie quietly slid on an empty backpack. Glenn was stretched out on the floor napping and Daryl was also napping, on the empty bed. Carl sat at the foot of the other bed and watched them get ready.

"Ya'll protect our menfolk, you hear?" Maggie said to him and he gave them a small sideways smile before nodding, the sheriff's hat on his head bobbing. Linney opened the door first and looked around, seeing the parking lot and road beyond it empty. Beth followed her, and then Maggie shut the door firmly behind herself. Linney nodded towards the office and they moved quickly, weapons in hand.

They encountered their first walker at the end of the row of cars in the parking lot. It had been resting against a car there and suddenly lurched up to it's feet when it heard their footsteps. Linney stopped, the girls crowding behind her. "Beth," Linney hissed and the girl moved to Linney's side. Linney glanced over at her quickly. "Do it, take care of it," she ordered, and Beth didn't waste a moment, stepping towards it, and raising the fireplace poker. It lurched towards her a step and Maggie made a noise, moving to push past Linney.

Linney's arm came up immediately to stop her. "Let her," she warned and Maggie growled. Beth ducked it's reaching arms, using it's forward momentum to help her when she shoved the poker up under the soft part of it's chin, straight up into it's brain. It gurgled and collapsed and Beth pulled the poker out, flicking it to get the gore off it. Maggie pushed past Linney then and hugged her sister.

"Good job, sweetheart!" Maggie said in a quiet voice and Beth shot her a smile before turning to look back at Linney. She gave Beth a small smile and nodded with her chin towards the office door. "Dinner bell, Beth," she told the girl, and Beth pulled away from Maggie and moved to the door quickly. She tapped against the glass with the end of her poker, leaving little dots of blood there. They waited and heard nothing. Beth moved to open the door but Linney reached past her and put her hand on the door, stopping her.

"Always knock first, it's only polite," she whispered to Beth, a smile in her voice. Beth nodded. Linney tilted her head at the door. "Tell me what you see, what you hear; don't ever charge in," she added and Beth moved closer to the door, her head tilted to the side, listening hard.

Maggie was watching too, and Linney knew the older sister saw what she was seeing, by the subtle change in her body language. Maggie smirked at Linney over Beth's head and Linney smiled back. There was a door, behind the front desk, that had a chair in front of it, it appeared closed, but it wasn't. Ever so slightly, the door was moving, indicating a presence behind it.

"I don't hear anything," Beth finally said, "But that's doors movin'." She pointed and Linney smiled. Beth opened the door and they stepped inside, the room hitting them with a wave of stink. "Ugh," Beth said, "Yup, one 'em's in here alright." The three of them moved quickly, getting behind the front desk. Maggie and Linney both raised their weapons and Beth slid the chair out of the way slowly before suddenly kicking the door open.

"Lin..." Beth's voice was a soft, worried, moan and both Maggie and Linney grabbed her, yanking her back.

They weren't at all expecting what they had found.

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They had expanded two blocks further than planned, and Milton was beyond pleased with himself. He had to admit, that as much as he hated the man's brutality, Merle Dixon got the job done. The biters were cleared with little to no effort, he and his men sweeping in and killing everything. The walls went up within hours afterwards, and in a matter of days, they had a much bigger Woodbury than before.

Milton bent low over the schematics in front of him. He prided himself on having knowledge in all things, being a bit of a magpie when it came to information in his former life and now. Getting the water working again was a relatively simple thing for him to work out, and with able bodies at his and the Governor's disposal, they were soon enjoying showers and fresh water. Now, he needed to expand it to include the new buildings.

Humming to himself, he bent low over his work, making notes, sketching ideas, and mulling things over in his head. "How's the planning coming?" A pleasant voice said behind him, and he turned to see Phillip hovering casually behind his chair. Milton hurried to his feet, pushing his glasses up his nose as he turned to his friend. "Very well, very, very well," he said, gesturing behind himself at the piles of paper spread across his desk. Phillip nodded and turned away thoughtfully.

"We had a new group come in today, two small families, seem like our kind," the Governor said and Milton moved towards a shelf across the room, retrieving a couple clipboards he had there. He turned and handed them to the Governor, the paperwork attached to each fluttering slightly. "Here, some forms for them," he said. Phillip took the clipboards and smiled before turning back to the stack of work on Milton's desk.

"You look like you could use a little help," the Governor offered, and Milton shook his head at the supposed weakness before Phillip dropped a friendly hand on his shoulder. "You're doing a great job Milton, but this," he held up the clipboards, "You shouldn't be mired down in this civilian paperwork anymore, you've got more important things to worry about." Milton nodded slowly, unsure where this might be going. Phillip watched him, not adding anything more.

"That nice woman, the pretty one, Rowan, she mentioned when she came in last week that she used to work at city hall, a couple towns over," Milton said hopefully, his voice rising up at the end, as if asking permission. The Governor nodded at him, smiling, and clapped Milton on the shoulder. "You ask her tonight if she wants to head up this kind of stuff, getting the information, filing it, organizing the human side of things." Milton nodded in relief at the permission given and thought happily to himself how much more he'd be able to keep track of with more help.

He moved back to his desk, shuffling around under the schematics there before finding the notepad he wanted. He swung back to the Governor and wiggled it in the air. "I have all my plans and ideas for keeping track of people: who can do what, who used to do what, what skills they have, medication they might need -" Phillip put a hand in the air to cut him off, an indulgent smile growing on his face.

"Milton, I have perfect faith in you," he told the nervous man, and Milton felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders; he liked being told that he was helpful, useful, wanted, and trusted, especially by the man he trusted above all others himself.

The Governor's face finally settled into a more serious expression and he moved to Milton's chair, crossing an ankle over his opposite knee as he gazed over at Milton. "I need you to keep Merle busy," Phillip finally said and Milton blinked at him, not expecting the statement. "Busy? Busy how? What do you mean?" He asked, moving to the little sink, beginning the process of making tea for his visitor.

"He's spoken to me several times over the past several days; he's intent on going out to find his family, keeps saying he's had some leads, but won't get into more detail than that," Phillip leaned on his leg, tenting his fingers together. "I understand his drive, I really do, but we both know him finding them is a pipe dream; all signs point to them dying at _that place_." Milton shivered a little, at the Governor's reference to Midway Estates. He hated thinking about all the innocents who died there, about the fact that their leader, or what might be left of him, was still being held prisoner in the basement where Milton's office used to be.

Milton nodded and flicked on the burner of his small hot plate, preparing the water to boil. "He needs to stay grounded here, so I'm asking that you keep the tasks rolling in. I've told him several times, quite emotionally, that he is needed here, not just wanted, but _needed_, the way we needed water and electricity." Milton made a face while his back was to Phillip, not quite agreeing, but definitely not willing to let Phillip know what he thought about his right hand man, personally.

"I can certainly give him tasks, we have no end to our needs," Milton said calmly, arranging cups on saucers. Phillip chuckled behind him, "Isn't that the truth?" When the water was boiled, Milton pressed the tea and poured it, bringing it over to the Governor. "Thank you, Milton," he said, his deep voice smooth and pleasant. Milton took a sip and spoke without thinking, "What if his family comes here, or he finds them by some chance?"

The Governor's cup clattered as he put it down quickly, rising smoothly to his feet, towering over the nervous man. Milton swallowed reflexively and looked up at Phillip, his eyes round and worried. "I don't believe in the theory of divided alliances. A man like Merle works best, and is of the most usefulness to me, to us, to Woodbury, if he is focused on one thing and one thing only." Milton carefully put his cup down and turned back to Phillip. When he spoke his voice was slow and hesitant. "What would that mean for the brother and the sister?"

Phillip's brow twitched at him, his entire expression briefly flashing into something very dark, before he smiled and laughed, sitting back down in his chair and taking a big sip of tea. "Oh you know, it all depends on the kind of people they are! We always have room for more here, but that's no guarantee that they'll work out, or even want to stay!" Milton forced himself to feel relief. _What kind of family could a man like that possibly have anyways? They probably don't care very much themselves._

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Rick smiled when he heard the soft "Hey you," from his chest. He looked down to see Lori, smiling up at him sleepily. He smiled back and ran a hand down her hair before planting a kiss on her forehead. "Feeling better?" He asked her and she nodded, sitting up and stretching. He could just see the slightest bump on her stomach and realized with a start that she was nearly four months along. She must have seen the expression change on his face because her brow creased slightly in concern.

"What's wrong?" She asked him and he gave her a strained smile. "Just thinking we need to move on, find a more permanent location, tomorrow morning, if you're up to it." His voice was all business and she nodded at him, patting his arm lightly. "Of course," she replied. He got to his feet and looked over, watching as Carol worked at mending a pair of Glenn's pants, T-Dog sitting beside her on the bed paging through a battered novel that had been left behind in this room by previous occupants. Rick felt a light ripple of something move down his back when he glanced towards the curtains and realized the sun was near setting.

Hershel was watching his face and got to his feet. "I've been trying to tell myself that it hasn't been too long, but it has, I can tell by your face," Hershel's voice was strained and worried and Rick immediately reached for his jacket, moving into the other room. Glenn and Daryl were both still napping and he grabbed Daryl's foot, shaking him roughly. Dixon glared up at him for a moment, before his features immediately turned into wary alertness upon seeing the look on Rick's face.

"What's happened?" He asked, leaping to his feet. Rick saw his eyes cut around the room, noting the three missing people. "Where are they?" He asked angrily and Rick gestured out the door. "They went down to the office, to check for supplies, more of a training opportunity for Beth than anything. They aren't back, and they should be," Rick informed him. Daryl pushed past him, moving for the door. "Daryl, wait," Rick snapped and the man turned to him, "What for? We gotta go," he insisted and Rick clenched his teeth, rousing Glenn with a quick boot to the knee.

"We will, but carefully, and with back-up, if there's a problem, there's no point in anyone getting hurt." Rick's voice was demanding and in charge and Daryl's face twisted in anger before finally nodding curtly. Glenn scrambled for his weapons and moved to the door, seeming to understand what was wrong without needing more information. Seeing them suitably armed and ready, Rick pulled the door open.

"Let's go," he said.


	94. Chapter 94

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

For a moment she was tempted to pinch herself, to confirm that she wasn't still dozing and relaxing back in the room with everyone else. The sight before them was so bizarre, so strange, and so incongruous that Linney felt tempted to laugh wildly. _And we're surrounded by reanimated corpses, so that's saying a lot._

It took her a few seconds to realize the person standing before them was a woman. Her deeply cowled cloak hid the entire top half of her body, including her face, which was lost in the shadow of the hood. In one hand she was tightly gripping a sword. _A fucking sword, my god, like a superhero_, Linney thought wildly.

Even worse, in her other hand she was gripping a chain, and that chain was leashed to the necks of the two, armless, jawless walkers behind her. Linney's eyes flickered over the walkers, their rotting faces, emaciated bodies, with backpacks strapped around each of them, like undead pack mules. Her mind naturally concluded that they were a risk.

When Linney snaked her hand up to her arm, moving to grab a knife, the figure swept the arm with the sword up, and waggled a finger at Linney like she was a naughty child. "Ah ah ah," the hooded woman scolded and Linney dropped her hand.

"What the hell are you?" Maggie asked breathlessly behind her and the cloaked woman looked back and forth between them, focusing on Maggie, on Beth behind her sister, and then on Linney, who despite being chastised had her hands hovering anxiously over the knives at her waist. "Are you here alone?" Linney managed, edging back a step, eager to get Beth and Maggie away from the potential psycho in front of them.

The woman reached up and pulled her hood down, and despite being beautiful, Linney was surprised by her ordinariness, she was expecting some kind of twisted visage, a villains face, a monster. The woman eyed the three of them up again and her eyes narrowed. "Are you three on your own?" She asked, and Linney had a feeling it wasn't a threatening question. It distinctly reminded her of being asked questions by strangers when she did the grocery shopping as a child. _Are you alone little girl? Where are your parents?_

"No," Beth said, her voice high and sweet. The girl shoved past Maggie to stand next to Linney and lifted her chin defiantly at the woman. "We have a whole group, but they sent us to come look for food," Beth bragged, her soft drawl making her sound younger than she was. Linney realized Beth was trying to sound tough, and had to press her lips together at the wildly inappropriate peal of laughter that wanted to escape.

The woman looked over at Linney and narrowed her eyes, before smirking. She gestured at her walkers. "Sorry, I already took everything," she said, her voice not regretful at all. The wary stand-off was getting tense and Linney began to fidget. She felt fairly certain the woman wasn't going to harm them, but didn't want to relax and test that theory. _That sword looks pretty lethal._

"I'm sorry, but I gotta ask," Maggie interjected, "Why d'ya got walkers on a leash?" Beth nodded at her sister's question and the woman's face got tight and hard. "Unimportant," she replied flatly and Linney nodded. "Riiight, ok, so anyhow, you've looted the building, our friends are nearby, and I'm thinking that you want to get going," Linney finally said, and the woman smirked at her again, her eyes narrowing again as she nodded.

"How about we shut the door and run like hell, and you leave shortly after, and we'll call it a truce," Linney offered and the woman pressed her lips together tightly, as if slightly amused. She nodded slowly and the girls backed up, until Beth put a hand on Linney's arm. "We still need pillows, and maybe we can double check this room after this lady leaves," Beth turned to the woman, "No offense, but we got a pregnant lady and she needs chocolate and pillows pretty badly." Maggie and Linney both swatted Beth at the same time and she flinched.

"Ow!" She cried and gave them each a dirty look, "What was that for?" She asked in a wounded voice and the woman in front of them chuckled once, drily. "Little girl, don't you know anything? Don't go giving a stranger more information than they need!" The woman exclaimed in disbelief and Beth had the good grace to turn pink. Linney watched the woman carefully as she stared back at them and then shook her head.

"Dammit," she muttered before turning to her chained walkers and shaking the leash hard once. Linney gaped as the walkers turned around and faced the wall. She heard Maggie saying something under her breath in a tone of utter disbelief and they watched as the woman slid her sword away smoothly behind her back. Then she turned to one of her bags, rooting around inside. When she turned back to them her hand was full of chocolate bars. Maggie slid the backpack off her shoulders, yanking it open and holding it out to the lady.

"I really feel like this is some kind of terrible after-school special," Linney muttered and they all turned to look at her. Linney gestured in the air, "Don't take candy from strangers?" Maggie guffawed and Beth giggled prettily and the woman grabbed a couple more handfuls, shoving them into the bag. She zipped her bag and gestured towards the lobby with her chin. "Check the machine, I left the stuff I don't like," she informed them and Linney nodded.

"What's your name?" Linney heard herself ask and then wanted to smack herself for how stupid she sounded. The woman put a hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side, "Why? You lookin' to take in a stray?" She asked, and Linney swallowed hard, the phrase weirdly close to what Merle had repeatedly accused her of. The woman's expression softened at the look on her face and she nodded. "Name's Michonne," she introduced herself and Beth said, "I'm Beth, this is my sister Maggie, and that's Linney."

"I want to say pleased to meet you, but I'm beginning to think that's not the right word," Linney said lamely and again Michonne looked as if she was suppressing a smile. "I have a friend waiting for me, back at camp, so I need to go now," she said softly and they nodded. She gestured at the door. "You all need things in here, and I need to leave, so how about you move and I'll head out?"

Maggie grabbed Beth and violently wrenched her out of the door and Linney backed up slowly, out into the dim lobby. Michonne followed slowly, her walkers clomping along behind her. The three girls backed as far from the walkers as they could and watched her move to the front door. She paused and pulled her hood up and looked over at them again and nodded. She was gone quickly, disappearing out into the fading day.

Linney sat hard in a nearby chair and the other two followed suit. "Did that just happen?" Maggie asked finally and Linney nodded at her, sure her eyes were as big as saucers. "She was really cool," Beth said and Linney managed a weak smile. "She was, I guess, but also, terrifying," Linney added and Maggie laughed.

When they felt like they were back in touch with reality again, they got to their feet and moved back to the vending machine down the small hall and found it smashed open. Linney trained the flashlight on it and Beth held the bag open while Maggie swept every last thing left into the backpack. They moved to the soda machine next and saw it was unopened. Maggie took Beth's poker and managed to pry the machine open and they filled the rest of the space in the bag with soda cans.

"Pillows," Linney said quietly and they moved back into the lobby, realizing how dark it had gotten. "We need to hurry, they're going to be worried soon," Maggie said. They moved back into the room where they had first encountered Michonne and moved to the shelving along the walls. Linney stuffed a pillow between the backpack and Maggie's back and Maggie took one in her hands. Beth managed to grasp the edges of two in one of her hands and Linney loaded up all the pockets on her jacket with soap, shampoos and lotion, before grabbing a stack of blankets.

Suitably loaded down, they walked out into the lobby when they saw distinct shadows moving around outside the door. All three of them dropped down behind the front desk and it was too dark to see the other girls' faces. "Maybe it's Michonne or Daryl or Rick?" Beth hissed and Linney whispered, "Shut up, we don't know that, just keep quiet!" They listened to low murmurs and whispers outside and the door cracked open. A flashlight started to beam around the wall above them and Linney began praying with all her might that it was someone from their group, fairly certain that her frazzled nerves were shot enough for one day.

Footsteps moved in quietly and Linney shifted slightly, trying to ready herself to attack or run. She accidentally elbowed something under the desk and it made a loud scuffling noise. "Who's there?" She heard Rick say in a hard voice and let out a deep breath. "Rick, it's us," she called back and heard deep breaths of relief. Before they could fight their way out the piles of pillows and blankets burying them behind the desk, Glenn and then Daryl rounded the corner of it, their flashlights shining down on them on the floor.

"What the hell took you guys so long?" Glenn exclaimed worriedly, as he and Daryl reached down, helping them to their feet and helping them collect their loot. Linney shook her head and glanced at Daryl before turning to Rick. "You know..." her voice trailed off and she looked over at Maggie and then Beth, each of them shrugging in turn. "You're not going to believe me when I tell you. We should go back and I'll try to explain."

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"She was wearing a cape?" Carl asked in interest and Linney shook her head. "No, a cloak, not a cape, not the same thing, but equally weird," She responded and Beth laughed. Rick was pacing along in front of them. Everyone was gathered in one room so Linney, Beth, and Maggie could explain what had happened. "She had walkers with her?" Rick asked again and Linney sighed, glancing over at Daryl, who was perched on the edge of the small table in the room. She was fairly desperate to just go curl up with him and sleep, even though she knew it wasn't likely to happen.

"Yes, no arms, no jaws or teeth, on chains, like a leash," Linney replied and Maggie leaned forward to add, "They were really calm, they barely reacted to our presence at all." Beth readjusted herself on the bed and piped in with, "She had them carrying her things." Rick looked back at them and shook his head and she knew without him saying that a part of him was wondering if they were full of shit.

"She had that sword, no gun that I could see, just the huge sword," Linney told him, rubbing a hand across her forehead. He nodded at her and paused, as if considering what to say. "And she said she was alone?" He asked for the third time and Linney sighed. "Yes, alone here, but had someone holding down the fort at her camp," Maggie told him and then after a slight pause added, "She didn't seem threatening, Rick, just weird. She wanted to get going as much as we did."

Rick nodded and took a deep breath. "Ok, well we leave in the morning, you all know the route I want us to take, and you know it's going to be a longer drive, so let's forget this woman," he instructed everyone, "Just keep an extra sharp eye out during watch tonight." They all split off in to groups after that. When they walked into the other room, Linney watched as Daryl grabbed a pillow and a blanket and threw himself onto the floor. She stood at his feet for a moment before climbing down next to him. He leaned up a bit.

"You should sleep in the bed," he told her in a low voice, "Ain't gonna sleep as well on the floor." She scowled at him and lay down anyways. "Thanks for the advice," she muttered, resting her head on his chest. He slowly put an arm around her and the lantern in the room was turned out. She heard Glenn getting comfortable on watch and everyone else adjusting in their beds.

In a little while, all she could hear was deep breathing and snoring. She could tell Daryl was still awake; his breathing hadn't changed yet, so she turned onto her stomach, slinging an arm up on his chest and resting her chin on her hand. "I hope we find a permanent place soon," she whispered to him, putting her mouth right near his ear. He shifted and she could feel him breathing on her face. "Me too," he replied and she leaned towards him, kissing his jaw, his cheekbone, his mouth, his chin, feeling his scratchy stubble scrape against her.

"Don't get nothin' started," he warned her, his voice so quiet she nearly couldn't hear him. She paused and pouted, knowing what he was saying was true, but feeling her pulse quicken regardless, at how badly she wanted to. His fingers came up and lightly ran over her face, as if he wanted to be able to know how she was feeling. "Don't be a baby," he murmured, his voice hot in her ear. She shivered and pushed away from him, irritated and antsy. She turned on her side and so did he, wrapping his body around hers. She wasn't sure if this was better or not, she was still partially considering dragging him into the smelly washroom for some privacy, and could feel quite clearly against her backside that he wouldn't necessarily mind that either.

They lay together, both working hard to control their breathing, to calm their desires, to focus on anything but what they wanted to do. After a time, she calmed down and could feel him relax as well. Sleep wasn't long after that, and Linney dreamed of the mysterious Michonne, swooping in to save the day, wearing a red cape.

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"Owww..." Linney moaned in the morning, her back smarting and ticking painfully. Her night on the floor ended up being terribly uncomfortable, at least after a few hours of sleeping, and she found herself glaring at Daryl. He raised an eyebrow at her expression and thrust her backpack at her. "Don't go blamin' me," he warned her, and she made a face. "Told ya to sleep in the bed, didn't I?" He asked her, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder.

Linney stomped outside and hurled her bag into the truck before going to the bike and sitting grumpily on the back of it. Daryl swung on a few minutes later and they watched as everyone loaded up the rest of their things and the trucks started up. Rick took the lead, the bike behind him, the pick-up behind them. The weather was sunny, cold, and clear today and Linney was extra glad for her hat, and the hood on her jacket; the wind blowing back at them was frigid and she worried about Daryl getting the brunt of it ahead of her. _At least I can take cover back here_.

When they took a break midday, to siphon some more fuel for Hershel's truck and stretch, Linney had Beth take walker duty. The girl took out 4 walkers during the time they were there and only threw up once, so Linney considered it a complete success. Hershel's face was layered with worry, but Beth was determined, which was even better than confidence in Linney's mind. As Beth yanked her poker from the temple of the last one she killed, Linney smiled at her.

"You're doing way better than I thought, Greene," Linney told her and the blonde smiled at her. "Good, I like hearing that!" She replied. Carl wandered over to them, idly kicking at the dead walker before looking up Linney. "Can I take the next group?" He asked her and she nodded. "As long as there's not too many, sure why not?" Linney answered him, although she was pretty certain that he was further along with skill when it came to killing walkers, than Beth was. She smiled at the two of them and then wandered over to Daryl, smiling up at him as he scanned the road.

"Need something?" He asked, without looking down, and she made a face at him. "Don't be a jerk," she accused him and he reached down and grabbed her gloved hand in his and squeezed briefly, before letting go. "How's the little killin' machine?" He asked, referring to Beth, and Linney made a noise of disapproval in her throat. "Don't call her that," she protested and he finally looked down to her.

His eyebrow moved up and he gave her a questioning look, "Ain't that what you're tryin'a do with her?" Linney moved to walk away, irritated that he wasn't taking her efforts with Beth seriously, and he snatched her arm, pulling her back. "I'm sorry," he muttered and she glared at him. "She needs to protect herself, she needs to know _how_ to protect herself," Linney insisted, her voice vehement. "She may be the apple of her dad's eye, but that won't do shit to help her if she's alone and surrounded by walkers." Daryl held her in his narrow-eyed gaze and she clenched her jaw.

"If Amy and Andrea had been taught anything at all, they might both be alive," Linney continued and Daryl nodded minutely at her. "I know," he grumbled at her and she relaxed slightly. She rested her head against his arm for a second before backing up.

"Think about it, if our roles were reversed, Beth would never have thought to attack your brother to get some help, she'd of hid and then died. When I'm done with her, that girl will -" Daryl cut her off.

"That girl'll be you," he finished for her. Linney licked her lips and shook her head. "I don't want her to be me, I want her to have the best chances possible," Linney told him. He wrapped an arm around her unexpectedly and hugged her tightly for a moment.

"I know what you're sayin', don't worry," he told her, his voice gruff. Linney pushed away from the embrace, suddenly embarrassed by the turn the conversation had taken. She walked away, to grab something to eat and sat on her own, watching Beth and Carl. She wasn't that much older than either of them, she knew, but she still felt ridiculously protective over both of them.

She didn't want anyone to think her motives with teaching them to defend themselves was anything beyond wanting a stronger group and wanting them safe.

_And it is tha_t, she thought to herself. However, she knew deep down that it was also more than that. Amy died because she was completely unaware of self-defense and staying safe, she didn't understand how to read her surroundings or protect her own life. Sophia as well. Linney still felt a mountain of guilt over each of their deaths. _And Andrea_... Linney shifted uncomfortably, wondering if she'd maybe taken the time to help Andrea with her shooting, instead of berating her and resenting her, if maybe the woman might still be alive.

She watched Beth, who was eating her lunch, sitting on the hood of her dad's truck to keep her behind warm, her poker next to her leg, a knife strapped to each of her skinny arms, and Linney was determined that this time she would make sure that the weakest in their group were kept alive.

Carl whizzed past her vision, burning off some pent up energy by running around, and she knew he'd have very little problem adapting, defending himself. He was so determined, and the very opposite of weak. She smiled in spite of herself as she watched the two of them.

_My little ass-kickers._


	95. Chapter 95

***** I don't normally respond to reviews here in my little A/N's, but IndigoAvalar, you left me such a wicked, awesome, fabulous, flattering, review that I decided to respond to it here (thank you so much, I think I was blushing from the ego boost haha), and answer some of your very good questions (as well some others I've gotten recently via PM'ing (you all can put questions in the reviews, too, don't be shy)! **

**This gets a little long, so if anyone's not interested in reading my reply here, just scroll down to the bottom of it and enjoy the chapter :) As per usual, I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

**Linney and Daryl as a couple: I'm glad you weren't sure they'd work out, that's actually what I was going for, they aren't a match made in heaven, it didn't come easy to either of them. Besides the physical attraction, I didn't want them to be all "I just knew instantly that he was my soul mate"! I think they'd both laugh at the notion of soul mates :) **

**Also, I've been PM'd about this as far back as chapter 4, so I thought I'd just address it here once and for all - their age difference: Holy cow, people like to accuse me of writing something super dirty because of their age difference! **

**No one knows how old Daryl is in season one, but based on how he looks (not Norman Reedus' actual age, but how he old he _looks _as Daryl Dixon), I guessed probably at least 32 and no more than 35/36 in season one. Linney is 19 in my season 1. And yes, it's a lot of years, but I don't see how it matters! Not only is it the apocalypse and restraints like that mean nothing, but Linney's more mature than most people her age, and even some** **older than her, thanks to a very difficult upbringing. I don't find it gross or weird :)**

**Linney's Nightmares: These happened when Linney was alone, upset, stressed, or afraid. When her mind is in turmoil and she's sleeping without comfort (ie, alone) - she has nightmares - you don't see them when she's snuggled up with Daryl, or Carl, or Maggie, or Glenn - people she loves and is comfortable with. Also, I took from my own experience, that if you are just positively exhausted, you don't tend to remember your dreams, just crash hard and sleep deeply - so that happens with her too. We haven't seen the end of her nightmares, though.**

**Linney - To Badass or not to Badass?: The absolute bottom line with Linney is that she is brave, talented, and strong, but human, very human, and young - she isn't perfect.**

**Linney could be totally hardcore badass, but I like that she's not a killing machine. She makes mistakes, overreacts, gets scared, and has a nasty little temper when she wants. She's also stubborn, headstrong, and sometimes can get carried away, leaping without looking. **

**This gets her into scrapes and trouble, and that's just how I want it. When her people are in peril, she'll take on a T-Rex to try and help them, even if it's utterly futile, but she's not going to win every fight, relying on her sharp mind over her sharp knives.**

**She's small and scrappy, but I've tried to make her realistic based on her backstory; a girl like Linney could take on a lot and do a lot of really badass stuff, but she can still make mistakes, she's not the terminator haha :)**

**I've also been PM'd a couple times about what she looks like, and I'm not going to provide a picture - I'll let you guys keep whatever mental image you have. I've given basics: hair color, eye color, build, some of Shane's descriptions got fairly in-depth (because he was an obsessive nut-job haha) so you can always go back to when he first meets her, his first POV (Chp 20), but other than that, my mental image is probably different from yours and that's ok.**

**Linney's Knives: I'm glad you like them, I had someone PM me when I debuted her ability and tell me they thought the knives were fake and I should take them out. That no one can actually throw knives like that, and I was like, that's not true! I know a girl like Linney's dad used to be, a real 'renaissance woman' when it comes to weapons and she** **has these little knives that she can chuck like darts and her aim is scary and ridiculous. She tried to teach me once, and let's just say I'm no Linney haha. If the zombie apocalypse comes, I'm running to her house (like seriously, she has a mace and knows how to use it, it's crazy).**

**Merle and his own OC: Yikes, I don't know, honestly I've never thought about it - would Merle want one right now? Maybe he'd like to get laid, but I don't think Merle would settle down, at least not right now - there's too much going on in his head!**

**Maggie + Linney = BFF: Haha sorry, couldn't resist, but yes, they are friends! Maggie is more like Linney than Amy ever was, so they have the ability to easily and quickly fall into a very comfortable camaraderie. However, as another reviewer astutely pointed out, Amy is the reason that Linney is now letting people in and making friends, at all.**

**I did a few time-jumps when they were at the farm, one week here, two weeks there, and after each one, I wanted people to see the group getting tighter and tighter with one another, without having to go through a ton of dialogue. You'll notice a couple more little time-jumps between the farm and the prison, and you'll really notice Linney's relationships, beyond her most important ones (Daryl, Carl, Rick, and even Glenn), getting stronger and stronger. **

**Season 4 and Terminus - seriously, my brain is on fire in my head with ideas for Linney et. all when we reach season 4 territory, and I'm not even into season 3 yet! Would she be suspicious? Would she be excited and hopeful? Who will she leave the prison with, if anyone? But now, I'm getting really far ahead of myself haha... stay tuned :)**

**Hope this answered your questions, and if anyone else ever has any, I don't bite, you can always PM me for clarification! I worry sometimes that I haven't made something as clear to you lovely readers as it came across in my head and you're all so awesome, I want to make sure you're having a good time! Keep the reviews coming people, I can't tell you how much I love them, they make my new obsessed hobby very, very worth it :)**

**I won't do a crazy long A/N like this again, sorry if it irritated anyone :)**

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When their little convoy came to a stop, Rick in the lead, Linney looked around and grimaced at the structures they had pulled up beside. "Aw man," she whispered to Daryl, as they climbed off the bike, "You don't think he wants to _live_ here, do you?" He looked around and she saw his eyebrows twitch faintly before looking back to her and shrugging. He grabbed his crossbow off the back of the bike and slung it on. "C'mon, don't matter if he wants to or not," he grumbled to her and she sighed. Even the motel seemed like a glamorous abode compared to the notion of sleeping in a concrete box. _That was almost three weeks ago, deep in herd territory now_, she thought ruefully, pushing the thought from her mind.

After escaping the area where that other group seemed to be centered, they had stumbled onto a more familiar problem: herds. They were trying to track them and there were several of herds roaming the Georgian landscape, usually in groups of 20 - 50. They all knew it was only a matter of time before those little herds ran into each other and formed a giant one, like the one on the highway the day Sophia was lost, or the one that drove them from the farm. This new area was far from any herd they'd encountered so far and Linney knew their leader was praying it would stay that way.

Rick was standing next to Hershel's truck and gestured at the storage facility they were parked in front of. "What do you think?" He said hopefully and Linney purposely ducked behind Daryl so that Rick wouldn't ask her or see her face. She thought it was a terrible idea, but wasn't about to say anything.

"It's fully fenced," Rick began, when no one said anything, gesturing at the heavy, metal gates facing the street. The thick, industrial fencing went all the way around the outer edge of the entire parking lot, enclosing the building neatly behind it. There was a keypad next to the gate that she assumed used to be opened for each visitor via a personal code. Beyond it the storage facility consisted of the office building and long, snaking rows of squat storage buildings, bending around each other to form a strange criss-crossing rectangle of individual storage units.

"It's really all outdoors, though," Glenn said slowly and Rick nodded. "We won't be outside much, I'm hoping the office portion will be big enough for us, and just think of all the furniture and clothing we could find in the units themselves, maybe even some weapons," Rick's voice was confident and earnest; Linney felt rather certain that they would at least be trying it out here, no matter what anyone else thought.

"Let's check it out," Daryl said in front of her, his voice an agreeable rumble, and Rick smiled gratefully at him. It only took a moment to figure out how to pull the gates open; without electricity, the locking mechanism was next to useless. They kept the cars parked out front and a small group went in to clear it out. Rick, Daryl and Linney fanned out first, Maggie and Glenn in the middle, T-Dog pulling up the rear. Carol and Hershel pulled the gate closed behind them and Rick began jogging, everyone following him quickly. They swept through the turning lane-ways between all the rows of units and encountered only one walker, stumbling about stupidly.

"Wonder how he got here?" Glenn asked, watching as Rick efficiently stabbed it through the face. Linney shrugged and turned when Daryl yanked on her jacket sleeve, to keep going. They wove through all the lanes, and around the entire structure, until they were back up at the office and heard loud snarls from inside the small two-story building. Rick paused in front of the door and glanced over at Daryl, who reached for the door and silently counted down with Rick before wrenching it open. Five walkers immediately came pouring through the doorway and were taken down quickly. Rick went into the building first, followed by Daryl and then Linney, who had a knife ready in each hand. The other three stayed outside, so the small space wasn't crowded.

They swept the small reception room, and Daryl kicked open the door to an office behind it. They found one walker inside, whose neck was grotesquely ripped open in it's other life and Linney heaved a knife at it before any of them had to stare at it for too long. Daryl moved on to a supply room, bathroom, and another small office, finding nothing, before Rick waved them up them stairs. He slunk up first and Linney felt a feeling of discomfort shudder through her as she realized the smell of rotting and decay was intensely strong up there.

Flashlights came on and they found many, many torn apart bodies. It was obvious the walkers that had been trapped in the building had been busy with whatever unfortunate people had been in the structure with them. When they realized that it was likely what was left of a family up here, Linney turned away from Daryl and Rick, her mouth bowing down unhappily and she retched, trying not to throw-up. The upper floor was all one room, with many windows all the way around it, and a bunch of couches and mattresses all over the floor. Each window had a set of drapes that was currently closed and Rick moved to open a few. It offered views of the entire property; this level had clearly been used for site security once upon a time.

Linney rested her forehead against the wall, her eyes closed, and felt a heavy hand on her back. "You don't have to stay up here," Daryl said to her, his voice a low murmur and she glanced up at him. "Normally I'd argue, but I don't want to puke," she replied, smiling grimly. He nodded and moved back to the bodies and Linney walked down the stairs slowly before pushing outside and breathing in huge lungfuls of clear, cold air.

"Are you alright?" Maggie asked, her voice concerned, and Linney waved her off, pointing back inside. "Some gross business in there, is all," she told them, before looking over to Glenn and T-Dog, a wicked smile growing on her face. "Actually, I think they need help," she told the two men and they both groaned before heading inside.

Linney and Maggie walked back to the gate and pulled it open, waving the trucks inside. "Don't get out, just park around front," Linney told Hershel through the window of the pick-up truck, and he nodded. The motorcycle sat outside the gate alone and Linney felt odd about leaving it there. "Should I...?" She looked over at Maggie who was pressing her lips together, trying not to smile.

"He might chew you out," she told her. Linney stared at the bike and wrinkled her nose at the thought of riding it. "I don't want to turn it on," she said hesitantly and Maggie walked towards the bike quickly. She turned the key and depressed the clutch, kicking it into neutral before rolling it forward. Linney walked to the other side of it and grabbed the other handle bar. They rolled it inside and over to the other vehicles before Maggie set it back to the way it was before. The two of them trotted back to the gate and shut it.

They leaned against it, silent for a few minutes before Linney turned to Maggie. "How'd you know how to make it move?" She asked, and Maggie shrugged, a small smile on her lips. "Guy I dated," she finally said and Linney nodded, glancing back at the office building. "Daryl's gonna have a bird when he sees we moved it," she told Maggie, and they both started laughing. Glenn and T-Dog emerged from the building, their faces twisted and sick, a heavy bundle between them.

"Can you watch the gate?" Maggie asked her and Linney raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Why?" Maggie pointed at the body that the two men were lowering to the ground across the parking lot, and then over to the five dead bodies outside the office door. "I'm gonna help move some of them, and you're not much help there," Maggie's voice was teasing, but Linney knew she was probably right and nodded.

"Get Carl or Beth to bring me the chains and the lock first, though, ok?" Linney asked her and received a nod in return. A few minutes later she heard the clink and clatter of the chains behind her and turned to see both Beth and Carl heading towards her. She smiled at them and took the chains from Carl, wrapping them around and around the gate, linking it to the heavy fence next to it. Beth leaned forward with the lock and they snapped it shut.

"There, snug as a bug," Linney said and Carl rolled his eyes. She poked his side and he finally smiled at her. The three of them stood at the gates, peering out at the street, which was empty. There were a small cluster of office buildings across the street, as well as a small apartment building over a little grocery and pharmacy, but she doubted they'd find anything in either; the windows were smashed in and the doors hanging open on both stores.

"Are we going to live here now?" Carl finally asked her and she looked over at him in surprise. "Well, yeah, probably. We'll try at least," she answered and he grimaced. "Why can't we just find another house? They're so much nicer," he told them and Beth wrapped her gloved hands around the bars on the gate. "Anywhere is nice if we don't have to be worried about being chased out," she said softly and Linney gazed at her profile for a moment. _She's right, I just want to rest_.

"Just think how much fun it'll be digging through the storage lockers, who knows what we might find!" Linney tried to sound excited, but failed. "What's wrong, Lin?" Carl asked her and she gave him a tired smile. "I guess I'm just being a baby," she replied, looking away from his blue eyes, out into the street again, "I'd like for us to quit moving around, too." Carl patted her arm for a moment before they heard Rick calling them and they jogged back to the office building.

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That night, they all settled into the big room upstairs. Rick had told everyone that they'd look into spreading out, claiming some of their own space over the next few days, but tonight was just about resting again. They had to throw out all but two of the little mattresses up here, the dead bodies having ruined the others, but Rick was distinctly relieved to see Lori and Carl curled up on one of them now, sleeping heavily. The other one had Hershel and Beth on it and the one couch in the room held Carol's exhausted body.

They were always tired these days, all of them. He knew it was because food was scarce, and what they had, he had strictly rationed. They also seemed to spend a lot of their time and energy trying to stay warm, not wasting gas in the vehicles with heat. He glanced over to Daryl, sitting on the ground next to a big window on the other side of the room, keeping watch as well. Linney was sitting between his legs, leaned against his chest, sleeping deeply. Dixon's arms were wrapped around her blanket covered form, holding her to him, as he stared alertly out at the empty facility beyond the windows.

Rick found himself worried about her again. He was really hoping that this place served to be a more permanent fixture for them, not just for Lori, Hershel and the kids, but also Linney. He knew it was taking a lot out of her to be freezing and huddled on the back of the bike everyday, but he also knew that convincing her to let Daryl ride alone was not going to be doable. _If we stay here, I can avoid the fight of forcing her to stay in one of the trucks, or having to tell Daryl to make her._

Glancing back at them again, he realized staying put meant that Daryl might be able to start hunting again, even if it would be fairly sparse in the cold weather. _Fresh meat is fresh meat_, he thought, reminiscing pleasantly on all the warm squirrel they used to get.

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"So," Milton heard Merle say, "This is a 'screamer pit'?" Milton stood bundled in his outerwear and stared down at the huge rectangular holes dug into the ground. He felt his stomach turn slowly and when he looked up at Dixon's face, he was surprised to see mild disgust there. The Governor was unbothered.

"We need these, gentlemen," he said, gesturing at the huge empty holes, "Once you get the sound going Milton, it'll attract the biters, they'll fall in, and they're one less thing to worry about in the area." They were in a big field, a few miles outside of Woodbury, and when Milton had been asked to design the sound mills, to attract walkers here, he hadn't known about the addition of giant holes in the ground to trap the walkers.

"Not enough holes to catch 'em all," Merle commented, peering over the edge of one. The Governor nodded and pointed at the heaping piles of nets that Martinez and his men were currently spreading across the bottoms of the pits, attaching the edges to metal clips on all sides of the pits. "Once the nets are in, we can scoop them up, kill them easily, and leave room for more." Phillip's voice was sure and calm and Milton found himself nodding, even though he could poke a thousand holes in the idea.

"Every dead biter means one less to worry about," Phillip added and Merle looked up at him flatly. "We better put up signs or somethin', wouldn' want anyone tumblin' into one of these, terrible way to go," Merle's voice was a casual rasp, but Milton read the undercurrent to it. _He's wondering if we intend to use this on people at some point, good lord._

The Governor smiled a tiny smile at Merle and shook his head. "Anyone stupid enough to end up here, deserves to die," he finally answered and Merle raised an eyebrow before nodding, turning back to the big pits. Phillip grabbed Milton's shoulder and led him away, back to their vehicles. "Thank you for getting that sound mill ready so quickly," he said to Milton, who shrugged self-consciously. "It was no problem, and it will be easy enough to run, using the solar panels," he replied, his voice sounding distinctly eager to please.

"You seem uneasy, Milton," Phillip finally said, his eyes on the men working to set up the huge sound mill and the nets. Milton licked his lips and looked up at the Governor before nodding minutely. "We wouldn't... we don't intend to throw people in the... the... the screamer pits, right?" He asked tentatively and the Governor laughed heartily, clapping his hand on Milton's shoulder. "Oh Milton, wouldn't that be a way to go! No, no, not for our people!" His voice was jovial and he pointed towards the sound mill.

"Looks like they're ready for you to put it together," he instructed Milton who nodded and swallowed, moving quickly back to the big device that, once up and running, would spin, creating a loud warbling noise. As he reached his creation, he realized what the Governor's words meant. _Not for our people, but what about other people?_

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"I didn't think we'd be digging through so much crap," Linney grunted, hefting another box filled with newspapers outside. Daryl grunted at her, focused on breaking the lock on a big trunk in the storage locker they were clearing. Linney watched him bend to the task, focused intently, and she leaned against the wall a moment, to rest her aching arms. "Linney," his voice was a warning, without even turning around, and she chuckled to herself before moving off the wall and walking past him, patting his head as she went.

"I know, I know, quit staring," she muttered and she heard him breathe out in a grunt that may have been a laugh. She moved over to a huge wardrobe box and pried it open, staring inside at the mounds of fabric stuffed in it. "Lotsa weird crap in here," she mumbled, trying to lean further over the edge of the box, which came to just below her chest. She pulled out a few fussy, frilly, foamy dresses and dropped them on the floor, before leaning in further and yanking out several parts to a very fancy suit.

"Lookin' for a tux?" She called to Daryl, from inside the box, and he mumbled something she couldn't hear. She tore through the box a little quicker, guessing she was only going to find dress-clothes inside before her hand wrapped around something leaning against the side of the box.

"Oh cool, a cane," she said, looking at it more closely. Daryl didn't respond, he was still bent to the box and now had a flashlight in his mouth to shine at it. "Look at the cane I found," she said again, and he didn't react. Frowning, she leaned away from the box, towards him, stretching the cane out, and poked him in the side with it. He turned and glared at her and she burst out laughing.

"Oh, I'm keeping this," she said, laughing harder at the frown on his face, his eyes narrowing with her words. "Lighten up," she said to him, and he rolled his eyes before finally getting to his feet and kicking at the lock. The entire front portion of the trunk cracked open and Linney looked up at his irritated face. "Probably should have just done that first," she couldn't resist saying, twirling the cane beside herself.

He opened his mouth to say something, but she reached quickly into the box and pulled out a top hat inside, plopping it on her head and raising an eyebrow him, twirling the cane again. His face twitched and he swallowed reflexively before laughing at her. "You definitely got somethin' wrong in your head," he said to her in a rumbling voice, and she smirked at him before pulling the hat off and tossing it at him.

"You try," she urged him, suddenly smiling hugely at the idea, "Oh my god, put it on, you have to, I might die if I never get to see you in a top hat." He glared at the hat and at her, like she might be crazy, and she looked at him expectantly. He sighed and rolled his eyes before quickly dropping the hat onto the top of his head. She laughed and pulled a feathery boa from the box, wrapping it around her neck and running over to him, jumping at him when she got close.

He wrapped his arms around her as she kissed him, the cane still hanging from one of her hands. "What a gentleman," she said and he laughed against her throat, his face buried in feathers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands moved down to her waist, hefting her up from the ground. She wrapped her legs around him and he stumbled back with her until they were against the wall. She moaned in frustration against his mouth, knowing they couldn't do anything more than this right now, and tightened her legs around him.

"Ahem," a voice came from outside the huge door to the unit and they turned at the same time to see Rick and Glenn standing there. Rick was struggling mightily not to smile and Glenn looked shocked. Linney grabbed the hat from Daryl's head and hurled it across the room without looking away. He lowered her to the ground and she turned to them, feeling the feather boa being pulled off by Daryl and dropped to the floor.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked and Rick made a strained face, looking away for a moment before looking back at them. "I just -," he began and then walked away quickly. She could hear him laughing as he moved on to another unit and Daryl turned away from Glenn, to open the trunk. Linney leaned on the cane and nodded at Glenn. "So, what's going on?" She asked him. Glenn blinked at her and then looked over at Daryl. "What the hell kind of freaky, fancy, shit was that?" He asked and Linney shrugged, and then started laughing. She grabbed the feather boa and walked over to Glenn, stuffing it in his hands.

"I don't know, why don't you go try it with Maggie?" She said and he gave her a wary look before snorting in laughter. They heard Daryl clearing his throat behind them, almost more of a growl, and suddenly Glenn had something else to do. Linney sighed at yet another interrupted moment, and walked back inside, stuffing everything inside the wardrobe box.

"Should I save the hat?" She called to him and was rewarded with a snort of derision. "Ok, ok, just a thought," she said quietly, cramming it back in the box. She reached for another box and pulled it open, crouching to dig through what looked souvenirs from other cities around the world. "But I'm keeping the cane," she muttered.


	96. Chapter 96

***** Big thanks to reviewer hideher, you made me laugh SOOOO hard today, I often think about 'thangs and stuff', and if anyone doesn't know what that's about, I encourage you to research the meme cause it's hysterical! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"How would you feel about helping me move some furniture?" Maggie asked and Linney looked up from her breakfast, her mouth full of oatmeal. "Me?" She responded, talking around the food, and Maggie made a face, before replying in exasperated tones, "Yes you, and grow some better manners you little piggy."

Linney opened her mouth wide to show Maggie all the food in there, but snapped it closed when she realized that Hershel, Lori and Rick were watching her. "Sorry," she mumbled to them, flushing in embarrassment. "Haha," Maggie taunted in a low voice, before running a hand through her hair and gesturing to the stairs.

"But for real, we want to start setting up some private areas for everyone," Maggie said and Linney shrugged. "I'm game, so long as you realize I'm next to useless when it comes to really heavy things," she told her friend, and Maggie smiled at her. "We'll get creative, don't worry," she answered in a friendly voice. Linney smiled briefly at her and went back to her food, fairly certain that Maggie really just wanted to get a private space for her and Glenn, and thought Linney would be eager for the same.

Linney sipped at her weak tea and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping an arm around them. She stared thoughtfully across the room and thought about Daryl, as she so often did. A private space would be nice, but she was also certain that they were both completely, wretchedly, filthy and the idea of being intimate in that condition horrified her to an extent. She glanced over at Maggie, knowing that she and Glenn suffered under no such delusions. Linney sipped her tea again and leaned towards her armpit, trying to sniff without being noticed.

_Ugh, I reek_, she thought disgustedly. Really, the hygiene problem was all her own, she didn't mind the smell of Daryl's sweat, it wasn't like he was smeared in shit and walker guts, just sweat and dirt. _But I stink and that's just gross_, she chastised herself. She knew that almost every single person in the group had asked Glenn to get baby wipes today and she was hoping he found a boatload. She felt vaguely guilty about not going on the run with him, she and he made a quick, efficient team on runs. T-Dog had offered quickly though, wanting to scope out the town, and Linney had been privately relieved.

She wouldn't say she was afraid to go on a run, but after the last trip the two of them took, all those weeks ago, encountering that guy she stabbed, she was feeling a little out of sorts about going again. Daryl had seemed pleased she was sticking around the office, when he was leaving to go hunt early this morning, and she knew that if he had his way she'd be there everyday, safe behind the fences. _It's ok for me to take a little break, get my groove back_, she told herself, moving her breakfast dish to the wash tub. Carol stopped her and gestured back to Maggie.

"You two have a lot of work ahead of you," she murmured kindly, "Let me do this and you can go get started." Linney smiled and put a hand on Carol's shoulder, squeezing lightly before following Maggie downstairs. Maggie walked to the largest of the two offices, and gestured around the room.

"So, I think we should get the desks out of here, the filing cabinets, basically all the furniture but the bookshelves," Maggie began, and then mimed a wall in the middle of the room, "We can put them straight down the centre, split it into two little rooms, draw curtains around the front," she explained. Linney nodded; it made sense. They moved to the desk and Linney yanked out the drawers, carrying a couple outside. She paused out front and glanced back at Maggie, following close behind her, the computer monitor in her arms. "Where do we want to dump this stuff?" Linney asked her, and Maggie gestured around the side of the building.

"Let's just put it over there, don't think it matters," Maggie responded and she nodded. When they went back inside Carl and Beth were standing outside the office door, waiting for them. "Mom said to help you," Carl told them and Maggie grinned, clapping his back. "Awesome, little man, let's clear everything out." The four of them moved quickly, clearing everything small out of the room, and then it was time to move the desk out. Maggie grabbed one end, Carl at her side, and Linney and Beth took the other end. It was a heavy desk, but emptying it out and removing the drawers seemed to help and the four of them managed to manhandle it outside.

"You ok?" She grunted at Beth, who nodded, her normally pale face red with effort. "If you can do it, I can," Beth said through clenched teeth. Linney flicked an eyebrow up and didn't reply, thinking that while she was small and slender like Beth, her own frame was covered in fairly lithe muscle, giving her curves and a little more power. Meanwhile Beth's frame didn't seem to have much strength to speak of in it. _Yet. I'll get her there. After all, the apocalypse has been the best work out in the world for me._

When they finally had the desk out, they moved back inside much more slowly, everyone shaking their hands to relieve the tension in them from gripping the heavy desk. Back in the office it became apparent very quickly that the filing cabinets were too heavy for them to move outdoors, but they were able to drag them into the center of the room. "Maybe we can use the bookshelves elsewhere," Linney said thoughtfully, pointing at the three filing cabinets they had forming a wall, "Just use these as a wall instead." Maggie nodded.

They worked for hours that day, pulling out all the furniture in each of the two offices, arranging walls of furniture to split each room into two little spaces. There were heaps and heaps of blankets, drapes, and fabric to use for curtains to cordon off certain spaces; the storage lockers they had sorted through so far had yielded more than they could ever possibly need. They placed a curtain at the entrance of each sleeping space, and above the furniture in between, using the ceilings and walls to hold them up. By mid-afternoon, the four of them were drenched with sweat, despite the winter weather outside the building, and they had four nicely separated little bedrooms, two in each of the offices.

"Tomorrow, we should clear out the space behind the front counter, put some curtains up, it'll make a nice little room," Maggie said, as they all sat on the cold concrete outside, in t-shirts, leaning against the building. The cold air washed over her, deliciously refreshing, and Linney felt pretty happy in that moment. "Maybe we could do something with the little waiting room area in front of the front counter, too. Make another room," Linney offered, closing her eyes and enjoying the cold.

"Dad got all those mattresses, too," Carl spoke up, from his spot next to Linney, and she glanced over at him, smiling crookedly. "That sounds heavy," she replied and he smirked, flexing one of his skinny arms. "Don't worry, Lin, we got it," he told her. She laughed and a second later so did the other three. _We're going to make this work, I think_, she thought to herself, feeling hope for the first time in a long time.

They sat for a few minutes longer, until they heard a whistle from the gate and Linney looked up, seeing Daryl there. She got to her feet and glanced down at the others, "I'll get it." They nodded and she jogged over to him, pulling the key from her pocket and unlocking the padlock. "What're you doin' with no jacket on?" He grumbled at her, as he pushed the gate closed behind himself. She shivered a little, finally feeling the cold, and shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself. "We were moving stuff around, got hot," she told him, glancing down at the string of squirrels around his shoulder.

"Gonna make yourself sick," he said to her putting an arm around her shoulders. She shrugged again and leaned into him, smelling the cold air, trees, and outdoors on him. They walked towards the office and went inside and she made a beeline for her sweater. As she pulled it down over her head, he started to remove some of his gear, putting a lot of it down on the front counter. "You should come see what we did," she told him and he nodded. "Let me get this to Carol," he told her, tapping the string of game. Linney nodded and hopped up to sit on the counter, waiting for him to return.

When he finally came down the stairs again, he walked up to her and stood between her legs, and she wrapped them around him before pulling him in for a tight hug. She pressed against his chest and he held her there for a minute. "Not a lot out there," he murmured to her, his chin resting on her head. Linney pulled back and looked up at him, her brow crinkling a little bit. "Is it the weather or the walkers?" She asked him, and he pressed his lips together in thought. "Think maybe both," he replied.

Linney pushed against him and he stepped back a bit, allowing her to slide down off the counter. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the office. When she opened the door she gestured to the small rooms they'd built inside. "Carol and Beth will have one side, T and Hershel the other," she explained and he grunted, pulling the curtains back to look inside. She grabbed his hand and led him down the hall past the supply room to the other office, much smaller than the first.

"Lori and Rick will have one, Carl the other," Linney told him and he nodded. They walked back out into the front room and Linney gestured at the front counter. "We're gonna block that off, make a room behind the counter," she said, walking inside the space and spinning around for a second, before pointing to the little waiting room. "Glenn and Maggie can have that space."

Daryl watched her spin around, waving her hands at what would soon be their own private space, and then took a couple quick steps towards her, grabbing her arm and pulling her against his chest again. She looked up at him and he smiled at her, a small, slow, thoughtful smile. "Be nice to have some walls again," he murmured, tipping her chin up and kissing her lightly. She raised an eyebrow at him, "Would it?" She asked him lightly, and his voice was a rumbling whisper when he answered, "Yeah." She kissed him again, standing on her tip toes, starting to twine herself around him, when she remembered that they had nowhere to continue this encounter without inevitably being interrupted.

She stepped back again and he glared at her. "Another day, my friend," she whispered and he rolled his eyes. "Today's jus' fine," he replied and she shook her head, smiling, "Another day." He sighed in frustration and then shot her a tight look before reaching a hand out towards her. "Let's get upstairs, I'm fuckin' starving," he told her.

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The next day was less work than the one before. Glenn and T-Dog had returned late the previous evening, backpacks full of goods, and they decided to spend the following day behind the fences, recouping and assisting Maggie and Linney on their project. It was roundly decided over dinner that the upstairs area would be for watches, cooking, eating; essentially making it a living space. The next day they cleared behind the front counter, and the waiting room and spent the majority of their day dragging mattresses into the building, to squeeze into the little bedrooms.

Furniture was something they had plenty of now, it being the number one thing that people seemed to have stored away. Carol and Beth, Hershel and T-Dog, Lori and Rick, each got a queen sized mattress to sleep on. They found a tiny single-sized mattress for Carl that just barely squashed into his space. Linney and Daryl would have received a queen, too, if there had been more space for it, but they ended up with a double. Maggie and Glenn had more floor space and they dragged in a king sized mattress, making Linney laugh.

"Do you two really need all that bed?" She laughed, watching Glenn huff and puff as he moved the gigantic mattress around. Maggie smiled at her and shrugged, "Sure, why not? More room, more fun." Linney laughed and turned back to what she was doing, standing on the counter and attaching the curtains to the ceiling, blocking off the space behind the front counter, now her and Daryl's room. She was excited now, planning to use the box of baby wipes that Glenn had retrieved for her the day before, and making Daryl use some too; a makeshift bath of sorts. _And then I'm going to attack him_, she thought smugly.

She dragged their gear and their bedding downstairs and, along with everyone else, spent a satisfying couple of hours making their bed, setting up their space, trying to make it home. Daryl had gone out hunting again, determined to catch something more than squirrels, and by the time he returned, Linney had two pillows, sheets, and quilts on the bed. Their clothing was unpacked and put away on the shelves on the back half of the front counter, their backpacks squished flat and tucked beneath it. She set up their extra weapons and a few bottles of water, as well as their baby wipes, a few towels, and some antibacterial hand sanitizer on the top most shelf and decided that this was as homey as she could make it. She gladly took her baby wipe bath when their space was all set up, and she had to grudgingly admit that it felt wonderful.

When Daryl walked into the space, pushing the curtain aside, he smiled at her, seeing her sitting cross-legged on the bed, fiddling with a lantern that she intended to have sit on a shelf next to their pillows. "Hi," she said, smiling up at him. He nodded at her and removed his outerwear. "Put it all on that shelf there," she said, pointing the space that already held his other clothing. "You do all this?" He asked, cramming his coat in the shelving. "Yup," she said, before adding, "Ahh, there we go," when the lantern finally flicked on. She sat it on the shelf and turned it on and off a few more times.

He reached for her and she stopped him, darting out of his way across the bed. She grabbed the baby wipes and pushed them into his hands. "How about you take a bath, I'll grab us dinner, and then we can hang out in here all night long," she said, smiling up at him promisingly. His eyes narrowed and she could see his jaw tighten. "Good plan," he said, his voice gruff. Linney used the few added inches that standing on the mattress gave her and planted a kiss on his cheekbone before slipping past him.

She found Maggie upstairs, and Lori, spooning up dinner, which was squirrel and beans. Linney waggled her eyebrows at Maggie, "Going to eat in tonight?" She asked teasingly and Maggie smirked, "Are you?" Linney made a face at her and they both started nearly shrieking with laughter when Lori said calmly, "Well, we got a babysitter, so I know I'm eating in tonight." Lori gave them a small sideways smile and moved for the stairs.

When Linney went back downstairs, she could hear Beth, Carl, Hershel, and Carol, playing some kind of board game they had found, in their room, and she paused for a moment. The two plates in her hands were warm with food, and there was dim light illuminating the small hallway she was standing in from the lanterns in some of the rooms. She realized that at that moment she was happy, not just apocalypse-happy, but happy-happy. They were warm, safe, and surrounded by people that meant everything to them. _And I'm gonna get some_, she thought to herself, seeing that as an absolute high-point after weeks of getting nothing.

When Linney poked her head through the curtain to their little make-shift room, she found Daryl standing in his boxers, in the dim light of their one lantern, just tucking away the container of wipes on the shelf. His back was to her and she found herself absolutely transfixed by his bare, broad shoulders, the muscles along his lean back leading down to his waist, the scars interrupting the flow of skin in a way that only made him even more endearing to her. She leaned down and put the plates on the floor, making sure the curtain was pulled tightly closed behind her.

He turned around and looked at her, his eyes narrowed, an avid expression on his face. She didn't say anything to him, just kicked her boots off and began to pull her clothes off, too. He moved to the bed and lay down on his back, tucking a hand behind his head, watching her. His face was impassive and she couldn't even begin to understand what was going on behind his blue eyes; she only knew that she was seconds away from slicing her bra off if it didn't come undone immediately.

When everything was puddled on the ground around her feet, she stepped up onto the mattress and put a foot on each side of his hips and towered over him. He ran his hands up her legs and pulled at the back of her thighs, making her knees bend. She hovered over him now, knees on each side of him and he drew his legs up, pushing her gently back against them. She leaned against his firm thighs, sitting on his hips, feeling him pressed against her bottom, and let his hands move all over her body. Her eyes slipped closed at the sensation of large, warm, calloused hands touching her.

His hand squeezed her hip and she languidly opened her eyes again, watching him slowly trace his fingers over her scars, moving with precision up her body to trace the ones on her shoulder and arm. He then drew a finger slowly up her neck to brush against the scars on her face. When his hand moved across the thin one running along her cheek, his eyes locked on hers.

"Our food's getting cold," she murmured, moving forward willingly when he wrapped a hand around one side of her waist and pulled her down to his chest. He shook his head at her slowly, like the food didn't matter, like nothing else mattered. In that moment she agreed with him, and when he rolled his hips, filling her, she quickly pressed her lips to his, silencing herself and any thoughts she may have had left.


	97. Chapter 97

***** I'm going to try and update again today, but if I can't it's because we've gone to see The Winter Soldier and I'm in Marvel-nerd-heaven haha :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It all started with Maggie, then swiftly Beth, Carol, and Hershel followed, within a matter of hours. They had Lori move upstairs for safety's sake and by the evening, Rick and Carl were down, too. Linney, Daryl, and Glenn were running from room to room, trying to make sure everyone had enough water and cool cloths for their heads and necks, and a bucket to be sick in. After a long, tiring night, Linney, Glenn, T-Dog, Lori and Daryl gathered upstairs to discuss the situation.

"Is it the flu?" Glenn asked worriedly, looking at Lori. The woman shifted uncomfortably and gestured towards the stairs. "If you'd let me go check on them, I might have a better idea," she told them in a low voice and all at once the other four answered, "No."

"Look, it's fever, cough, headache, body aches, nausea, seems like the usual flu symptoms to me," Linney offered, running a hand through her hair worriedly, thinking of Carl's flushed face and glassy eyes. Lori nodded and held a hand gently to her growing belly, while she chewed her lip in thought.

"It sounds like the regular kind of seasonal sickness," she answered slowly and Linney nodded eagerly. She noticed Daryl swaying on his feet a little bit and furrowed her brow. Glancing over quickly at Lori, she grabbed Daryl's hand and pulled him away from the little clustered group.

"What the hell?" He growled at her and she put her hands on her hips in irritation. "Don't try and lie to me, Daryl Dixon," she snapped at him, "Your hand feels like it's got a fire burning inside it." He pressed his lips together and she took a step closer, flattening her hand against his forehead.

"Jesus! You're burning up!" She cried and he made a frustrated face. "Get downstairs, into bed, right now," she ordered him, and he shook his head, before bending slightly and coughing harshly. "God dammit Dixon, do what I say right now," she told him, between clenched teeth.

"You all need help," he answered in a rough voice, and she shook her head vehemently. "All you're doing is putting Lori and the baby at risk by being up here, get downstairs right now!" That seemed to get through to him and he finally nodded tiredly and turned for the stairs. She realized with a flutter of worry that he was more sick than she thought, if he was so willing to obey her without further argument. "I'll be down in a sec to check on you," she called after him. He nodded and gripped the railing, making his way downstairs.

Linney moved back over to the others and ran both hands through her hair again. "And another one bites the dust," Glenn murmured unhappily and Linney grimaced at him, her face tight with worry. She looked over at Lori and raised both her eyebrows. "Ok, mom-lady, what do we need for them?" Linney asked reaching for a pen and paper on the windowsill near all their food supplies, and Lori smiled wanly.

"Anything for colds and flus," she began, "Medicine to bring down the fever: aspirin, ibuprofen. Also anti-nauseants, antacids." Linney was furiously writing as Lori spoke and looked up when Lori paused. "Vitamin C tablets would be good, any kind of mentholated vapo-rub too, to help with their coughing." Lori rubbed a hand across her mouth and pressed her lips together, thinking.

"Juice, water, sports drinks, soup, crackers, those would all be good too," Lori said and Linney nodded. She glanced over at Glenn briefly and then up to T-Dog. "Glenn and I will do one final round down there, then he and I are going on a run, to gather this all up. When we're gone, T, you're on downstairs duty," he nodded slowly at her instructions, his face unhappy, and Linney looked to Lori. "Can you handle watch while we're gone? It might be awhile until we're back." Lori nodded firmly and Linney glanced to Glenn.

"Sound good?" She asked him and he smiled at her, "Absolutely, boss." Linney flushed a little at the term, realizing she was being bossy and take-charge, but didn't spare much thought to it; no one else was stepping up to lead, so she would do it until they had Rick back on his feet. The two of them went downstairs and Linney pointed at Glenn and Maggie's little room, and then over to Hershel's room. "I'll check Carl and Rick, then Daryl, you check everyone else, ok?" He nodded and trotted over to Maggie. Linney grabbed the things she'd been using to help take care of everyone and pushed open the door to Rick and Carl's room.

"Hey buddy," she whispered to Carl, who was laying in just PJ bottoms on his mattress, looking sweaty and distressed. "Linney," he whined, twisting around, "I don't feel good." His pained face broke her heart and she knelt next to him. "I know kiddo, I'm sorry. I talked to your mom and she says it's probably just the flu, so you'll barf it all out and feel better in no time," she told him, easing him up into a sitting position and helping him to lean over the bucket they were using for everyone to be sick in.

When he was done, she helped him rinse his mouth out, then had him drink a little water, slowly, before laying him down on the bed, making him sit up on the stack of pillows she had there for him. She hovered over him, stroking his face and neck with a wet rag, before settling it across his forehead. "I'm tired now," he pouted, coughing harshly. Linney swallowed hard and rubbed his shoulder. "There's water here. I'll clean your bucket and leave it for you, Glenn and I are going out to get some stuff to make you feel better," she whispered to him, "Just sleep little man, that's the best for you." He nodded and she got to her feet, backing out of his room and moving over to Rick's side.

She ignored the fact that Rick was just laying in his underwear and knelt beside him as well. "How's it going, boss?" She asked him softly, placing the inside of her wrist on his forehead. He looked up at her, his face tired, pale, and grim. "Feel like shit, that's for sure," he responded and Linney smiled at him. She had another wet cloth ready and did the same for him as she had for Carl.

"T-Dog is staying behind," she informed him, "Daryl's down with it too, so Glenn and I are making a run, Lori's upstairs, healthy and safe, sitting on watch so T can take care of you all down here." Rick nodded vaguely at her. "This is bad," he murmured, twisting his head side to side and then succumbing to a massive bout of barking coughs.

"It just seems worse than it should be because everyone is weak and tired as it is, Rick," she told him, smoothing the wet rag on his forehead again, "It'll be ok, it's just flu, we've all been there before." He nodded at her and she smiled, moving to get up. His hand moved out and weakly grabbed her wrist, stopping her. She looked back at him questioningly.

"If I... if anything... Carl, you'll take care of Carl," he said to her, not asking so much as trying to reassure himself that she would care for his son. Linney pulled his hand off her wrist and held it in both of hers. "Rick, you're not dying, you're just sick, it's alright," she told him, and he nodded, looking away. Linney felt a burning coil of worry in her stomach and prayed she was right, prayed this all just hit harder and faster than a normal winter flu because they weren't eating well and were only now just settling into a life where they weren't going to be tired, cold, stressed, and hungry all the time. _Our bodies are just exhausted_, she thought to herself, _everyone will bounce back_.

She got to her feet and left the room, wishing again they could open the windows a little to let in some fresh air, but then immediately dismissed the thought, thinking that cold winter air might not be very helpful at all. She moved down the dimly lit hallway, listening as Glenn murmured niceties to Carol in their room and then she eased into her own room. Daryl was sprawled across the bed, still fully dressed and she put her things down and bent to begin removing his boots.

"What're ya doin'?" He croaked at her, and she smiled at him. "I'm getting you all tucked in and comfortable," she told him, pulling off the last boot. She helped him remove his clothes, and climb under the blankets wearing just his boxers. "You still feel warm," she muttered, putting a cold cloth on his forehead. He moaned at the contact and she pressed her lips together. "Are you feeling nauseated yet?" She asked him and he shook his head before coughing violently. Linney grabbed their pillows, plus a couple extra blankets, and helped him sit up, trying to keep him propped up, as she had with everyone else.

Linney made sure he had water, a bucket and that he understood that T would be helping him if he needed anything, before leaning in and kissing his forehead, smoothing back his hair. "I'll be back soon, it's gonna be fine," she told him and he glared sickly at her. "I ain't a idiot, woman; I know I'm gonna be fine," he growled and she laughed lightly, patting his cheek. "With a temper like that, I don't doubt it," she told him. His eyes were already starting to droop closed so she moved quickly and quietly, grabbing her outerwear and her big, empty backpack before sliding through the curtain.

Glenn was waiting anxiously for her by the door and handed her a little bottle of antibacterial gel which she squirted liberally on her hands. "How are they?" She whispered to him, rubbing the gel in. His anxious face told her all she needed to know, but he still said, "I'm worried about Hershel." Linney felt her face crinkle in concern for the old man, recalling warnings in the old days, about how the young and the elderly were the most at risk for illness. "He gave me this," Glenn said, tucking a piece of paper into her hand. The short list of names on it were obviously medical and hard to pronounce.

"What are they?" She asked him. "Hershel said that since we don't know if this is bacterial or viral, it's best to just err on the side of caution in our current circumstances," Glenn responded and Linney nodded. "He said they're broad-spectrum antibiotics," he further explained and Linney nodded again.

"Sounds good to me," she told him, walking out the door. The day was cold, grey, and windy and Linney felt the wind tear through her jacket quickly. "I was thinking we'd take the truck," Glenn offered her and she nodded at him, jogging with him around the building and climbing into the pick-up. Glenn drove them to the gate, hopping out to unlock and open it, before Linney scooted across the seats and drove the truck through. She moved back to the passenger seat and waited for Glenn to close and lock the gate. He climbed in and she pointed immediately across the street.

"I know it looks ripped apart, but it's worth a look," she said, gesturing at the grocery and pharmacy. Glenn nodded and replied "Sounds good to me, sooner we get back, the better." They were parked in front of the small building quickly and leapt out, dragging their huge backpacks out behind them. "Looks pretty empty," Glenn whispered, leaning towards her. She glanced up at him and nodded, before pulling her biggest knife and slinking forward, into the pharmacy. Linney silently handed him Hershel's list and gestured with her chin to the back, behind the pharmacists counter. Glenn nodded and moved away.

There wasn't much left, but Linney smiled when she found the vapo-rub Lori had mentioned. There was a lot of it left and she scooped it all into the bag. All the aspirin, codeine, and ibuprofen was gone and Linney cursed in frustration. She saw a few boxes of children's ibuprofen though, and snatched them up, deciding that Carl was definitely still young enough, and small enough, to take it. She found some cold and flu relief medicine, the kind that was mixed with hot water and made into a drink, and grabbed the boxes left. Cough drops, antacids, and hot water bottles went into her bag in quick succession and she squeaked in joy when she found a small turnstile that still had little boxes of instant chicken soup on the lowest rungs, buried beneath the facial tissue packages she was grabbing from it.

Linney moved down the first aid aisle, just to kill time until Glenn was done, and bent down when she saw a few boxes of the instant form of cold-compresses, the kind that you crackled in your hands and it grew cold quickly. Next, Linney went in through the door marked 'Employees' and shone her flashlight around, pleased that the only walker in there was very dead, on the floor, it's head sliced open. She found nothing great in there except one single bottle of water and she tucked that into the bag. She heard a quiet whistle and walked back out to the main area to see Glenn, looking sadly down at one bottle in his hand.

"They only had one," he whispered and Linney frowned in disappointment but then shrugged. "You know what? It's better than nothing, and this is only our first stop," she told him in a low voice. He nodded and pulled his bag around to the front of his chest, showing her what was inside. "I found some of those nutritional substitute drinks," he told her, showing her the two little six-packs of chocolate flavored drinks. "Also, these," he pulled out a handful of thermometers and she smiled at him.

"I totally forgot about those, that's awesome, man," Linney told him happily and he nodded as they walked out, moving next door into the grocery. That store turned out to be a dismal failure. They only found one small package of juice boxes and one box of crackers, half crushed. Linney stood next to the truck when they were done and shoved her backpack into the backseat. "What about over there?" Glenn asked her and she looked up at him, following his gaze to the small cluster of office buildings.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, then clapped a hand over her mouth in chagrin. Glenn smiled at her and they both hopped in the truck. He got them over there quickly and pulled up in front of the first building. "We need to check for break rooms," she whispered to him and he nodded, adding, "And desks, people should have stuff in their desks." Linney nodded then slapped his arm, "Oh! And water bottles, you know? Those giant ones? For the water coolers?" Glenn nodded at her, getting excited, and they reached for the glass doors at the same time.

"Fuck," she said, glancing over at him in irritation. "Who locks the doors during the apocalypse?" She snapped and Glenn raised an eyebrow at her. "Probably they didn't know it was going to be the apocalypse, Lin," he said in a calm voice. "So, we break it then?" She asked and he shrugged, looking around. "Yeah, I guess, doesn't look like there's any walkers around." Linney felt uneasy about making a lot of noise, but was eager to get what they needed to and get back to their sick friends. She nodded at the door and back away.

"You've got the metal pipe, go to town," she urged him. Glenn wasted no time, swinging the pipe and shattering the door. The sound was astronomically loud to their ears that were so used to quiet, and they both stood frozen in place, terrified. Linney locked her wide eyes on his face and Glenn finally let out a breath. "Ok, didn't attract anything from inside or outside," he murmured and stepped inside. He looked back at her, still frozen anxiously to the pavement.

"Come on, Lin, we have to just do this," Glenn insisted, and Linney nodded, following him inside. They were silent, moving slowly through the pitch black office, their flashlights the only thing showing them the way. It was truly a cubicle jungle and Linney realized that it would be too easy to get turned around in here. "We can't split up," she whispered, directly into Glenn's ear. He nodded and they moved to the first desk. Linney ignored the pictures and knick knacks all over the desk and stared yanking open the drawers.

"Yesss!" She hissed excitedly and Glenn looked down at the drawer. It had small bottles of ibuprofen, aspirin, and anti-nauseants inside. She rifled through a couple more drawers and found a little box of tea and grabbed that. They moved to the next cubicle and found nothing, the following four yielding the same. "Dammit," Linney whispered, feeling disappointed. When they near the cubicle at the end of the row they were working on, Glenn grabbed her arm and yanked her back just in time.

It seemed that a very devoted employee had stayed at his desk until the bitter end, before succumbing to the horrible bites on his face. He swung a meaty arm at them and if Glenn hadn't pulled her away, the rotting hand would have caught Linney directly in the face. Glenn moved faster than she did and swung his pipe. With a thick, wet noise, the pipe tore through the side of it's head and it slumped to the ground, leaking a stinking, gloopy mess onto the floor.

"Oh god," Linney said, gagging at the odor. Glenn wiped his pipe off on the side of the cubilce, it fabric walls soaking up the blood immediately. "He was guarding a horde of stuff," Linney said when she'd regained herself enough to climb over the dead man and start tearing his drawers apart. She found more aspirin and antacids, and also soup, crackers, chips, jerky, candy, soda, and a pack of water. She even found some instant coffee that made Glenn's eyes shine as if it were the holy grail.

"No wonder he stuck around," Glenn said happily, "He didn't want anyone to get his stuff!" Linney chuckled and they quickly swept the rest of the cubicles, not coming up with anything more than a few more instant coffees and some vitamins. They headed for the break room next and looked at each other, smiling hugely when they found intact vending machines and three water coolers.

"Oh my god, yes!" She whispered excitedly and Glenn closed the door behind her. They quickly smashed open the vending machine and Glenn started to yank everything out, cramming it into his bag. "We should move the stuff in my bag into yours, too," she whispered, gesturing at the soda machine, "I can cram a bunch of that in here, they even have ginger ale!" Glenn nodded and they bent to the task. When a door at the side of the room rumbled in the frame once, and then exploded open, spilling walkers into the space, they both spun in surprise, their hands full of scavenged items.

"Shoot them! Shoot them!" Glenn screamed at her.


	98. Chapter 98

***** Oh my god, seriously, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was AWESOME :) I'm in nerd heaven, so many little tie-ins to the Marvel universe *drools*... anyhow, here I am back at writing this, even though I was all, "I'm going to take a break tonight and surf Marvel theories online all night" - I JUST CAN'T QUIT YOU... Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney... and PS - thanks for the faves, follows, reviews and fun PM's, I think I'm like the luckiest writer on here to have such nice people following my story :) *** Oh, and PPS, did you guys know that Rooker is going to be in Guardians of the Galaxy? A big blue Merle-y alien lol**

Lori sat at the window, watching the nothing outside, rubbing her stomach idly. She had watched Linney and Glenn drive across the street, moving from one building to the next, before disappearing into an office building. She had full confidence in the two of them, but still felt nervous. _It's just all the sickness downstairs, it has you fussing when you don't need to_, she comforted herself, adding her other hand to her belly.

The air was still, and quiet, even the people downstairs were all silent. So when she heard the gunfire it startled her badly. She got to her feet and put both hands on the window, looking around. She knew it was coming from across the street, and was terrified. It went on and on and on. When she thought she couldn't take it a second longer, it stopped and she trembled. _Where are you guys? Come on, come on, where are you? _

T-Dog came upstairs, having heard it too. "Do you see them?" He asked her, his voice low and concerned. Lori turned to him, seeing his eyes tight with anxiety as he watched out the window. "No, nothing, do you think..." her voice trailed off when she saw the door on the building across the street fly open and a small red figure ran out, lugging two full bags. The bags were tossed into the bed of the pick-up and then the figure darted back into the building. Lori gripped T's arm tightly as they stood transfixed, hoping against hope that the little red figure would emerge, with another person this time.

When the door was kicked open again, two people emerged, each carrying a huge clear cylinder. "Is that? Is that water?" T murmured, pressing closer to the glass. Lori felt a huge smile of relief break across her face as the water was put into the backseat of the pick-up and the people hopped into the truck. When they came through the gate, T looked over at her and nodded, running towards the stairs.

Lori paced, waiting, and hoping.

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Linney slid out from the passenger side of the truck and pulled her backpack from the truck, shoving her arms through the straps and adjusting it onto her back. She reached in the back seat and pulled out the water jug she'd taken and managed to stagger towards the door of the office. She heard Glenn doing the same behind her and smiled hugely at T-Dog when he opened the door, reaching for the water and relieving her of it.

"What the hell happened over there?" He asked her, turning back to hold the door open for Glenn as well. "Walkers," Linney answered. Her ears were still ringing and she knew Glenn's were too. If she stopped to think about it, she knew she might lose it, so instead she grabbed some water, soap, and a plastic tub and hurriedly began washing her face, neck, arms and hands. Glenn followed suit and T hovered anxiously. "What can I do?" He asked them and Linney paused to look up at him.

"Relieve Lori, get her to rest, tell her we're fine and we can chat later," Linney told him and T stared back at her, his eyes running over the blood streaked across them both. He finally nodded at her and made his way upstairs. "Antibiotics and fever-reducers first?" She asked Glenn and he shrugged. "Hershel never said anything different, so I guess yeah," Glenn answered and Linney nodded.

Linney shook out a little cup full of the pills and immediately moved to Carl and Rick's room. Carl was still flushed and fevered and Linney felt her insides lurch with worry. _Should a kid have a fever for this long?_ Carl barely seemed to notice she was there, but swallowed the pill. She tried to ask him when the last time he threw up was, but he was nearly incoherent and lapsed back into a labored sleep, coughing intermittently. Linney paused at the foot of his bed, debating whether or not to take care of him all at once, or move on to Rick.

When Carl started to moan and grab his head, crying at the headache she was sure he was feeling, she decided to deal with him right away. Running out into the lobby again, she dug around in the bags, pulling out everything she thought he might need. She raced back to Carl's side and put a fresh rag on his head. She pulled his blankets down and smeared vapo-rub on his skinny chest and then on the bottoms of his feet, using a trick her dad had once used on her. She pulled socks over top of his gooey feet and then moved back to sit him up.

After hurriedly reading the instructions, she gave him a dose of the children's ibuprofen. She took his temperature and when the little electric thermometer read 103, she could feel her heat beating heavily. When the thermometer was laying in it's little case next to the bed , Linney stayed a moment longer, rubbing the cool cloth along his little face and over his neck.

"Mommy?" He muttered, keeping his eyes closed and Linney shook her head, "No buddy, it's me, it's Linney." He started crying, but it was weak, and he took in a deep breath and the tears went away as he drifted into sleep. _God I hope that's normal_.

Linney grabbed the antibiotics and moved over to Rick, making him take his dose. Linney pulled out another thermometer and made Rick hold it under his tongue. 101. Not as bad as Carl, but not good. Linney had him take some regular ibuprofen, before giving him a fresh wet cloth. "Rick, Rick? Listen to me," she said and he turned his face to her, squinting in confusion at her. "Mom?" He asked and she made a face, "No Rick, it's Linney." He stared at her harder, his eyes struggling to focus and she held up the vapo-rub.

"I'm putting some of this on you, not getting fresh, ok?" She asked him and he nodded, giving her a small, tired smile. Linney started with his feet, and slid his socks over top. She smeared the rest on his chest, feeling like an absolute pervert the entire time. "Next time Glenn's doing this," she muttered and Rick laughed at her before coughing again.

When he settled, Linney headed over to her room and stepped inside. Daryl was laying on his side, not on any of the pillows, breathing thick and heavy, face flushed, hair sweaty. She felt a little tug, somewhere in her chest at the sight of him, and dragged the little armload of flu-care items up next to him.

He cracked an eye open and looked at her blearily. "Glad you ain't that other dumbass," he said in a cracked and garbled voice. Linney smiled at him, wondering what kind of hell he'd put poor T thru while they were gone. "I need you to sit up, you have to take some pills," she said to him slowly and calmly. He leaned heavily on her, as she helped him back up onto the pillows, his head like a burning rock on her shoulder.

"Take these," she instructed, putting the antibiotics and ibuprofen in his hand, then handing him the bottle of water. He dropped everything as he seemed to fall asleep mid-movement and she sighed before picking it all up, hunting the pills out in the snarl of bedding. She gently shook his shoulder and he opened his eyes again.

"Why you so bloody?" He asked and she shook her head. "Not now, open your mouth please," she ordered and he stared at her before doing as she said. She held the bottle to his lips and he swallowed the cluster of pills, grimacing. When he started coughing Linney pulled the sheets back and moved to his feet. "What the hell're ya doin'?" He asked her, trying to pull his feet away. "It's to help you not cough," she told him and he grimaced, still trying to pull his feet away. "Look, if you can't sit still I'll get T in here to sit on you so I can do this," she threatened him and he gave her the finger, his hand flopping down onto the bed wearily after a moment.

She got it on his feet, covered him up in socks, and then managed to smear it on his chest. She realized he was sleeping and smiled at him, putting a fresh cool rag on his head. His temperature read 104 when she checked it and Linney felt a rush of panic. _That's so goddamn high._

She quickly changed her pants and shirt and then gathered up all the goods and moved out into the hallway. Glenn was waiting there and he looked uncomfortable. "Did everyone get their pills?" She asked him, and he nodded. "Did you vapo rub them?" She questioned further and he nodded, and then shrugged. "Can you please do Beth and Carol? I just can't... I felt like Chester the Molester..." Glenn's voice was deeply embarrassed and Linney nodded, chuckling.

"I hear ya man," she told him, putting a hand on his arm, "If you promise to vapo-rub Rick from here on out, you got a deal." He laughed, his eyes going wide at the thought of her having to smear the stuff on Rick, and Linney headed into Carol and Beth's little room.

"Hi ladies," she greeted them and Carol rolled over to give her a sleepy smile. Beth barely moved and Linney felt a now familiar ripple of worry chill down her spine. "Beth? Hey Beth?" She asked and the blonde finally peeled her eyelids open, her eyes glassy and confused. "Momma?" She asked and Linney groaned. "I'm everyone's Momma today, I guess," she muttered, before giving first Beth, then Carol the vapo-rub treatment, foot and chest.

Linney peeked in on Hershel and was surprised to see that he seemed to be resting easiest out of everyone. _He's one tough old bastard_. After another quick check on Carl, Linney washed her hands and went upstairs. Glenn was waiting for her up there, shoveling down a bowl of food. Lori handed her one too and Linney paused, wanting to plan some more, but the scent of the beans was nearly intoxicating and she dropped to her rear end in the middle of the room and devoured the bowl of food.

"Lori," she said, when she was done, "How are you feeling?" Lori nodded and waved a hand at Linney. "I'm fine, please don't worry," she answered nearly impatiently, and Linney felt like an idiot; it was obvious Lori was worried sick about Carl and Rick and had been trying as hard as she could to be patient while Linney ate.

"Carl's temperature is high, he took the antibiotic and a dose of the kids ibuprofen, plus the vapo-rub," Linney told her and Lori bit her lip, her eyes turning liquid in despair. "Rick's the same as this morning, I'm going to go around in a couple hours and dole out some more pills, try and get their temps down." Linney was trying to be clinical, hoping that her calm manner of speaking might keep Lori sane. Lori nodded and turned to the bag Glenn had dragged upstairs. "I'm making some soup for all of them, if you think you can serve it?" Glenn nodded exuberantly.

"Anything, Lori," he told her, and received a grateful smile from the worried mother in return. Linney turned to T, sitting stoically at the window. "T, when did the puking stop?" She asked him and he smirked at her before answering. "Last one was Daryl, 'bout an hour before you got back," he told her and Linney looked to Lori. "Will the soup make them heave? I want to make sure they digest the pills," Linney spoke in her tight, controlled voice, again desperate to remain calm. Lori nodded at the giant pot in front of her.

"They haven't eaten all day honey, any pills you gave them are being absorbed as we speak, some food will help, even if it is just soup," Lori's reply was soft, methodical almost, and Linney felt a surge of gratitude that at least someone in this building was someone's momma, and could help. When the soup was ready, she and Glenn carried it downstairs carefully. She brought some in to Carl first, again, and ended up pulling him onto her lap, up against her chest, leaning his burning body against her as she held the cup to his lips and made him slowly drink the broth.

When he had finished half, she moved on to Rick, who was able to sip as he leaned against his pillows. "I can't thank you enough," he managed, his tired eyes turning to hers. Linney put her wrist to his forehead again and twisted her mouth to one side. "You thank me when your fever drops," she answered him. Rick smiled behind the cup of soup and then handed it to her. "I can't have anymore," he told her, laying back against the pillows. Linney nodded and peeked in on Carl again, covering him up with a sheet before going to give Daryl soup.

He was again laying on the mattress but he was breathing easier this time. "Soup time," she told him, flicking his damp hair off his forehead. "Don' wan' none," he grumbled into the mattress and she moved around to his other side, dragging him up under his armpits, up and onto the pillow. "I don't really care, bucko," she answered him and he scowled at her. She held the steaming cup of soup to his lips and he sipped at it slowly, his eyes locked on hers the whole time.

"Yer pretty," he mumbled, when he'd finished his soup and she laughed at him. "And you're delirious," she answered, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. In the hallway she could hear Glenn in Hershel's room and walked in, seeing that Carol hadn't had her soup yet. Linney curled up on the edge of the mattress there and helped the pale woman with her soup too. "You're such a good little girl, Linney," Carol told her and Linney nodded at her.

"I try," she replied wearily. Afterwards, Linney and Glenn trudged back up the stairs, to find Lori sleeping. "You want us to switch onto watch, T?" Glenn asked, even his voice heavy with exhaustion. T shook his head at him. "Night watch is hardest, I'm takin' it, in the morning Lori can," he replied. Linney waved an arm at the stairs. "We're bunking down in the hallway downstairs," she told him, "So if you need us, holler quietly." T nodded at her.

"Go to bed guys, while you can. I can't believe either of you are still on your feet," T-Dog's voice was quiet and Linney nodded, making for the stairs. They grabbed a couple sleeping bags and both of them climbed inside their own bag, sitting against the wall behind them. Linney pressed her shoulder into Glenn's and turned her head to look at him.

"I'm fucking bagged," she told him and he nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "I keep expecting to get sick, and it's not happening," he whispered to her and Linney smiled at him in the dim light from the one lantern they'd decided to leave on. "I know, me too, probably cause we're both such total badasses," Linney replied, and Glenn snorted. "After today, I agree," he said and Linney shuddered, not wanting to remember the waterfall of walkers that poured through the door, surging towards her and Glenn. The gun fire, their yelling, the blood, the smell, the small space. Linney shifted and rested her head on Glenn's shoulder.

"Let's talk about that another time, I'm about dead here," she told him and he murmured his assent. Linney fell asleep quickly, her body eager to fill the sleep-deprived void she had dragged it into. She was awoken at some point a little while later when Glenn's head came to rest on top of hers, but was too tired to care and drifted away again.

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Looking back, Linney would consider that one of the longest nights of her life. She and Glenn never managed more than about 45 minutes of sleep at a time and got up over and over again. People coughed, people puked, people were in pain, or needed water, or to use the bathroom. Linney dispensed pills and water, held hands, rubbed backs and heads, and even sang a little to Carl when he woke up crying. She made him laugh singing silly songs she remembered from her childhood and he slept best when she was right there next to him.

"Linney, quit fuckin' babyin' me, can take care of m'self," Daryl murmured to her, his voice weak and argumentative, as she put more vapo rub on his chest and made him take more pills. She didn't argue with him, just forced him to go along with what needed to be done. After a particularly hard bout of coughing, she had leaned against the wall in their room, on the mattress, his head laying on her chest and stroked his hair. "Thank you," he muttered, after a while, his breath hot against her collarbone. Linney said nothing and rested her chin on his head, falling asleep for a little while.

By the time morning rolled around things were much the same as the day before. She and Glenn plodded along, taking turns trying to nap. Linney began to think she had never been so tired in her entire life, as she dizzily helped Rick eat some crackers and take more antibiotics. "You need sleep," he told her, pushing the crackers away, and she shook her head at him. "Forget it, Rick, I'm taking care of all ya'll and that's that, so eat or I'm going to force feed you," she snapped, making him chuckle weakly before he finished his crackers.

By the next day, Maggie was coming out of it and was able to slowly wander around and help out, and by that night Carol and Hershel were up, too. Linney and Glenn both fell asleep in a heap upstairs after being urged by everyone else to do so and later Lori told her they looked like a pile of puppies, flopped down together the way they were. Linney only knew that she was beginning to think that she wouldn't have been able to function without Glenn and gave him a huge hug, telling him so, before they tumbled into sleep.

_Gonna have to talk about the office building soon though_, she thought right before she passed out, _can't put that off forever._


	99. Chapter 99

***** I am sad, so sad, that there is no TWD tonight! At least I have Game of Thrones to partially fill the void :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"I still think we should tell Rick," Glenn murmured to her and Linney turned away from the box she'd been pawing through and stared at him. "Glenn, I know I said we'd talk about it later, but we can't tell him," she hissed at him. Glenn got to his feet and kicked the box she was sorting out of the way, surprising her with such an uncharacteristically vehement action.

"Linney, we didn't die, and there's just so much stuff left over there, we can't _not _tell him," he insisted, crouching down to squat in front of her. Linney pushed herself off the ground and paced away from Glenn. "We can't possibly take it, Glenn, how can you _not_ see that? We emptied our clips in there and you know that was just a fraction of what's in that building - we have to be sensible!" Glenn walked towards her and grabbed her shoulders in both hands, shaking her a little.

"I know it freaked you out," he started, and she scoffed and tried to turn away. He grabbed her face, making her look back at him, "But we didn't die, and with more of us it'll be fine, we've handled way worse than this! You need to get your head back in this! Something's happening with you and I don't get it, but you can't be afraid," Glenn's voice was insistent, but Linney said nothing, just stared back at him and felt her insides flutter with a nameless emotion.

"What the hell is goin' on here?" Glenn dropped his hands from her face and shoulder and spun around, to see Daryl standing outside the unit, crossbow over his shoulder, face tight and questioning. "Nothing!" Glenn said, stepping away. Linney shook her head at Daryl. "You know it's nothing, we were just discussing something we disagree on," she told him, her voice low and reassuring. He studied her for a moment before looking over at Glenn.

"Discussin' what," he said flatly and Linney turned to Glenn, her face furious. "Don't," she snapped at him and he looked from her to Daryl. "Wow, this sucks, but Lin, we need to talk about it," Glenn explained to her, and Linney ground her teeth together. "You're an idiot," she muttered in a disgusted voice, shoving past Glenn and ducking Daryl's hand as she left the storage unit they'd been working on. She didn't want to seem like she was pouting, so she simply found another unit marked to be sorted and yanked the door open to start.

When a wall of boxes greeted her, she sighed heavily and reached for the nearest one. Unbidden, the memories of what happened in the office building raced back to her. When the door had burst open into the little space she and Glenn were scavenging in, she instantly knew it was too dark to throw her knives with any accuracy. Glenn had screamed at her to start shooting them, as he pulled his guns to do the same. For an instant, the writhing wall of bodies coming their way, a wall that was temporarily hung up trying to get past the table and chairs in the break room, seemed like too much to her, and she froze, doing nothing but pant in unexpected, stunned, fear.

Even looking back, Linney was ashamed at her moment of hesitation, for allowing her fear to get in the way of trying to survive. When Glenn screamed again, she had finally been able to move and pulled her guns, shooting and shooting and shooting. When the last one was dead she had been unable to stop and kept shooting at the heap of the dead on the floor and finally Glenn clamped a hand down on her arm, squeezing tightly.

"It's done! Stop! It's done!" He had yelled at her and she stopped, dropping her arm. The wave of dizziness that struck her then, had nearly taken her breath away, and she sank to the ground, putting her head between her knees to calm down. Glenn had been sifting through the bodies, trying to get to the door the walkers had come through and only realized Linney hadn't moved when he was on the stairs behind the door.

"Lin?" Glenn's whisper had carried back to her, and she had looked up at him, holding a hand in the air to beg his patience, while she tried to claw through a strange array of confusing emotions. _What the fuck is wrong with you?_ She had chastised herself. _This isn't you, get with it!_ Mentally yelling at herself hadn't helped, if anything it made the suddenly frightened part of her mind put up stronger walls, shielding itself from rational thought, wrapping itself in worry, self-doubt, and suffocatingly unexpected panic.

Glenn had came back down and yanked her up off the floor. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but we need to go check out what's happening up there," he had told her, speaking directly in her face. Linney followed him, feeling wooden and stupid, and very confused with herself. At the top of the first flight of stairs, Glenn pushed the door open slowly and they peeked out into the second floor space.

It was packed with walkers, dozens and dozens of them. It was also jam packed with gear, weapons, food, water, supplies. This was obviously a very big, fallen, group. Glenn shut the door quietly before they were noticed and grabbed her arm, urging her up to the next floor. Peeking in there, they saw the same scene, and again on the fourth floor. "Holy shit," he'd whispered excitedly, as they got to the ground floor again. Linney watched him warily, packing together the stuff they'd dropped.

"If we could clear those floors, Linney, we'd have everything we could ever need!" Glenn was clearly excited, elated at their find. All Linney could think of was how weak and sick everyone was and how close she and Glenn had been to death in this horrifyingly smelly room. _There would be no one left to help_, she had thought in panic, _no one to take care of anyone_.

"We have to tell Rick," Glenn had told her, as they drove back across the street and Linney had gripped his arm so tightly he glared at her and she shook her head. "No Glenn, we have more important things to deal with, save it, please, wait until we both think it's a good idea, _please_," she knew her voice came out more like pleading than a request and Glenn shot her a strange look before agreeing.

_And now he wants to tell Rick, no matter what. Once Daryl knows, we're through, we'll definitely go over there and..._ her mind trailed off, unable to think clearly. Linney kept blindly sorting through the box in front of her, knowing it would be full of the same useless crap she'd found so far, but unwilling to pull herself away. She felt her eyes stinging with unshed tears and couldn't quite figure out why, only that she was very close to breaking down, and all over making a run across the street. _Have I totally lost my mind? Or just my nerve? Am I such a tool that I'm having a panic attack?_

She heard footsteps behind her and blinked rapidly, trying to clear the moisture from her eyes before having to talk to whoever might be there. "Why don't ya wanna go?" Daryl's familiar gruff voice came from behind her and she shrugged, not turning around. She put a snow globe to one side of the box in front of her, in her 'No' pile. "That ain't enough, ya can't just shrug it off," he continued and Linney bit the inside of her cheek and didn't turn around. _Maybe if I ignore him, he'll go away and, magically, no one will want to go anymore,_ she thought childishly.

A few seconds passed and his hand settled on her shoulder, pulling her to turn around. She resisted for a moment before she heard the familiar clatter of his crossbow being put down and both his hands grasped her, forcing her to turn around. When he caught sight of her face, the expression on his changed instantly from irritation to worried surprise. She knew he'd been expecting fury, anger, ire, derision, not whatever he was seeing now.

"Glenn said ya'd been weird 'bout it all. Not yourself," he told her, his eyes moving back and forth between her own. Linney swallowed and clenched her teeth, feeling the muscles in her jaw move around. "It's a bad idea, a really bad idea," she told him, her voice low. He drew her to her feet and pulled her away from the box she'd been working on. "Ya need to talk, tell me why," he murmured, pushing her back up against a wall. Linney looked up at him and examined the resolve on his face.

"We were _this close_ to being dead meat, _this close_," she told him, holding her fingers up an inch apart from each other. "If there hadn't been tables and chairs in that room, we'd have been torn to shreds, guns or no guns," she continued, her eyes skating away from his. "And worse, _worse_, is that I hesitated! Me! Became this gibbering fucking mess and just froze!" Linney was distantly aware that she was yelling a little bit. Daryl said nothing, didn't move back, didn't look away, and she searched his narrow-eyed gaze for a moment, trying to read him.

"There are three floors _full_ of those things, and yeah, there's gear, but we don't have enough ammo to take them all, no tactical high ground, no way to do this without finding ourselves cornered and outnumbered!" She insisted and he grabbed her cheeks, holding her head still. "Since when has that ever stopped you?" He asked her, his voice serious. Linney shook her head. "I don't know! I don't know what's wrong with me!" She cried, her tone desperate and worried. She tried to pull away from him but he held her in place. Linney winced, her eyes skittering away, desperate to avoid his gaze when her own emotions felt so close to the surface. _Oh god, he's going to see me feeling my feelings._

"Nothing ever goes right for us, ever! Everywhere has turned into some kind of joke, and I thought everyone getting sick was the way we were going to crash and burn here, but when I was stuck in that stupid little room, I thought, 'No, _this_ is how it ends, Glenn and I get torn to pieces and everyone else dies from starvation and fever'! How pointless and stupid is everything then? All this fighting, everything we've all gone through, if it can be taken away that easily, what the fuck are we struggling for?"

She could feel angry tears coming to her eyes and brought a hand up to swipe them away. "I feel like we're trapped in this never-ending loop of shit, shit, and more shit, and I hate myself for feeling this way and I don't know why it's suddenly bugging me so much, but it is, and I can't take this crap for much longer." Her voice was emphatic, but embarrassed and she could feel her ears burning.

"Are ya sayin' you're done with goin' on runs?" He asked her, and she shook her head, slapping a hand against his chest in frustration. "No! Runs I can do, but I'm tired of always facing these hopeless, horrible situations! I'm tired of it all! This shit never ends, does it?" She snapped at him, and he cocked his head to the side, blue eyes narrowing, and then he moved like lightning. He yanked one of her guns from it's holster and held it to her head. His other hand grabbed one of hers and wrapped it around the weapon, so she was holding it. He kept the hand and gun gripped together and pressed it to her temple.

"Then you better fucking clock out right now, 'cause you ain't gonna find anything but that shit now!" He snarled at her and she recoiled a little. The venom in his voice was real, and she clearly understood how upset he was with her. She tried to pull her hand from the gun and he glared at her. "Do it! Fuckin' pull the trigger you goddamn coward! Check out already!" He was yelling now and she swallowed, gritting her teeth, fury growing inside of her.

"I'm not saying I want to die! I'm saying -!" He cut her off, shaking her roughly. "You're sayin' that you're a fuckin' coward - one nasty scrape and you're outta the whole thing? After everything? Gonna make us all sit back and do nothin'? Livin' now means doin' shit you don't wanna, shit that sucks, shit that'll get ya killed," his breathing was heavy and angry and Linney pulled against the gun again, his grip on her hand so tight it hurt.

"Give up then, Lin! Do it! Give up!" He yelled in her face, and she was suddenly, in a blink, on the ragged edge of absolute fury, the red wave of it driving every other thought from her mind. She slammed her fist into his stomach, twisting her body to throw her back into his chest, driving her elbow right into where her fist had just punched. His grip loosened on her hand and she pulled it back, shoving the gun into it's holster and ducking under his arm, getting away from him and the wall he'd had her pinned to. She was panting in rage and wanted to deck him, again. Daryl was hunched over slightly, gripping his stomach where she had hit him twice.

She was expecting more anger, but when he turned around to look at her, seeing standing in an angry, ready stance a few feet away from him, her face red with fury, her eyes narrowed into incensed little slits, he smiled at her, laughing around the fading pain in his stomach. "That's better," he murmured, slowly standing up straight. "Ya played fuckin' nurse for so long, think ya forgot how to get angry," he told her in a gruff voice, "Big pack a undead fucks used to make ya furious." Linney blinked at him a few times, realizing what he'd just done.

"You bastard," she said to him, "You got me mad on purpose?" He shrugged and then moved towards her very quickly, backing her up against another storage locker. "Worked didn't it?" He said smugly, and she realized that in a sense it had. She still thought it was a bad idea to clear that stupid building across the street, but she felt a lot of the foggy worry in her head being pushed back by the passing storm of her rage at what Daryl had been saying and doing. _It's a bad idea, but not because it's scary, just because it's stupid and bad._

"I hate you," she told him, staring up at his face. He nodded and ran a hand down her face quickly. "I know," he answered softly, and then abruptly turned and went to grab his crossbow. "Gonna go tell Rick we need to get in that building," he told her and she glared at him, shaking her head in disagreement. He walked a few steps and then turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. "You comin'?"

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Merle watched the small storage facility all night long, thinking to himself that he'd probably have to kill the stupid shithead that reported back saying they'd noticed activity in the area. He thought it was a waste of time and energy to try and watch all of the area that the Gov claimed was theirs. _Can't be more than ten of 'em_, _if anyone's even over there,_ he thought to himself, sizing up the small office behind the fences.

The Gov had been about to send Martinez and a small group here, but Merle had stepped in, saying some deliberately nasty things about Martinez and how he let the last group slip away when he literally had one of them in his hands. So Merle took Shumpert and a couple other guys with him and made the long drive to this area. And now he saw nothing, they'd arrived and parked blocks away, sneaking in on foot as the scout had told them to, and saw absolutely nothing.

_Fuckin' cold here_, he thought to himself, squatting inside the first floor of an office building across the street from the storage facility. His eyes never left the place across the street and he decided that if anyone was there, they probably weren't total idiots; surviving this long took gumption and that meant they were unlikely to be parading around in the dark. He glanced back at the other bored men with him and decided that they'd leave as soon as the sun was up.

"Someone else stare at this shit for a while, need to take a piss," he grumbled, and Shumpert moved up to the window wordlessly. Merle moved off through the building, weaving through the cubicles there. When he reached the back, he was surprised by the mountain of walkers sprawled against one side of the little break room. He shone his light around and realized that it must have been quite a standoff. _Whoever took care'a these fuckers did pretty well_, he thought to himself, crouching down on the side of the room that was relatively clear.

His flashlight hovered over the bloody footprints there and he stared at the small one for a very long time. _Gov is right, I'm seein' the two of 'em everywhere_, he thought in distaste, not relishing the idea that he might be going crazy over his little brother and some stupid kid who wasn't even his own. He took his piss, taking aim at the piles of the dead, before moving back across the office to the windows.

"There's no one over there," Shumpert said in a low voice and Merle was tempted to agree with him, but knew he could never do that, he disliked the big man too much.

"Shut the fuck up," he muttered and shoved Shumpert out of the way. The big man grumbled and moved back to his previous position. When the sun began to rise, it's light was shining directly on the huge wall of windows on the building he was staring at and he couldn't see anything if he'd wanted to.

"Let's get the fuck outta here," he ordered the other men, determined to get back to Woodbury and beat the shit out of the scout that sent them all the way out here for no reason. No one argued, they all wanted to be back behind Woodbury's thick walls, in their cushy apartments, with their women and their kids. _Just don't wanna chase anymore fuckin' shadows_, Merle thought.

*****Would you all be interested in some POVs from Michonne and Andrea? I've been toying with the thought of it, I like weaving everyone's stories tantalizingly close to one another. Really, they were all in a relatively small area of the state, and I think it likely that all these different groups may have trod the same ground at different times without knowing it *****


	100. Chapter 100

***** Well, we did it, we made it to chapter 100, and frankly I'm amazed! I was going to do something big or crazy this chapter to commemorate hitting 100, but I don't think I'm at a point in the story where there's anything huge to do! I am doing something a little different (and admittedly fluffy) with it though and I hope you enjoy regardless and stick around for the next hundred! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

When her alarm went off, Linney sat up in bed and winced at the pain in her back. _This stupid bed will be the death of me_, she thought in irritation. She swatted the shrill alarm and turned it off, prying the blankets off herself and stumbling to her bedroom door. She paused and listened at the door, as she always did, making sure her father hadn't had any guests over for the night who might still be awake.

When nothing but her father's distant snores hit her ears through the door, she flicked the lock on the door knob and pulled her battered door open. She stepped lightly across the hall, into the bathroom, throwing herself into her morning routine, so she wouldn't be late for work. When she was showered, and had her hair and make-up done, Linney threw on her humiliating uniform. It was ugly, tight, and the skirt far too short to be practical.

_Least my tips are pretty good in it_, she thought, buttoning the tight vest over her chest. She wandered down the hall into the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on, for her father when he woke up. She guzzled straight from the container of juice in the fridge before devouring a piece of bread with peanut butter on it. She heard a hoarse laugh from the living room and jerked around, surprised and scared. She saw a haggard and amused face smirking at her from the couch and felt her stomach tingle in apprehension.

It was one of her least favorite of her dad's clients, Merle Dixon. The man was such a total asshole all the time and she hadn't known him to be nice to anyone, not even her, as far back as she could remember.

"What the fuck are you wearin', kid?" He asked in his rasping voice. Linney looked down at the stupid short skirt, the tight tank top, the even tighter vest, all in colors of orange, yellow and brown. Her lecherous boss informed her and the other girls that this was a take on 70's waitress outfits, but she had always suspected that he just liked seeing his staff in revealing clothes, and had terrible taste in colors.

"My uniform," she said defensively, edging towards the front door. Merle raised an incredulous eyebrow at her and then laughed again. "Yer daddy let's ya leave the house like that?" He asked her, his voice making her shiver. To his credit, his eyes stayed on her face and for that she was grateful. "My daddy wouldn't notice if I shaved my head and went buck naked," she snapped at him, waving an angry hand in his direction, while she slid on the horrible brown go-go boots that completed her ensemble. Merle lit up a cigarette and made a face at her.

"Whatever," he drawled slowly, and she snatched up her purse and tore from the house, glad to get away from him. Linney trotted down the road in her ridiculous get-up, glad that her shift started so early at the Coffee Hut that most of her neighbors were still asleep and she wouldn't have to deal with their stares and leers until she was off shift later. She knew she was lucky to have the job she did. Not everyone in town was able to find something, and she knew it was only because she was young and considered fairly pretty that she was even hired.

She unlocked the doors to the ugly little coffee stand and moved inside, turning the lights and machines on, snapping everything to life. Having a drive-thru coffee joint was a luxury for this town, but her idiot boss was at least astute enough to recognize that the men in town, the working ones, the truckers, mechanics, laborers; they all wanted a coffee first thing after leaving their houses, without having to climb out of their trucks, served by pretty girls with big smiles and tight dresses.

Merilyn, her co-worker, arrived a half hour after Linney, right at opening-time and burst through the door in a cloud of perfume, cigarette smoke, and blonde hair. "Hey Lin," she greeted, and Linney smiled back, turning her back to Merilyn. "Do me up!" Linney said, smiling over her shoulder at the blonde and felt hands in her hair immediately. Merilyn put Linney's hair up in the 'required' style their boss requested, which Merilyn called 'fuck-me' hair, every morning. Linney couldn't style her hair to save her life, but Merilyn always looked put together.

When they flicked the lights on and pushed the shutters open, Linney sighed when she saw there was already a huge line-up. They worked quickly, the warm smell of coffee all around them, and Linney appreciated the simplicity and speed of her work, making time fly by. She smiled sweetly at the man who used to be her 3rd grade teacher, receiving a $1 tip from him and then turned her back on the window to make a disgusted face at Merilyn; she hated having to smile at and serve men like that, it was just weird.

"Up!" Called Merilyn, pushing a large black coffee at Linney, who slid a heat sleeve over the cup and turned back to the window, watching as another regular pulled up, his beat to shit grey pick-up rumbling in a familiar way. "Mornin'," he grumbled at her and she replied, "Morning," smiling at him as sweetly as possible, ignoring the flutter in her belly. This guy she didn't mind smiling at, even though she knew more than a few people who would probably kill her if they knew she wasn't faking with a man so much older than her.

"$1.50, like always," she told him and watched as he nodded, reaching into a little shelf on the truck's dash and grabbing a handful of change. "Here," he said gruffly, dumping the handful in her opened palm. She resisted the urge to giggle like a stupid girl when she felt his warm fingers brush her open palm, like she did every morning. He always paid with a random handful of change and she had to pause to count it out on the little window-sill, like she did every morning.

"Got another quarter?" She asked, smiling up at his blue eyed gaze. He narrowed his eyes and nodded and handed her another quarter, like he'd been expecting it. She smiled at him again and handed him his black coffee. "See you tomorrow morning," she said to him, the silly smile still on her lips. He gave her the very briefest of small smiles and grunted a thank you, before he drove off. Linney turned back to Merilyn to grab the next coffee and her blonde coworker just laughed at her. "Oh honey, just ask him out one of these days, would you?"

Linney pulled a horrified face at her and made a sound in her throat that was a combination of a gargle and a gasp. "No!" Linney cried, spinning around to serve the last coffee from their initial line-up. They encountered a small break in the rush and chatted as they hurried to brew and restock.

"Sweetie, you don't think it's a coincidence he's through here every morning, always with the wrong change, do you? He never used to come in so regular, just the past few months!" Merilyn's voice was knowing and Linney felt herself flushing. "Mer, he's way too old for me, even _my_ dad would shit a brick... And his brother... ugh, no," Linney's voice was rushed and she wiped extra hard at the counter.

When her shift finally ended, a while after lunch, she traded off with a buxom red-head and wearily left the Coffee Hut, her feet aching, and with a growing hair-headache. She limped off down the road, starting the twenty minute walk home, ignoring the hoots and hollers from men who drove by, wearily giving them the finger without looking up. _I'd change at work if I didn't think that stupid fuck had a camera in there to watch us_.

When a vehicle pulled off to the side of the road ahead of her, she jerked to attention. Her stomach did little flips and flops when she recognized the pick-up and she walked along the passenger side, the hot early summer sunshine blazing down onto her bare arms.

"Hey, Linney," he greeted her and she nodded at him, smiling stupidly. "Do ya want a ride to yer place? Gotta pick up Merle," his voice was a drawling rumble and she nodded at him. "Oh thanks, yes, these stupid boots are fucking killing me!" She winced at how overly perky her voice sounded and pulled the door open. He was wearing his coveralls from work and she nodded at him once she had her seatbelt on. "Taking a break from work?" She asked him and he shrugged and didn't answer. _Wow, ok, so not a talker_.

The silence stretched for a moment before he cleared his throat and finally spoke, "Gonna work late to make up for pickin' Merle's sorry ass up," he explained gruffly. Linney nodded and glanced over at him, tugging at the bottom edge of her stupid skirt, uncomfortably aware of how short it was while she was sitting down. "You smell like coffee," he offered suddenly, and she looked over at him, surprised and a little embarrassed. He met her eyes and then looked away, clearly uncomfortable, and she wondered how he could be so different from his brother; he was clearly uncomfortable even talking to her.

Linney laughed a little and waved a hand in his direction, "You smell like motor oil," she replied and he grunted what may have been a laugh and replied, "Fair 'nuff." She put her hands to her head and started to pull out the bobby pins that Merilyn had put in her hair that morning and slid them all onto the bottom edge of her skirt, so she wouldn't lose them. The weight of her hair hanging loose made her scalp tingle and she groaned a little, running her hands through the sections of hair along her head that ached.

"Be happy ya'll got short hair," she muttered to him, and he grunt-laughed again. She peeked through the curtain of her hair, happy that it smelled so heavily of the fruity shampoo she used, suffusing the truck cab with more than just her coffee smell, to see that he was looking over at her repeatedly.

She figured she knew why he kept looking, Merle knew her dad from way back, and he probably did too. Most people stared at her curiously, trying to see pieces of her father, or her mother (if they'd known her), in Linney's features. Everyone at least knew of everyone else in this rinky-dink town and she knew she was just as guilty of staring at people the same way. She peeked over at her driver and ran what little she knew about him through her head. "Ya'll shouldn't stare," he told her gruffly, without looking over, and she blushed nearly purple before looking away quickly, trying to hide behind her hair.

As they rumbled up her driveway, Linney reached for the seatbelt as he climbed out of the truck. She realized the belt was stuck and felt herself burn in embarrassment. He was halfway to her front door when he realized she hadn't climbed out. He turned back and his narrowed eyes seemed to glare at her.

"Daryl, I'm stuck!" She called, her voice clearly carrying her growing embarrassment. He trotted back and pulled her door open and Linney's heart beat picked up when he leaned in and across her body, bending so he could get at the belt clip, his face right next to her hip.

"No one ever uses this, forgot it was broke," he muttered, and her entire body jerked when he yanked on the belt, his arm brushing against her stomach. It unclipped and he smiled up at her and then backed away in a hot hurry, realizing how close he was to her. Linney climbed down from the truck, carefully, trying to make sure she didn't flash him and the neighborhood her underwear. They walked towards the front door and he held a hand out to her, gesturing for her to climb up first. She pushed the screen door open and winced when her dad called to her.

"Hey baby girl, how was work?" He was jovial and slurring and she was pretty certain he was already completely wasted. Linney swallowed hard and glanced back at Daryl, before looking over at Merle on her couch, her dad in his armchair. "I'm fine, dad," she replied, nearly tripping and falling backwards into the front hall closet trying to get her boots off. She heard Merle guffaw loudly behind her and she fled down the hall to her room. Inside, she tore off her uniform and ran a brush through her hair, securing it in a ponytail. She crammed on her jean shorts and a clean tank top, thankful that she was properly dressed for the hot day, not roasting in cheap polyester anymore.

Linney headed back down the hallway, and called to her dad as she went into the kitchen, "Hey dad? You wanna sandwich for lunch?" When he didn't answer, she stepped away from the fridge, to the side of the kitchen with a view of the living room and froze. Merle was sitting there on the couch, looking relaxed and happy. Daryl was on the other end of the couch, looking uncomfortable, and her dad was a glazed-eyed mess, leaning up from whatever he'd just snorted.

"Goddammit!" She yelled at him, hating when he did this shit around her. Merle raised a languid eyebrow at her and Daryl turned to her with wide eyes. She marched over to her dad and put her hands on her hips. "Come on dad, really?" She snapped at him, and he did nothing but sway a little and smile up at her. Linney glared at Merle and turned on her heel, leaving the room and going back into the kitchen. She made herself an angry sandwich and sat on the counter, eating it slowly, finding it hard to swallow around the lump in her throat.

"We're gonna go now," she heard and looked up to see Daryl in the doorway from the living room. She put her sandwich on the counter next to her and quickly swallowed her mouthful of food. "Fine," she replied tersely and then realized how rude that sounded, before adding, "Thanks for the ride home. My feet appreciate it." He nodded at her, his face unreadable, and turned and left the house. Linney leaned against the counter before grabbing her sandwich and walking back into the living room. Merle winked at her as he shut the door and she resisted the urge to make a face at him.

Linney moved past her father and stood at the window, watching the two brothers make their way to the battered pick-up and hoped she never had to see Merle Dixon again, he was a bad influence on her easily swayed father. She idly listened to whatever was on TV, some urgent voices discussing a recent new outbreak in some major cities, and watched as the truck started up. Her eyes stayed locked on Daryl as he drove the truck down the driveway and she felt like a little hussy when she realized she was excited to see him again in the morning when he came for his coffee.

_He's probably got a girlfriend, and he definitely doesn't see you the same way, you're just the stupid girl who shows off some cleavage to people while you stir their coffees. What red-blooded man wouldn't come by to see that everyday?_

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Linney lay next to Daryl, listening to him snore lightly, as he was still slightly congested from his illness a week ago. She had her hands behind her head as she stared up at the dark ceiling. Her attempts to distract herself, distract her mind from the group discussion they'd had upstairs, and Rick's inevitable stupid plan for them to make an attempt for all the goods across the street, was fairly successful.

She chuckled to herself, remembering that day that seemed so long ago now. She hadn't seen Daryl again, or Merle, for over a month and a half after that, until that fateful day at her house.

Linney rolled over onto her side and stared at Daryl in the faint light coming through the window at the end of their little space, usually covered by a thick curtain, but pulled open slightly now. She remembered how dejected she'd been, when he hadn't shown up again. Merilyn had tried to comfort her when Linney told her about what had happened, but she'd shrugged it off and tried to forget about it, flirting shamelessly with their customers, getting great tips and trying to force thoughts of Daryl Dixon from her mind.

Linney reached her hand out and rested it on Daryl's chest, smiling to herself when he a put a hand on top of it. She idly wondered what had happened to Merilyn. Things got bad, then worse, then horrific, and then everyone was pretty much dead. She knew Merilyn probably was too, which was sad in a distant way. Linney smiled when Daryl rolled over in his sleep, opening his eyes to glare sleepily at her.

"Why're ya awake?" He grumbled and she smiled at him. "Just remembering stuff," she whispered back and he blinked a few times. "Like what?" He asked her, waking up a little more, tracing an arm down her bare shoulder, following the pale line of her arm in the dim light from outside the window.

"That day, when you gave me a ride home," she murmured, watching his eyes. He closed them tightly for a moment and groaned a little, clearly remembering as well. "Christ Lin," he growled, pulling the blankets off her in a rush and rolling himself on top of her. She squeaked in surprise, looking up at him, a wide grin on her face when she felt how hard he was already.

"I should remember stuff more often if this is how you react," she mumbled into his neck, as his hands began to travel over her skin. "That day, you in my truck, smellin' so damn good..." his voice trailed off and he leaned away from her, looking down at her, "Fuck, I felt like a dirty ol' man." She smiled up at him, sliding an arm behind his neck. "I felt like a little whore," she said, giggling, "Panting after a guy so much older than me." He leaned down and began to drag his mouth along her collar bone, licking and nipping at her.

"I wanted you to pull that shit heap over and rip that stupid uniform off me," she mumbled, breathing heavily as his wandering mouth finally found her breasts. He paused for a moment and tilted his head up to look at her. "Really? Me too," he drawled roughly, before moving back to run his tongue up and over one breast before sliding along to the next.

His hand slid down her belly, across her hips and dipped down to the heat between her legs and she bit her lips. "Every morning," she managed, between small gasps, "When you'd come for that damn coffee, I wanted to crawl through that fucking window and attack you." He growled at her and she felt her mind starting to swirl pleasantly, amazed at how turned on this reminiscing was making her. He pulled away from her quickly and turned her sideways, coming up from behind her and brushing right up against her, holding back for a moment.

"Wish ya still had that little uniform, could take it off the way I wanted ya to," he teased her, his voice deep and husky. Linney squirmed against his hold on her hips and tried to push back to meet him, desperate for him. He eased forward, moving tantalizingly slow, her body accepting him eagerly. He braced a hand against the bed on either side of her and she looked up, over her shoulder, at him, as she lay on her side. "Keep lookin' at me," he whispered to her, his voice thick with need, and she nodded at him, gasping at the tingling rush she felt beginning to build inside of herself as he started to move.

Her breath came out in huffs in time with his thrusts. She could barely keep her eyes open, shutting them each time she gasped or released a quiet, breathy cry, only remembering to pop them back open when he growled at her in reminder. After they reached a shuddering peak, seconds apart from one another, Linney felt like all her muscles came undone at once and flopped onto her back, breathing heavily with his head rested on her chest.

"See? We don't need the uniform," she said softly, a light chuckle in her voice. He moved to his pillow, pulling her along to lay against him, both their bodies warm now. He mumbled something in return, and it took her a moment to realize it was "Love you."

_Definitely don't need that stupid uniform._

***** Happy 100 :) *****


	101. Chapter 101

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"You remember what I said, right?" Rick hissed at them, as they were all crowded into the dark stairwell. Linney nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her, listening as everyone around her agreed with him. "We avoid wasting ammo, keep it hand to hand, we stay in the formation we practiced," he explained again and Linney could feel Daryl shifting impatiently next to her. "Above all, we cover each other and don't get bit. I'm going in there, prepared to act as if my back is covered, as should you all." Rick's sincere and adamant voice flowed through the dark and Linney adjusted the straps on her arm again, anxious to get started.

Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, T-Dog, Rick, and herself were armed to the teeth, prepared to storm the second story of the office building, the one that she and Glenn had seen was filled with dozens and dozens of walkers. Linney still felt certain this was a monumental risk, but was doing her part. The door in front of them cracked open slightly and Linney swallowed hard. In the dim shaft of light coming through the crack she could see Rick, swaying slightly, preparing to burst into the room. He held a hand up and silently counted down from three with his fingers.

Rick pulled the cap off the item in his hand and when it lit with an angry, red, hiss he threw it hard out into the center of the huge room. The flare drew the notice of all the walkers around it, and the ones it didn't draw came running towards the plaintive squeals that the squirrel it was lashed to made. Linney only had a moment to feel saddened for the squirrel before Rick was racing into the room. They moved quickly, forming a long line, and moved swiftly, on silent feet, towards the angry horde now collected in the center of the room.

A few of the walkers on the fringe of the giant pack surrounding the squirrel flare turned to them, hungry and angry. Linney heaved a few knives, and Maggie managed to throw at least one that connected solidly with a dead skull. Daryl was shooting and reloading his crossbow faster than Linney had ever known him to, always making sure a spare bolt was clenched between his teeth. Sweeping around the edge of the group, Linney and Maggie drew their hand weapons; huge hunting knives for Linney, a machete for Maggie. Daryl and Glenn moved to the opposite side and at Rick's nod they descended on the group of the dead.

Linney had cause to be grateful for her thick winter jacket, more than once, when she felt thick, hungry fingers tearing at the fabric. The last one to grab her lost it's arm when she swung around and tore both knives through it. Her boot kicked the walker in the chest and it fell backwards, tumbling over an office chair, flailing its one good arm and its ragged stump in the air. Linney hunched down and followed it, stabbing its head and then turning to slam a knife through the ear of one who had its hand clenched to Maggie's leg.

"Linney!" Maggie cried, once, and Linney grit her teeth, her entire arm reverberating from the force of her swing. A bolt from the crossbow sailed past her arm, pinning one of the dead to the wall, through the eye, as it was approaching her from a blind spot, and Linney didn't pause to acknowledge it. She climbed up onto a desk and kicked at one of them crowded around the now very dead squirrel, in the back of the head, grimacing when the back of its scalp tore off and clung to her boot.

She muttered disgustedly to herself before jumping down off the edge of the desk and stabbing it in the back of the head. Looking quickly over her shoulder, she saw Rick stabbing wildly at a group approaching him, T-Dog holding off a couple at Rick's back. She grabbed at her waist, pulling a small knife and heaved it, followed by another, then another, taking down the ones closest to Rick. He released the grip he had the walker's lapels and they dropped to the ground. Their leader wasted no time, spinning on his heel to kill the ones by T-Dog.

Linney grunted when she felt something grappling for her boot and saw a rotted arm slithering out from under the desk she was standing next to. She squeaked like it was a spider and then stomped down on the hand, feeling the bones in it snap and crunch. Another hand, then more arm, then finally a rotted chest and head emerged and Linney took a step back before bending and neatly ending the threat. She heard Glenn cursing and saw him take out a gigantic man who had him pinned behind a desk. Maggie rushed to his side and Linney cursed when she realized that Maggie leaving their side of the room meant that Linney was forced to dive into the remaining walkers and try to handle them alone.

"Maggie," she hissed and the walkers turned from trying to make their way over to a loudly moaning Glenn, to look back at her. She waved at them, feeling that indescribable emotion welling in her chest, something she hadn't felt in weeks. As she darted forward, stabbing, ducking, rolling, shoving a chair, stabbing, kicking, twisting, stabbing, Linney remembered what it felt like to not only fear these things, but to also _hate_ them. Her face was creased in rage, her brow drawn down tightly, and she could feel her breath turning into angry pants as she lunged and slashed at them. Her arms and shoulders ached so badly that she was distantly aware of how much this was going to hurt later, but couldn't see past how much she fucking hated the undead and the threat they posed.

When she reached the last one, she whirled around, to the presence at her back, and her forearm was roughly blocked by Daryl's crossbow, to keep her from stabbing him. She took in a few more shuddery breaths before she remembered she should probably lower her arm, and finally blinked a few times. Daryl's eyes were tight and narrowed, locked on to her face, reading her expression, assessing her.

"I'm fine," she muttered and pushed past him, looking around the room. It appeared that everything was dead. Linney climbed over a heap of bodies, sparing a quick glance over at Glenn and Maggie who were embracing, Maggie's face screwed up tightly in relief. She made a beeline for Rick, noting his own jacket was torn in several places. Daryl was right behind her, and by the time she stopped a few feet from Rick, he was standing right next to her, the crossbow resting on his shoulder. Rick looked back and forth between them.

"It's done," he told them firmly and Linney glanced over to where T-Dog was resting on the floor, his head leaned back against the wall. "Is anyone bit?" Rick asked loudly and everyone shook their heads. Linney patted her hands along her arms and waist and realized every one of her throwing knives was gone. She turned away from the group and went back to the dead and began to paw through them, trying to find them all. She used her feet to kick the bodies around, worried that one or two of them might not be fully dead and began the slow process of collecting her weapons.

Daryl mumbled a curse from off to her left and she glanced over, seeing him pry a few crossbow bolts out of the skulls of the dead. He turned his head and caught her eye, squinting at her. "You sure you're ok?" He spoke in low, gruff voice and she nodded at him, sliding a gooey and disgusting blade home into a sheath on her upper arm. He tucked the bolts away and climbed over a few bodies, combing for her knives as well. When he made it to her side he had three in his hands and gestured at her to spin around, facing him.

"Don't seem like yer a'right," he muttered, sliding the blades into their sheaths. She stood still and let him put them back before looking up at him and cocking up an eyebrow at him. "I'm fine," she told him again, her voice a little louder. Daryl glared at her before casting a quick look over his shoulder at the front of the room, where Rick and the others were trying to drag the dead into one corner of the room. When he saw they weren't paying attention he steered her to a desk and lifted her up to sit on the edge of it. She didn't need the help, but let him do it anyway, curious to see what he might say or do.

"Merle told me once that no woman ever means it when she says she's fine," he told her in a low, almost embarrassed voice, avoiding her gaze. Linney chuckled unexpectedly and he looked down at her in surprise. "You didn't actually listen to anything that idiot told you, did you?" She asked in amused disbelief, and he shrugged, giving her a tight look. She put a hand on his arm briefly. "I really am fine, though," she assured him and his eyes narrowed further. "Not gonna wig out again?" He murmured in response and she smacked his arm, shoving him back a step.

"I hate these fucking things," she said, without looking over at him. "Yeah, me too," he responded. "I forgot that I hated them," she said in a softer voice, her eyes running over the bodies in the room, "I forgot about that, and somehow, not feeling hate made me feel a whole hell of a lot of fear instead." His hand grasped the back of her neck briefly and then it was gone as he bent to grab another of her knives.

"Here," he said gruffly, bending to stuff it into the sheath at her ankle. He looked up at her and she smirked down at him, raising an eyebrow at him. A smile grew on his face and she found one growing on hers in response. "Let's go move some dead bodies, steal some gear, then go home, wash off some guts and get naked," she whispered to him. He shook his head at her and smirked. "Sounds good," his voice was rough and low and she twitched her eyebrow once more before walking away, to help with the bodies.

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"Wish there was more ammo," Glenn grunted, passing her the box of food by his feet. Maggie smiled at him from the bed of the pick-up and then shrugged, relieving him of the box. "You should jus' be happy there was so much food," she replied, sliding the box along the floor of the truck. "I am, I am," he told her and Maggie laughed as she turned back to him, grabbing the two big jugs of water he thunked down onto the tailgate.

"Glenn, you're a terrible liar," she told him, a smile on her face, "And I never thought I'd see the day when food didn't make you happy." He watched her, as she slid the jugs away and then climbed down from the truck bed to stand next to him. "You make me happy," he murmured, pulling her into a hug and she laughed, pressing her cold nose into his throat. "You two make me wanna hurl," Linney grumbled, coming up behind them, her arms clutched around a bundle of guns.

Maggie made a face at her friend and stepped back from Glenn, reaching for the guns, sliding them into the truck. Linney stood still until the guns were gone and then turned to walk back inside. Glenn glanced briefly at Maggie before turning to Linney quickly and grabbing her arm, stopping her. "You ok?" He asked her and she nodded at him once before pulling away and going back into the dark building. Maggie watched him, watching their friend, and couldn't help but feel a huge swell of emotion. _He cares so much, about everything, about everyone. _

Glenn turned back to her and trailed his fingers down one of the huge rips on her coat. "Carol's going to be mad we made her so much work," he muttered, and Maggie laughed again. They both climbed up onto the tailgate this time and sat there, keeping an eye on the front of the building and surrounding parking lot.

"How long 'til he gets us to clear the next one?" Maggie asked, trying not to show how much she dreaded the thought. Glenn shrugged and looked over at her quickly. "Maybe a couple days?" He told her, his voice uncertain, "I know I need a break, pretty sure I pulled a muscle." He rubbed at his shoulder blade and Maggie rubbed the spot sympathetically. Daryl came through the door next, his arm weighted down with a big duffle bag and a box.

"Lil help here, short round?" He grunted at Glenn, and Maggie slid down off the tailgate when Glenn moved quickly to Daryl and grabbed the box. Daryl moved over to the truck and dropped the duffle down, the entire vehicle shaking with it's weight. He twisted it around, trying to slide it forward and Maggie climbed over the wheel quickly, to help pull it from the other end. "How's Linney?" She whispered to him, and he looked up at her in surprise, the expression sliding into irritation swiftly. "Why, gonna tell me some more 'bout what I'm doin' wrong with 'er?" He grumbled, shoving at the bag.

Maggie wrapped both hands through the handles and pulled hard, yanking it back. When they had it in place, she climbed down off the back of the truck and stood next to Daryl, looking up at him with a wry expression. "I told ya I was sorry for butting in back then," she hissed at him and he grunted in response. She huffed out a breath and moved to stand in front of him. "I know she was actin' a little weird about this trip, jus' wanna make sure she's ok now that it's done," Maggie persisted and Daryl raised an eyebrow at her.

"She ain't gonna appreciate people talking 'bout her like this; she says she's fine, so she's fine," he responded, before pushing away from the truck and walking to the door of the building. Maggie watched him, knowing he was right, and Glenn sidled up next to her. "Let it go, Maggie," he warned her under his breath and she turned to him, a smile on her face. "I will," she promised him, leaning against his arm, "I learned my lesson last time."

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When they were back behind their fences, the truck unloaded, everything stored away, Carol and Lori insisted that they all get cleaned up and relax. Linney stumbled through the curtain into their room and groaned at the inviting way their bed was calling to her. She pulled off her gear, and then her pants, grimacing at how tight and bloody they were. She pulled off her shirts and underthings and stacked all her dirty clothes next to the entrance to their room. _Can wash those later_, she thought wearily. Her arms and neck were thrumming from strain, as she knew everyone else's must be. She grabbed the baby wipes and began to scrub at her face, head, and neck. She took care of her hands and then did a cursory clean over the rest of her body.

She grabbed a pair of sweatpants and pulled them on, sliding on thick socks overtop of the bottoms of the pants, a clean t-shirt and hoodie following. Linney avoided sitting on her bed, knowing the instant she did that she wouldn't be getting up again tonight. The curtain moved and Daryl walked into their space. He began to remove his things and Linney nodded at him as she swallowed a couple ibuprofen. "Need some?" She asked him, wiggling the little bottle at him, and he nodded. She slid it and the bottle of water along the counter towards him, and then grabbed at a hairbrush, dragging it through her hair. It was longer now, about an inch away from touching her shoulders and she was constantly at odds about what to do with it at this awkward length.

Daryl changed into clean pants and a clean long-sleeved shirt and then took the pills, watching as she struggled to pull her hair back. He chuckled at the tiny ponytail it made and she glared at him. "I didn't just catch you laughing at my hair, did I?" She asked him darkly, and he held his hands up. "No ma'am, not a chance," he replied, his face pulling into an innocent expression. She walked over to him and stood on her tiptoes, jabbing him in the chest with the hairbrush. "I'm not the one who needs a haircut here," she told him and he glared at her. "My hair is fine, last thing ya need to be worried 'bout is my damn hair," he grumbled at her and she smirked at him, knowing he hated almost more than anything to be bothered about the shaggy state of his hair.

They moved upstairs to find everyone gathered up there, getting ready to eat. Rick was looking over all the gear they'd gathered that day and Linney knew that he was feeling good about everything right about then, gloating at their good fortune, almost. She felt too tired to care, but was dimly pleased that no one had died today and that she had helped to provide again. When she glanced over to Daryl's left and saw Carl and Beth exclaiming over the canned stew they were eating, a delicacy these days, she felt a lot better. She leaned against Daryl and ate her warm food, knowing that afterwards they could go to bed together. He nudged her a little with his arm and she looked up at him, returning his tiny smile.

_At least for right now, everything is good, and I'm happy._

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Feel free to leave me a review/comment :) *****


	102. Chapter 102

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"They're definitely there," the scout insisted, pointing at the map. Milton turned to watch the Governor's face, watch the play of emotion flicker across it. "Merle reported back that they saw nothing," Phillip told the scout, his voice low and dangerous. Milton swallowed hard at the same time the scout did, understanding the man's nervousness.

"He must not've stayed long enough, 'cause they're definitely there," the scout persisted, jabbing at the spot on the map again, to make his point. "I hid in that grocery store for ten days, like Martinez asked me to, and I saw them, learned their patterns. They went and raided that office building twice, then went back behind their fences again." The Governor spun to the man and raised a dark eyebrow at him. "You mean _my_ fences," he growled, and the scout licked his lips and nodded.

Milton watched Phillip pace, back and forth across the floors of his apartment, his hands clasped behind his back. "Merle told me those rooms weren't worth clearing when we found that place a couple months ago," the Governor reminded them and Milton climbed to his feet, walking to the scout. "How many of them were there?" He asked the other man.

"I saw four men and two women on the raids at the office, but they also got a couple kids that went on a smaller run to the apartment above the store I was in, with a couple of the other people," the scout informed Milton, his eyes nervously flickering over to the Governor, "Nearly got caught that time," he added.

"Women? Children?" Phillip asked in disbelief, and the scout nodded. The Governor moved across the room and pointed at the map, his finger tapping hard at it. "Four men and a couple women and children took a place that we were too scared to take?" His eyes cut over to Milton meaningfully. "Take some time to recoup from your trip," Milton told the scout, not looking over at the man, "Tell no one about anything you saw unless you hear from the Governor otherwise." The scout nodded and fled the room quickly.

"We need to get that space back, bring those people here," the Governor told him in an angry murmur, "I have no doubt that they are the same ones that escaped the bombs, that stole our property and killed our men, and now they're squatting in our area, taking things that should rightfully belong to us." Milton recognized the tone in their leader's voice and was momentarily sickened.

"The women? The children?" He asked Phillip, his voice hushed. "Thieves, murderers, and child soldiers, that's what they are! We bring them here, put them to questioning, and punish them for their crimes," Phillip responded sharply. Milton nodded. "Of course, I'll let Merle know - " Phillip cut him off, waving an irritated hand through the air.

"No, we send Martinez and some other men, keep Merle out of it. I'm not entirely convinced these people aren't the same ones he used to be with. I don't want him involved, don't want his allegiances to be tested like that," Phillips face was impassive and Milton stared blankly at him, before the Governor continued with, "It's not fair to Merle, he's been through enough, those monsters forced him to mutilate himself!"

Milton nodded and stepped away. "Of course, you're right, I'll get them out right away," Milton told him and Phillip nodded. Milton headed for the door and paused when the Governor called his name. He turned and looked back at his leader and friend. "I want them alive Milton, tell Martinez that. They had better be alive when they get here," Phillip instructed him, his face hard.

_God help those people_, Milton thought, as he scurried from the room to mindlessly carry out the Governor's orders.

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"Will you pass me that can there?" Hershel asked her and Linney turned, grabbing at the little can of metal lubricant. "This one?"

"That's the one," he replied and Linney handed it to him. She watched Hershel fuss over the smaller gate and tilted her face up to the sun, pleased to feel the change in the air. "Feels like spring, doesn't it?" Hershel asked her, his pleasant drawl making her smile. "It does, and frankly I'm done with winter, so good riddance," she laughed and Hershel chuckled with her.

"I believe that last cold snap was the tail end of it," he told her as he climbed to his feet. Linney moved to the other end of the smaller gate at the back of the parking lot and reached for the handle. "Go ahead," he urged her and she yanked on the handle, pulling the gate across. "It doesn't squeak anymore!" She said, pleased, and Hershel nodded at her. Linney peeked out onto the small strip of street on this side of the storage facility and then slid the door closed, locking it.

"Rick will be happy about this," Hershel said to her, holding up the tool kit in his hand while Linney gathered up everything from the ground that he'd used to fix it. She nodded, stuffing the last thing in the bag. "Me too, I don't like being backed into a corner with only one way out," she told him. Hershel mmm-hmm'd in response and they walked back through the weaving rows of the storage units. "Lori's due soon, isn't she?" Linney finally asked, trying to keep the worried, strangled tone out of her voice. Hershel put a hand on her arm, stopping her, and she turned to look up at him.

"She's almost 8 months along now, so yes, she's due soon," Hershel told her, and his hand tightened on her arm, "But she will be fine Linney, she has me and Carol, we are ready for any eventuality." Linney nodded and ignored the little twists of worry in her stomach. When they got back inside, Linney went upstairs first, pleased when she saw and smelled meat cooking, knowing that meant that Daryl had returned from hunting and his catch was cooking. She nearly ran down the stairs to see him.

"Hey," she said to him, sticking her head into their room, watching as he removed his leather vest. He looked back over his shoulder at her. "Hey," he replied in his gruff voice. She stepped into the room and slid her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his back. "What's up?" He asked her, reaching down and trying to unhook her arms. "Nothin'," she replied, her answer muffled by his shirt. He chuckled quietly and yanked her around to his front.

"We fixed the gate," she replied, as he pulled at the knife sheaths on her arms, dropping them to the floor. "Good," he answered, sliding a hand up underneath her long sleeved t-shirt. "What's going on with that hand?" She asked him, letting her own hands come to a rest on his belt buckle. He grunted and leaned his face down towards her neck. "What d'ya think?" He growled into her ear, and she laughed at him, hunching her shoulders at the tickling sensation his words brought against her skin. He unhooked her belt and pulled it and her holsters off, putting everything to the floor.

"I think maybe you shouldn't go hunting on any overnight trips anymore," she murmured, running her hands through his hair when he crouched to pull off her boots and the weapons straps on her legs. He looked up at her and narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me what to do," his gruff voice replied, and she smirked at him. "Make me," she taunted, and his big hands locked around her waist and he shoved her backwards, where she landed on the bed, giggling at the sudden movement. He moved to her quickly and she lost track of time as they twined together, rolling around and kissing.

"Guys? It's dinner!" Glenn called from outside their curtain and Daryl pulled away from Linney's flushed face. "Fuck off!" He snarled at Glenn, and then dropped a hand to her pants, beginning to undo them. They heard nervous throat clearing and Linney laughed at the look on Daryl's face. "Rick needs us all to be there, needs to talk over some stuff, apparently," Glenn added, every tone in his voice speaking to his regret at having to interrupt them.

"Dammit," Daryl growled and Linney laughed as they both got to their feet. She buckled her pants back up and straightened out her clothes, glancing over at him as he did the same. She smoothed her hair down as much as possible, but knew that her face and neck were red and her lips probably swollen. She stepped over to him and leaned up to kiss his jaw. He looked down at her and smirked a little.

"Need a fuckin' 'Do Not Disturb' sign 'round this place," he told her and she laughed again before grabbing his hand and moving to the curtain. "Uh, go'on up, gimme a sec," he told her, and she turned in confusion to look at him. His face was slightly strained and when her eyes dropped briefly to his pants, she realized that he had to calm down a little before seeing other people. "Jus' go," he growled at her and she pressed her lips together to suppress a big smile before leaving their room.

Linney helped Carol serve up plates for everyone and waited for Daryl to join them, sitting by the head of the stairs like they usually did during group meals. Rick was sitting on the window ledge, watching everyone, T-Dog beside him on watch. Shuffling at the bottom of the stairs caught her attention and she leaned over her plate of food and saw Daryl making his way up. She grinned at him when he sat down next to her and opened her mouth to say something, but he glared at her. "Not a word," he warned her gruffly and she pressed her lips together again, resisting the urge to laugh more at him.

"I just wanted to chat a little with everyone here," Rick began, and everyone's heads swiveled to him. "We can all feel the change, it's definitely not winter anymore, and I know I'm glad for that," he glanced over to Lori who was sitting on the couch, her belly rounded and proud in front of her, "Lori is due soon, as I'm sure you're all aware." Maggie clapped, elbowing Glenn to join her, but the motion didn't catch on past the two of them. "So, shoring up here, making sure we are settled and ready, is more important than ever," Rick continued, nodding at them, and then he looked to Hershel.

"Hershel? You wanted to mention the windows?" Rick addressed him and Hershel nodded, clearing his throat. "We all remember our illness this winter," everyone nodded at Hershel's statement and Linney shuddered slightly thinking about how much puke she and Glenn had to clean. Hershel continued, "It will be important for Lori and the baby to remain healthy and in as a clean an environment as possible. I think we need to discuss some ways to get fresh air into this building, as well as doing a run to pick up some more medical supplies, and things for the baby."

Linney caught Glenn staring at her and she nodded at his expectant face. "Lin and I will take care of that, we can try that doctor's office in the next block, or if we make a longer trip, that hospital on the map, about 20 miles away... though that might take a couple days," Glenn offered their services and Linney could feel Daryl stiffen slightly next to her at the idea of her going on a two day run, but he said nothing.

"I'll help with the windows," T-Dog said from his guard post and Hershel nodded, locking his eyes on Rick, urging their leader to continue. Rick got to his feet and then walked over to their make-shift kitchen to set down his dishes. "Linney and Hershel finished the gate today, the back gate, so we have a second entrance, or exit, depending on how you want to look at it," Rick stated, his voice even and drawling. He glanced over to Daryl and spoke directly to him, "I'd like to discuss some plans with you, for safety, for runs, for a quick getaway if needed." Daryl nodded easily at Rick's suggestion, and Linney was pleased that he finally seemed at ease with being the person that Rick turned to first.

"Rick?" They all turned to Beth's soft voice and the girl ducked her head, nervous at all the attention. Linney knew what she wanted to talk about and smiled encouragingly at her. "Yes?" Rick responded, his voice genuinely curious. Beth rearranged herself a little on her seat and kept looking steadily at Rick. "I want to start taking watches, I know I'm ready now," she said, her voice quiet but calm. Rick's sharp gaze flickered over to Hershel and then down to Linney before moving back to Beth. "Me too, Dad, we're both ready now," Carl added, his voice confident.

Rick nodded slowly, rubbing his hand across his chin. "I think so too," he responded slowly, Beth's face lighting up in response. He held up a hand to temper her excitement. "You and Carl will share watches, for now," he told Beth and she looked over to Carl and smiled. Rick continued with a small smile on his face, "It will surely be a help to us, to have some extra eyes to pick up shifts, it will allow us to do more without spreading ourselves too thinly."

"How about tonight?" Carl piped up, glancing over at T-Dog and then back to his dad. Linney hid her smile behind her hand; the boy was always so eager to help _right now_. Rick looked to Lori and raised his eyebrows at her before turning back to Carl. "That's fine with me, I'm sure T would like the night off," Rick told his son, and T laughed, saying, "T certainly would like the night off, little man." They all chatted as a group a little longer, Rick asking about supplies, ammo, possible spots to hit for their next weapons run and then, dinner eaten, matters settled, everyone split off. Daryl moved downstairs, and Linney stayed upstairs with Beth and Carl for a few moments.

"I know I don't need to tell you how to do this, but I'm going to anyways, to calm my own nerves," Linney told them. Beth chuckled and Carl rolled his eyes at her, but they both listened. "Keep all the lights off in here, that way there's no glare in your vision, and nothing for anyone or anything outside to see," Linney began, and then she pointed at the stairway. "If you see or hear anything, you _do not_ go out and check it out, do you understand?" She asked them this sternly, and Beth nodded immediately. Carl's was slower in coming and Linney glared at him.

"Carl, I swear to god, if you don't do this properly I'll tan your hide, got it? Parents or no parents," she added. Carl smirked at her and then finally nodded again. She took in a deep breath. "Even Daryl would wake the others if he saw something, cause one wrong move could hurt us all, so look before you leap," she told them and received quick nods again. Linney gave them a tight smile and turned for the stairs, pausing at the head of them when she saw Rick lingering a few steps down from the top.

"That's awful rich coming from you," Rick teased her in a low voice and she made a horrible face at him. "I know, I know, but they need to learn from my mistakes," she told him in a snarky voice. Rick nodded at her, before moving upstairs, to give his own list of threats to the kids taking watch. Linney chuckled as she moved down the stairs, certain that Rick and Hershel were unlikely to sleep very much that night. Peeking behind her curtain, she found no Daryl and figured he had stepped outside for a smoke. She grabbed at a hoodie, slipping it on over her shirt, before she went outside.

He was leaning against the wall just a little past the door, enjoying a cigarette in the dark. She looked around, at the huge, bright moon, the thick blanket of stars across the cloudless sky, and marveled at how bright it all made the night. He glanced over at her and she slid up beside him, nudging under his arm and pressing herself against him. They said nothing, just stood together until he flicked his cigarette away and turned to her.

"It's a beautiful night," she whispered to him, conversationally. He nodded and wrapped his arms around her, backing her up against the wall. She stood on her tiptoes and lifted herself to his face with her arms wrapping around his neck. He brought his mouth down to hers, and they both leaned into each other, enjoy the bright night, the quiet, the spring weather, and the little bit of alone time.

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"Hey man, check this out," one of his men whispered to him, and Martinez tore his gaze from the fencing to grab at the binoculars. He looked through them and grunted to the man next to him, "What am I looking at?" A hand pushed the binoculars towards the office and he stopped on the couple embracing in front of the building.

They had all seen the lone man emerge from the building, to smoke a cigarette, but lost interest when that was all he did. Now he appeared to be pretty hot and heavy with a woman and Martinez sighed, knowing his men were not plotting or paying attention to the plan anymore, they were all too busy watching the couple. "Lucky guy, hey?" The man next to him whispered and Martinez shrugged.

"Guys, fucking pay attention, we got a job to do," he growled at them. Shumpert nodded at him from the other side of the room, and spoke in a flat voice, "Want us to take them down?" Martinez looked back through the binoculars and considered it, his gaze lingering on the couple for longer than was strictly necessary. _Jesus, are they gonna fuck right there?_ He thought in wonder, watching the guy's hands moving up and under her shirt, while her legs wrapped around his waist. _It's been way too long without a woman_, he tried to reassure himself, feeling slightly guilty for watching another couple like this.

He glanced back at Shumpert and shook his head. "Naw, we need to wait until those two go in, till all the lights go out, want this to be unexpected, no chance for weapons to be drawn on their end," he responded to his friend, making sure his voice carried enough in the small space that all the men heard it. He had brought 15 guys with him, hoping that was enough, anymore and he was fairly certain that Merle might have caught on.

Martinez rubbed at his head, surprised by the ripple of guilt he felt. Milton had made it clear that Merle was not to know about this, about the people being brought in, because the Gov was pretty certain that his family might be among the people in there. He didn't like the redneck asshole, but even he felt bad about killing someone's lost family. Martinez scrubbed his hands up and down his face for a moment, trying to keep his mind off his own lost family, his wife, his daughter and son, how they'd died. He glanced across the street. There were kids over there, even a pregnant lady; no, he didn't feel good about being rough with them, dragging them back to Woodbury to be killed at the Gov's leisure.

He knew this group had killed his men, that one of the women had attacked him, possibly even the one necking with the big lug across the street right now. They stole Woodbury supplies, and the Gov claimed they aided the Midway Estates people in all their vague and varied injustices carried out against the Governor. _Does it matter? Does any of it matter? You're in a good group; food, shelter, safety, this ain't the same world, man, do what you gotta do. _

He brought the binoculars to his face, watching as the couple across the street separated, the girl darting ahead to the door, the man loping after her. Her brief, loud laughter carried across the street and he tensed up his muscles, watching as they went inside. _Not much longer now_.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Read and Review folks :) *****


	103. Chapter 103

***** Super mild trigger warning here guys - hints at stuff, but doesn't go into anything. I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It happened so quickly that Beth couldn't be entirely certain that she wasn't dreaming. That is until Carl grabbed her arm so tightly it hurt and started to drag her towards the stairs. "We have to get my dad! Beth! We have to get my dad!" He hissed at her urgently. Beth yanked him to a halt at the stairs when the door to their little home burst open. She yanked Carl hard, back into the shadows of the upstairs, pulling him to the other side of the staircase, to hide behind the half-wall there.

"Carl, no! They're inside, we can't!" She whispered frantically and he resisted for a moment before the sounds of loud yelling downstairs jolted him into action and he followed her. They huddled together and listened, hearing the sounds of struggle downstairs. "My mom! My mom!" Carl whispered in fear and Beth put her mouth right to his ear. "If we hide, we might be the only ones who can help, we have to stay quiet, stay hidden, try and figure out what's going on!" Carl shuddered when they both heard Linney crying out for Daryl, somewhere downstairs, her voice scared and angry.

The men had cracked the gate and rushed across the parking lot, moving like shadows; they were through the fence and on the property before Beth was even truly aware what was happening. She and Carl each had a handgun, Carl's equipped with the silencer that Rick had found him in their hauls from across the street. She had the knives that Linney had approved as fit for throwing sheathed to her body, six in total, her pride at wearing them overshadowed by the wave of supreme gratitude she felt right now that she had them at all. She and Carl each had their fireplace pokers as well. _So we're armed, how does that help anyone?_

They heard more thumping and muffled yells and Beth dimly realized that most of the voices were outside. She turned to Carl pushing him further into the corner of the half wall they were hiding behind. "I'm going to look out the window, stay here," her voice was so tight and anxious that she sounded like she was furious with him. Beth peeked around the corner and saw nothing upstairs with them. She risked moving closer to the big window just steps in front of their hiding spot and looked out the window, keeping her head low.

She had to chomp down hard on her lips to keep from making a sound when she saw everyone on their knees outside, guns to their heads. Her stomach swirled sickly when she saw the way Rick and Daryl were hunched over, obviously having been hurt somehow. Someone stood at Linney's back, a hand gripped tightly into her hair, jerking her head back, a gun pressed into her ear. In the moonlight, Beth could just barely make out the man's dark goatee and the angry sneer on his face.

"Where are they?" The goatee man snarled at them all and Beth turned back to Carl, her eyes huge. "We know you got fucking kids here, where are they?" He yelled again, and Beth scuttled back to Carl, worried sick. He looked at her and they both froze, listening as someone outside yelled in pain, and then the goateed man yelled again. "I'll kill her, don't make me kill her, just tell us where they are and we don't have to hurt anyone."

"Beth, we have to go out there, we have to go out there!" Carl whispered, his voice panicked. Beth shook her head, "No Carl, we can't! We're the only ones - " she cut herself off when they both heard a creak on the stairs. She pulled a knife out and Carl pulled his gun.

"Hey kids? We know ya'll are up here, just come out now and no one's gotta be hurt, right? Just wanna take you all to visit some of our friends," a deep, unfamiliar drawl greeted them, as one of the strange men made his way through the room. Beth leaned towards Carl and whispered her instructions to him in a tiny thread of a voice and he nodded at her. The intruder had a flashlight and was shining it around the room, and Beth knew there was no way to go undetected.

When the man looked behind the half wall, he found what Beth knew he expected to find: two kids, terrified, crying, huddled together in a small hiding place, their huge eyes trained on his much larger, threatening, form. "C'mon out now, don't make us hurt your parents," he growled at them, and Beth nodded slowly, her mouth bowing down into an unhappy frown. She got to her feet slowly, keeping Carl behind her and when her hand dropped down beside her, the muzzle of a gun appeared just past her arm, pointed up at their unwelcome visitor.

He had no time to react; the whispering sound of the bullet passing through the silencer barely disturbed the air. Beth cringed a little at the small red hole in his forehead, and he slumped to the ground. Carl got to his feet beside her and stared at the man. "I killed him," he whispered, and Beth looked over at him, at the warring emotions on his face. She nodded and patted his face. "You had to," she replied, before bending to the dead man and removing his gun.

"We need to leave this room, get outside somehow," Beth whispered. Carl's head swung to hers suddenly. "The supply room, it's got a little fire-emergency window, the kind you push out," he told her, grabbing Beth's hand and pulling her to the stairs. It was still dark downstairs and as they descended slowly, the talking outside got louder.

"They ran away, ok?" Beth's insides trembled hearing her sister talk so angrily to the people outside. Another loud voice responded to Maggie's insistent statement, "They didn't have time to run! So, where are they hiding?"

"Maggie, no!" Glenn yelled out, a loud thump sounded, followed by Maggie crying, and Beth faltered on the stairs. Carl caught her arm and yanked her away from the front door. "I'm sorry Beth, come on!" He told her, his voice low and terrified. They had made it down the short hallway, almost to the supply room, when two men emerged from Rick, Lori and Carl's room, obviously having been rooting around in there. Their eyes widened when they spotted the two small figures frozen in front of them.

Beth didn't hesitate, she threw a knife at the man closest to them, catching him through the eye. He gurgled out a low, throaty sound and collapsed to the ground. Carl wasted no time, raising his gun and shooting the other man through the head. The two of them bent to the dead men and relieved them of their guns and rifles, slinging things over their bodies and tucking things in pockets and waistbands. They hurried into the storage room, shutting the door behind themselves. Carl led her through the small maze of boxes and bags, to the window at the back. He pushed a pile of blankets out of the way and pointed at a square window, marked with stickers proclaiming it to be a fire exit.

"Do you think it'll set off an alarm?" Beth whispered to the boy next to her and Carl, shrugged. "Does it matter anymore?" He answered her and she shook her head. Carl pushed at the handle, turning it to the left and forcing it open. He didn't pause, just began to climb through it. Beth pushed at his feet and slid through after him, mindful of the new weapons they had in their hands. Outside, it was cold and Beth shivered, wishing she had thought to put on a hoodie at least. Carl glanced up at her, his eyes gleaming slightly in the dim light. "What now?" He asked her.

Beth pushed the window closed behind her and moved along the wall, keeping close to it, remembering what Daryl had told them on one of the rare days he was showing them things. He had explained how to move quietly, stick to the shadows, make less of yourself, so there was less to see. Carl followed suit and they moved to the edge of the wall, peeking around the side, towards the front. She nearly leapt out of her skin when a deep voice spoke from behind them, a heavy hand dropping down onto her shoulder.

"There ya are, ya little shits," she turned to see a man about Maggie's age, with a huge beard. He smiled in victory and Beth glared at him. She twisted away from his hand and elbowed his stomach, at the same time Carl kicked the man in his crotch. He grunted and fell to the ground and Carl swung one of the guns into his face, grimacing a little when they heard a smashing noise that was likely his teeth. He cried out once and Beth swung her fireplace poker with all her might into the back of his head. A fount of blood splashed out.

"We gotta run! Now!" Carl cried in a quiet voice and he dipped down to grab yet another gun off the man. They ran in the opposite direction they'd been peeking; Beth could hear footfalls, she knew the one cry the man had let out was heard by some of his men. They made it around the edge of the building and Beth stopped suddenly, Carl rebounding off her back. "We need to kill them!" She insisted and turned, peering swiftly around the corner. "What if there's too many?" He hissed at her, as she drew a knife. She glared at him. "They aren't going to send all their guys for a couple kids, right?" He nodded, his face brightening as he understood what she was getting at.

"So we pick them off?" He answered and Beth nodded. He pulled his silenced weapon and they moved slightly past the wall they'd been huddled behind. Four men stood around their friend's body. Beth wasted little time, throwing the knife at the only one she knew she could hit at this distance. He dropped hard and his friends gaped at him for a moment before there was a quiet _snick_ noise next to her and Carl's gun took down another man, the last two seemed to gather their wits and spun around, to see the two kids standing there. Carl shot again and another one dropped, his forehead collapsing in on itself. The last man made to run, turning his back on them, his head creating a broad target. Beth hurled another knife and it went through the back of his neck, at the base of his skull.

Hurrying, they ran around the building, seeking cover amongst all the office furniture that they had left sitting there from clearing out the office so long ago. "What now?" Carl hissed, and Beth looked over at him, chewing on her lips uncertainly. A quiet and quick peek around the front of the building showed her that their whole group was still alive, but seven men still stood around them, alert and on edge, guns trained on her people.

"I don't know," she whispered to him breathlessly, "There's seven of them, but they have guns, if we shoot they might hurt someone." Carl's face squished up in concentration. "We took out eight of their guys, they gotta be wondering where they went," he replied and she nodded slowly. "Don't think they'll send anymore guys away," she told him and he nodded in agreement. "I say we run around the corner and just shoot at them, who cares about making noise?" Carl insisted, his brow drawn down in an angry, violent expression. Beth said nothing, her heart racing, her head aching with strain and tension.

"Beth! We got enough guns! Let's do it!" His voice was low but adamant and Beth could see that he was unlikely to change his mind. She put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing hard. "Fine, but we do this right, let's look again and make sure we don't hit our own." Carl nodded and they crept forward, their multitude of weapons making soft clicks at their sides.

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They had grown soft, that was the only excuse Linney could come up with. They got so used to this place, these fences, that they'd grown soft. That, and they had way too much faith in the kids. She tightened her sore jaw and looked around, feeling the pavement biting at her knees through her soft pj pants. _It's not their fault, it's ours_, she thought dismally, her mind whirling at all the possible things that could have happened to Carl and Beth.

She had been sleeping, so had Daryl, so had almost everyone, she was sure. When the front door was thrown open and heavy footsteps and blazing flashlights had invaded the first floor of the office, there was no time to react. Maggie and Glenn were found by the intruders first and Linney jolted up next to Daryl, when they heard Maggie yelp in fear. Daryl began to get to his feet, pushing Linney back, trying to move towards his weapons, when three men barged through their curtains, ripping them down. She cried out, scooting backwards, reaching for her knives, her guns, a shoe, _anything_.

The men wasted no time, though, clouting Daryl across the face with the butt of a gun so quickly that neither of them had any time to react. He fell forward heavily, first into the wall and then half-off the mattress. Linney screamed for him and threw herself at the men, pointlessly. They grabbed her arms and the flashlights were everywhere. A gun barrel was pressed into her head and another into Daryl's and she watched helplessly as they dragged him out, pulling him towards the door. The one with the gun trained on her laughed at her and her startled eyes rolled up to his face.

"Oh shit," she whispered, recognizing the dark hair, the goatee. "I owe you," he growled at her. She recoiled from him, trying to yank her arm from his hand. She kicked out at him and he held the gun up, pressing it into her forehead. "Did you hear me? _I owe you_, don't push me," he snarled. Linney froze and her eyes moved past him, to the rest of her group, being led out with guns at their heads. Her eyes locked with Lori's dark ones, the pregnant woman cradling her belly as a shame-faced man pushed her on ahead of himself.

Linney forced her mind to think reasonably, knowing she had to do everything possible to keep them from hurting Lori, and she was fairly certain that right now that meant doing what these people wanted. The goateed man dragged her to her feet and grabbed her hands behind her back, clenching her wrists together viciously. Linney shuddered, feeling dark memories of Shane coming back to her and felt the gun at her head again. The man was making her watch as everyone else was led out, obviously wanting her to see what they could and would do. Rick was the last one dragged out, his face bleeding.

She felt sick, knowing how hard their leader would have tried to fight these men. "Rick!" She called to him, and he managed to swing his head to look over at her and in the glare of the flashlights she caught the furious and terror-stricken look on his face and her stomach flopped over sickeningly. The goateed man threw her suddenly and violently against the wall. She huffed out a pained breath and he glared at her. His eyes ran down her body and back up to her face, but she saw nothing lecherous there. Linney wished desperately for more cover than the pj pants and light t-shirt was wearing, especially because she wasn't wearing a bra. The look on his face said he knew exactly what she was worried about now.

"You ain't my type, I like them bigger," he said to her, his voice angry. For some reason this relieved her, but she still tried to push away from him. "You fucking stabbed me, and then kicked me," he told her and she nodded, her voice livid, "Fuck you." She spat at him and he punched her in the stomach, before grabbing her hair and yanking her outside with him. She felt like she was going to be sick, the hard punch was radiating up through her insides in a disgusting way. She saw everyone's faces sag slightly in relief when she emerged with the man.

He dragged her over to the end of the row of her group, pushing her to her knees and jamming the gun in her ear, his hand so tight in her hair that she had to arch her back in the air to keep her hair from being ripped out. Daryl was furious next to her, T-Dog was being held viciously to the ground by two men, and even Glenn looked furious in a way she'd never seen before.

"Where are they?" The goateed man snarled at them all and Linney grunted when his angry words seemed to make him pull harder on her hair. "We know you got fucking kids here, where are they?" He yelled again, but Linney had no intention of saying anything. If they hadn't found the kids yet, it was likely they'd run away, in fact she was fervently praying that they had. She was willing to be shot in the head to make sure no one got their hands on Carl or Beth, especially not an aggressive, angry group such as the men here now.

The man suddenly tossed her to the ground, her face colliding painfully with the pavement. He pulled a knife, and grabbing her again, dragged her in front of the group. Her eyes locked on Daryl's and then she felt a slicing, burning pain in her shoulder when the goateed man stabbed her, making her scream. Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, and Glenn all received vicious kicks to their sides when all four of them attempted to lunge forward.

"I'll kill her, don't make me kill her, just tell us where they are and we don't have to hurt anyone!" The goateed man yelled at them all before bending to her and hissing,"That makes us even, you little bitch." He shoved her angrily and roughly back towards her line of people and she rolled into Daryl. He grabbed her, clamping a hand over her shoulder wound, and holding her to his side.

She could hear Lori crying softly and when she glanced over, she saw Carol and Hershel wrapping their arms around the woman, trying to use their bodies as a shield. The man covering them with a gun looked disgusted and Linney let her eyes dart around at everyone around them. No one looked especially happy. Aggressive, yes. Dangerous, absolutely, but they all seemed heavily conflicted, like they didn't expect their attack to result in what was before them.

The goateed man grabbed Hershel this time, pressing a gun into his forehead, Linney struggled in Daryl's arms, but it was Maggie that lunged forward.

"They ran away, ok?" Maggie yelled in fury. The goateed man swung to her, and responded quickly, his voice frustrated, "They didn't have time to run! So, where are they hiding?" Maggie glared hard at him and spoke in a quiet voice, "Obviously not here, asshole." The goateed man looked up at the large man with a gun trained on Maggie, and he grabbed Maggie's neck. Glenn yelled in a panic, "Maggie, no!" and then the man behind her pulled Maggie back and punched down into the side of her face. Maggie began sway sickly and to cry and that seemed to signal a pause to everyone.

Linney shifted uncomfortably, her shoulder cold where it was bleeding, Daryl's hand still clamped over the wound. They heard what sounded like a cut off scream from behind the office building, and without a word, four men peeled off to go take care of whatever it was. The goateed man and one other, a concerned looking dark-skinned man, stepped away a bit from the group on the ground before them and carried out a whispered conversation.

Linney felt like they were going to be trapped on the cold pavement, in the dark night, forever. When she heard two long, loud, high-pitched, nearly primal screams behind her she had zero time to react, especially when the nearly unending blasts of gunfire kicked in. Daryl pushed her to the ground, covering her with his heavy body. She managed to turn her head and saw the rest of her group taking cover on the ground, T-Dog and Rick trying to shelter Lori's body with theirs. Her shoulder jarred painfully into the ground, before something heavy landed on top of Daryl, knocking his elbow into her head, which made hard contact with the pavement beneath.

She saw stars and then nothing.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Read and Review folks :) *****


	104. Chapter 104

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney :) *****

Beth felt like Rambo. If Rambo was short, skinny, pale, blonde, and could screech like a banshee, then she would definitely be him. As it was, the guns were heavy, so very heavy, and Beth could barely hold them both up. She and Carl had decided to charge around the corner, screaming bloody murder, hoping to startle the bad guys into turning around, praying that their own people would recognize them and hit the dirt.

So they did, they ran out screaming, Carl tripping slightly and the sheriff hat falling off his head. The men turned and gaped at the two kids who were screaming themselves blue in the face, before she and Carl lifted up their guns and fired, trying to aim, but mostly just trying to make sure they shot up and not down towards were everyone was huddled on the ground. Two men, the furthest away, broke and ran, and Beth didn't have time to worry about them. She just shot and shot and shot, Carl next to her doing the same thing.

When the five men remaining fell to the ground, absolutely and completely dead, Beth let her fingers fall from the triggers and her arms tipped to the ground, the guns going down with them. _Carl is so calm_, she thought, _he put the guns down pretty easily and barelled straight towards his mother_. T-Dog and Glenn got to their feet, running to Beth and grabbing weapons from her before turning on their heels and racing towards the gates. She didn't know if they meant to shut the gate, or chase the men who ran, but either way, she was grateful for the opportunity to let someone else do the planning.

Maggie and her dad staggered over to her and Beth stood still, slightly stunned, as they enveloped her in their arms. "Hershel," the three of them turned at the ragged drawl that tore from Daryl's throat and her father broke from her, following the man as he carried Linney inside. Maggie was leaning heavily on Beth. "Maggie, oh no, your face," she whispered in horror at her sister. One of Maggie's eyes was bloodshot, swelling, her nose bleeding, her lip and eyebrow split. Maggie tried to smile at her comfortingly but her eyes rolled up in her head and she passed out, instead. Beth attempted to hold her up, but couldn't.

"Rick!" Beth squeaked, as she staggered and fell, Maggie on top of her. He left Lori and ran to her, scooping Maggie up and grunting at an obvious pain in his side. Beth trotted next to him, dimly aware that behind them Carol and Carl were helping Lori to her feet. Inside was chaos, her dad had Linney out on his bed, bent over a bleeding wound on her shoulder, and when Rick dropped Maggie down next to her there was a lot of panicked yelling from everyone. Glenn and T returned and ushered Rick and Daryl from the room, Carol replacing them. Beth ran around, trying to grab medical supplies, getting water boiling, pillows for Lori, trying to help.

Daryl sat next to Glenn, against the wall outside her dads room and they waited silently. Beth noticed that a lot of them seemed to have black eyes, split lips, bleeding noses, and other scrapes, and decided to help them. She got a smaller first aid kit she knew Maggie kept in her room and started with Rick, cleaning the wounds on his face, helping him get a bandage on his cheek where it looked like someone's ring had ripped his skin. Glenn sat still for her, his eyes sad and tired when Beth helped him.

She was afraid to help Daryl, but thought about how worried Linney would be about him and took a deep breath, preparing to face his surly, irritable behavior. "I just need to clean you up," she said softly, latching her wide blue eyes to his face. He looked at her, blinking a few times as if he didn't remember she existed. He nodded vaguely and she went to work on him. After a couple minutes he gestured at the bodies in the hallway with a dirty, blood spattered arm. "You kill 'em?" He asked gruffly.

Beth nodded, not looking at him. "And the guy upstairs," she replied, before pointing in the general direction of the back of the building, "And five guys back there." Daryl grunted and said nothing. Beth leaned towards his forehead, where a huge ugly welt was growing, scrapes and cuts dotting it, wanting to wipe it with some alcohol.

"This is gonna hurt," she warned him and he grunted again. She checked his eyes when she wiped, surprised to see no reaction. "Carl helped me, you know, we did it together, doing what Linney taught us," Beth explained, before looking to his eyes again. He was staring at her now, "And you too, you taught us stuff, too," she hastily added on. He surprised her by closing his eyes and smiling a little as he thunked his head back against the wall.

"Naw, it was all her," he muttered in a low voice, "She called ya her lil asskickers." Beth laughed and Glenn snorted from beside them. "She's gonna be fine, they both are," she addressed both of the men and received two blank stares in return. "What?" She asked them, and Glenn shrugged one shoulder before answering her.

"It's not that they won't be fine, Beth," he told her and she stared at him, waiting for more. Daryl glared at her then. "Get lost kid. Go upstairs and check on Lori," he ordered her and she bristled slightly, collecting all the first aid gear and getting to her feet. She took a couple steps away and then turned and frowned at them.

"You're welcome, by the way," she said to them and then marched upstairs.

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Glenn had never felt like such a useless douchebag in his entire life. First the men busting into their home, then being dragged out into the night, fully expecting to die immediately without being told why. Watching the one man stab Linney, Maggie getting slugged so hard in the face he wondered if she might be permanently injured, Lori and the baby, the missing kids... and being completely unable to do a single thing to help them.

All he and T had seen when they chased the men was the disappearing taillights down the road. He didn't know how long they had, but he did know they had to go, before those guys brought back more buddies. He glanced over at Daryl, completely unable to read the man's expression, but fairly certain that he was probably sharing the same feelings of self-loathing that he currently was.

"We need to go," Glenn said quietly, and Daryl rolled his head to look over at him. The other man's hard eyes glared into his for a while before he nodded and slowly rolled to his feet. "Git packin'," he gruffly ordered Glenn. Glenn nodded at Daryl's retreating back before running upstairs to talk to Rick, first.

"We need to leave, Rick," Glenn greeted them. Rick jolted to his feet, in a mild panic, his eyes darting to the window. "They're back?" He spoke in a nearly guttural tone of worry and Glenn put hand to his shoulder. "No, but they will be, you know that," he informed their leader, who visibly relaxed and nodded, moving back to Lori, who was relaxing on the couch, Carl dozing against her side. Beth was sitting at the window, apparently still on guard duty and she glanced back at Rick.

"I can go pack for Lori and Carl, so they can sleep," she offered softly, and Rick nodded at her, his face creasing into a smile. Beth got to her feet and moved to walk past them and Rick caught her up in a hug that surprised her. "Thank you Beth, thank you, you and Carl, thank you," he murmured, hugging her tightly. Beth squeezed him back and then scurried away, her face red.

"How can they not be fazed?" Glenn asked Rick, his eyes moving from Beth's retreating figure to Carl sleeping on the couch. "They just killed like 13 guys, all on their own, and they don't seem upset at all," Glenn pressed, certain he wouldn't be handling it so smoothly. Rick grimaced and rubbed a hand gently over his injured face. "I'm not certain, maybe 'cause it was the right thing to do? They had no choice? They were taught well, that's for certain," Rick answered him, his voice heavy. Glenn stared at Lori and his eyes darted down to her large belly.

"Is Lori ok?" He whispered to Rick, and the other man nodded slowly. "She's shook up, tired, sore, but says everything feels normal," Rick squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his face up to the ceiling for a moment before continuing, "I'll have Hershel check things, before we go." Glenn nodded and Rick clapped him on the back. "Go pack, we have to leave the first moment we're able," Rick told him.

Glenn smiled at him and went downstairs quickly. With the curtains ripped down he could clearly see Daryl packing in his and Linney's small space and Glenn moved to his own room to follow suit.

_Where the hell are we going to go from here?_

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When those kids burst out from the darkness, shrieking and screaming, the sounds bloodcurdling, Martinez felt like his spine had melted into an irrational, fearful, puddle. He remembered Milton's warning, that they were child soldiers, not kids, and now he believed it. Both of their skinny frames were weighed down, knives, guns, lots of guns, something that looked a crowbar, their faces furious and hard.

When they opened fire, he spun, grabbed Shumpert's arm and _ran_. He fully expected to be shot in the back, but somehow they got through the gate, raced down the street, and found one of their vehicles. He and his friend climbed into one and peeled out, hearing shouts in the distance.

The rearview mirror told him that a couple people had followed them, at a great distance, and he couldn't tell if it was his men, the terrifying kids, or some of the people they'd held at gunpoint just moments ago. He didn't care, he just drove, as fast as he could, certain that in this instance, he was lucky to make it away with his life.

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When Linney woke-up, she knew that she was in a moving vehicle. She blinked and looked around and saw the road disappearing behind her. Glancing around in worry, she sighed in relief when she realized that Daryl was next to her. She recognized that they were in Hershel's big truck, sitting in the huge enclosed trunk portion, on top of a pile of blankets. "What...?" She asked, trying to say more, her voice too croaky to say more than one word. His head whipped over to look at her. He shifted quickly, putting a bottle of water to her lips and she drank eagerly. "What happened?" She asked, her voice much less dry. His expression was blank as he looked at her.

"You remember, right? What happened?" He asked her, instead of answering. Linney nodded, quirking up an eyebrow. "Those men? I remember that. Being outside, being stabbed," Linney paused and glanced down at her shoulder, at the bulky bandages there. "That asshole stabbed me," she growled, remembering more clearly. She looked up at Daryl and his expression hadn't changed except for being tighter around the eyes.

"He was the one I stabbed," she explained to him and he nodded. "Glenn said," he grunted in response and she looked away. "Then there was screaming and shooting and you hit my head," she said to him. He grimaced and looked away. "One a the dead guys fell on me. Sorry," he murmured, and she nodded slowly, waving a hand at him dismissively. "Whatever, it's ok," she told him, and he looked over at her incredulously, shaking his head minutely before looking back out the window.

"So what's happening now? Why are we in the truck?" She asked him. He looked back over at her, his eyes cutting critically across her face, making her wonder what fresh hell had been wreaked upon it. "Had to leave in a hurry, two of 'em got away, ran back to their people," Linney nodded at his explanation, seeing the sense in it. She suddenly spun back to him, her head thrumming painfully when she did.

"Wait! The bike!" She nearly yelled, and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "Shut up, people are trying to sleep," he grumbled at her. She looked down at the bedding they were sitting on, and scooted over carefully, to rest against him. He stiffened and she looked up at him sharply. "What? What now?" She nearly snapped at him and he glared at her.

"Get yer panties outta that twist," he whispered in her ear, "Jus' wanna make sure ya don't fuck up that shoulder more." She took a deep breath and nodded at him, shuffling around until her good shoulder was pressed into his side, not her injured one. "Where's the bike?" She asked again, her voice soft and her words directed into his collarbone. He rested his chin on her hair and replied in a low grumble.

"You couldn' ride it all passed out, n' Hershel said my head was hit too hard to ride without crashin'." Linney wanted to look up at him, unwilling to believe that he would leave his brother's motorcycle behind just because Hershel said he was too injured to ride. "I can't believe you didn't argue with that," she whispered in reply and he chuckled a little. "Thought you'd be happy 'bout it," he muttered and she laughed, pulling away a little so she could look up at him.

"Weren't any time to argue," he told her, his forehead tightening as he got an up close look at her bruised cheekbone, "Had to go, had to leave it." She nodded slowly, and leaned back against him, wondering if there was more to the story. She knew there had to be. Linney played with the bottom of his shirt, picking at a thread there. Someone must have told him that the bike wasn't safe, probably that it wasn't safe for her, in a permanent way. She knew he wouldn't be thrilled at the thought of them traveling in separate vehicles, either.

"I can't believe you left Merle's bike for me," she said to him, without thinking. He twitched and his arms loosened around her. She looked back up at him, worried he was pissed with her, and found he was glaring at her again. "It's jus' a fucking bike, we'll find another car, for you n' me," he explained, his voice an easy drawl. Linney examined his eyes and he widened them a little. "What?" He demanded and she shook her head.

"You surprise me," she told him and he blinked at her before pushing her head back to his chest and wrapping his arms around her. The truck thrummed along and Linney lay against him, wondering again, _how the fuck do we keep getting out of these scrapes?_ She glanced up front, saw Glenn driving, Maggie and Beth crammed together in the seat next to him. Hershel and T-Dog were in the back row and she assumed that up ahead, the silver pick-up carried the rest of their group, and the rest of their gear.

_Where do we go from here?_

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Merle was ready to break some faces. He stormed around the storage facility, glaring at the people around him, the Governor included. When they'd broken the news to him, that they'd tried to snatch his family for him, but that the rest of the other group had fought them, killed their men, and dragged Daryl and Linney away, he had broken a chair with his metal arm.

He tried to feel relief that they were alive, relief that the Governor wasn't working against him in trying to find them, but he only felt rage. _If they'd fuckin' told me, I could've gone, prob'ly could've got 'em_. When the chair lay in pieces, the Gov had approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Merle had brought his furious eyes up to the Gov's face and couldn't fathom what the taller man was thinking.

"These are dangerous people, Merle, and I take responsibility for not telling you we had a lead on them," the Governor spoke in a low, regretful voice and turned away for a moment, in thought. "I had hoped to avoid a situation where you'd have to see these monsters face to face, where you'd have to lay eyes on the people that forced you to cut off your own hand!" Merle cracked his jaw and shifted irritably.

"Were they hurt?" He managed to rasp, and the Governor turned to Martinez, waving a hand at the man. Martinez leapt to attention and glanced once at the Gov before meeting Merle's enraged gaze. "They got a little knocked around, but I think those people want them alive," he answered briefly, his eyes darting away. Merle wasn't sure if the man was lying or not, but the Gov swung around to put a hand on Merle's shoulder.

"You know how much I value you here, how important you are to the people, here in Woodbury," he said and Merle nodded, the unfamiliar tingle of being valued for anything sitting heavily in his chest. "You don't keep any leads on their whereabouts from me, Merle, and I promise to help you track them down, bring that group to justice, save your family," the Governor spoke in a firm tone and Merle nodded at him.

Now, at the storage facility, he stood in what he knew had to be Linney and Daryl's room, judging by the gear that was left behind. He wasn't surprised to see they had the smallest space, a deliberate snub by the rest of Deputy Shithead's group, he felt sure.

His bike was there too, and he had pawed through the saddlebags, half hoping his drugs would still be there. He didn't find them and could only imagine Linney, her little face in a snit, throwing them away. He had chuckled, pulling out a pink hat, a knife, some food, a bottle of water, some tools he knew his brother used for the crossbow, and surprisingly, a set of the leather wristbands he used to favor wearing. _Don't need two of 'em anymore,_ he thought, staring at his metal arm.

Linney's picture felt like it was burning a hole in his back pocket. He resisted the urge to pull it out and stare at her parents, at the man Merle had known his entire life, her father, Kevin. A man he'd called friend since they were nothing but a pair of little backwater brats together. _Things sure went to shit, didn' they Kev ole buddy?_

Merle knew that his own father would have beat the shit out of him for having such a sentimental attachment to something, or someone, but Kevin had been like a brother to him, before Daryl was even born. Him and his wife took Merle and a young Daryl into their home many times before she died and Kevin lost his mind. _Least I coulda done was take care'a his fuckin' kid once I found 'er, n' I fucked that up_. He could only hope Daryl was doing a better job than he had.

He waited, glaring around at the Woodbury men swarming over the storage facility, thinking angry thoughts about how close they'd gotten and how they'd slipped away again. _Gov's gonna help me find 'em now, though, n' I'm personally gonna tear a fuckin' chunk outta the rest a that group._

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Read and Review folks :) *****


	105. Chapter 105

***** Thanks to those who've been reviewing, I like to hear your thoughts on where I'm taking this puppy, lets me know that I'm heading in the right direction! We are getting closer and closer to Season 3 now guys, not much longer... Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *** PS - I'm trying my very first Daryl POV in this chapter, let me know what you think - I'm so nervous to do it because I imagine the inside of his head is a labyrinth coated in molasses: sticky, tricky, and confusing.**

That night, for the first time since the night after they had fled the farm, they made camp outside. Rick drove them further and further into the countryside, and Linney couldn't say she didn't agree with the plan of getting away from where people might be. They had all discussed it in Hershel's truck as they drove, and it was clear that the group of men that had descended upon them was the same group dogging their steps since Midway Estates.

"This was so much more personal, though!" Maggie exclaimed from the front seat, gesturing with her hands, "They knew exactly how many of us there were and it's pretty obvious they were supposed to keep us alive!" Linney was nodding from her seat in the trunk, glancing up at Daryl's face every few minutes, almost as if to remind herself that he was there. "They must have been watching us, possibly for days," Hershel replied to his daughter, making both Beth and Maggie shudder.

"Why are we so important to them?" Linney added from the back and felt Daryl's arm tighten reflexively around her middle. Hershel turned in his seat to look back at her and his face was grim. "Because we got away," he answered her in his typical soft drawl and Linney felt her lips twitch, trying not to grimace at his response. "That's ridiculous!" Glenn cried from the driver's seat and they all turned to look up front. His eyes darted around from face to face in the rearview mirror. "Look, we weren't involved with Grey's group, and we've been _trying_ to avoid this other group, but we can't seem to slip their reach," his voice was insistent, as if he were arguing with their enemy group.

There was no reply to what Glenn said and they all settled into silence again as they followed the silver pick-up. After they drove past the sign for a drive-in movie theater, Linney was surprised when they turned off the road to drive to it. She had only ever been to a drive-in twice in her entire life, and she remembered that the one near her hometown was also sort of in the middle of nowhere, off the main roads, away from homes and other businesses, and... _oh my god, and fully fenced!_

Excited at the thought, she turned to look up at Daryl, her face bright at the idea. He gave her a slightly sad look and chewed the inside of his mouth like he was debating something. "Don't get too excited, we ain't stayin' long," he muttered to her, one of his big hands wrapping around her arm distractedly. She looked at him steadily, cocking her head to the side, waiting for him to continue. He pressed his lips together and then leaned closer to her ear.

"Ain't gonna talk 'bout it now, but you'll see," he breathed into her ear. Linney felt like her stomach was being wrung out like a wet cloth and pressed her hands idly to it, trying to calm herself. "Ow," she muttered, patting at the skin there. Daryl watched her movements and then he reached for her shirt, lifting up the bottom quickly, despite her trying to keep it down. "Aww, dammit, Lin," he groaned unhappily. Her stomach looked terrible, the blue, black, and purple bruising was like an abstract painting. _All from one punch._

"Ouch," she mumbled, pushing his hands off her shirt and pulling it down. When her eyes skated by his, she caught the look on his face, a thoughtful, angry look that said he was imagining something dark. "It was the guy that stabbed me," she told him quietly, "He punched me." Daryl's jaw tightened angrily and he looked away clenching his teeth so hard behind his pressed together lips that she worried he might chip a tooth.

"Anything else?" He managed to ask and Linney shook her head at him, "No, nothing else, he wanted revenge for what I did to him." Daryl's narrowed, stormy, blue eyes locked onto hers and she open her own eyes wide in response. "What? He didn't do anything else!" She insisted, and he rolled his eyes at her. "Just cause he weren't no perv don't make me feel better," he informed her and she shrugged carelessly.

"I'm more worried about their bigger game, about who's running that show," she said to him, watching his eyes carefully, "Revenge for being kicked in the junk and stabbed in the shoulder, I actually kinda get that, but trying to round up women and children like that... something else is going on." She shuddered then and Daryl shook his head at her, "I know."

When the cars rolled to a stop, they watched Rick leap out from the pick-up and approach the big gates of the drive-in, yanking on them. They opened easily and he turned back to the trucks, waving a hand at them. Daryl, Glenn, Beth, and T hopped out and Daryl pointed angrily at Linney. "Stay put," he spat, and she made a face at him. She watched Carl climb from the pick-up and the group of them approached the gates. Rick gave them instructions and they moved inside.

Linney let her eyes run over the fencing for this place. It was wildly overgrown, tall strands of grass, big out of control bushes, and weeds everywhere. The fencing itself was pretty standard chain link, clearly not intended to forcefully keep people out back when it was originally put in, but it did appear to cover the entire property. She knew that behind the gate was probably a concession building, a bathroom or two, maybe a park, and that would be it. Her mind raced ahead of itself, building castles in the sky, or in this case, a camp in the overgrown drive-in, even though from what Daryl had indicated, they weren't going to be staying long.

She shifted and tried to smother the little squeak that escaped without her permission when her shoulder jarred painfully. Hershel turned in his seat, his expression concerned. "Is it beginning to pain you again?" He asked her and she nodded slowly before giving him a sheepish look. "Actually it's been hurting pretty bad for the last hour, but I didn't want to freak Daryl out," she told him and he gave her a small smile. He reached for her shirt, gently pulling the collar down.

"The bandage still looks clean, and the surrounding skin seems alright, but I'll give it a closer look once we get inside, get you some pain meds to knock the edge off," he turned back up to Maggie, "You too, sweetheart." Maggie nodded vaguely, her eyes glued to the gates ahead of them. Linney felt surprised at how unworried she was about everyone inside there, Beth and Carl especially. _They may not be great at keeping watch, but they've definitely got the right stuff for taking down a threat._

When everyone re-emerged from the gates, they wordlessly climbed back into their vehicles and Linney didn't bother to ask if it was clear; as they drive through the gates it was abundantly clear they'd emptied the park. Rick wasted no time, having the trucks parked parallel to each other, a space in between quickly cleared of brush. "No fire," he informed them shortly, turning to the pick-up to pull out a tent. They had one tent now, a big one that had been in Hershel's truck originally, from the farm, packed there when it was taken down as a handy spare, just in case.

Rick and Daryl got started on the tent, while Beth and Carol began to dig for food. Hershel softly called Linney and she wandered over to the tailgate of his truck, climbing up to sit beside Maggie. He had just finished checking and cleaning the wounds on the badly bruised side of Maggie's face, and reapplied a few bandages. Maggie smiled at her and Linney had to return the smile. "Ok, Linney, I need to get at that shoulder," he informed her and she nodded, letting Maggie help her get her dirty shirt off, covering her stomach with her arms so no one saw the bruising.

She clenched her teeth and stared out past Hershel as he lifted the bandage to inspect the stitches, clean the area, and apply a fresh inner layer of gauze. Maggie was digging through the bags next to them. Linney refrained from looking, not wanting to twist too much, but smiled in relief and gratitude when Maggie took her dirty shirt and handed her a clean t-shirt and a hoodie. When Hershel was done, he looked at the bruising on her cheek before raising an eyebrow at her.

"Let me see it, Linney," he finally said, and she slowly unwrapped her arms from around her stomach, displaying the alarming spray of bruising. He poked and prodded and asked if certain things hurt and she went along with it wincing every now and then. "Well," Hershel pronounced, his voice relieved, "You'll both certainly live, but I expect you'll be sore for a while yet." He turned to Linney and waited until she had her t-shirt on before forcing some pills into her hand.

"Especially you, between your shoulder and your stomach, I don't expect sleeping will be easy," he warned her and she glanced down at the pills in her hand. "Won't these help?" She asked, and then added, "I don't want to be flat on my ass, but maybe something to make it a little more comfortable?" Hershel gave her tight, brief smile and grabbed her hoodie, helping her off the back of the truck and into the warm garment. "No, I'm afraid that will just help with a bit of the pain," he told her.

Linney dry-swallowed the pills and left Maggie with her dad to walk back around to where the tent was now set-up. Rick pointed at the tent, barely looking at her. "Go lay down," he told her and she blinked at him. "What about...?" She never got to finish because he shot her such a forbidding look that she flinched and turned immediately to the tent. Daryl followed her in and he had her relax on the bedding inside, handing her a can of beans.

"Eat this 'fore ya fall over," he told her, speaking softly. Lori was already sleeping on the other side of the tent, and Linney knew that Rick would likely send Maggie in here soon too; she wasn't fit to stand watch with one of her eyes so badly swollen she couldn't see out of it. Linney began to eat the beans and Daryl stayed crouched by her feet, watching her. She chewed thoughtfully and then swallowed before speaking.

"You still blaming yourself?" She asked him softly, watching his eyes. He narrowed them a little more and she raised an eyebrow, eating another scoop of food. "I know you are, Glenn too," she said to him, digging her spoon around in the can aimlessly for a moment. His gaze flickered away for a second before returning to her face.

"I'm fine," he replied and she scowled at him. "Liar," she said calmly. She put the can on the ground next to herself and placed both hands on his arms. "What happened isn't your fault, or anybody's for that matter," she told him, her voice reasonable. He stared steadily at her, but said nothing in reply. Linney sighed and grabbed the can again, eating another scoop. "Things are going to happen, Daryl," she finally told him, "And sometimes, we just can't do anything about it." He still said nothing and she ate one last scoop of food, pushing the can away when she was too full to eat anything more.

"I don't want you drawing away, getting all weird and Dixon-y because you feel like it's all your fault," she explained and his expression finally changed when he glared at her. "Dixon-y?" He asked gruffly and she gave him a small smile. "You know, closed off, unresponsive, bull-headed, stubborn, not listening to reason," she paused and leaned a little closer to him, "In case you were wondering, reason is me, listening to reason means listening to me." She kept her face smooth, hoping she could make him smile.

He shook his head and smirked at her. "Are ya?" He asked her and she nodded eagerly, stopping to yawn hugely behind her hand before speaking. "Just tell me you know it's not your fault," she said and his eyes roamed over her face, pausing on the bruises on her cheekbone. She grabbed his chin, making him look back at her, "Tell me." He reached a hand out and pulled hers from his face. "No," he said quietly and she made an irritable face before yawning again.

"I really want to argue with you," she whined softly, blinking slowly, wondering why she was getting so tired. Her eyes widened momentarily moving to his much softer face, "That crafty old man drugged me," she muttered, feeling sleepier and sleepier. Daryl nodded at her. "Course he did, I told 'im to, knew ya wouldn't take nothin' that'd actually help 'less you thought it wasn't very strong," his voice was low and deep as he helped her lay down. She glared up at him from the pillow and blinked slowly.

"I'll make ya pay for this," she vowed and he nodded at her, "Yeah fine, whatever, but tonight ya'll will sleep." He leaned down and pressed a slow, hard kiss to her forehead and then her lips, and she reached for him with sleepy arms, trying to hold him closer for longer, but they slipped to the ground beside her when she succumbed to the strong pull of the pills and she fell heavily into a deep, painless, sleep.

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When she finally fell asleep, he felt like he could relax, knowing that at least she was comfortable. His eyes roved over her sleeping form and he felt everything hitting him like little bombs. The bruising across her pale, tired face, the bruising he knew was hidden beneath her clothes on her stomach, the wound on her shoulder creating a bandaged lump under her shirts. _Doesn't want me to blame myself_, he thought in irritation. He watched as she took a deep breath and shifted a little in her sleep, and he glanced around, making sure Lori was asleep and the tent door was closed, before he leaned down and kissed her sleeping mouth, running a hand down her neck and her good arm. _How the fuck do I not blame myself?_

He picked up the beans and cast a glance over to Lori, sleeping on the other side of the tent. Daryl felt a creeping, sick feeling in his stomach staring at her own swollen belly. No matter what else was going on with Linney, it wasn't what Lori faced. He still didn't like the Grimes woman that much, thought she was careless, stupid, and entitled, but he didn't wish this kind of life on her. He thought briefly of Rick, a man Daryl had hated when he first met him, and who was now a man he could grudgingly admit, to himself only, he was proud to work with and fight beside. He felt bad for Rick and didn't think he'd be capable of managing things so well if the roles were reversed. A brief mental image of Linney, as pregnant as Lori was, flashed through his mind's eye, making him smile, then shudder, at what that might mean for them both.

Maggie and Glenn entered the tent then and Daryl nodded at them, casting one last look down at Linney, passed out in her bedding, her hair sprayed out around her face, her lips pursed slightly as if in deep thought, before he left the tent. He wanted to crawl in next to her, hold her tightly, and reassure himself that she was alright with every breath she took in. He shook his head, pushing the thought away. _Don't be a fucking pussy_, he told himself.

Outside he watched as Carl and Beth were discussing something, pointing at some of the knives the blonde girl had laid out on the hood of the pick-up. He was beyond impressed with the kids, though he had no intention of telling them so. _Maybe I'll tell Lin... maybe_. He knew they would have been completely screwed if the kids hadn't acted so quickly, if Linney hadn't taught them how to protect themselves, and others, without hesitation.

Rick climbed up onto the hood of the pick-up, and Daryl climbed up onto the top of the Hershel's truck and stared in the opposite direction of the other man, both of them settling in for first watch.

The kids, Hershel, T-Dog, and Carol went to sleep and Daryl was grateful that the tent would be full of warm bodies, keeping Linney warmer. It was spring now, but still cold at night. He glanced over at Rick and could see the other man was tense, an almost angry look on his face. He wondered if their leader was falling apart. Linney would talk to him right now if she were out here, Daryl knew, but he didn't have a clue what to say beyond something as simple as 'that really fucking sucked, hey?', so he said nothing.

Rick had mentioned pushing as far from the places they'd been as possible, to escape the net of that other group. Daryl's response had been to ask how to escape a net they couldn't see. "Can't avoid somethin' when we don't know how far out it goes," he had said and Rick's eyes had narrowed tightly with intense worry and irritation.

_If we can't go far, we just got to go deep, hide in plain sight if we have to_, he thought. Daryl lit a cigarette and drew his knees up, hooking his elbows around them while he smoked. He thought about Merle's bike, imagined that if he ever found his brother again he'd be pissed.

_That's a fuckin' pipe dream_, he thought resignedly, knowing he'd never be going to look for Merle. He ground the smoke out on the bottom of his boot and flicked the butt out into the grass. He knew Linney would never leave the group, and he had to admit he wouldn't either, not unless she really wanted to.

His mind wanted to wander pleasantly, to imagine a life where it was just the two of them, finding their own place, making it safe, settling in, but he could never get very far down that path before he started poking holes in the idea. What if one of them got sick or injured? Who would go for runs? Stand watches? What if, god forbid, she got pregnant? What then?

He shifted irritably, thinking of Lori, thinking of the glint of animal fear he saw in Rick's eyes each time he looked at his wife. They already had a kid, one who surprised Daryl with how well suited he was for this new life, he didn't think they needed another, but he knew Rick had no part in all that. _It was him_, he thought, his mind doing the slow burn it always did when he thought about Shane. His teeth ground together and he lit another cigarette, knowing he should try and save them, but not caring.

He forced himself to think pleasant thoughts, so he wouldn't have to break something. Linney's face when she was purposely baiting him, her laughter when he responded to her teasing. How she almost always sang to herself on the bike because she thought he couldn't hear her, warbling off key, but with enthusiasm. The way she looked when she woke up smiling, hair everywhere, eyes big and sleepy, usually wearing something _real_ easy to take off... _Ya'll don't got a room no more, best not be thinkin' that way._

He remembered the day he and Merle found Linney, a good day in his mind, despite the initial worry that she might kill his brother. He'd forgotten all about her, the sweet, pretty girl who got him coffee every morning, in the heated rush of the world breaking down around them, right up until the moment she flew across that porch and body slammed Merle off the side.

He chuckled silently to himself now. All in all, it was a good day, that day. The first week or so he'd been almost completely wrapped up inside his own head over her sudden reappearance in his new life, torn between wanting to kiss her or yell at her, all the time. _Not much has changed_, he thought to himself, a tiny, smirk pulling at his lips.

He glanced over at Rick again, then out at their surroundings. Rick was endlessly thinking, planning, worrying, all inside his head, messing himself up. Tonight, Daryl was focusing on the moment, or pleasant memories, instead of worrying too much about the next day, knowing there was no point thinking of tomorrow when things could still eat you alive today.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Read and Review folks :) *****


	106. Chapter 106

*****Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"How are you feeling today?" Rick asked her, his voice hard and nearly distracted-sounding. Linney glanced over at him from across the concession counter and tried to muster up a smile for him. "Pretty good, Hershel's an old hand at stitches by now," her joke fell slightly flat, she could tell, because Rick's face twitched as if he was attempting a smile and didn't seem to realize that he hadn't. "Maggie said she's feeling better as well, 'though with her swelling, it'll be longer until she's back on watch than for you," Rick informed her. Linney grabbed another bag of candy and plopped it down on the counter, grimacing at the lone bag of black licorice. _Ugh, who seriously even likes this stuff?_

"That's good," Linney replied non-commitally. Rick was silent as he rifled through a supply closet in the little concession waiting area. "We'll probably head out tomorrow morning, move on," he told her, his voice slightly muffled from inside the little closet. "Where to?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm. Rick's head shot over to her as if she had been loudly yelling at him. "We can't stay here," he snapped flatly. Linney stood up straight, resting a hand on the pile of junk food in front of her, and raised an eyebrow at his tone.

"I'm not arguing, boss," she said and he stared at her, a hard look to his eyes, before nodding. Linney felt another nervous swirl in her stomach. Rick's behavior was so clearly different than it had been before the attack at the storage facility, that everyone, including Lori and Carl, noticed it. Linney had asked him to go with her to search the concession because she was hoping she could get some time to chat with him. _And look how well it's going..._

"Daryl mentioned that you think we need to travel pretty far to get away from that group," she finally said, after a long pause. Rick grunted in response and she had to suppress a laugh. _It's like he took Dixon lessons_. "Rick," she said, moving around the counter and waiting for him to turn and look at her. When he did she examined his face critically for a moment. It was so different from the clean cut Officer Friendly she'd met in the summertime that she felt it wasn't a stretch to say the man behind the face was completely different now, too.

"What?" He finally asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly at her. She pressed her lips together and nervously wiggled her toes inside her boots before stepping closer to him. "What's wrong?" She asked him, loading those two words with all her concerns about him. He glowered at her and put a heavy hand on her good shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, squeezing her shoulder a little, and she nodded at him slowly. "What's wrong is, I've got people questioning every decision I'm making, people concerned about what I'm feeling, when all they should be focused on is finishing the tasks they've been given and moving forward." He released her shoulder and turned away, grabbing the bag he'd stuffed full of scavenged items, which he turned and tossed at her feet.

"I've got everyone second guessing my choices and all I want right now is for ya'll to just shut up and do what I'm asking you to, I'm sick of the questions! I'm not putting anything to a vote again! I know ya'll think we should stay here, hunker down and make it work, but we ain't far enough yet! It's not going to happen and you just need to _listen to me_! I'm leading us and you follow or you leave, 'cause I'm sick of everyone almost dying, over and over again!" He was yelling at her now, and Linney fought to keep her face calm, knowing this wasn't all about her, knowing that he was afraid and frustrated, that he was angry at the men who held his pregnant wife at gunpoint, who made his child kill almost a dozen people, who injured his group and stole their home.

She swallowed hard and nodded at him, staring up at him carefully. They heard a creak at the entrance and spun to see Daryl and Glenn standing there. Daryl stared impassively at Rick and then back over to Linney. "What's goin' on?" He asked, his voice an easy rumble. Linney shook her head at him and turned away from Rick, heading back to the concession counters. She let her face flicker a little bit with her internal upset, when no one could see it, not used to having such temper directed her way from Rick.

"Want me to take over in here for a bit?" Glenn asked casually and Rick grunted in response, walking swiftly past Glenn and Daryl, moving outside without a second glance back at them. Linney let out a deep breath and both men looked over at her. "So, uh, that was a little intense," Glenn finally said, and Linney gave him a weak half-smile. "I take it you heard most of that?" She asked him as Daryl walked over to her.

"Heard all of it," he muttered, starting to slide all the goods she'd found into a large duffle sitting on the floor. Linney clenched her hand reflexively on the bag of black licorice and nodded at him, her mind running over Rick's explosion. "Is he going to be ok?" She finally asked them, not really expecting an answer. Both men sighed in frustration simultaneously and Linney looked up at Daryl, at the tightness around his eyes.

"He's got a lot on 'is plate," he told her and she looked over to Glenn. "He'll act in our best interest, you know that, Lin," Glenn assured her and she nodded at him before throwing the licorice down into the duffle as well. "I know he will, I never doubt that he will, but I'm worried for him, worried about him," she looked up at Daryl again, not able to read the expression on his face, "He's family, I want him to be happy, and he's so obviously not."

"Are any of us? Really?" Glenn asked and Linney glared at him. "My shoulder throbs constantly and I'm worried about what might happen in a week when our food runs out, but we're here, we're alive, we're together," she looked up at Daryl again before adding, "So, yeah, I'm happy." Daryl's tight eyes softened momentarily and she turned her back on them, heading to the drink cooler behind her. She began to pull out the bottles of water, juice, and iced tea that sat inside it, ignoring the stink of the really rotten milk inside. She stacked them all behind her and heard Daryl tucking them into the duffle as well.

"This place has fences," she said, not really sure why. "Ain't far enough, they'll just find us eventually. We need to get further away," Daryl spoke from behind her and she nodded without turning back. "How far? It's not like there's signs to follow or anything, so how far is far enough?" She complained, as she pushed aside a small carton of chocolate milk.

"Farther," Daryl answered. Linney sniffed and shut the cooler door, moving to open the cupboards below it. She squatted near the floor and stared inside at the huge case of water she'd found, not moving. "We have no idea how many men they got, how big that group is... how can we ever get far enough? We'll just find another place, and then they'll find us again, attack again, and maybe this time we won't be as lucky!" She cried, her frustration causing her voice to rise and her eyes to prick with angry tears. She wanted to find where these men were holed up and kill them, just kill them all, so they would leave her group alone, let them try to find some happiness. The violence of that sudden instinct made her feel like she was burning with a fever and she put a hand to the ground to steady herself.

She heard footsteps and felt Daryl squatting down behind her, wordlessly pulling at her good shoulder, to get her to turn around and look at him. She let him, but kept her face pointed to the floor, until she could get better control over her emotions. _Glenn must have left the building_, she thought to herself, as Daryl pulled her into his chest, comforting her.

"God, no wonder Rick is losing his mind, this is so fucking frustrating! It's like being rats stuck in a damn trap, we'll never know if we're really safe!" She spoke angrily against his shirt, knowing that her words weren't going to solve anything, or provide any constructive information to this conversation; Daryl already knew just how far up shit creek they were.

"It'll work out," he finally told her, and she leaned into his chest further, enjoying the rumble of his deep voice against her face. "Liar," she whispered, and he laughed. He got to his feet, pulling her up with him and pushed her back against the counter, staring down at her. She didn't look up at him and his hand grasped her chin, tilting her face up. "We'll get far enough, or we'll hide well enough, n' we make it work," he told her, his narrowed eyes searching her face like she was hiding something.

Linney sighed heavily and rubbed at her eyes before nodding. "Yeah, you're probably right," she told him listlessly, "And for now, we just go along with Rick, I guess." Daryl nodded and looked quickly towards the door, to make sure no one was there, she knew. He bent to her face and kissed her gently and she made him grunt and chuckle slightly against her lips when she threw her arms around him and pressed into him for a deeper, harder, kiss.

"Jesus, girl, calm down," he muttered into her face and she pulled away for a second, searching his eyes. "You and I need to find ourselves a vehicle of our own," she told him and he nodded. "Can do that today, Rick wants to jus' drive tomorrow, so we gotta find one today," he said in his gruff voice. Linney leaned up and planted a big kiss on his mouth, pulling away with a loud smacking noise and smiled at him, getting a small smile in return.

She lifted a dark eyebrow suggestively while staring up at him and spoke in a stage whisper, "Let's get one with a really big back seat."

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"'_Carmen Carney's Cars Cars Cars_'? Really?" Linney asked, looking over at him like he'd suggested something stupid. Daryl shrugged, impatiently waving a hand in front of them, "See any other choices 'round here?" He asked her irritably, and she made a face in response. When the pick-up pulled to a stop Glenn and Beth climbed out with them. The used car lot was unfenced and not very big, all crammed into a small parking lot with a little trailer at the back that had once served as the office.

They moved quickly through the lot, not finding any walkers, and Glenn and Beth left the two of them to quickly sweep the small office for possible supplies. Linney walked close beside Daryl as they looked around at different vehicles. "What about this one?" She asked, gesturing towards a blue minivan. Daryl looked at her like she was crazy, wondering if she was purposely choosing something like that to bug him. "No way in hell yer gettin' me in one a those things," he griped and she gave him a wide-eyed look of put-upon innocence.

"Ok, ok, crabby pants, we'll find something more manly and tough," she walked a couple steps ahead of him and he watched as she peeked over her shoulder to see if she had successfully baited him. He resisted smiling and just glared at her. As he expected, she smiled at him, a big, genuine grin, and he was inwardly pleased, enjoying any opportunity to make her smile that way.

They walked through the aisles and he vetoed a few more cars for being too small, too hard to maintain, or being terrible on gas. She vetoed some for being ugly, having a tiny interior, and one big truck that she just said was 'stupid', although he was fairly certain she disliked it simply because it was too hard for her to climb into, being raised up with huge wheels like it was.

They both spotted the mid-sized SUV at the time and they pulled the doors open on it, looking inside. "Seems pretty new," he told her, as he popped the hood. She was laying on the back seat, flopping back and forth like a fish, trying to measure the comfort level. He watched her from the corner of his eye as she fiddled with some of the levers on the sides of the seats back there. "What's this one do - gahh!" She pulled on a lever that made the back seat fall back sharply, to lay flat and extend the trunk space, and ended up flying backwards unexpectedly, rolling ass over tea kettle into the trunk space.

He ducked behind the hood so he could chuckle at her without risk of her getting angry. "You ok?" He asked her, and received muffled curses in response. She scuffled around back there for a minute or two as he perused the engine.

"Hey," she finally said, in a more pleasant voice, "It's actually pretty big back here." He shook his head to himself and continued his check under the hood. After a few minutes he heard the click of the trunk opening and quietly called over to her, "Start it up." The SUV shifted slightly and then she leaned her head past the hood. "No keys," she told him, raising an eyebrow. He pointed with his head back at the small office. "Let's go find 'em," he told her, and she nodded, sliding out of the driver's seat to follow him.

They walked quietly and she snuck her hand into his. He paused and looked down at their joined hands and she pressed her lips together, looking at him hopefully. "Is this ok? Not ruining your bad boy image too much?" He rolled his eyes and kept walking, pulling her along by their joined hands. "Yer buggin' me, again," he said in a low voice. She moved closer to his side and gripped his hand tighter. "I know," she replied carelessly.

As they neared the office she pulled him to a stop and peered quickly over her shoulder at the trailer, making sure no one was watching, and then popped up on her tip toes and kissed his jaw. He leaned down a little to meet her lips and they kissed properly. He could feel her lips curving up into a smile and pulled back a moment to look at her face. "Yer in a good mood," he said quietly and she smiled wider at him, keeping her lips pressed together as she nodded at him.

"It's nice to get a little time away, even if it is car shopping," she answered, and he stared at her wordlessly for a moment, thinking how normal that sentence would be in the old world. "Car stealin' more like," he said and she rolled her eyes at him impatiently and waggled a hand in the air. "Semantics," she quipped and he suppressed a laugh. "You 'n yer big words," he said gruffly, making her smile again. "I like books!" She protested, before pausing, a shadow crossing her features, making her eyes sad. "At least I used to, not much time anymore for them," she added, her voice lacking the warmth it had held before.

He didn't like seeing that look on her face, the grieving look, and he bent to her face and kissed her again, trying to distract her. "Nerd," he whispered against her cheek, pressing his nose to her forehead and breathing in her scent, that unique mixture of dirt and something sweet. _God, she smells good_, he thought, not for the first time. She laughed softly and he smiled before kissing her again, putting a hand on the back of her head.

"Eww, get a room," he heard from behind them, and they leapt up to see Beth standing in the door to the trailer, a bulging plastic bag in her hands, her nose wrinkled at she made a face at them. Linney cleared her throat and spoke to Beth, "Where's Glenn?" Beth's features were more alert and serious when she realized that Linney was using, what Daryl had started to mentally call, her 'teacher voice'.

"He's gettin' a big water jug," Beth answered, moving to head over to the truck. Linney stared hard at the back of Beth's head before snapping, "So, it was nice knowing ya, Greene." Beth froze and turned around, blue eyes wide. "Sorry," she answered quickly. Daryl raised an eyebrow at Linney and saw she hadn't taken her eyes off Beth. After staring at Beth for a moment longer, Linney looked up at him, her green eyes serious and solemn.

"I'm taking her back to the truck, meet you at the car?" He swallowed his immediate instinct to protest her going anywhere on her own and nodded, watching as she walked off with Beth. He could hear her scolding the girl as they went. "Since when do you take off on your own in an open area, on a run? Do you even listen when I'm talking to you about this stuff?" Daryl couldn't help but smirk as he moved inside the trailer.

Glenn was fussing with the water bottle and Daryl bent to help him. "It's like attached to this stupid loop," Glenn muttered, trying to disentangle the giant jug from a huge set of plastic rings, each of which would have been attached to their own jugs at some point.

"Just cut it off, what's the problem?" Daryl asked him, impatience flooding his tone. Glenn looked up at him briefly and cleared his throat. "Yeah, good idea, sorry, distracted today," Glenn replied, his voice slightly sheepish. Daryl knew without asking that Glenn was worrying about Maggie, wrapped up in how she was doing, how she was feeling, and his own guilt over her being hurt in the first place. He decided not to chew Glenn out and simply shrugged like he didn't care, "Whatever."

When the green SUV was started up, they were all pleased to see it had a bunch of gas in it. They'd already filled the pick-up to full as well as a couple jerry cans for Hershel's truck back at the drive-in. "I'm driving," Linney said, trying to pull Daryl from the driver's seat. He looked at her askance.

"Do you even have a license?" He asked her, his voice dry. She put her hands on her hips and he could tell she wanted to stamp her foot impatiently, but was restraining herself. "Not that it matters, but yeah, I do," she snapped at him, her brows drawing together in irritation. "Yer dad didn't even own a car, what the hell did'ja drive?" He heard Beth giggle and Linney clenched her teeth. He realized he was close to making her legitimately angry but simply continued to regard her cooly.

"Ya ain't drivin' jus' cause ya want to, it ain't safe," he drawled and she turned to Beth. "Get in the pick-up with Glenn," she ordered and Beth shot him one quick look, a look that clearly conveyed that she thought he was in trouble, before turning to the idling pick-up next to them and climbing into the passenger seat. Glenn nodded at them and Linney stomped around the SUV, sliding into the passenger seat.

They drove away, back to camp and she didn't say a word to him. "How long ya gonna be pissed 'bout this?" He asked, his tone calm. She growled something at him and didn't answer, just pulled her legs up onto the seat, to sit cross-legged. "Ignorin' me now?" He asked, glancing over at her. She turned and glared at him, but he didn't look over at her again, enjoying the fact that he was bothering her, too much.

"Sometimes..." she started, her words trailing off. She grumbled again and looked out her window. "Yer actin' like a baby," he told her conversationally. She harrumphed and said nothing. Then she chuckled to herself and shot him a sly look that he caught out of the corner of his eye. She quickly rearranged herself on her seat and leaned on the console between them, sliding a hand up his arm to his neck, stroking his hair. He said nothing, pleased that she seemed over her snit.

He nearly drove the car off the road into a house when her other hand slid down to his crotch unexpectedly, squeezing and massaging him there firmly. "Linney," he managed to get out, his voice choked and angry. She laughed and gave him one more firm rub before sliding back to sit in her seat properly.

"Gonna get us killed," he snapped at her and she chuckled again. "I win," she said happily, flicking an eyebrow up at him challengingly. "You gotta sleep sometime," he warned her, his voice a near rasp as he forced his body to calm down, knowing there was nothing they could do right now.

"God, I hope not, why'd we bother with our own vehicle, then?" He glanced away from the road, seeing the big smart-ass grin on her face, her eyes heated with promise. He groaned slightly and looked away, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. _Damn girl makes me craz_y.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Read and Review folks :) *****


	107. Chapter 107

***** For my wonderful and faithful reviewer _enchantmentanjel_ - the origin story of the poncho, included below :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

The next town on the map, the only town within miles that Rick intended for them to pass through, was turning out to be a huge waste of time. No matter where they tried to drive, there were walkers. Huge groups of them. _And we've riled 'em up into a herd_, he thought dismally. At first, the main road they had driven in on was empty, deserted, like so many places were these days. As soon as they got out of the cars and broke the first window on a locked convenience store, the walkers emerged, drawn by the smashing glass.

He, Glenn, Daryl, and Linney raced back to their vehicles and he drove them away, the dead following after them. When they turned down the first side street he saw they nearly collided into a huge group of them that had been standing around dormant. They chased the cars that quickly threw themselves into reverse and they had to drive over a few walkers from the first group that had caught up to them. Now both walker groups were together, creating a herd that was quickly growing in size.

Rick abandoned any thought of scavenging this town, forgetting about food in favor of just getting away. As they left the outskirts of the now swiftly overrun town, he slammed the heels of his hands against the steering wheel, making Lori jump in her seat. He couldn't look over at her, couldn't even speak; he knew she was tired, hungry, uncomfortable and needed to rest. In the two weeks since they had fled the storage facility, they were encountering the same scenario over and over again. Their efforts to avoid that group of men meant moving deeper into the country, into the forest, away from cities and towns.

The towns they did find, little more than bumps on the map, were all overrun. They were relying heavily on what Daryl could manage to hunt for them in the short trips he was able to make, or any goods they could scrounge from the odd house or gas station that would pop up in the middle of nowhere. But they had no reserves, none at all. Rick felt his hands grow slick with a sweaty kind of nervousness. Lori needed more food, Hershel had told him that again and again, and so did Carl. Rick knew that Hershel was only burdening him with what his own family needed. He wasn't blind, aside from Lori and Carl, he could see Beth, Maggie, Carol, and Linney were all too skinny and too pale despite spending all day in the sun; they needed food, they all needed food.

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"Why are there so damn many out there?" Linney griped quietly, leaning into Daryl. He grunted and didn't answer, only gestured at the meat in the bowl in her hands, frowning at her. "I know, I know, I'm eating," she muttered, chewing on the gamey food. It was raccoon, all Daryl had been able to find after they'd pulled the cars into the warehouse they were housed in for the night. Linney chewed thoughtfully on the meat and tried to ignore the taste, thinking about the herds in the last town.

They were a couple miles away from town, in a very small, run-down, industrial park, just off some train tracks. Rick had them clear one of the sturdier looking warehouses and they drove inside, sliding shut the big metal doors on the building. He hadn't even looked at them when he ordered, "No fires, stay in the cars, ready to leave." Daryl had taken off to hunt immediately afterwards, bringing Rick with him; their leader was trying to learn to hunt like Daryl did, wanting to be able to help, to double what they were bringing in.

She finished her raccoon, taking Daryl's bowl as well, and slid out to head over to Hershel's truck. Carol rolled the window down on the backseat and reached a hand out for the bowls, not for washing, but for storing. She gave Linney a tired, wan smile and Linney tried to return it. "How is everyone?" She asked softly, her eyes darting to Beth and Hershel. "We're doing the best we can," Carol answered and Linney nodded, speaking a little louder. "I'm making a bathroom run, who's interested?" All the women climbed out and Linney retrieved Carl and Lori as well from the pick-up. They headed for the small backdoor and Linney put her hand on the handle before it was brushed off.

"Ain't goin' out alone," Daryl growled from beside her. Linney raised an eyebrow at him and looked back at Carol, Lori, Maggie, Beth, and Carl. "Does this look alone?" She asked him softly and he just glared at her. She rolled her eyes and he opened the door, sweeping out ahead of her. They moved a few feet away from the door and Carl stood by the door, his back to them, as Daryl stood at the far side of the group of women, turning his back to them as well, to watch the other direction.

Despite the lack of privacy, Linney and Maggie helped Lori go, before going themselves. The other women went back inside and Daryl shooed her in after. "Me n' the boy gotta go, don't need no audience," he grumbled at her and Carl shot her a stern look, trying to appear as gruff as Daryl did. She hid her smile and followed the women inside. She headed straight back to her and Daryl's SUV and lay the back seat down, unfolding their bedding on top of it, which was really just a sleeping bag to lay on top of and a thick, musty quilt to cover them. The days were hot again, not summer-hot, but Georgia-spring-hot, but it cooled down uncomfortably at night.

Pulling her boots off she climbed into bed and started to pull off her weapons, dumping them on the floor next to the flattened seat. She struggled out of her belt, leaving on her filthy pants, and didn't even bother to sniff at her armpits, like she used to do before bed, way back at the storage facility. The unending stink on everyone had pretty much killed her ability to recognize how badly they all smelled.

She slid under the quilt and watched as Glenn and Maggie made their way to her vehicle, like they did almost every night now, coming to chat quietly with her and Daryl. Daryl pretended to hate it, but she knew he enjoyed their company as much as she did, the four of them were friends, a fairly tight unit, and absolutely united in their concern over the direction Rick was dragging them.

Maggie slid into the driver's seat, Glenn into the passenger seat, and she smiled at them. "Where's Daryl?" Maggie asked and Linney gestured out the window, to where they could see Daryl talking to Rick in the dim light coming through the high up windows on the warehouse. She smiled to herself just watching him, filthy, frowning, still muscular in his sleeveless shirt with the vest over top, despite not eating a square meal in a good long while. He turned to walk back to them and his eyes narrowed slightly seeing the other two in there as well. Pulling open the trunk, he sat on the tail gate and pulled his boots off, tucking them in next to hers. "So what's the story?" Maggie asked, as they watched him yank off the vest, and tuck his weapons away. He shook his head at her and his eyes darted once, up to the silver pick-up.

They understood that meant waiting until the SUV doors were all closed, so no one else heard their discussion. He climbed in and shut the trunk behind himself, positioning himself on the bed next to Linney. "Got him to agree to stop, rest a little," he informed the rest of them, "Maybe a couple days here." They all nodded and Linney poked him in the side a little. "How'd you manage that?" She asked him and he glanced towards Glenn. "Told 'em Glenn and T were gonna make a run through this complex, look for shit, while me n' Rick put a full day into huntin'," his voice was low and she glared at him suspiciously; his eyes wouldn't meet hers.

"I can recognize a lie a mile away, Daryl Dixon," Maggie said from the front, her voice scolding, and Linney smiled a little. _Took the words right outta my mouth_, she thought. Daryl grumbled in irritation and then looked back down at Linney. "Told 'im you weren't feelin' good, needed food n' rest, n' I was worried 'bout it, n' wanted to stop a while," he finally said gruffly and she frowned at him. "It's bad luck to lie about stuff like that," she told him, her voice offended. He glared down at her and passed a hand lightly over her ribs, making her flinch.

"Ya need food n' rest, n' _I am_ worried 'bout ya," he growled and she pulled away from his hands. "We can talk about this later," Linney said, not looking at him. Glenn chuckled from the front lightly and stopped immediately when three sets of glares locked onto him. "What?" He said defensively, "We both know that means she's gonna chew you out later." There was silence and then they all laughed quietly together. Linney relaxed against the door, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"We really do need to hunker down somewhere soon," she said softly, and all eyes moved to her. "Lori can't give birth in a truck or a warehouse, she needs a bed, somewhere comfortable and with water. She needs to be safe and we need to gather supplies for a baby, does Rick realize that?" Nobody answered her for a moment until Maggie finally spoke, "My dad tells him almost every day and all Rick ever says is 'I know that, don't you think I know that?' and then walks away in a huff."

Linney cleared her throat and looked at Daryl. "Maggie and I could go out tomorrow, look around, try and find a house, we could bring Beth and Carl, too, for more back-up," she knew Maggie would agree, and despite misgivings, Glenn would too, it was Daryl she had to worry about. He shook his head immediately, just like she expected him to. "No," he told her, his answer nearly a grunt. She sighed in frustration and he clamped a hand down on her leg. "Rick n' I can look 'round tomorrow, this area looks like it's gotta have a bunch a cabins n' shit like that in the woods," he told her gruffly and both Linney and Maggie sighed in frustration.

"Fine whatever," she mumbled. Maggie and Glenn left and Linney flopped down on her side, facing away from him, irritated with him on multiple counts. He lay down beside her, pulling the quilt up around them. "Didn' mean nothin' by sayin' ya were sick," he murmured quietly, and she rolled over to look at him in the dim light of their one lantern. "Hungry and tired doesn't mean anything's wrong with me or that I'm helpless, or that I'm weak, and I don't appreciate you sending that message to Rick of all people!" She told him, her voice hard, and she reached out and snapped the lantern off, not wanting to talk anymore.

She _was_ hungry, and tired, and it was making her grumpy, but she didn't feel like seeing his eyes trail over her critically or worriedly anymore, it was getting to her. After a few moments his hand moved to wrap around her, pulling her in close to his chest and she resisted for a moment before huffing out a breath of air and just enjoying how warm he was. "I'm sorry," he said into her hair and she sighed against him. "I'm jus' worried," he added and she snuggled into him, running a hand down his side, feeling the weight he'd lost as well.

"I'm not the only one who's got skinny," she muttered, and he reached up to grab her hand, pushing it off his ribs and pressing it to his mouth. "What if we don't find any place?" She asked him, her voice tight and small in the darkness. "We'll find somethin'," he assured her in his familiar rumble. "I'm scared we won't," she finally admitted, the darkness letting her share her feelings. He gripped her tighter and tucked her head under his chin.

"I'm scared we'll just starve slowly and start dying, one by one," she whispered, her throat clamping down hard on the urge to cry or sound any weaker than this confession already did. His arms around her were warm and held her securely. "Not gonna let that happen," he growled against her hair, before pushing away a little and pressing his lips to her forehead, and then all over her face, kissing her in a way that told her he was secretly worried about the same thing. Things had never seemed so dismal and dark for them and she kissed him back, her worry burying itself under her sudden need to make him feel better.

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"Shithead," Linney muttered, yanking her knife out of the eye socket of the rotted creature before her. Maggie grunted with effort behind her, trying to pull her crowbar out of a walker's skull and they heard Beth and Carl in the next room, arguing over who had killed the walker they dropped in there.

"My knife hit it first," Beth drawled insistently and Carl immediately shot back with, "No way! Bullets are faster, I killed 'im first!" Linney strolled over to them and cleared her throat. "Unless you're looking to pull a herd down on us, I suggest you shut up and keep your damn voices down," she snapped at them. Beth nodded at her and cast a dark look at Carl before retrieving her knife and following Linney. She gestured to Carl, stuffing a cloth shopping bag in his hands. "Get whatever you can find," she instructed him pushing him along into the kitchen.

She had waited about twenty minutes after Rick and Daryl left before gathering up Maggie, Beth, and Carl and leaving in the SUV to head into a small subdivision not far from the warehouse. Hershel and Lori didn't put a fight, mostly because Lori was sleeping and Hershel agreed with their need.

"I know that no one wants us to go, but we don't have a choice, no one ate this morning and we're out of water, so we're going, and if you stop us, then I'll go alone," Linney had told Hershel, her voice flat and even. He had stared at her for a few moments before nodding. "Go, be careful, be back before they are," he said quietly. So they left immediately, and now, on their third house, they had managed to get a few things that could stretch out for a couple days. Linney moved to the basement door and shone her flashlight down the steps. She whistled down the stairs and waited, not hearing any shuffling or familiar groaning. Maggie had moved upstairs with Beth already, so Linney moved down the stairs slowly, shining her light around.

The basement had no windows and that freaked her out, it was not finished either, all cement and damp-smells, boxes and bags everywhere. Things sat on huge shelving units and hung from hooks on the wall. She tried to be quiet but was fairly certain that nothing dead was down here, based on the lack of their distinctive smell. When she rounded the first corner her flashlight flickered and then died and Linney froze. Cursing quietly, she banged her hand against it and realized the batteries had finally given out. Turning around to try and head back the way she had come was proving to be harder than anticipated as she immediately stumbled into a pile of boxes and knocked them over.

The smashing, banging noise filled her ears and startled her badly and she scrambled, suddenly desperate to get back to the stairs. Linney tripped in the pitch blackness and sprawled onto the floor, grunting when she rolled into another pile of things. There was a thump from behind her and something big suddenly fell onto her back, coating in her thick fabric and heavy arms. She wasn't sure it was a person, but panicked anyway, and ended up crying out several times as she fought to paw the big thing off her.

She shrieked when something scampered across her face, and by the feel of it she felt certain it was a spider and started kicking and thrashing. She pulled a knife and started stabbing at the thing pinning her down, certain at this point that it was a person, it had arms, a torso, and she was fairly certain that heavy legs were pressing her own into the floor. When light from upstairs suddenly spilled into the dark space and Maggie and Carl appeared, they yanked the mannequin off of her and Maggie helped her to her feet.

"God, I hate mannequins," Linney breathed, staring at the heavy man-shaped one in front of her, her knife sticking out of its back. "You were stabbing it?" Maggie asked curiously, pulling Linney's knife free and handing it to her. "Was it the hat that offended you?" Maggie asked, smirking and yanking the loud-colored sombrero from its head, "Or this?" Maggie pulled off the heavy beige poncho, the red and orange on it seeming out of place in the dark basement.

Linney reached for the poncho, feeling the thick, rough fabric in her hands. She clenched it in her fists and glared at Maggie. "My flashlight went out and then I tripped and then shit started to fall on me, thought it was a person," she mumbled, feeling embarrassed for having tried to kill a poncho.

"Think it's hand-made?" She asked Maggie idly, trying to get her friend off the embarrassing topic of her mannequin-attack. Maggie chuckled and nudged her towards the stairs. Linney went to put the poncho down but Maggie yanked it down over Linney's head.

"Hey! Watch it," she snapped at Maggie, who laughed at her. "It's your kill, you should bring the pelt home to keep your man warm," Maggie giggled again and Linney rolled her eyes and kept the poncho on, eventually tossing it into the SUV, deciding that maybe she really would give the poncho to Daryl.

_The perfect gift for the man who hates sleeves_.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Please Read and Review folks :) *****


	108. Chapter 108

***** Here we go guys - Into Season 3 - hope you enjoyed the ride between seasons! Like before, I'm going to stick to the storyline when it suits me and swerve away when I want to - this includes expanding timeframes, altering events and personalities, and essentially doing whatever the heck I want haha :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *** Also, thanks so much to my flurry of recent favoriters and followers - makes me feel loved!**

All they'd caught so far was an owl, one that Daryl had shot down before Rick even knew it was there. He glanced up at the sky and realized it was the wrong time of day for an owl to be out and wondered if more than just human lives had been badly disrupted by the dead rising. Rick continued on silently, walking with Daryl, moving carefully and quietly the way Daryl had gruffly explained to him he had to. He glanced over at the owl that Daryl was plucking as they walked, his eyes taking in its size, wondering how much it would actually yield as food.

When they left camp, he had been looking forward to getting away, to being alone with his now tangled and snarled thoughts. Another glance to Daryl showed that the other man was doing the same thing he himself was, thinking hard and privately. He found Daryl a very easy person to be around, gruff demeanor included. He was insightful in a way Rick hadn't expected, quiet, and usually not judgmental. If he did decide to share his thoughts or opinions with you, they were usually worth hearing. After they'd been hiking through the forest away from the warehouse for almost a half hour, Daryl had surprised him by speaking first.

"Lin wanted to take a couple people n' look through some a the houses 'round here, find food or someplace to stay," he offered, his voice low, "Told her no." Rick nodded, smiling a little despite his mood, knowing how well that must have gone over with her. "So she's definitely gone out then," Rick said in reply, glancing over quickly. Daryl's eyes were narrowed as he nodded in response, his lips twitching in what Rick thought might have been a tiny smirk.

"Yeah, prob'ly not long after we left," Daryl answered and shook his head a little, muttering something else that Rick didn't quite catch, something like, "Just can't listen."

As they walked, they continued to encounter walkers, usually in ones or twos, but still, a lot of them. Rick sighed as he wiped off his knife blade after killing the last one, wanting to yell at the creature that lay at his feet. They were definitely the reason this forest wasn't crawling with any game. Daryl seemed unfazed, but Rick knew that he was worried, probably equally as worried as he himself was, about their lack of food and the hungry people waiting for them back at camp.

Daryl led him up a small incline and they found that they were now walking on some train tracks. "Have to keep these in mind, don't think they were on the map," Rick said to the other man. Daryl paused and bent to the tracks for a moment, looking up at Rick and shaking his head. "These're old, see?" Daryl's hand broke off a rotted chunk of wood as he spoke and Rick nodded at him. "Nevermind then," he replied. They followed the tracks for a while, as they cut through the trees, walls of forest on either side of them.

They came across a backpack, sitting on the tracks and both of them fell silent, heads on the swivel, ears listening carefully. It appeared as if the backpack had been there for a good long while and although he felt certain it had been dropped as someone ran, he didn't fancy getting caught in a trap. Daryl bent to the bag, flipping it over so they could see the back of it. Dried blood was splashed all along it. "Reckon this got dropped after they got bit," he explained, quietly and flatly. Rick nodded in agreement and they pulled it open. They found one unopened bottle of water and a couple protein bars, which Rick immediately transferred to his own pack. Everything else looked like clothes. There was a flashlight that didn't work and a box of waterproof matches that Daryl tucked into a pocket.

They dropped the pack and moved on, not discussing the item further. Rick didn't want to spare a thought for the undoubtedly now-dead person who had once carried it, and was again grateful that Daryl was there, as he didn't seem inclined to discuss it either. The trees opened up ahead and as they walked along the tracks towards the clearing, Rick began to spy something in the distance. Both men paused as they stared. It was apparent that this was once an operating prison. Half of it looked like it had been set on fire at one point, but one entire huge section of it was whole.

There were fences everywhere. Unfortunately there were walkers everywhere as well, crawling all over the huge grassed yard. "That's a shame," Daryl muttered, as he stared at it. Rick said nothing and didn't look over at the other man. His heart was beating faster and he could feel a whirl of something he hadn't felt in a long while, fluttering around his mind. _Hope_.

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She was sitting on the tailgate of the SUV, waiting for him to get back, he could tell by the way the nervous swinging of her legs suddenly halted and her entire posture relaxed when he and Rick came into view. Her eyes darted over to Rick and she bit her lip before whistling quickly. Maggie, Carl, and Beth came over and the boy climbed up onto the tailgate next to her and the four of them waited for Rick and he to finish their walk across the warehouse towards them.

"How'd it go?" Linney asked them, her eyes darting down to the owl carcass strung along some rope at his hip. Daryl shrugged and looked past her into the back of the SUV. Their bedding was folded away, the back seat upright and the trunk full of things. "I think I should ask the same to you," Rick replied, his eyes running back and forth between the four in front of them. Linney didn't look sheepish at all and simply quirked her lips to one side, raising an eyebrow.

"We went out today," she told them both, her eyes on Rick. He nodded at her curtly and said nothing, but waved a hand at the goods behind her. Linney hopped down and pulled out a bag that contained several small bottles of water and juice. "We got this," she said, pointing at the water, "And this," she pulled another bag forward that had a few cans of food in it. "And this," she finally said, pulling ahead a case of wet dog food. Her face twitched a little at the dog food and it was pretty clear what her thoughts on the dog food were.

"I found it, Dad," Carl piped in, smiling up at his father. Rick's face fell, and Daryl knew exactly what he was thinking, because he was having the same thoughts himself, he was sure. _No way in hell my family is gonna eat fuckin' dog food_. His mind roiled with humiliation at the thought of what that would signify, how much of a failure of a man it would make him. Rick nodded at Carl and swallowed hard. "I appreciate you finding it," Rick started, wrapping his hands under the case and lifting it, "But we are never eating dog food." Rick put it on the floor and kicked the case, hard. It slid across the smooth concrete on the warehouse floor and Daryl knew the man would've shot it full of bullets if they weren't so precious and so loud.

Carl looked upset, but Rick bent to him, wrapping a hand around his son's shoulder. "You had the right idea, but I think I'm about to get us out of this mess," Carl nodded and Linney's eyes swung to Daryl's immediately, questioning. He shook his head slightly, wanting her to wait, Rick wanted to explain this his way. She looked back at Rick, who straightened, pulling Carl into his side. "Where's Glenn and T?" He asked her and she waved a hand at the door. "Not back yet," she answered, and Rick nodded at them.

"Thank you for going out today, for finding us some more food," Rick said, putting a hand on Beth's shoulder, then Maggie's, and then hugging Linney quickly around her shoulders, making her smile and wince a little at the same time. Daryl smirked, knowing she enjoyed feeling accepted and loved, but was still adjusting to the physical aspect of it. _Got a lifetime of bad habits to break_, he thought, briefly thinking of her father. Everyone walked away then and he put his things down. She hopped back up onto the tailgate and stared at him, watching his movements.

"Are you gonna tell me what you found?" She asked him, her voice curious and demanding. He shook his head and moved closer to her, pulling her into his chest, running his hands along her shoulders and down her back, wincing a little, internally, at how skinny she'd gotten. "Need to fatten you up," he murmured to her and she leaned back away from him, glaring. "You know just what to say to make me feel better," she snapped at him and his eyebrows shot up.

"Ya'll don't get to be pissy with me," he growled at her, his own brow drawing down in irritation, "Told ya not to go out n' ya went anyway, what if somethin' happened?" She made a face and gestured at the bag of food. "We had to," she replied firmly, her face getting angry. He held her glare, shooting one of his own back, before her face fell. "I'm too tired to be angry," she muttered, before leaning heavily against his chest and wrapping her arms and legs around him. He sighed and held her to him, running his hand along the back of her messy hair. She started to kiss his neck and he leaned down to kiss her, long and deep, knowing that it wouldn't be going anywhere right now.

It was still bright out, and they had no privacy, not to mention Linney's distaste for not being clean, and the complete exhaustion she was exhibiting. It had been over a week since they'd been together and he knew that if he initiated she'd follow, regardless, but that felt selfish. _Wait a couple days_, he thought to himself, thinking of Rick's upcoming announcement. They both turned when they heard Glenn and T coming through the door and he pulled her gently off the tail gate. "Let's go, gonna wanna hear this," he told her. She nodded and twined herself against him as they walked towards where everyone was gathered.

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"A prison?" Lori asked for the third time and Linney continued to gape at Rick. "Like a prison-prison?" Linney asked. "A prison full of walkers?" Glenn questioned and Rick nodded eagerly at them all. Linney felt a small ripple of disquiet and thought that Rick had made the final leap into the deep end. She glanced up at Daryl and reconsidered. His face was serious but his blue eyes were bright, eager, and... _hopeful_? He looked down at her and she raised her eyebrows at him. He squeezed her around the waist a little tighter and then turned to Glenn and then Lori.

"It's got fencin', layers of it, n' all the parts of the prison are separated. We can clear it bit by bit, take the whole place," Daryl explained to them, and Rick nodded along in agreement. Linney could see the small spark of hope in everyone's eyes growing. "Think about it, nothing is as secure as a prison, we'd have space to live, play, grow, heal, it could be our home," Rick explained to them all. Lori rubbed her hands over her stomach, her face twisting at the thought of home and safety.

"But we'd have to clear it first?" Maggie asked, her voice carefully neutral. Rick nodded at her. "Yes, we'll take the yard first, then move in from there, piece by piece, using the fences to help us," his voice was serious and firm and Maggie nodded, looking over at Glenn. Linney felt a hand slip into hers and looked over to see Carl standing next to her. She started for a moment when she realized just how tall he'd gotten over the winter; he was an inch or two away from being her height. She squeezed his hand comfortingly and he smiled at her nervously. _Still just a kid thoug_h, she thought tenderly, _still freaked out by certain things._

"Everyone sleep, we'll be safe in here tonight, we'll lock the doors from the inside and all sleep. We all need to be rested for tomorrow; we'll be heading to the prison first thing," Rick instructed them, and they all nodded. Linney pulled away from Daryl for a moment to hug Carl, her hand resting on the back of his neck. "It'll be ok, buddy," she assured him, and he mumbled something into her shoulder. She pulled back and tilted his hat brim up, to see his eyes. "Think just how badass it'll be to live in a prison," she told him and he stared at her for a moment before laughing, his voice cracking as he did. Linney clapped his back and then walked over to Daryl, nodding goodbye at Beth and Maggie as she did.

The two of them made their way over to the SUV and when they got there, they both immediately started to take off weapons and boots. Linney climbed into the SUV first and Daryl followed, closing the trunk after themselves. She sat on the bed and stared at him, taking in all the different parts of his face and his body in the dim light of their lone lantern. "What?" He asked her curiously, his hand tipping her face up to meet his gaze. She shrugged and then smiled. "I'm just a little confused and stirred up right now," she told him.

Daryl shifted and leaned against the back of the passenger seat, stretching his legs out in front of him. He held a hand out to her and she crawled to him, sitting on his lap and leaning against him. "It'll be fine, we can shoot 'em up tomorrow, clear the yard," he nearly whispered, speaking into her ear. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of his breath against her skin and nodded minutely. "Then we'll clear the courtyards, n' the cellblocks," he whispered again, this time, his hands traced up her arms and over her shoulders, making her shiver. She turned her head and was face to face with him.

"Got it," she told him, pressing her nose to his briefly before bending her face and kissing him, rearranging her legs so she was straddling him. She clung to him, kissing him until her lips hurt, with a nearly fierce kind of desperation. He pulled her back after a few minutes and looked back and forth between her eyes, "I know yer tired," he told her, in a ragged voice and she shook her head. "I want you," she replied quickly and he held her gaze for a moment or two longer, as if weighing her determination. She quashed his concerns by reaching down and grasping the bottom of her shirt and pulling it up and over her head quickly.

His hands moved to her back and unclasped her bra and she shrugged it down, pressing her bare chest to his shirt and nipping at his scruffy chin. "I don't want to be cliche," she said softly, in between kisses, "But there is no fucking way I'm risking my life tomorrow without getting something tonight." He chuckled and put his hands on her hips, shifting her off his groin to sit on his thighs. He removed his shirts quickly and her hands fell on his belt buckle eagerly. He leaned back and watched her, let her take off his pants, lifting his hips to help her. She moved into a crouch and removed her own clothing as well, before sitting back on his lap and leaning in to kiss him.

He was so hard beneath her, his erection was digging almost painfully into her inner thigh. He leaned her back and attacked her breasts and she clenched her stomach and jaw, to try and control herself, to keep quiet. They were both grinding against one another and she felt nearly frenzied. They didn't fool around for very long, she was ready after only a minute or two and when he dipped two fingers down to her warmth, he raised an eyebrow at her, feeling just how ready she was.

"Now, now, please, please, please," she murmured and his hands pulled her hips, lifting her up and, with a quick adjustment and a tilt of her hips, he was inside her. They rocked together, not frantically, but smoothly, her face buried in his neck as his hands roved all over her body, their hips rolling and moving together while she straddled him. Their panting grew louder and his movements got firmer, moving deeper and harder. She let him tilt her backwards, moving until she was on her back and he was above her, and her legs were resting against his upper arms.

She felt herself beginning to come apart, and cried out softly, breathlessly, his name and the word yes, tangled together, over and over again while she felt the rolling waves of her pleasure drown her. His voice was deep, grunting, and nearly guttural, as he lay above her, holding himself up on his elbows, his own release coming hard and slow, his hips pumping at her rhythmically as it shuddered through him.

When they were done, they both caught their breath and Linney lay against him, listening to the familiar pattering and thumping of their hearts calming down together. He kissed the side of her face, her hair, leaning a bit to capture her mouth, before cupping her head to his chest and pulling the blanket up and over them to sleep wrapped around each other for warmth and comfort.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Please Read and Review folks, I loves to hear what you all think :) ****


	109. Chapter 109

***** Can I just say that I stared at my work here forever, wishing I could find a way to include "thangs and stuff", but realizing it would have been forced, so instead I just chuckled a lot to myself :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

The second the door slammed shut behind Rick, Linney turned away from the rifle in her hands and shouted to Daryl on the other corner of the tower they were in, "He's in!" Daryl nodded and waved his hand in the air, spinning it in a quick circle as he yelled loudly out over the yard, "Light it up!" Linney bent back to the rifle, taking her time and shooting, for once not worried about the noise. One, two, three, the walkers dropped as she shot them. The sound of gunshots from all around them echoed and blared, a wild cacophony of noise that made her tingle in excitement.

She heard the familiar _click-whoosh_ from the crossbow and smiled, her face still pressed to the gun in her arms. She shot another walker and was about to take down the next one when a shot from somewhere on the gated pathway blew it's head off before she could. She heard a whoop of joy from Beth and smirked, knowing that the girl had taken her shot. One final blast took down the last walker, near the tower that held the far-away figure of Rick. Everyone's eyes raked the yard, taking in body after body and Linney spun to Daryl, a huge grin stretched across her face, and saw he had a rare, pleased smile on his face as well.

She ran the few steps over to him, throwing herself up into his arms and kissing his face crazily before yanking away from him and running for the stairs inside the tower room. "C'mon!" She cried, and he smirked at her, shaking his head at her exuberance. As she charged past the walkers he and she had killed on their way up the tower, she felt a nearly unfamiliar combination of emotions welling in her chest, making her head tingle and her face burn with a rush of excited blood. Victory, confidence, excitement, triumph; it was a heady combination of being able to take something, conquer it entirely, and complete their task with ease and no loss of life. _We fucking won that round_, she thought to herself, as she exploded through the door of the tower and started to sprint down the fenced path towards the guard tower enclosure that housed the entry gate to the big yard.

When she got there she hugged Beth and Carl, and could see her own feelings mirrored around her. _We needed this win, we needed to control somethin_g. T-Dog threw the gate open and rushed into the yard, Glenn on his heels, and they zig zagged across the yard, checking all the bodies that had just been shot, making sure they were all well and truly dead. The creaking of a door showed Rick emerging from the far guard tower, the one near the gate to the courtyard, which still swarmed with walkers. Linney waited for Daryl to reach her side, before wrapping her hands around his bicep and dragging him through the gate, trying not to bounce around on the balls of her feet like an excited child.

T-Dog was whooping it up across the yard, the loud, long laugh making everyone smile wider. Carol was moving slowly, almost like she was in a dream, spinning around and around, and Carl was a bundle of energy, running around the yard like he was six years younger. "We haven't had this much space since the farm!" Carol sang out and Linney looked up at Daryl again, his eyes still narrowed as he cut his gaze all around their newly claimed space. When he looked back down at her, the gaze softened. She released his arm and threw herself at him again, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him, hard and deep, his free arm moving around the bottom of her shoulder blades and holding her to him as her feet hung off the ground.

There was throat clearing behind them and she dropped to the ground to look back at Rick, who was raising his eyebrows at them indulgently, and then looking up at the sky and all around them. "Nice shooting everyone," Rick congratulated them in a calm voice and Maggie sidled up to Linney's side and grinned at her. _God, I feel high_, Linney thought dizzily.

"We need to get the vehicles through that big gate there," Rick informed them, pointing at the enclosed guard tower area they'd just come from. A dirt road led out past the gates, one end going all the way up to the courtyard, the other twining away into the distance, between the trees that surrounded the entire prison. Rick looked around again and then nodded, beginning to spout off orders for everyone.

"T, you and I will collect the bodies in here, make a pile at the far end of the yard, to burn later," Rick began, and T-Dog nodded at him, already moving off to start the task. Rick turned back to the group, "Daryl, think you can scrounge up something to eat tonight? We could use the meat if you're able," Daryl nodded and squeezed Linney's shoulder before turning away and immediately heading towards the gates, to head towards the woods.

"Beth and Carl," he addressed the kids, "Go to the edge of the woods, get some wood for a fire, keep your eyes peeled, backs up, and be quick, in and out, hear me?" Beth and Carl glanced at each other and then nodded to Rick at the same time and ran after Daryl. "Everyone else, get that gate open, get the vehicles into the enclosure, all around the guard tower, all pointing out in case we need to move," he turned to Linney and Maggie, standing side-by-side, "You two guard their backs."

With that they were off. Walkers were gathering around the fences and the vehicles and Linney, Maggie, and Glenn stepped out of the enclosure first, sliding the huge gate closed behind them, to kill all the walkers in the immediate area. Linney whistled loudly and Hershel and Carol slid out, racing for the vehicles. Lori pulled the big gate open for them and the three vehicles were driven inside quickly, Maggie and Linney covering the rear, to keep any walkers at bay. They shut the gate and Linney stood anxiously by it, waiting to yank it open for the kids she could see at the edge of the forest, or for Daryl, in case he finished early.

Behind her the bustle of noise let her know that everyone else was grabbing gear and heading into the yard, finding a good place to camp. Linney smiled to herself, looking forward to a night under the stars without fear of being eaten. Carl and Beth returned with arms full of wood and Beth nodded back to the forest. "Got two more bundles out there," she told Linney, a little out of breath. "I'll go grab 'em," Linney answered and slid the gate closed on her way out. She kept a gun in hand as she jogged over to the trees, looking all around for any walkers. She grabbed a bundle of wood and juggled it in her arms for a moment, trying to find a way to hold it and her gun.

A hand slid around her waist, making her leap, gasping sharply, as she dropped all the wood in a loud clatter. She elbowed back into the body behind her instinctively, before spinning around and pointing the gun at Daryl's forehead. She rolled her eyes and scowled at him, as he clutched his recently elbowed stomach and chuckled a little, glaring at her. "You're terrible at these games," she scolded him, "What if I'd shot first?" He smirked at her and bent to help load up the wood again.

"Couldn't help myself," he muttered and she blinked at him. "Oh my god," she whispered, her incredulous eyes locked on his face, "You're in a good mood!" He glared at her, attempting to deny her accusation without words. "You are! You're in a fucking great mood!" She laughed and his face remained impassive, but his lips were twitching. She dropped the armload of wood they'd just stacked in her arms and threw her arms around him.

"I think I might just die, I can't believe you're in a good mood," she said against his chest and he rumbled something, pushing her off him. "Don't gotta act like it's a fuckin' miracle," he growled at her in a near mumble, his face turning the slightest shade of pink. She kissed him, laughing, before they both spun to the sound of a walker, emerging from the trees to their right with an almost surprised sounding gurgle. Daryl whipped the crossbow out and shot a bolt through it's eye, almost casually, then collected the bolt before they hastily gathered up the wood on the ground and heading back to the gates. Inside, the wood was passed off to the kids and the gate locked with their own chain and padlock.

Back inside, Linney joined Maggie and Glenn on their slow loop around the huge yard, checking the fences for any weaknesses. As she passed along the fencing that ran along the edge of the courtyard she made a face at the amount of walkers in there, a couple of them throwing themselves at the fence where she was standing, getting a knife through the face for their efforts. _We can't kill them all through the fence_, she though to herself, stabbing another one through the eye and grimacing as half it's face slid off in a meaty heap when it dragged against the fence on it's way to the ground.

"Oh yup, ew," she managed, before turning and throwing up. She braced her hands on her knees and breathed in and out, chastising herself for finding something gross enough to hurl, thinking she should be past it at this point. _Guess a face slipping off like icing on a cake is still just gross enough,_ she thought to herself, earning another dry heave at the mental image. She felt a hand on her back and looked up to see Daryl looking at her in concern. "I'm ok," she told him wiping the back of her hand across her mouth grimly.

He eyed her nervously and she made a face at him as she straightened. "God, Dixon, you're as bad as your brother, I'm not going to throw up on you, don't worry," she teased him, and he continued to stand there, worried and fidgeting. She blinked at him and raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?" She asked carefully and his eyes darted away before moving back to her face. "Ya ain't... ya know," he gestured at her stomach and she watched as his gaze flickered over to Lori in the distance, before moving back to her. Linney paused and then laughed at him, watching as his face grew relieved and then irritated at her for laughing at him.

"No! It was that," she spoke between her laughter, pointing at the disgusting faceless thing on the other side of the fence. He looked over and his face twitched in distaste. "Jesus, Daryl, you better not start acting like every little thing means I'm pregnant, 'cause this is a pretty nauseating world, if you haven't noticed," she was matter-of-fact and he looked distinctly relieved before turning away from her, his facial expression smoothing out into the impassive one she was so familiar with. She watched him walk away, admiring the rear-view, and taking in a deep breath, coughing as she did.

She trudged forward, to leave the smell of the mess she'd made with the walker behind her, examining the fence as she went.

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He watched Rick make another slow, careful circuit around the yard, from his perch on the tipped over prison bus and shook his head, certain that the man was past the point of finding any chinks in the armor that the fence represented, and was now just wallowing in his own thoughts and worries. Daryl glanced over at the fire a ways from where he sat on a watch. Everyone was sitting around it, relaxed, eating the squirrel and possum he'd managed to get today. Bedding and bags were all around the fire, in a cozy disarray. His eyes lingered on the group and he realized that she was missing. He turned around quickly, scanning the rest of the yard, hoping she was just off to find a place to relieve herself, trying not to feel irritated with her or worried.

"Little help?" He looked down off the edge of the bus and saw her on the ground, arms full of things as she looked up at him. _Should've known she be comin' over here_, he thought, getting to his knees to reach for the items in her arms. Bundles of cloth came up, as well as dishes of food and bottles of water. He set it all aside and rested on his knees, gazing down at her, as she put her hands on her hips and stared up at him expectantly. "Now me," she finally ordered, raising an eyebrow at him. He smirked at her and reached down over the edge, grabbing her hands in his and pulling her up as she used her feet to climb up the side of the bus.

He kept her hands gripped tightly in his when she was finally up top and she raised an eyebrow at him again. "Don't get any big ideas," she warned him, when he leaned towards her with what he knew was a predatory look. He chuckled and released her and watched as she passed him the poncho she'd grabbed for him.

He would not admit to her how much it pleased him that she had thought of him and grabbed something for him, especially something that worked so well for the way he liked to move. She had smiled hugely at him when she handed it to him this morning and for the life of him he hadn't been able to figure out why exactly she was handing him some fucking blanket with such a huge grin on her face.

"I killed it just for you," she had told him, her eyes lighting up, and he spent longer than he should have staring at it, wondering if he was missing the joke. When she began to chuckle he had glared at her until she told him the story of what she was calling her "mannequin attack". He rubbed his hand over the small tears in the fabric and imagined her stabbing the mannequin and had finally cracked a smile. "It's ugly as shit," he'd managed to say and she scowled at him.

"Well, it doesn't have sleeves, so I can't see why you're complainin'," she had snapped, before wrenching it from his arms and climbing back into the SUV with it. He had turned his back on her and the trunk, getting ready to light a smoke before they left to drive down to the prison and she had attacked him from behind, yanking the poncho down over his head in one quick movement. It snapped the smoke he had sitting unlit in his mouth and when he turned to back to her to snarl something, she'd been nearly blue in the face laughing at him. "You'll wear your gift," she had choked out between peals of laughter, "And you'll love it!"

He slipped the poncho on easily now and pointed with his chin at her shoulders and arms, which were bare in the filthy tank top she was wearing. "Get somethin' warmer on," he told her and she nodded at him, muttering, "Yes, mom."

She slipped a hoodie on top of her clothes and handed him the food. "Carol told me to make sure you ate because she knew you wouldn't unless we forced you to," Linney informed him and he grunted, eating with his fingers. He watched her as he chewed, as she picked at her food, nibbling at it in a way that made him angry. "You best be eating all a that," he growled at her, and she winced, before eating a little more quickly. In truth, he wanted to force feed her every scrap of food they came across, but he knew that all the lack of eating the group had done lately had killed their appetites, shrinking their stomachs, hers included.

He sucked his fingers clean and wiped them on the poncho and she rolled her eyes at him. "Piggy," she muttered, and he chuckled quietly, staring out at the fire again. When she was done, she pushed her bowl aside and crawled towards him, pressing herself against him in the way that always made a ridiculous swell of protectiveness leap up inside of him. _Fucking pussy_, he chastised himself half-heartedly. He yanked her over his lap, to sit between his legs, leaning her back to his chest. She sighed in satisfaction and they were silent for a while.

"Hershel says the soil here is good for growing stuff, food, you know?" She said and he nodded, murmuring a grumbling assent at her words. She continued in a conversational tone, "T says the creek out there is fresh water and if we keep the walkers out of it we can dig a canal under the fence and have access to clean water." He pressed his face into the side of her neck and felt her laugh silently as his beard scratched along the soft skin there. "Sounds pretty long term," he remarked against her warm neck, his lips brushing her skin with each syllable, making her duck her head and hunch her shoulders a little at the ticklish sensation.

"I really hope so," she replied, twisting in his arms to look at him. She kissed his nose and looked back at the fire, and he marveled for a brief moment at the gesture and just how much he secretly enjoyed the little things with her, before tightening his arms. "Lori's about ready to pop," Linney commented, watching the woman in question stretch stiffly by the fire, and he took a deep breath. "Guess Li'l Shane's not leavin' 'er much breathin' room," he muttered in response and she stiffened in his arms.

"Sorry," he apologized immediately, hating himself for talking about the man in front of her like that; he'd forgotten for a moment, and that alarmed him. She shook her head and looked back up at him. "It's ok, I'm fine, that was just a mean thing to say," she scolded him, a small smile on her lips. Linney's eyes darted back to the fire before turning up to his again. "What they hell are they gonna do when that kid pops out all Walsh and no Grimes?" She asked him and he shrugged. "Then Rick's gonna have some decisions to make," he finally answered her.

They were silent for a few minutes more before he became aware that she was shivering. "K, time to get back to the fire, I gotta switch off watch now anyhow," he informed her, pulling her to her feet with him. He climbed off the bus and she passed him the bowls before sitting on the edge of the bus, her feet hanging over the side. He stepped to her and she slid off the edge into his arms, immediately wrapping her legs and arms around him. He pushed her up against a smooth part on the underside of the bus and they took a few minutes to appreciate the momentary wall of privacy, making out like horny teenagers.

She pulled away first and stared at him with hooded eyes, groaning in irritation as she released her grip on him and slid to her feet reluctantly. "We really should get back before they think we've been eaten," she muttered in frustration, and he nodded, bending to grab the bowls, laughing silently to himself at the various ideas he was pushing from his mind, of all the things they could get up to back here. When he met her eyes again, she groaned and put a hand on his chest, as if to hold him off.

"Get that look off your face! You're not helping," she snapped at him, her face frustrated and her eyes heated. He chuckled and bent slowly to her and very, very, lightly kissed the side of her jaw, making her hiss and stumble a few steps back from him. "You are pure evil, Dixon," she growled at him, and he laughed again, as they made their way around the bus, pleased that she was equally as frustrated as he was, and again, surprised at his own good mood. Clearing this yard had done more than provide them with a safe place to spend the night, it gave them all a little power, let them feel in control again.

The soft sound of singing reached their ears as they approached the group and he glanced down at Linney, seeing that she was absolutely entranced, listening to Beth and Maggie weaving a soft harmony as they sang for everyone. He wasn't sure what he thought about the singing himself, but he liked to see Linney so soft and vulnerable, like she was now, sitting up against his chest again, next to Glenn and Maggie at the fireside. Rick had made his way over to the group, stopping at the edge of their ragged little circle and closing his eyes as he tilted to his head up to the sky, the last soft words being sung.

"We all need to turn in, everyone need's the rest," Rick spoke forcefully into the stillness and everyone nodded. "I'll take first watch, T second, Glenn third," he continued, "Just try and sleep, we all have a big day tomorrow."

Glenn shifted uneasily in his spot next to Maggie and asked quietly, "What do you mean?" Rick nodded and looked around at them all again, dropping to one knee so he could speak to them, earnestly, "Look I know we're all exhausted and today was a great win, but we gotta push, just a little bit more." Daryl felt Linney's eyes on him and he looked down at her, seeing the tightness around her eyes, knowing by the way her entire posture had stiffened that she wasn't feeling ready to push any further.

Rick took a deep breath and spoke again, "We need to take the courtyard, not wasting ammo, moving hand to hand, in tight formation, and clear those fuckers out of there." Daryl nodded when the man looked at him, agreement written all over his face. "We can take a cell block, get ourselves behind some walls," Daryl added and Rick gestured at him happily, pleased at the contribution to his decision. Rick stood up and looked back at the prison.

"We can start building this place back up and securing it," Rick told them, not looking back, "Most of those walkers are guards or prisoners, that means this place probably fell early." Linney's head jerked up at that, and Daryl suppressed a smile. "That means all their supplies should be intact, like food and medicine," she said, her voice finally growing excited. She looked over at Glenn, and Daryl watched a smile pass between the two of them. "That means no runs for awhile," Glenn told her, and she laughed. "Weapons, too," T-Dog added and Daryl nodded at the man, saying, "We can check the armory."

Rick was smiling, his voice pleased and eager, "After all we've been through we can handle it, I know it." He glanced down at Carl and Beth, sitting next to each other. "These assholes don't stand a chance."

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Nice things to say? Please Read and Review, folks... go ahead, make my day :) *****


	110. Chapter 110

*****Holy cow, guys - almost 300 reviews on this bad boy! You guys are so awesome and give me alllll the warm fuzzies :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

He was prepared for a lot of things that day, killing walkers, killing people, taking things that weren't theirs, a lot of things, but he wasn't prepared to find her, crouched like a scared bunny in the brush.

"Ho-lee shit," Merle said, his voice disbelieving, "Blondie?" Andrea looked up at him and he saw at once that she was not well, pale, sweaty with fever, eyes glassy, lips chapped and cracked, thin and hunched, shuddering from cold despite the warm day. His gaze glanced quickly over to her companion, a black woman, with disturbingly hard eyes. He kicked their weapons away and gaped at Andrea a little longer. _This is it, this is how I find __them_, he thought to himself.

He smiled at her and said, "How 'bout a hug for yer ole pal Merle?" She continued to stare at him in a combination of terror and confusion and then her eyes rolled up in her head and she toppled forward, collapsing face first into the dirt, her friend trying to catch her around her shoulders.

"She bit?" He gruffly asked the other woman, dropping to his knees carefully, reaching for Andrea's prone form with his good hand. The other woman glared, her face feral and hard, as she moved quickly, pulling Andrea away from him and putting herself between him and the blonde woman. She glared at him and shook her head. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and whistled loudly, bringing the crashing footfalls of the other men towards him, including the Governor.

"Well," the Governor said pleasantly, looking at the women and then over to Merle, "Who do we have here?" Merle looked at Martinez and Shumpert, jerking his chin at the angry woman. They moved quickly, grabbing her and dragging her back from Andrea. "Don't know that one, but this one," he patted Andrea's back gently, "This one I know, from before." The significance of those words weren't lost on the Governor, he could tell.

"We mean you no harm," the Governor said soothingly, turning to the woman that the men were struggling to keep hold of, "Your friend here is not well and we have a settlement a ways from here, medical care, food, shelter, she needs help and we can give it, especially considering she's a friend of Merle's." The woman pressed her lips together and glared furiously at the Governor, her features plainly stating that she believed nothing he was saying. Merle folded the knife on his metal arm away and bent to Andrea, lifting her carefully into his arms. He looked down at her face, keeping the concern from his features at how fragile and brittle she felt.

They moved towards their vehicles and the Governor barked orders for any salvageable supplies, as well as the injured man, to be loaded up. The angry woman was loaded into the back of one of the trucks and Merle placed Andrea gently into the back seat, buckling her in and climbing in on the other side. The drive back was mostly silent, except for the Governor's occasional radioed orders back to Milton, detailing what they were bringing back. Merle turned to Andrea when he realized she was groaning and mumbling, the dim light from the setting sun illuminated her skin, making it look like ivory, it was so pale.

"Michonne?" She grumbled, and the angry woman finally spoke, softly and comfortingly, "Right here." Andrea stilled a little then. _Michonne_, Merle thought to himself, _Looks like we got a name for Miss Mutie over there_. Andrea's head rolled towards him and he smiled at her, holding his finger to his mouth in a shushing gesture. Andrea's eyes widened slightly, as if she'd forgotten seeing him before, and she rolled her head away from him, gazing out the window before passing out.

They took one of the back entrances into Woodbury and Martinez drove them around to the back of the infirmary. The doctor and assistants rushed out and collected Andrea without a word to anyone else. They returned with a gurney for the badly burned helicopter pilot and Merle turned to Martinez.

"Take Mutie there to 'er friend, keep 'er under guard n' don't let 'er go nowhere," he ordered the man, and received a curt nod in response. Merle watched him and Shumpert escort the angry woman inside, her head looking around and her hard eyes catching his for a moment. He gave her a narrow-eyed stare in return before heading over to where the Governor was waiting.

"Tell me," the Gov told him, his face calm and interested. "Her name's Andrea, met 'er way back in the beginning, had a little sister n' an old guy with 'er. She was at that camp with us, was on that roof that day," he lifted his metal arm up, gesturing towards the Gov with it. The other man's eyes dropped to the appendage for a moment before jumping back to Merle's gaze. "She wasn' really involved in the whole thing though, she was a fuckin' pussy back then, scared a her own shadow, with a fuckin' chip on 'er shoulder," he delivered his description of Andrea in his usual gruff voice and the Gov simply nodded.

"The other one?" He asked and Merle shrugged at the question. "Never seen 'er before, maybe a stray they picked up? Not sure," Merle didn't care one or the other about the angry woman, Michonne, only about Andrea. She was the one with the information he wanted. "Seems unusual that the group you described would allow two women to go out alone like that, with one of them sick. They must have been out on the road for some time for that to happen," the Gov stated, his eyes tightening, and Merle nodded.

"Thought that m'self, maybe she left 'em, but I doubt it, too attached to her kid sister," Merle replied calmly, but felt a sense of unease. _Why the hell would she leave Amy?_ The Gov dropped a heavy hand onto Merle's shoulder and sighed, watching as the men removed the stolen gear and the walker bodies from the trucks. "Then there's those things," the Gov said, his voice deep and concerned. Merle glanced at the leashed walker bodies, his brow drawing down. "They must be Mutie's, nothin' like that woulda flown under Deputy Dumbass, or any a the others," Merle answered, absentmindedly scratching his jaw with his metal stump.

"You go see how they're doing, see that they get care, that your friend is settled," the Gov instructed him, tightening the hand on Merle's shoulder, "She may have the information we're looking for, and I want to see them cared for." Merle nodded, watching as the Gov walked away, heading in the direction the jawless, armless walkers had been taken. He walked towards the doors to the infirmary and ran his tongue along his teeth, trying to order his thoughts.

_Me n' Blondie got some catchin' up to do._

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It took her a moment to get her bearings. She realized she was in a bed, comfortable, sinfully so, for the first time in as long as she could remember. She felt better, less dizzy, more coherent, her skin not baking and freezing at the same time, the way it had before. Opening her eyes she saw Michonne, sitting casually in a chair next to the bed, her eyes on Andrea. "Where are we?" Andrea croaked, her throat beyond dry. Michonne got to her feet but was stopped by a bustling woman, short and round, with a stethoscope around her neck.

"Here, drink this," the woman urged, putting a glass of water into her hands. Andrea choked a little when she tried to drink too fast and the woman shot her a look she recognized, a motherly look of disapproval. "Drink reasonably," the woman chided her softly, and Andrea nodded, sipping carefully. She had an IV in her hand and realized her gear, her weapons, her boots, hell, even her belt, were all gone.

"Where are we?" Andrea asked again, and the woman gave her a stern look as she checked Andrea's pulse and then popped a thermometer into her mouth. "That's not for me to say," she replied in a businesslike way. Andrea frowned around the thermometer and tried to speak and the woman tsked at her and pushed her jaw closed.

"I know you know how to get your temperature taken, so you keep that mouth shut," she scolded, and Andrea rolled her eyes but stayed put, her gaze turning to Michonne who had relaxed back into her chair. Michonne's ease with this woman tempered Andrea's fear a little. _If she trusts the woman, then so do I,_ Andrea thought. She shrugged at Michonne and her friend seemed to grasp her unspoken question.

"She's a doctor," Michonne answered softly, "They have you on IV fluids with antibiotics, you have an infection." Andrea nodded and turned to the doctor, who smiled at her kindly, her eyes warm behind her glasses. "You are one sick girl, but you'll feel better pretty quickly now that you're here," the doctor told her and Andrea took a giant sip of water as soon as the thermometer was removed from her mouth.

"It's a pretty standard thing, or at least it was, what you've got, it was just made worse by the way I'm guessing you girls were living," the doctor answered as she held the thermometer up and looked at the temperature there. "See? Even your fever is abating," the woman assured her and Andrea nodded, looking back to Michonne. "How long have we been here?" She asked the other woman. Michonne grimaced. "About 24 hours I'd say," she answered and Andrea felt a ripple of disquiet roll through her. _So long_.

"Where are our things?" She asked, and Michonne shrugged. "Not here," she replied her face calm, but her voice tight and irritated, "Your friend came back once they got you hooked up here, but you were delirious and the doc chased them out. I imagine they'll be back soon." Andrea thought of Merle and her stomach dropped. _Of all the people left in the fucking world, I run into Merle __Dixon_, she thought in exasperation. He'd scared the shit out of her that day, on the roof, and then her guilt over him being left behind, cutting off his hand and his taking off to an almost certain death, had plagued her for a good long while, even though she never told anyone.

Andrea drank her water and felt her ears heating up. _Then there's the fact that you 'bumped uglies' as he'd so eloquently put it_, she thought, her mind racing back to that night, that stupid, drunken, night.

It wasn't that she found him unattractive. She was well aware, as a red-blooded woman, that both he and his brother had a certain kind of rough sex appeal. It wasn't even that he was an uncouth, racist, bigoted, redneck, asshole and so far from her normal 'type' that is was nearly comical. No, it was the fact that he did drugs, something she found out that night, when he'd taken a little pill just after they were finished. Even now, in this life, Andrea could feel her spine tightening and her jaw clenching; she hated drugs and addicts, a deep rooted distaste reaching back to her early 20's and a few unpleasant experiences she'd had. _Not to mention that he then lost his mind, beat on innocent people, and then terrorized his own group, threatening us with a gun_.

Andrea watched as the doctor left the room, and then turned to Michonne, her anxiety clear on her face. Michonne got up and sat on the edge of the bed, holding Andrea's hand comfortingly. "It's alright," she said, her voice quiet and steady. Andrea nodded and glanced almost fearfully at the door. "You need to get that stick back up your ass," Michonne warned her, making Andrea chuckle quietly. "Need to be on the offensive here, if we plan on getting out. Something isn't right about all of this," Michonne continued, and Andrea nodded at her, taking several deep breaths and steadying herself. She squeezed Michonne's hand and tried to absorb some of her nerves of steel.

When the door pushed open and Merle walked in with two guards on his tail, Andrea settled her face into 'lawyer mode', ready to ask questions and be given truthful answers.

"We-elll, Blondie, you look like shit!"

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The dirty look she shot his way when he told her she looked like shit made him grin. _There's the Blondie I remember_, he thought in amusement. He spared a brief glance towards her angry friend before he moved over towards the chair next to the bed, pulling it back a few steps.

"Guess ya know why I wanna talk with ya," he started, his voice rasping calmly. She nodded, the suspicious, almost angry look on her face not abating. "Where are they?" He asked her, and she closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. His stomach tightened in anger and anxiety, somehow certain she was about to tell him they were dead.

"I haven't seen Daryl or Linney since just after the summer," she told him, causing his head to jerk up in surprise. "What d'ya mean?" He growled, waving a hand at her impatiently. Andrea clenched her teeth together and looked away for a moment. "We got separated," she told him, and he shifted the chair a little closer to her, the glare on his face deepening.

"Gotta give me more than that, Blondie," he warned her, and she glared hard at him. "Andrea," he finally said, surprising her by using her name, "Jus' tell me where my brother n' the girl are." Her expression softened and she took in a deep breath.

"They came back from Atlanta without you and Linney went nuts," she told him. He shook his head for a moment, remembering their last talk, the girl's insistence that he shouldn't go. "Bet she did," he rasped, chuckling slightly. Andrea bit her lip and nodded. "Daryl came back the next morning and the two of them had a scuffle with Rick and Shane over it; Linney threatened to kill Shane, it was pretty bad," Andrea explained and Merle felt his chest tighten a little at that, imagining just how angry the two of them had been.

"Bet not a single one a ya's lifted a damn finger to help 'em, did ya?" He snapped at her, getting to his feet. Andrea shrugged. "Can you blame us? Really Dixon? After what happened on that roof?" Her voice was tired, as if they'd had this argument before and he didn't miss the guilt flashing across her features.

"Whatever, keep story time goin' sweetheart," he said, waving his hand impatiently again. She took in a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest. "They left immediately, to go get you, Daryl, Rick, Glenn, T-Dog... they left right away," she replied and he nodded, surprised. "They only found your hand," she added and he raised an eyebrow at her and chuckled. "Bet Daryl was pissed," he muttered, before waving his hand at her again.

"When they were gone, we were attacked by a herd," her statement was short, clipped, and spoken to her hands, and he felt something in his gut coiling uncomfortably and tried to deny that it was guilt. "We lost a lot of people," she murmured, and he watched as a couple tears dripped down her face. The room was completely silent until he cleared his throat and said one word, "Amy?" Andrea nodded, looking away and he closed his eyes for a moment and let the guilt wash over him.

"I'm sorry 'bout that, she was a good kid," he responded in a low voice, unable to look at her. Andrea took a sip of water and rolled her hand through the air. "We left, travelled out of the city, lost Jim, Jacqui, and Sophia along the way, before settling on a farm with a family already there," Andrea rapidly explained. "On the farm, Dale was attacked by a walker and died, and Shane..." her voice trailed off and he watched her closely before asking, "Shane what?" Andrea looked up at him and he could see her trying to gauge his mood.

"Shane went nuts," she told him, "Snatched Linney, tried to... he tried to... well," she paused again, searching for words, "He hurt her pretty bad but didn't...She killed him," Andrea concluded. Merle felt his body tightening in rage and wished the man were alive so he could fuck him up all over again. Again, the wash of guilt moved through him, thinking that he could have prevented it, if he'd just _been there_.

Andrea flinched back from the expression on his face, and he knew it was probably enraged, crazed in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. "The farm was overrun, by a giant herd, and I was separated, don't know what happened to them after that because I got left behind," Andrea's voice held the slightest trace of bitterness and he smirked at her. "Don't feel good, does it?" He asked her and she made an irritated face at him.

"So, ya don't know where they are now?" He finally asked her, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry Merle, I know what your brother, what Linney, meant to you, I'd tell you if I knew," her voice was regretful and he wanted to yell at her, accuse her of lying, but he knew she wasn't, it was evident from her face and body language. He again felt like Linney's picture was burning a hole in his back pocket and he looked over at her silent friend.

"Run into Mutie sometime after that?" He asked her, his rough and flippant tone lightening the mood, and Andrea smirked at him. "She saved me, in the woods outside that farm. And her name is Michonne, not Mutie," Andrea informed him, her face serious. The door was pushed open then, and the Governor walked in.

"Andrea and Michonne, I'm pleased to meet you officially," he said genially to them both, extending his hand to be shaken, only Andrea accepting it. He glanced over to Merle, his look indicating he had heard their entire conversation. "I'm glad you had time to catch up with your friend," he said to Andrea, "We've been trying to help him find his family for some time now." Andrea nodded vaguely, her blue eyes moving from the Gov, to Michonne, to Merle, then back to the Gov.

"Where are we?" Andrea asked, her tone saying she wasn't going to be deterred. The Gov extended a hand towards the door and Andrea grabbed her IV pole and, with Michonne on one side and Merle hovering on the other, they followed the Gov out the door, down the hall, and out of the building. The Gov threw open the big double doors on the front of the infirmary building and a huge slice of their tidy Main Street came into view.

He smiled back over his shoulder at the women and said, "Welcome to Woodbury."

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Nice things to say? Please read and review, folks! *****

**PS - No update tomorrow cause we are going to Fan Expo (Canada's ComicCon), looking forward to a meet and greet with Lauren Cohan!**


	111. Chapter 111

***** And I'm back today - Fan Expo was AWESOME :) Lauren Cohan was very sweet and very friendly and kept a great big grin on her face all day long, I don't know how she does it lol... I personally got to LOTR fangirl-out seeing Karl Urban and Billy Boyd, too... not to mention the exhibits, the cool stuff I got, the cosplayers (seriously some of them were just epic), the great t-shirts **drool** :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *** PS - Big thanks to you guys for getting this fic to 300 reviews! hideher, you were the 300th review FYI :) **

She was supposed to be used to this by now, the sweating, the dirt, her heart thumping so hard it nearly hurt. Her arm ached, from stabbing and throwing and swinging, and her foot ached from where Glenn had stumbled and stomped down onto it. She realized that they were all splashed with gore, but didn't care, knowing that another dousing of the vile smelling stuff wasn't going to make much of a difference anyways in their filthy conditions.

Rick had kept shouting "Stay in formation!" and calling out any individual who moved too far away, and between that, the hot sun, her bone-deep exhaustion, and the unending hissing noise of the walkers, Linney was beginning to feel a little loopy. When the front portion of the courtyard was emptied, it became clear that there was a gate hanging open, a little deeper in, around the corner from one of the cell blocks. Linney was shocked to see walkers dressed in regular clothes, coming stumbling through that gate. _How they hell did they get in here_? She didn't have much time to dwell on the thought, because Rick and Daryl darted forward, to kick back the fresh wave of walkers trying to get through the open gate, and then Maggie yelled and Linney saw four heavily armored undead guards had come around a corner.

Linney didn't pause, heaving a knife at the closest one and watching in dismay as the blade skidded off the surface of it's helmeted head and clattered to the ground. Linney darted towards one of them and realized it was wearing gloves as well. _At least it can't scratch me_, she thought, trying to keep it off of her while she tried to figure out how to get the helmet it was wearing off. She heard Maggie yell out behind her, "Up! Stab _up_, UP!" Linney peeked over her shoulder and immediately understood what Maggie meant. She threw herself on the chest of the undead guard in front of her and fell to the ground with him, jamming her knee in his throat before shoving his head back and stabbing up under his chin, right through to the brain.

She heard the wet sounds of stabbing around her and realized the rest of the guards were being dispatched. She felt a hand on her arm and looked up to see Rick, as he pulled her up from the dead guard and dragged her back the way they'd come. He and Daryl had managed to close and lock the open gate.

"So what now?" She panted out, looking between Rick and Daryl. Rick cut his eyes around the cleared courtyard and paused on the couple walkers dressed in normal clothes. "It ain't clear," Daryl murmured, his eyes narrowing even more as he took a couple steps towards the walkers in normal clothes, "How'd they get in here?" Rick shrugged and looked over at the back half of the courtyard, where they'd just barely managed to close the gate against the wave of walkers there.

"A breach," T-Dog said, wearily, "Somewhere in the prison, they must be able to get in from the outside, only way to explain civilians in here." Rick nodded, his eyes fluttering closed, and Linney tugged on her arm, which was still in his grasp, a grasp that was becoming almost painfully tight as he fretted. "Sorry," he muttered, when he opened his eyes and realized what he was doing. Linney nodded and moved a step away, looking around for the couple knives she had thrown, wanting to keep her sheaths full at all times. She saw Daryl doing the same thing, gathering up the bolts he'd shot.

Rick walked away from them, quickly, heading straight towards the completely fenced in stairway that lead into the building labelled "C Block". He put a hand on the fence door and looked back at them, his hard eyes raking over each of them. "We push inside, now, clear it," his voice brooked no argument and Linney looked briefly at Daryl who said nothing, just clapped her on the back and trotted to Rick, pushing the door open and moving up the stairs with him. Linney and Glenn held the rear, and closed the fence door behind them, shutting their group into the stairway.

Rick slid the heavy metal door open and pushed open the bars behind them, all of it making loud grinding and creaking noises. When Linney approached the entry way, the last one to enter, she had to take a deep breath. It was dark and murky inside and smelled terrible and she had a sudden urge to turn on her heel and race away.

A deep breath, and one curious backwards glance from Daryl, spurred her forward, into the dark maw of the cell block.

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It was gloomy inside, eery and echoey. As they slid slowly down the stairs by the doorway they'd just used, it was easy to see that there was nothing alive in the this cell block. Rick moved silently across the small eating area for this cell block, stepping over the heaps and mounds of garbage and cloth strewn everywhere, his head swiveling back and forth at each click and clack that floated on the air, originating from somewhere else in the prison. There was a dark, ominous hallway at one end of the large area they were in, a locked gate closing it off from them.

Rick located keys in the guard perch and gave a set to Daryl before they moved further into the cell block, leaving the eating area, and walking slowly into the big room with the individual living quarters. They could hear the unmistakeable sound of walkers, somewhere in the room, unable to determine exactly where the noise was coming from based on the echoes. Rick glanced back at the group behind him and signaled them to split into twos and clear the block. He and Daryl moved upstairs and the other four took the lower level.

They dispatched the few remaining prisoners still groaning and hissing in their cells and Rick called them all into the center of the room. "This is where we'll stay," he told them, his voice serious and quiet, "Let's drag these bodies outside and then get everyone else in." Everyone nodded, the fatigue and strain clear on all their faces. "I know you're tired," he said, and smirked when Linney and Glenn both nodded emphatically, "Once the bodies are outside we can relax for the day and the night, before we move on to the other areas tomorrow." He ignored their wincing and moved towards the nearest body, casting a glance at Glenn to help him.

He watched Linney and T-Dog approach another body and he had to look away. The girl was exhausted, obviously ready to collapse, but he couldn't spare the worry for her right now, he was dead set on seeing this through, on settling everyone inside. He felt nearly out of control, his sense of urgency was running so strong and high, and he just wanted to push, and push, and push, until they could finally say they were home free.

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"Is it secure?" Lori asked, looking around warily, and Carol put a tired hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her further into the cell block. "He'd never have you and Carl in here if it wasn't," she reassured the woman. Daryl had to look away, not willing to spare any worry for the pregnant woman. He was exhausted in a way he hadn't felt before, and he knew that if he was this tired, then Linney must be nearly dead on her feet. He found her standing at the top of the stairs, on the walkway leading to the upper level of the cells, looking confused.

"What's up?" He murmured to her, his voice concerned. She looked up at him and gave him a weary smile. "I just don't know which room to take," she replied softly. He nodded towards one a few cells down from the stairs. "That one there had no bodies in it, no blood, take that one," he urged her, and she nodded, walking towards it slowly, her backpack over her shoulder and her arms full of their bedding. He watched her walk inside and heard the thump of her dropping everything to the ground.

He walked into the cell right at the head of the stairs and began to pull a mattress out. "Daryl?" He heard her call out softly, and he stepped outside the cell to look over at where she was standing, at the doorway to her cell. "What are you doing?" She asked, her eyes darting down to the mattress in his hands. "Ain't sleepin' in no cage," he told her, "You get settled, get some sleep, I'm takin' the perch." Her brow twitched and despite her obvious fatigue she stamped her foot and snarled at him.

"Daryl Dixon, you get your stupid butt in here right now!" He raised his eyebrows at her and heard T-Dog's deep chuckle from somewhere on the lower floor. She rolled her eyes at him and stomped over, gripping his arm tightly in her hands. "I am not sleeping in there alone, so move it, _now_," she warned him. He opened his mouth to argue and snapped it shut when her face tightened up. "Don't be such a pussy, get in there," she ordered him, one hand on her hip and the other pointing back at her cell. _Guess it's our cell now_, he thought, hating the idea of sleeping behind bars.

He glared at her, just to show her he wasn't impressed with her pushiness, before grabbing his bag and crossbow and following her into their room. She wasted no time, yanking apart their bedding and spreading it on the bed, then taking an extra sheet and shoving it into his hands. "Drape that over the door, please," she instructed, and he turned to lay it over the door like a curtain, giving them some privacy when he pulled it halfway closed.

She began to pull off her weapons and then her boots, nodding her head at him to do the same. He shook his head at her bossy attitude, but did what she asked, not wanting to risk having her grow angrier. She yanked off her filthy clothes and dug in her backpack for a cleaner t-shirt, pulling it on over her underthings.

"Don't you dare climb into bed with walker guts all over you," she snapped, as she climbed in bed and lay on her side, watching him. He glared at her and began to pull off his clothes, climbing into bed in his boxers. The mattress felt like heaven, after sleeping in the car for so long. He turned to her, after a few minutes, to lift his arm and pull her against him, but paused when he saw she was already asleep. _Must've been dead on her feet_, he thought, smirking a little at her exhausted sleeping face. He moved her gently, pulling her towards himself, laying her on his chest the way he liked, before wrapping his arms around her.

He thought he'd lay there, trapped in his own thoughts, unable to sleep, but Linney's light snores, the dim light filtering through the curtain, and the mattress beneath him, pulled him down into the darkness of sleep faster than he thought possible.

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When Linney woke up, there was barely any light in the room, she stared at the sheet over their cell door and judged that it must be early dawn. _We slept the whole afternoon, straight through to morning_, she thought in disbelief. She knew that, without a doubt, none of them had slept that long since before the Turn. She had her back to Daryl, pressed into his side, and she lifted herself up off the bed, slowly climbing over him to get up. His hand closed around her wrist and she looked back at him, seeing his eyes were still closed.

"Where ya goin'?" He mumbled, his voice sleepy, and she pulled on her wrist. "Need to pee," she told him and he gestured with his free hand at the toilet across the room. "Right there," he told her, and she made a face and a disgusted noise in her throat. "I will _not_!" She cried quietly in mild embarrassment, and he smiled, eyes still closed, laughing at her silently. She grumbled and pulled on her wrist, and this time he let go. Linney pulled on her filthy jeans, grimacing at the horrible crusty feeling of them and grabbed her boots, socks, and weapons, before easing out the door quietly. She walked to the stairs, preparing to apply all her gear on the perch, but realized that Rick was sitting against the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

"Mornin' boss," she greeted him quietly, easing down the stairs. He nodded at her and barely managed a smile in return, before gesturing at her feet. "Should be wearin' shoes in here Lin, til we get it cleaned up," he chastised her, his voice tired in a way that seemed to indicate he'd told her this a million times. Linney sank to the ground in front of him and made a face at him. "Don't be a nag," she teased him and he finally managed a real smile for her.

"We're clearing the lower levels of the prison today," he informed her, watching as she pulled her boots on. She nodded at him, lacing them up. "You, Carl, and Beth won't be coming," he told her, and she jerked her head up to glare at him. "Gonna tell me why the hell not?" She snapped at him, and he gestured at another doorway, at the other end of the cellblock. "Want the three of you going that way, to the upper levels of the prison, we don't all need to be going in the same direction," he responded, his voice calm.

"Liar," she accused him, and his eyebrows shot up. "Just tell me why Rick, I'm a good fighter, you know that, so what is it?" He sighed and held his gaze on her. "I need someone who's a good fighter and level headed to stay here with Lori, someone mature enough to handle things, if something happened," he explained and she stared at him, waiting for him to make sense. "I'm leaving Maggie and Carol here with her," he added. Linney glared at him. "What? I'm not level headed?" She said, trying to keep her voice low. "You're a good fighter, you said so yourself, so clearing an area is something you need to be doing, and you, Beth, and Carl can handle what you find on the upper floors, where it's lit and you'll be able to find your way around," he leaned towards her, his face earnest, "The lower floors will be dark and we don't know what we might encounter down there, I want you three, and Maggie, safe and away from that."

Linney climbed to her feet and began pacing. "Is that supposed to make me feel great about you guys heading down into those fucking tombs?" She asked him, her voice a high-pitched whisper. He shook his head and got to his feet. "No, it's not, and I'm sorry to make it like this Lin, but if it's too dark to see, how are you going to throw knives? You know you can't physically hold those bastards off for very long, and down there it may come to that, and I just won't risk it!" She stared at him again, weighing his words, knowing that what he was saying was true, but hating it anyways.

"Daryl, Glenn, and I won't be able to focus properly down there if the four of you are with us; trying to make sure you all are safe is going to get someone killed," he reasoned, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Rick, when have I given you the impression I can't take care of myself?" He shook his head, bending a little to her level, putting a hand on each of her shoulders. "Linney, I need you to do this, don't make it harder. Maggie will keep Lori and Carol safe, help with Lori if there's a problem. You and the kids will clear the upper floors, find anything you can and bring it back, and the rest of us will clear the lower floors," his voice was soft but forceful, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he had no intention of backing off this one.

She grimaced and looked away, feeling insulted and irritated, and now worried, but when his hand grabbed her chin and turned her face back to look at him, she finally sighed and stepped away from him. "Fine, I don't like it, I think it's stupid and chauvinistic, but fine," she replied, and his entire posture relaxed. "Thank you," he said, meaning it. She nodded at him and looked around. "Why aren't you in with Lori and Carl?" She asked him and he shrugged carelessly and slumped back on the floor again.

"Lori needs rest and the beds are small," he answered and she gave him a skeptical look. "Wanna try answering that again, this time with the truth?" She replied, and he gave her a long look before rubbing his hands over his face. "I'm feeling a little out of it, couldn't sleep, needed to be doing something, so sitting out here on guard seemed like the best thing to do," he told her and she shook her head at him.

"What is it with you guys lately?" She asked, mostly talking to herself. She shot him an impatient and irritated look and the next thing out of her mouth had him climbing to his feet, stalking to Lori's room with a half-smile on his face.

"Rick Grimes, get your ass up off that fucking floor and get into bed and cuddle with your wife for the next few hours, or so help me god, I'll knock you out and drag your carcass in there."

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks! *****


	112. Chapter 112

***** Enjoy - I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

She pulled open the second cupboard and was greeted by another wall of white shirts. "Same thing in here," she said quietly over her shoulder. "I've got pants here," Carl whispered from across the room and they both turned to Beth who was in the process of yanking open another cupboard. "Socks and shoes," she informed them.

"Do we take it all?" Carl whispered to Linney and she stared around the room for a moment. "This room has no door anymore, so it's not like we can shut it up tight and protect the goods, you know?" She responded, her fingers pinching her lips. Beth nodded and crossed the room, grabbing the huge, wheeled laundry cart they'd found sitting on it's side in the hallway. "I guess we could just keep it all in an empty cell for now and then maybe later, when we get more space cleared we can move it to another cell block, like a supply block or something," Beth said as she carried over a huge stack of blue prison-issue pants.

"Carl, can you tie the shoes together, like each pair, so the sizes don't get mixed up?" Linney spoke over her shoulder to the boy, before turning to Beth and nodding, "Yeah, something like that, I just want everything behind our locks, so it's definitely ours." Beth nodded at Linney, carrying another pile of pants over. Linney was stuffing socks into a cardboard box, filling it. "I can't wait for clean socks," she said dreamily, in a voice normally reserved for talking about delicious food.

"Screw socks," Carl piped up from the shoe cupboard, "I can't wait for clean underwear!" Beth and Linney looked over at him, identical expressions of disgust on their faces. "Ewww, Carl that's gross," Beth complained and he just waved a dismissive hand at her. "Whatever, Beth, like your drawers are perfectly clean," he groused back, in a way that distinctly reminded Linney of Daryl. Linney dumped the box of socks in the laundry bin and dug into the next cupboard.

"I found the undies!" She exclaimed and both Beth and Carl came running over to see the row after row of clean, white underwear in all sizes. "I never thought I'd ever care about clean clothes as much as I do now," Linney murmured and Beth chuckled before heading back to the pants cupboard. They loaded up all the clothing, finding blue prison issue shirts that buttoned up the front, in addition to white wifebeater style tank tops and sweatshirts in the same blue as the pants and buttoned shirts.

"The shoes won't fit," Carl observed, when the last stack of clothing was crammed into the overflowing cart. Linney shrugged and pointed at the cart. "You're pushing," she told him, moving around to the doorway. She peeked out into the well-lit hallway and saw nothing but the corpse of the well-dressed walker they'd easily taken out on their way down the hallway initially. "We'll get back, unload in one of the cells and then come back and get the shoes; we've only been here for a couple hours, you know, we've got all day, not mention tomorrow..." Linney's voice trailed off and she held a finger up to indicate she needed quiet.

There was something moving around at the other end of the long hallway, behind the furniture barricade that was set up there. _We don't have to go down that way right now, worry about it later_, she told herself. "Let's be quick, think there's a walker down there," Linney whispered to the other two, pointing down towards the barricade. She took the lead, Carl following with the laundry cart, and Beth taking up the rear, and they moved through the building that Linney was referring to as the "supply building", following the spray painted arrows on the walls as they wove their way back to the cell block. When they finally got there, Linney whistled and a moment later Carol appeared with a set of keys and unlocked the door, letting them and the laundry cart inside.

"Are those all clothes?" Carol asked with bright curiosity, and Carl nodded enthusiastically. "Like all the clothes! Every thing we could need," he told her excitedly. Carol pointed to the cell right by the door they'd just come through. "It's clean in there, feel free to load it all in there," she told them and the three of them started to unload quickly.

"There's shoes too," Linney told Carol as she hefted a pile of sweatshirts onto the bed. Carol nodded and looked down at the worn boots they all had on. "New footwear used to be really exciting," Carol responded ruefully and Linney chuckled. "They're nothing special," Linney informed her, "Just plain running shoes." Carol waved a hand at her, "Honey, at this point, they could be fuzzy slippers and they'd be a welcome change." They all laughed and made short work unloading the laundry cart. They pushed it out of the cell and saw Lori and Maggie making their way over.

"We've only hit this clothing room, but we're going to find the rooms with linens, cleaning products, and hopefully the infirmary," Linney informed them, and Lori nodded, both hands on the small of her back. Linney looked up to Maggie's worried face. "Heard anything from them," she asked her friend, trying to sound nonchalant. Lori put a hand on Linney's arm, "Oh Lin, you know it's too soon to hear anything from them, it'll be hours." Linney pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded, turning on her heel. "We need to get going," she said to the kids, and Carol opened the door quickly for them.

"Be careful," she heard Lori say to Carl and the boy muttered something back to her, ducking her hug. "We always are," Beth responded pleasantly and Linney shot her a sideways smile. When the metal door clanged shut behind them, Linney spared a look back at the three women in the cell block and tipped her hand to them. They made their way back to the supply building, the slightly squeaking wheel on the cart the only sound around them. Back in the clothing room, they silently and quickly loaded the shoes up before scouring the room one last time.

"Lin?" Carl asked her, and she turned to him, an expectant look on her face. He held up a set of keys, jingling them slightly, "Do we want to take these?" Linney nodded and he stuffed them into his pocket. "Let's just open that door across the hall," Beth suggested, shoving the laundry cart back into the clothing room so they had room in the hall to kill anything they might find. Linney nodded and gestured with her chin towards the door and watched as Beth moved towards it, tapping her knife on the door and waiting. Carl slid past Linney and put his hand on the doorknob when the tapping elicited no response from within. He looked over at Beth and she readied her knife while he counted down silently. Linney had her own knives in her hands, prepared to dive into the fray if what they found was too much for the kids to handle.

Carl shoved the door open and Beth swept into the room, Carl on her tail. Linney glanced up and down the hallway before following them in. The room looked exactly the same as the room they'd just been in, with the exception of the four corpses slumped together on the floor, their heads obliterated by the gunshots that had taken them out. Beth turned to the side and neatly vomited on the floor at the smell and the sight and Linney felt her own gorge rising dangerously. "Move," Carl said in a sturdy, slightly impatient voice, and she watched as he slung a sheet over the four bodies, blocking the ghastly sight from view. Linney shot him a grateful look and he nodded at her.

"There's like blankets and stuff in here," he said in a quiet voice, moving back to the cupboards and Linney put a hand to Beth's shoulder, squeezing slightly. "You ok?" She asked the girl and Beth nodded at her, wiping the edge of her shirt over her mouth before pulling open a cupboard. They worked on emptying the room, silently, all need for conversation gone. Linney was distinctly aware of the pitiful sheet-covered corpses and couldn't stop her mind from wondering what had happened to those people, how they had found themselves in this little room, how they had been shot, who did it, and why. There wasn't nearly as much in this room as there had been in the first room, but they cleaned it out nonetheless.

This trip back to the cell block was quiet and Carol let them in, her own features drawn a little tighter after seeing their expressions. She shot a questioning look to Linney, who shook her head and waved a hand at her. "It's nothing, don't worry," she told the woman, who nodded carefully at them and helped them unload everything. Their third trip brought them to the third doorway in that hall and Carl pushed it open and then immediately shut it, looking back at them with a horrified face. "Umm, let's go to another room," he told them, his face paling as his voice squeaked in it's attempt to remain calm. Linney glared at him and tried to push him away from the door.

"Carl," she said warningly and he shook his head at her rapidly, "Linney, no, it's gross, really, really gross." Linney held his eyes and leaned her head next to his. "Tell me," she whispered and he turned his head closer to her ear and informed her of what was behind the door. She swallowed hard and pulled away from him, her own face twisting in disgust, wishing to god she had opened the door first and saved Carl the sight. She closed her eyes and turned to Beth. "We don't need to go in there, we'll wait til Daryl or Rick can get in there, if they want to," she informed the girl in a hard voice and Beth bit her lip before nodding slowly.

Linney took the spray can from Carl and simply marked the door with a question mark. She turned to Carl and held his blue eyed gaze for a moment before putting a hand on his shoulder, "Are you ok?" She asked him, and he nodded. "Let's just move away, please?" He responded and Linney gave him a quick one-armed hug around the shoulders before they moved down to the fourth door. "And what's behind door number four..." Linney murmured quietly, making Beth chuckle slightly behind her.

Linney held the other two back and glared at Carl when he initially resisted. "Carl," she warned him and he sighed and rolled his eyes, but stepped back. Linney opened the door and moved into the room, pausing and staring around, her eyes nearly wild with the sight before her. "Holy shit," Carl breathed over her shoulder and Linney didn't spare a breath to scold him for cursing, but lightly elbowed him. Beth squeezed past Linney's shoulder and stared around at the shelves, cupboards, and locked cages of goods.

"Is this like some kind of infirmary storage?" Beth asked, her voice in awe. Linney nodded and looked over her shoulder at the girl. "Take a look at the door," Linney told them, and they both turned to the door, which was different than the other doors. It had heavy locking bolts on it, next to a key pad, obviously something that used to be controlled by electricity. "We're just lucky that this door was unlocked when the power failed," Linney said to them, running a finger along the bolts. "So... do we take everything?" Carl asked and Linney smiled at him. "Hell yes we do," she answered and Beth laughed.

They moved quickly, loading up on first aid gear, gauze, antiseptic cleaners, bandaids, and the like, while Linney got to work on the locked cage, behind which there appeared to be a huge glass case of medication. "This lock needs a freaking key," she muttered unhappily, slamming the butt of her gun on the lock one last time before turning to the kids. "Like these?" Carl asked, holding up the keys he'd found earlier. Linney smiled at him hugely and snatched the keys from him with a laugh. The ring was large, holding dozens of keys and when one of them fit into the lock she had to restrain herself from whooping gleefully.

It took them four trips to unload everything in the room, each trip back to the cell block they were greeted with a smiling trio of women. "And this isn't even the infirmary, just some kind of back-up storage!" Maggie said happily. Linney was pleased, grudgingly aware that Rick's overprotective nature had yielded a major boon for them. "Still nothing?" She asked Maggie before they moved back out of the cell block, and the girl shook her head. "Sorry, Lin, it's fine, don't worry about it," Maggie reassured her, her face not showing the calm that her words were attempting to convey. Linney took a deep breath and nodded, before rushing the kids back to the supply building.

There were more doors down the hallway, and the hallway even branched out ahead, but first they had to remove the barricade of furniture in the hall and take care of the walker on the other side. "Is it just one?" Beth asked, moving around as she tried to see through the stacks of furniture. Linney shrugged and pulled experimentally on one of the desks. It shifted and the stacks of things on top wobbled precariously. "I'm not entirely certain how we go about this," Linney said in a quiet voice, glaring at the pile of furniture. Carl put a hand on one of the chairs and pushed a little at it.

"Maybe if we take the smaller stuff off first," he began, and Linney sucked back a scream when a dark arm looped through the chair legs and grabbed Carl's arm, wrapping tightly around it. The boy screamed, and the girls screamed, and Linney grabbed Carl around the waist and pulled, trying to tear him away. Whatever it was on the other side was strong, and hungry, and yanked back, pulling Linney and Carl right into the chair, smacking their faces hard on it. Beth let out a guttural scream and grabbed Linney around the hips, yanking as hard as she could. All three of them braced theirs legs in this horrible tug of war and Carl reached back to Linney's waist and yanked out her hunting knife, almost slicing her face with it when he swung it around.

"Carl!" She yelled and he swung down at the dark arm gripping his, stabbing and slashing through it. The rotted flesh didn't give way as easily at it should, but after a few more deep, chopping slashes it tore away and all three of them crashed backwards. They heard grumbling and the tower of furniture started to wobble dangerously. "Move, move, move!" Linney cried, scrambling backwards, her arm still locked around Carl's waist. The three of them managed to gain their feet and skitter backwards as the tower of furniture came toppling forward, crashing loudly to the ground all around them.

As soon as the furniture settled, Linney realized their little back and forth with the walker arm wasn't enough to cause it all to topple; something heavy on the walker side had pushed it down. So the dozen walkers writhing and growling on the other side of the furniture shouldn't have been such a surprise. "Guns! Guns!" Linney yelled, pulling her own weapon and shooting as the walkers surged forwards. Carl had his weapon out swiftly and began shooting and Beth followed suit after a few strangled breaths in and out. When the gunfire settled, the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder, arms shaking as they kept their guns trained on the walkers they'd just taken down.

"Well," Carl began, shaking his arm in disgust when he realized the walker hand was still clenched around it. "Ewww, Linney!" He cried and she made a brief choking noise and wrenched the hand off him. He breathed in and out and Beth put a hand to his back. "Feel free to hurl," she whispered to him and Carl shot her a hard look, tightening his jaw. "No, I'm fine," he replied manfully, smothering any lingering fear and disgust. Beth gave him a small smile and Linney hid her own smile.

"So, that's taken care of, what now?" Carl asked finally, looking up at Linney. She smiled at him and gestured at the furniture. "Those assholes delayed our work, cause now we gotta drag that furniture out of the way and then get those fuckers out of the way," she griped in response. Carl nodded and bent towards the furniture closest to him, dragging it back down the hallway, to the infirmary storage they'd emptied.

A little over an hour later, they were dragging the last walker body into the room where Carl had draped a sheet over the four corpses and then they all sagged against the wall in the hallway. "I'm fucking tired," Beth breathed and Linney looked over at her in surprise, not used to hearing cursing from the girl. "What?" Beth asked, tilting her head along the wall to smirk at Linney, "I swear sometimes!"

Carl was laughing quietly and then the other two joined him, and they all chucked together. "We really should get up and keep going," Linney told them, groaning as she climbed slowly to her feet. Beth and Carl each accepted one of her hands and she helped pull them to their feet. "I hope the next room we find has a bunch of food in it," Carl remarked as they retrieved the laundry cart and continued down the hall to the next door. Beth murmured her assent and they pulled the door open, to be met with a messy wreck of a room.

"What the hell?" Linney asked no one in particular. "What's that smell?" Beth asked, looking around at the heaps and heaps of unidentifiable garbage and refuse. "Umm, I think this was a bathroom for whoever those walkers used to be," Carl told them, gagging a a little. Linney pushed them out and slammed the door shut. "Ok," she said slowly, trying to calm her leaping stomach, "Obviously we aren't going in there, so let's hope there was nothing good left in there." Beth groaned and rested her head on the wall, her skin so pale it was nearly green.

"This hallway has been a bit of a ride," Beth managed, breathing heavily. Carl put a tentative hand on her shoulder and patted it, "It's just one hallway, Beth, we're nowhere near done," he said and Beth groaned again, standing up straight. "That's not helpful," Beth murmured and Linney laughed at them both. She marked the door with the words "_Do NOT Enter - Stink Inside_" and all three of them were laughing as they made their way to the end of the hallway. When they peered around the corner, Beth gestured at the tiny hallway that lead to the right, directly into a door labelled as the women's washroom. "Should we go in there?" She asked and Linney made a face.

"I really want to say no, but we have to check, just in case there's something in there we need," Linney replied, her voice regretful. Carl lingered at the doorway when they had it pushed open. "I'll wait here," he told them and Beth made a face. "Carl, it's not like it's a thing anymore, we pee in bushes in front of each other now for goodness sake," she told him, her voice insistent. Carl made another face and walked into the room with them. "Old habits die hard," Linney said to him, clapping him on the back to let him know she understood.

The bathroom was well lit, lined with windows, and empty. Beth moved to the metal dispenser on the wall, that held feminine hygiene products and bashed at the side of it with the butt of her gun until it fell open, spilling it's contents to the floor. Linney and Beth gathered them up and tossed them into the laundry bin. They were ready to leave the room after they'd gathered up all the toilet paper rolls in it, but paused when they heard Carl gasp at the window.

"Linney, oh my god," he whispered in awe. Linney glanced briefly at Beth and they ran to the window, peering out. The view was of the other side of the prison, the one they hadn't been able to see from the side their group had entered on. "That explains the walkers in civilian clothes," Linney commented softly. The buildings around them were blackened and demolished, obviously blasted by something huge. There was wreckage and debris everywhere, including dead bodies, both the walking kind and the really, truly dead kind. Several of them were slowly making their way through all the blackened rubble, down into the lower levels of the prison that were fully exposed from being blasted open.

"Was it the military?" Beth asked and Linney nodded absently, pointing at the trucks that were parked further back on the road. "Looks like this place was blasted by the military early," Linney observed, her voice soft. Carl suddenly gripped her arm hard and she looked over at him, following his wide-eyed stare. His next words were whispered and awed,

"Jesus, is that a tank?"

*****Thoughts? Opinions? Read and Review, folks! *****


	113. Chapter 113

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"Food or guns?" Beth asked, wiping at a smear of walker blood on her face, making one half of her face turn a ghastly brownish-black. On their way outside they had passed a sign that pointed in the direction of the commissary, but they had decided to put it off to check outside first. Linney crept forward to peer around the blackened wall they were hiding behind. "The guns are so close," she murmured, and Carl pressed up next to her, looking out at the war zone in front of them. "If we take out those five," he whispered, pointing at the five walkers, mostly in military gear, staggering stupidly around the yard, "Then it's a clear shot right to that truck." Carl looked at her and Linney bit her lip trying to decide. They both twitched in surprise when the nearest walker slumped to his knees and fell to the side, a knife sticking out of his temple.

Beth stepped around the wall, staying low, and then threw another knife at a walker that was drawn by the movement of the first one falling. The second went down and Linney finally regained the ability to move. "Beth," she hissed, "Beth goddammit!" She ran around the wall and immediately bent to the first walker, yanked out the knife, and hurled it at a quickly approaching walker, one who looked to be a badly burnt prisoner. Carl removed his fireplace poker and swept around the two of them, thrusting the weapon up into a walker's forehead, before spinning around and slamming it across the temple of another walker.

"Well," Beth panted, "That takes care of the five of them." Linney glared at her and took a couple deep breaths to maintain her grip on her temper. _Now I know how Rick feels_, she thought, proud of Beth, but wanting to throttle her at the same time. "Don't be a fucking hero, Greene," she snapped, "Never do that again, you wait for the whole group to get on board, understood?" Beth held her angry gaze calmly before nodding, a slight flush blooming across her cheeks.

"That was freaking awesome though, Beth, you totally nailed that first one," Carl commented as he yanked one of Beth's knives free from a fallen walker. Beth smiled at him and Linney rolled her eyes before grabbing their shoulders and running them along, in a crouch, to the big truck they had spied from the bathroom window, next to the tank. When they had realized it was full of weapons, Linney knew that nothing else they got that whole day could possibly be as important as what they found in the army truck. Using an emergency exit map on the wall at the hallway juncture by the women's bathroom, they had found their way outside, killing walkers as they encountered them, dragging the laundry cart with them. The cart now sat behind the blackened wall they'd sought cover behind and Linney ducked both kids down by the bumper of the army truck.

"Ok, so we need to get what we can and get it back to the cart," she whispered to them and Beth nodded, but Carl's face screwed up inquisitively. "Linney, how are we going to get a cart full of guns back up all those stairs?" His voice was worried, and Linney cursed softly. "Shit, I forgot about that," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Wait, I have an idea, stay here and stay down," she ordered them and they both nodded while she slunk along the side of the truck, the door on the driver's side was hanging open and there was a soldier at the wheel, with a fist sized hole through his chest, just sitting there.

"Gruh?" He turned to her in interest, groaning, and she danced backwards as he reached for her, fell from the seat, and slammed face first to the ground, making no move to stop himself. Linney pulled a knife, rolling her eyes, and bent quickly to stab him through the back of his skull, muttering, "Fucking idiot." She climbed up into the truck and located the keys, still hanging in the ignition. She slid out again, and crouch-ran back to the kids. "Ok, so the keys are in the truck," she informed them, "I don't want to start it up until we absolutely have to, so I'm not sure if it's still running." Beth's eyes widened as she stared past Carl's shoulder and she leapt to her feet and threw a knife quickly, taking down the walker that had been creeping towards them.

Linney smiled at her and watched as Beth crept out and grabbed her knife before scuttling back to them at the back of the truck. "If you guys are down for it, I say we gather up all the weapons we can, plus anything else useful, pile it all in this truck and pray it starts up," Linney told them in a whisper and they both immediately nodded. "And if it doesn't, then at least it's all in one place," Carl reasoned, "We can get everyone else back here."

"Even if we get it started though, how're we going to get it back to our side of the prison?" Beth asked and Linney bit her lip. "We'll have to drive it down that main road, around to the back road we used to get in on the other side," Linney patted her back pocket, "I have one of the keys for the padlock on the gate there, I can get us and the truck back inside." The other two nodded and Linney got to her feet.

"Let's check the military bodies first, take anything they have," she told them and grabbed Beth and Carl's arms tightly, one in each hand, halting them, "Make damn sure they're dead before you get close; stab 'em even if they already have a head wound, got it?" They both nodded again and they were quick to split up. They were able to glean several guns, large and small as well as some ammo, but Linney didn't have time to check if it matched or how much of each there was. She paused to smile when she realized that Carl was collecting knives and glancing over at Beth every couple of minutes, to make sure she wasn't watching.

"She'll love those, buddy," Linney muttered to him as she passed him on her way to retrieve a military labelled crate sitting on it's side in the dirt. Carl ducked his head and blushed before hurrying away to tuck the knives in a side compartment on the truck. Linney righted the crate and pried open the lid. "Wow," she muttered, staring down at the big, full, container. She looked up and whistled, both of the kids running over to her at the signal.

"What's a MRE?" Beth said, reading the lid of the crate. Linney grinned at them. "It's food!" She cried in response and both kids started to smile along with her. The three of them bent to the large crate and managed to manhandle it back to the truck and after several strained moments they managed to get it in the bed of the truck.

"Now the tank?" Carl asked her hopefully and Linney chuckled. "Yeah, we'll go check it out, but," she grabbed his face in her hand and squished his cheeks a little, "Do NOT touch anything, Carl, do you hear me? You could accidentally shoot something off and kill everyone in the prison, you got me?" He rolled his eyes and nodded and she glared at him. "Carl, I swear to god, I love you, but if you kill our people by doing something stupid, you're gonna be walker bait faster than I can say 'Boo', understand?" He swallowed and nodded and she released him. The sullen look on his face didn't last long, as they neared the tank, a silly little-boy grin broke out on his features and even Linney couldn't help smiling in anticipation.

"A real fucking tank!" Carl said aloud, climbing the side. He grabbed the lid at the top and paused, looking at Beth and Linney as they scrambled up top with him. "My dad got stuck in a tank in Atlanta, he told me that shooting a gun inside the tank can destroy your hearing, that it actually hurts like crazy," his voice was serious and the girls both nodded at him. "Knives or pokers only," Linney murmured and Carl yanked the lid up.

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When Axel and Oscar had been dumped in cell block D, Rick wasted no time heading back to the cafeteria with Daryl and T in tow. "I'm worried about Hershel," he explained to them, his voice ragged, "But we grab this food now, and we don't leave anything but the bare minimum for those two." Daryl grunted his assent and they grabbed another wheeled table, loading the food up on it. Darting out into the black tunnels of the tombs, Rick felt his body twitching and ticking with all the anxiety, anger, and upset of the day.

He hoped Hershel was alive, he hoped that Lori was ok, that she hadn't been too badly stressed or startled today, and he prayed that Linney and the kids were ok, but was supremely grateful he had sent them off on the relatively safer task of searching the upper wings of the prison. Daryl opened the locked gate to their cell block and they pushed the food in, locking the gate behind themselves. He barely spared a glance at the windows that were letting in dim late-afternoon sunlight, as he rushed through the next gated doors into their cells. "He's ok, he woke up," Glenn assured him, at the door to Hershel's room. Rick sagged in complete relief, putting a hand to the wall and his forehead to the cell door, and he could hear T-Dog muttering prayers behind him. Rick tipped his head to the side and saw Daryl resting against the stairs, his head leaning against the metal railing, his face almost painfully relieved.

After a few moments inside with Hershel and after gripping Lori in a tight hug, thanking her for saving the old man, Rick patted Carol on the shoulder, as she was bent over Hershel's stump with first aid gear all around her, and then left the cell. Maggie followed him out, her face anxious. "I know you're stressed, Rick, but they haven't come back for hours and hours; I'm worried," she told him and he heard Daryl launch to his feet behind him. Rick nodded at her before catching T's eye and following Dixon across the cell block and through the other gate, heading in the direction Linney had taken Carl and Beth.

They moved quickly, following the arrows that had been spray-painted on the walls. They encountered a hallway, spray painted signs on the walls and doors, indicating if a room had been cleared. They found a room filled with walker bodies and Daryl shared a significant look with him, before grumbling, "Looks like they were busy." A room with a question mark sprayed on it made them all look at each other before Daryl pushed the door open. He stopped so suddenly that Rick hurried right into his back.

"Fucking hell," Daryl muttered, and Rick pushed past him. The tortuous atrocities that had been committed against the dead male and female corpses in this room were like something out of a nightmare, and although Rick tried to tell himself that it all happened after they were dead, he knew that was a lie. "Jesus, you don't think the kids saw this?" T-Dog asked, his voice low and troubled. Rick looked at him, feeling the grimace of disgust pulling at his features, and closed his eyes briefly, praying the kids had been spared the image, but knowing that someone out of the three had at least seen it, in order to mark the door. They backed out quickly and Daryl shut the door, his face as hard as granite.

"Keep goin'," he told them, gesturing at the bloody footprints on the ground. Rick recognized the whorls that Linney's battered work boots left, a pattern that Daryl had taught him long ago, as well as the criss-crossing lines of Beth's lighter boots; Carl's boots didn't leave a distinct pattern, at least not one that Rick could easily spot. _Bet Daryl can thoug_h. When they found a sign sprayed on a door at the end of the hall "_Do NOT Enter - Stink Inside_", Daryl raised an eyebrow at it and opened the door anyways. He backed out immediately and slammed the door shut, his face contorted sickly.

"Shoulda listened to the sign," he managed, his voice choked and disgusted. Rick chuckled, somehow certain that Linney had made the sign, and they made their way to the end of the hall. Daryl nodded towards the women's washroom and the three of them moved inside, T-Dog hesitating at the door before chuckling to himself and crossing the threshold. "Sorry," he told them, "Old habits." Daryl grunted a laugh and they swept the room quickly, finding no trace of the three of them.

"Look at that," Daryl breathed, standing at the window. Rick joined him and gaped at the sight outside. "What the actual fuck?" T-dog muttered, as they surveyed the wreckage outside. "We're gonna haveta find a way to block that shit up," Daryl spoke to Rick, his face tight and irritated. Rick nodded and turned to the door. "Didn't Carol say they were using a laundry cart to get everything around?" T-Dog asked, not moving from the window. Rick turned to him and nodded and the big man reached for him, grabbing a handful of shirt and yanking him to the window. "Look, there," T instructed him, and Rick heard Daryl curse under his breath.

There, just behind a blackened wall, right in the middle of the wreckage, surrounded by dead walkers, was a filthy laundry cart, tipped on it's side.

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_She's fine, they're fine, she's fine, they're fine_, Daryl thought to himself, forcing down the bubble of panic that was threatening to take over his mind. They raced down the stairs, running outside and slowing down when they reached the threshold to the ruined front of the prison. Daryl whistled at Rick and they ran to the laundry cart that was just behind a blackened wall. He bent low and examined the dead bodies laying around, determining that they were fresh kills and looked to be mostly taken out by knives.

"This was them," Rick said quietly, looking around with squinted eyes. Daryl kept his eyes on the ground, following Beth and Linney's tracks as they wove all around the front area. He stood up straight when he came to a tight cluster of their tracks in the ground. "They were here, all three of 'em, kneeling, and coming and going," he gestured as he spoke and saw Rick following everything. "Why here?" T-Dog asked, looking around the open space in confusion. Daryl said nothing and moved forwards, staring at the ground.

"There was a vehicle here, big one," he told them, his voice low and throaty. "Drag marks over there, lead all the way to here, their feet all around it. They moved something that musta been heavy, all three of 'em were draggin' it," Daryl explained and then he turned to where the cluster of their kneel marks were located, "There was definitely a vehicle here, they loaded whatever it was into the back of it." No one said anything, as their eyes followed the track marks that laid the scene out so clearly for Daryl.

Finally, Rick pointed at the bodies sprawled all around them. "Their footprints are everywhere, they killed these things and... I don't know, knelt beside them for some reason?" Daryl could tell that Rick was desperate to find meaning in the tracks, and as he knelt down next to one of the fallen military walkers he picked up a bullet that was laying on the ground, next to the pouch all the ammo should have been kept in.

"Think they were takin' weapons," he said slowly and Rick looked at him, smiling a little despite himself. "Of course they were," the former sheriff said wryly. Daryl turned and saw T by the tank, staring in awe at it. There was a waterfall of walker bodies laying all over the roof and sides of it, dead arms reaching out from the entrance on the roof. T-Dog reached towards one of the walkers and pulled something from it's head. He turned to Daryl with the bloody knife.

"This is Linney's, right?" The big man asked and Daryl nodded, grabbing the knife from the other man and staring at it. Rick stood next to the tank and rested a hand against it. He put a hand to his forehead and rubbed at his face. "Here's what I think," Rick finally said and Daryl watched him carefully. "They came out here to look around or get whatever was in that truck, killed walkers, took their weapons, and then for some reason decided to open up the tank and had to kill a bunch of walkers hidden inside, then drove off," Rick concluded and met Daryl's eyes. Daryl nodded slowly, "Sounds 'bout right."

"So where the hell are they now?" T asked them and they all turned to the main road, leading out of the destroyed area they stood in. Daryl began to jog immediately, pointing at the ground as he went. "These tire tracks are fresh, must be theirs, so we follow it, make sure it heads back to the prison, not further away," he called over his shoulder at the two men behind him and listened as their crunching footfalls pounded after him.

All three of them dove to the ground when they heard, felt, and saw a massive explosion somewhere up ahead, the booming flash tearing through gaps in the trees and flaring into the sky. They lay on the ground, wide eyed and with hearts pounding, leaping again when a second and then a third explosion sounded. They paused for a few more minutes before leaping to their feet and sprinting down the road.

_She's fine, they're fine, she's fine, they're fine, _he thought in a panic_._

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Please Read and Review, folks! *****


	114. Chapter 114

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"It was like a volcano," Beth insisted.

"No way, more like a waterfall," Carl shot back.

"Volcano."

"Waterfall!"

"Shut up!" Linney yelled from the driver's seat, her voice carrying over her shoulder and through the small window behind her. The kids both turned to look at her through the window, from where they stood in the back of the huge, open military truck.

"It was a fucking tank full of walkers!" Linney added vehemently. The kids were both silent for a moment, before Carl finally spoke in a grudging voice, "I guess the lava coming out of the volcano is sort of waterfall-ish." Beth chuckled and Linney shook her head at their non-chalance. When Carl had eagerly opened the round door on the tank only to met with a cluster of rotting faces and arms, they had barely had enough time to scoot backwards and clamber off the tank, backing away in a hurry once they reached the ground.

Linney shook her head, peering in the side mirror to make sure they were still being followed. The way the walkers had surged up and out of the little door had been eery to say the least. _Terrifying is a better word, nightmarish even more accurate_. They had spilled out the door and over the sides of the tank and Linney had barely been able to spare a moment to be impressed with how quickly the kids reacted, leaping into the fray next to her, slicing and slashing at the sudden threat. As the dead finally died, slumped on the ground and along the sides and top of the tank, Linney and Beth had climbed back up the tank to toss a couple knives at the remaining walkers inside.

Carl's quiet yelp up to them right afterwards drew their attention, and the sight of a wall of walkers emerging from the woods on the other side of the open area they stood in, had nearly frozen her to the spot. They had rushed to the truck, the kids moving to race around the back of it, to climb in the passenger side. They didn't make it though, because a crowd of walkers had been approaching from that side as well, unseen until they got a good view past the truck.

"The back, get in the back!" Linney had yelled at them, slamming shut the driver's side and praying to anything that would listen that the truck would start. When it did, and she heard the thump of their boots in the open back of the truck, she had thrown the vehicle into reverse and managed to turn around and make it down the road.

"They're following us!" Beth called to her, yanking open the window between the truck cab and the bed of the truck, where she and Carl stood. "Good!" Linney had cried back to her, not wanting that huge crowd to try and get inside the prison. She drove slowly down the road, making sure the small herd followed them. They'd been driving for at least 20 minutes, this road to the prison seeming endless, and then the kids began to argue about the tank walkers had looked like.

"Hey! Look at this!" Carl cried excitedly, and Linney heard Beth squeak in alarm. "What? What is it?" Linney asked, risking a peek backwards. She couldn't see what Carl held in his hand, but watched in horror as he approached the end of the truck bed, holding on to the walls as he went. Linney yelled at him to stay put, but he didn't listen. He wrenched something out of the item in his hand and then threw something the size of a softball back into the crowd of walkers.

"Don't stop driving!" He screamed, and Linney had a second to realize he'd thrown a grenade, before, suddenly, there was a tremendous explosion behind them. The truck rocked and shuddered and Linney yelled incoherently when her forehead smacked against the large steering wheel. "Holy shit!" She heard Carl yell before Beth said something to him in a voice Linney couldn't hear.

"What's going on? What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Linney screamed at him, but couldn't do anything to stop him and Beth from moving to the back of the truck bed and throwing first one and then another grenade into the smoldering, burning, writhing, crowd of half-dead walkers behind them. The subsequent explosions each rocked the truck hard.

When she saw Beth tumble out of the vehicle, she slammed on the breaks and exploded out the door, shooting at a couple walkers that had reached the vehicle before dragging Beth up off the ground. "Are you ok?" She yelled, and Beth nodded. She forced the girl towards the driver's door, as Carl shot at the remaining living walkers behind them. The road was a blasted, blackened wreck, dead bodies everywhere, and Linney could only spare a moment to wonder how many more walkers the explosions were going to draw before she was slamming the door shut on the truck and gunning it away, no longer caring if they were followed or not.

"Are you alright?" She asked the girl again, and Beth nodded, chuckling and rubbing at her scraped elbows and chin. "Just some scrapes, I'm good," she replied in an exuberant voice. Carl put his face at the window and laughed. "We blew those fuckers right up!" He crowed, and Linney ground her teeth together. "Carl!" She yelled at him, feeling her anger slipping lose, "You could have killed us!" He grunted, and she saw him shake his head. "No way, Lin, it was controlled, totally, we were far enough away! And now that herd of 'em is all dead!" He cried in return. She glanced in the mirror and realized that nothing was following them.

"Lin, we were far enough away from the prison, that if the explosion draws more in, they'll just find nothing but burnt up bodies and wander around for a while before leaving, it won't hurt anyone," Beth informed her calmly, answering Linney's unspoken worry. Linney rubbed a hand roughly along her face and clenched her teeth together. "You two are fucking certifiable," she growled at them, and the kids both laughed it off. They approached the main road and Linney stopped, glaring over her shoulder at Carl. "Get your ass up here right now," she snarled at him, and he nodded, his face twitching uneasily. When he was settled on the seat next to Beth, Linney started driving again, trying to calm herself down so she didn't smack him.

_It was reckless, it was stupid, but it's ok, his idiot plan worked, that herd is mostly blown to bits and it happened far enough away that everything should be ok at the prison_, Linney thought to herself, trying to remain steady. They made the turn on the back road that would eventually wind back to the prison gates they entered through the day before and when the fencing and yard came into view, Linney breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your fathers are going to kill me," she muttered, resting her hand on the door, glaring over at the two next to her. Beth shook her head at the same time Carl did. "No way, look at all the great stuff we got!" Beth insisted and Linney rolled her eyes, gesturing angrily at the darkening sky. "We are way late! And I let you almost get eaten at least 3 times! And grenades! You played with fucking grenades!" Linney's chest was heaving and she was internally vowing that she was never taking these two out with her again. Carl waved a dismissive hand at her.

"They told us to go out and clear the upper levels, scavenge what we could, and we did," he explained, his voice absurdly calm for someone who had just blown up a huge chunk of roadway, "We did what they said, and it's not like they thought they were sending us to a playground, they knew we'd encounter walkers and that we'd kill them." Linney blinked at him and then rubbed her face again, wincing at the bruise she could feel forming on her forehead. "Whatever," she muttered, "Let's just get inside."

She and Carl hopped out, killed the handful of walkers lumbering around near the gate, and unlocked the gate. When they had it pulled open, Beth pulled the huge truck through and Carl ran the gate closed and snapped the locks back in place. He climbed back into the truck and Linney pulled open the next gate, the one that lead into the big yard, and when Beth had driven through it, and the gate was closed again, Linney got back in the driver's seat and they drove up to the next gate. When the truck was inside the courtyard, and the gate closed behind them, Linney pulled the vehicle up close to the fenced stairway that led to their cellblock and the three of them hopped out.

"Where is everybody?" Beth asked quietly, looking around at the dark, empty courtyard. Linney felt a rumble of worry in her stomach when she realized that there really should have been someone around, at least someone who heard the loud roar of the truck's engine and came out to see what was happening. The three of them moved inside quickly and paused in the darkened area with the tables and chairs. It looked exactly the same as the first time they entered it and Linney felt the sense of worry in her stomach growing stronger.

When they reached the locked door that lead into the cells, Linney could hear hushed and worried whispers somewhere inside, and she called out tentatively, "Hello? Carol? Guys?" There was a noise, like a gasp, and then Glenn came jogging up to the doors, his eyes locking on Beth and tightening with anxiety. "What happened?" Beth asked, her voice suddenly panic-stricken. Glenn shook his head and opened the door, restraining them from moving past him for a moment, as he looked quickly at Linney and then bent to Beth, putting both hands on her shoulders, to speak quietly to her.

"There was a problem today."

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"Seriously guys, what in the actual fuck?" T-Dog managed, looking around them. Daryl paced anxiously around the edges of the huge smoldering pits that tore apart the roadway, filled with dead and half-dead, badly burnt walkers, or what was left of them. Rick ran his hands through his hair and followed Daryl's movements.

"The truck, Daryl, the truck... did it...?" Rick asked hesitantly, trying to bury his fear. Daryl shone his flashlight at the far side of the burning mess and walked ahead. "They got fuckin' horseshoes up their asses," he murmured, waving at Rick and T to follow him. Rick felt his chest constricting and jogged over to Daryl.

"Truck kept on going," Daryl started, showing them in the flashlight's beam that the tracks continued on away from the prison, "Not sure what the fuck they did, but they kept on driving after the last explosion." He looked back at Rick, his features shadowed in the half-light of the dwindling twilight and raised an eyebrow at him. "Wanna keep on goin'? Or head back and see if they made it back?" Daryl asked. Rick looked back at the burnt mess behind them and then up at the sky, which was not far from being full dark. He let out a ragged sigh and waved a hand back at the prison.

"We should get back, see if they're there, if they're not, then we can get some vehicles and head out to search the roads for them. No point in us walking down a dark road; you said yourself that tracking at night is foolish," Rick replied in a hard voice, again trying to bury his fear under a facade of toughness and anger. Daryl nodded and turned back to the prison without another word, starting to jog in that direction.

They didn't speak again, the three of them keeping up a good pace, their eyes swiveling all around them as they made it to the front of the prisoner and then inside, reversing the course they'd initially taken. When they finally reached their cell block, Rick saw Daryl visibly slump in relief when they heard Linney's voice hissing at someone just within the door. "I can check it now! He needs antibiotics now! I'll just go now!" She was saying, making it clear that she was well aware of the situation with Hershel.

"The hell you will," Daryl growled, shoving past Rick into the room and stalking over to her. Her face sagged in relief at the sight of them and she ran for Daryl, surprising everyone when she threw her arms around him and started to cry into his shirt. Daryl shot Rick one wild-eyed, unsure glance before dragging her towards the stairs and hauling her up them as quickly as possible.

Rick turned to Glenn, who Linney had been railing at, and he took a deep breath. "They're fine, all of them," Glenn replied, pointing back at Hershel's cell, "Beth's in there with Carol and Maggie. Carl and Lori are trying to figure out food for everyone." T-Dog grunted and jogged across the cellblock, towards where they could just see Carl, bent over a huge crate of food. "Gonna help 'em," he said over his shoulder and Rick refrained from racing to his son, as he so badly wanted to do, and turned back to Glenn.

"He's conscious, but not well, very weak. Carol's worried about infection, although they've done a really good job keeping him clean and wrapped, thanks to what Linney and them brought back today," Glenn hastily explained. Rick nodded and pressed his lips together. "Where were they?" He asked Glenn, and the younger man shook his head. "You gotta see this to believe it," he said, putting a hand on Rick's shoulder and leading him across the cell block.

"Full of MRE's," Glenn told him, pointing down at the crate T-Dog was pawing through with Carl. Rick looked at Carl for a moment, smiling, and then swiftly straightened his features out. "We are all gonna have a talk when I'm back," Rick snapped at the boy, and Carl surprised him by shrugging and turning away, as if he didn't care. Rick looked over at Glenn and tried to ignore the surprise on his face.

"Come on, there's more," Glenn said, pulling him through the other locked doors and then straight outside. Rick paused at the sight of the huge truck and shot an absolutely astounded look at Glenn.

"Oh my god," Rick breathed, as he shone his flashlight into the rear of the vehicle, "It's full of weapons." Glenn joined him, leaning on the back of the truck. "Yeah, weapons, ammo, everything. They totally cleaned up today, Rick, and we haven't even gotten to half of the prison." Rick climbed into the truck, walking around. Guns of all shapes and sizes, knives, grenades, several large first aid bags and a few other smaller boxes with food in them. He knelt to the first aid bags and pulled a couple open.

"There's some antibiotics in these," he said over his shoulder to Glenn, shoving the bags towards the back of the truck, "No one needs to make a nighttime run to the infirmary, we'll just use these for Hershel, until we can get something more tomorrow, when the sun's up." Glenn took a couple bags and Rick did too, and they made their way back inside.

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All he'd wanted to do was be angry with her. Yell and let some of his own pent up worry out, but now he couldn't. When they reached their cell, she had leaned against him and cried softly for a few moments, clutching at his shirt, and he felt all his irritation melting away, being replaced with discomfort. He never felt certain about he should do or say when she cried, which wasn't often thankfully, and had found that just sitting there, being physically present, was often enough.

When she leaned away from him, he reached for the lantern on the small table next to the bed and turned it up, frowning at her red eyes and bruised forehead. "What if he doesn't get better?" She asked him, her voice tight and small. Her worry was for Hershel, he now knew, and he realized she'd probably been burying this worry and fear for the old man since she and the kids returned, locking away her own emotions so as not to upset anyone else.

He pressed his lips together and swallowed. "Then he dies, Lin, we can't do nothin' about it," he responded, and her eyes widened before she got to her feet, her lip curling in distaste at his answer.

"That is NOT gonna happen!" She cried, getting angry. He was secretly relieved; angry he could deal with. "You gonna grow his damn leg back? Bitch at any infection and make it leave?" He snapped back and she glared hard at him. She stomped over to him and shoved him in the chest, hard enough to make him stagger back a step. She opened her mouth, looking ready to yell at him, but he stepped to her quickly and grabbed her, pushing her up against the wall next to their door roughly. She clamped her hands on his biceps and squeezed him tightly, almost painfully, and he glared at her, his eyes moving back and forth between her own furious green ones.

"I worried all day about you," she finally said, her voice filled with anger and he growled at her, pushing a leg between hers. "Should be focused on what you're doin', focused on not blowin' things the fuck up, or playing with fuckin' tanks," he snarled at her, "Don't be worryin' about me, ya idiot." Her lips twitched and she yanked her hands off his arms and reached to put them flat against his chest.

"They fucking blew up the road, Daryl, those idiot kids, I wanted to kill them," she said softly, her eyes closed against the memory. He chuckled and she opened her eyes and cracked a small smile. "Glenn told me all about today, about the prisoners, about what happened with them," she whispered and he made a face. "Are you ok?" She asked him and he nodded. "Am now," he replied gruffly and she twisted her shoulders, to get him to release his grip on her arms, crushing herself against him in a hug when he did.

"Ya'll led us on a fuckin' chase," he murmured against her neck, letting his hands trace down her back, his fingers moving over the faint indents of her spine, before settling against the waistband of her pants. She chuckled softly. "It wasn't intentional, we just let time get away from us and then things went a little crazy," she told him, grabbing his face and holding it inches from hers. She pulled him forward into a kiss, soft at first, but he felt himself losing a little bit of his control as he deepened it, pushing her up against the wall again, moaning at the feel of her body under his hands, grinding his hips slowly against her.

"We can't," she whispered raggedly, pulling away from him, and he blinked at her, barely able to understand her words through the haze in his mind. He shook his head at her and twisted her around, pressing her down onto their bed, and pawing at her clothes. Linney smiled up at him helplessly, "God, you horndog, not even worried we'll get caught?" She teased him and he pulled away from the nearly desperate kisses he'd been applying to her neck, to glare at her. He got up and moved to their door, pulling it shut and kicking his boots off, swiftly removing his weaponry as well. He knelt next to the bed and reached for her boots, pulling them off carefully.

"Today was a fucking mess," he whispered to her, enjoying the way she shivered at the sound of his voice. "But no one here died, we're all here, and that tough old bastard is going to be jus' fine," he rumbled at her, pulling off her weapons sheaths and holsters. She sat back and watched him and he felt himself getting hard at the act of unwrapping her this way. "You got me worried, got me angry," he hissed at her as he yanked her pants down roughly and she closed her eyes for a moment, rolling her head back on her neck as he pulled at her shirt.

"You love it when we fight," she whispered to him, and turned to him, her eyes wide and wild in the lantern light. Her dark hair was rumpled all around her face, and he tore his eyes from her face, to skate down her body, swallowing at the way she looked, laying there, naked, reaching for him. "I do," he replied, his voice throaty. "It's great stress release," she added, sitting up and reaching for his belt, "Distraction and comfort all rolled into one." His breathing hitched when he felt her hands on him and he pushed her away, pulling off his pants and boxers all at once. She got to her feet, pressing herself against him as she pulled up his shirt.

He felt his mind spinning around, wanting nothing more than to just push her down and take her, on the floor, on the bed, against the wall, he didn't care. She grinned at him as she scratched her fingers down his sides and he locked his eyes on hers, pushing her slowly back down to the bed. He watched her face, watched it flush and tighten, as he settled his face between her legs, and he felt nothing but a wild kind of satisfaction when he was able to bring her to the brink, and hold her there, that way. She slapped the side of his head and he looked up at her in surprise.

"I want you," she told him, her voice low and serious, and he got to his knees, smacking his head on the underside of the bunkbed. He grimaced and she laughed loudly, before slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle it. He glared at her and rubbed his head, and her nostrils flared as she tried to contain her laughter. He yanked her hand away and pressed his lips to hers, feeling her smile beneath him and loving it, despite the ache in his head.

"Yer gonna pay for laughin' at me," he warned her, and she chuckled, nipping at his bottom lip with her teeth. "Ok," she replied, lifting her hips to his and wrapping her legs around him. At the feel of her familiar, tight warmth, he made a sound, halfway between a gasp and growl and began to move inside her.

Daryl knew as far stress release went, he didn't really want it any other way, but was aware that when they were done, the world would unfortunately be waiting. Afterwards, when he said as much to her, she smiled sadly and kissed his neck.

"Then we just need to do this more often, cause I don't think we're going anywhere for awhile."

***** Thought? Opinions? Please read and review, folks! *****


	115. Chapter 115

***** A slower chapter, after all the hubbub of the past couple ones haha - Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"God, I'm so hungry," Linney croaked, sitting up, and squinting against the dim morning light filtering through their door curtain. Daryl shifted beside her and buried his head into his pillow. "Prob'ly 'cause you were too busy to eat dinner last night," he mumbled sleepily. He paused for a moment and peeked up at her through one eye, waiting to see her reaction. She glared at him playfully and poked his side. "Whose fault is that?" She accused him, laughing a little. He smirked at her and closed his eye again.

Linney stared at him for a little longer until he lifted a hand up and lightly shoved her bare stomach, "Quit starin' and go eat, ya perv," he muttered, and she laughed again, planting a kiss on his temple and climbing over him to get dressed in her clothes from the day before. She grimaced at the filthy, stinking clothes and then lifted her head up excitedly. "We got all those things from the prison storage, like clothes and stuff!" She exclaimed loudly, and he turned his head to face her, grimacing.

"So go n' get some then n' leave me be," he groused. Linney chuckled and swatted his behind through the bedding before leaving the room. Outside their cell, it was bright, the sun blaring in through the windows, and she could hear people talking quietly downstairs. Linney eased down the stairs and half-turned to go look at the clothing, but paused, thinking she'd check in on Hershel first. Carol was in there already, talking quietly to Hershel while she checked his bandages.

"Hey," Linney said softly, hovering at the doorway. Carol smiled up at her and Linney was pleased to see the other woman dressed in some of the prison garb they'd gotten. "Nice shoes," she said to Carol, smiling at her. Carol beamed and wiggled her foot around. "And they're comfortable as sin, to boot," Carol told her pleasantly. Hershel smiled at Linney from his pillow, his face pale and drawn.

"How's it going?" She asked him, kneeling at the side of the bed. He shifted his head to look over at her and he shrugged minutely. "I have seen better days," he replied quietly and Linney laughed once. "Yeah, I bet you have," she told him, skimming her eyes down to his leg, which ended abruptly mid-shin. She couldn't keep the wince off her face and she looked back up to his bright blue eyes. "What can I do?" She asked him, trying to keep the anxiety from her face. Hershel brought a hand up and patted her arm lightly.

"You and the kids did so much yesterday, today, you can stay safe, and that would make me happy," he answered. Linney gave him a wry look. "I am more than happy to leave those two little hell-raisers here today," she told him, and he chuckled weakly. "But I need to do something, I can't sit still, tell me what you need," she added, looking up to Carol almost pleadingly. Carol reached a hand out to her and rubbed Linney's shoulder before nodding her chin at Hershel.

"We can use more bandages, always, and if you want to take someone with you, the infirmary probably has things like crutches or maybe even a wheelchair," Carol told her, and Linney leapt to her feet eagerly. "Got it," she replied, "I'll go right now."

"No, you won't," Linney looked up when Rick spoke from the doorway. He raised an eyebrow at her and nodded his chin, gesturing at her to come outside. Linney leaned down and placed a light kiss on Hershel's forehead. "You stay put, no running around," she said to him and he chuckled carefully. Outside, Rick drew her over to the cell where they had all their loot from the day before stored.

"Get some clean clothes," he told her, "I know you need to." She realized he was wearing prison garb as well and nodded at him, wandering into the cell, pleased that the sunshine through the windows was bright enough to allow her to see clearly inside it. Rick stood at the door, watching as she pawed through the piles of clothes. "So," he started, his voice level, "Yesterday was a big day." Linney glanced over her shoulder at him and grunted out a laugh.

"Yeah, you could say that again," she responded, pulling out a pair of blue pants marked as 'small'. "You know how reckless that was, right?" He asked her and she stood up straight, a tank top in her hands. "Rick, you have no idea," she answered him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. Linney held his piercing gaze for a moment and then shrugged with one shoulder. "Look, I'm not going to pretend that yesterday went as planned, for anyone," she shot him a pointed look and he nodded, looking away, "But the end result is all of this." Linney swung her hand through the cell stuffed full of goods. "And the truck of weapons outside," she added.

Rick nodded at her. "The truck's been emptied, all those weapons are in the cell next to this one," he informed her, and Linney pressed her lips together, nodding. She dug through the underwear pile and found a 'small', grabbing a couple extra for good measure, before turning to the socks and swiping a handful. "Carl told me what happened, with the tank, with the grenades, the herd," Rick added and Linney clenched her teeth. "I owe him an ass whooping for those grenades," she muttered, and Rick chuckled.

"Despite my feelings about how unsafe everything was yesterday, I wanted to say thank you for everything you and the kids did out there, it was good work, and you handled yourselves well," he told her, and she spun around, surprised. "I'm not going to get chewed out?" She asked, her voice slow and unbelieving. Rick put his hands on his hips and walked into the room, "How can I? I could yell at you, all three of you, about how unsafe it was, how stupid it was to go outside and do what you did, but I'm ashamed to say that I think you handled everything much better than I could have, all three of you." Linney gaped at him, before turning to the shoes and rooting around in them, praying the prison system carried shoes her size. _There's gotta be some really small guys, right?_

"Have you told Carl that?" She asked him and he didn't respond. Linney turned to him, raising an eyebrow at him. "Look boss, I'm not going to tell you how to dad, but I know he'd love it if you told him he did a good job yesterday, maybe just tell him to use less grenades next time," Linney said to him and Rick gazed steadily back her, obviously thinking about what she just said. He finally nodded and looked away. Linney studied his face for a moment before turning back to the shoes and clapping her hands when she found a pair that were only slightly too big.

"I'm going to get changed, and then I want to go and get that stuff Carol talked about," she told him and Rick nodded. "T and Glenn are outside, rounding up bodies to burn," he informed her, before waving a hand back towards the front of the cell block, "Maggie, Beth, and Lori are going to clean up in here a bit, so if you guys could find cleaning supplies today, that would be great." Linney nodded and then paused. "Wait, 'guys'? Who am I going out with?" Rick smirked at her and looked to his left and Carl appeared at his side.

"No," Linney replied immediately, making Carl wince, "Look here bomb-boy, I think I'm still traumatized from yesterday, I don't know if I'm ready to go back out there with you." Rick chuckled and Carl glared at her. "Don't be such a chicken, Lin," he told her and she grabbed up her armful of stuff, moving past the two of them, out into the sun-drenched open area. "Fine," she said in reply, pausing with her back to them, "But Daryl's coming too, so there's someone big enough to beat your ass when you get outta line." Rick laughed at his son and walked away, back to his cell, and Carl grumbled something before going into the cell with the clothes in it. Linney went upstairs and into her room, pleased to find Daryl there, getting dressed.

"You should get some of the new clothes downstairs, they're clean and they'll definitely have stuff in your size," she told him, shutting the door behind herself. Daryl grunted at her and stood up to latch his belt up. Linney shrugged at him and put her things down, eagerly pulling off her filthy clothes and throwing them on the top bunk. She pulled on the clean underwear, grimacing at her ratty bra, and stooped to pull on the clean socks. She groaned and wriggled her toes in them and then smiled up at Daryl, who was leaning against the wall by the door, watching her with interest.

"Should get ya new socks more often," he said in a low voice and she laughed at him as she pulled on the blue pants. She fumbled with the button and zipper on them and sighed at the baggy waist. "I thought small meant small," she muttered, and Daryl laughed quietly at her. "Those're mens pants, not gonna be the same," he told her and she glared at him, yanking her belt through the loops to tighten the pants. She pulled on the tank top, pleased to see that it fit better and then sat on the bed to put on the black shoes, which were simple sneakers. When she was done, she began to wind on all her weapons and then yanked her now shoulder length hair back into a small ponytail.

"How do I look?" She asked him and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Like a prisoner," he told her, and she chuckled, stepping towards him to hug him. "You smell terrible," she told him lightly, and he grunted at her, nuzzling his face into her neck. "You don't smell too bad, I guess," he murmured and she hunched her shoulders and backed away.

"I'm trying to be subtle here; you need to go get some clean clothes, 'cause you stink," she ordered him and he shook his head. "That ain't subtle," he informed her gruffly. She laughed and stepped away from them when they heard a knock outside their cell door.

"Guys, we've got some food, get out here and eat before you leave," Maggie's voice ordered from the other side of their curtained door. Linney's stomach growled at the thought of food and they both laughed as they headed downstairs.

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"Are they bad people?" Carl asked Daryl, looking up at him curiously. He grunted, and glanced down at the eager kid, wondering how much he'd already been told. Carl shrugged at him, "Dad already told me that you all decided to spare them, that they didn't seem as bad as the other guys," the boy continued, and Daryl shot a look over at Linney, who was half buried in a supply closet, pulling out cleaning supplies.

"Don't look at me, I wasn't there, and I wanna know too," she told him, barely sparing a glance back at them. Daryl sighed and stepped away from Carl. "They're just guys, prob'ly thrown in here for stupid shit, drugs, robbery, that kinda stuff," he gruffly replied, and Carl nodded, running a hand along the windowsill they stood next to. "So why don't we have them staying with us? Maybe they could be helpful," Carl reasoned, and Daryl glared at him. "Don't be fuckin' stupid, boy," he snapped and Carl raised his eyebrows at him from underneath the sheriffs hat on his head.

"What? It's going to take a lot of work to clean this place up, make it good to live in, I heard my dad say so," Carl reasoned, rubbing his hand across his chin in a gesture that distinctly reminded Daryl of Rick. "We shouldn't turn away help," Carl added. Daryl stared at him and waved the boy over to him, clamping a hand on his shoulder and pulling him a little further down the hall, further from Linney. He bent a bit to get on the kid's level and met his eyes with a hard stare. "You know things ain't like they used to be," he began, watching Carl's face carefully, "Ya know that we gotta protect what's ours, keep it safe." His eyes darted over to Linney, who was reading the label on a big bottle of green liquid, and Carl followed his gaze.

"People ain't like what they used to be, they're worse now," Daryl continued, his voice low and rough, "Can't trust anyone until they earn it, n' we can't risk the things that are important to us, jus' to find out if someone's good or not, not anymore." Carl pressed his lips together, his face serious, and he nodded. "I wouldn't let anything happen to any of them," he responded seriously, and Daryl nodded.

"That's good, kid," Daryl answered, clapping a hand on Carl's back, "If they turn out to be ok guys, after a time, then we can think 'bout it, but for now, there's us n' then there's everyone else, got it?" Carl nodded and reached up to adjust his hat. He watched the boy walk back to Linney and ran a hand through his hair, before pulling at the neck on the prison tank top he was wearing. It was so clean and new it felt stiff, but he knew he smelled better. _God knows, clean drawers are a good thing_, he thought, watching as Linney passed a big bottle of cleaner to the kid and smiled at something Carl said.

_She looks like someone dressed up in a prison costume for Halloween_, he thought, admiring her lean, tanned shoulders that contrasted against the brilliant white of the tank top she was wearing. The pants weren't a great fit, but he smiled when he remembered Carol's offer at breakfast to show Linney how to pull them apart and re-stitch them, to make them fit her. Linney's face had contorted in distaste at the notion of sewing, but she managed to smooth her features out into grudging thanks, making everyone laugh at her. The homey and comfortable feel as they sat around the metal tables in the front room had been almost alien to Daryl; he was torn between enjoying it and wanting to flee the room.

Daryl thought about the two men in D block, thought about the panicked look on Axel's face and the hard, proud look on Oscar's face, when they thought they might die. He didn't want to scare Carl with his lecture, especially because his gut was telling him that those two were probably alright guys, just idiots who made bad or desperate choices in their old lives. He remembered Oscar's voice when he spoke about his 'old lady' and his kids, and Daryl felt a twinge of guilt surge through his stomach. _They're probably alright guys_, he thought, and looked up when Linney called him, her face smiling and open. _But I'm not risking anything to find that out_.

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She was pleased with what they'd found. The three of them had retrieved the laundry cart and continued down the hall towards the commissary, stopping at supply closets along the way, to retrieve the cleaning supplies that Lori said they should get. Linney initially thought the idea of cleaning, although necessary at some point, was not a top priority. However, when Lori mentioned that a clean and germ free environment was best for Hershel, and eventually best for the baby as well, she had nodded and taken the list of supplies from Lori with a smile.

All through breakfast, her eyes had been repeatedly drawn to Lori. The pregnant woman looked ready to explode; every move the baby made inside her caused Lori to grunt and grimace. Linney felt her insides tingling in horror at the idea of something kicking around inside herself, and felt nothing but anxiety when she remembered something that Carol had said a few weeks back, about how Carl's birth had been bad, turning into an emergency c-section, and that this baby would likely need one as well.

Now as she stood in the infirmary, watching Carl goof around on the crutches while Daryl emptied drawer after drawer, cabinet after cabinet, into the laundry cart, she realized just how lucky they were that Hershel hadn't died, not just for his sake, but for Lori, the baby, Rick, and Carl. "We don't have any baby stuff," Linney mentioned suddenly, and they both looked over at her. Carl immediately dumped the crutches into the cart and started to chew on the inside of his lip. "We should go, we should go get some stuff, right away," he said, his voice worried. Linney walked towards him and gave him a quick hug around the shoulders.

"The plan is for Glenn and I to go tomorrow or the day after," she reassured him, and Carl breathed out a sigh of relief. "Didn' know that was the plan," Daryl grumbled at her, and she glanced over at him, taking in the glare on his face. "Don't start," she warned him, and he rolled his eyes, turning away from her to angrily snatch a couple boxes of sutures from the shelf he was clearing. "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" She asked Carl, trying to keep the mood light. Carl smiled at her.

"I hope it's a boy, so I can teach him everything I know," he replied, and Linney raised an eyebrow at him before nudging his shoulder with her own. "Hey? What am I? Chopped liver?" She asked him, her voice filled with fake insult. He laughed, "Linney, not all girls are like you... or Beth." She watched as his cheeks went a little pink at the mention of Beth and she smiled at him, turning away to save him embarrassment. It was fairly obvious to everyone that he had a little crush on Beth, even though she knew that Beth viewed the boy as nothing more than a little brother. _Poor kid_.

When they were finished with the room, they made their way back to their cell block and were pleasantly surprised to see that all the random debris strewn about was cleared out. Carl ran to grab Carol to get her to assist with unloading their loot and Linney watched as Daryl leaned against the wall, biting at his thumbnail, his eyes moving around the big, stark cell block. "What's going on in there?" She asked him, briefly tapping her fingers against his temple. He looked down at her, his face softening momentarily.

"Just thinkin' 'bout our chances here," he muttered and she smiled at him, glancing back towards where Carol was smiling in delight at everything in the cart, pulling things out to show Lori. Carl was handed a broom and pointed towards the first cell and he frowned but did as he was told. Linney laughed a little bit and turned back to Daryl. "They're looking pretty good, I guess," she said.

"Linney? Can you come and start doing the floors upstairs?" Carol called to her, and Daryl chuckled, pushing her shoulder gently. "Go on now, play house," he told her, his voice gruff and teasing. Linney glared at him before sighing and heading across the cell block, to carry out Carol's request.

_Might be ok to play house for a little while_.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Please read and review, folks! *****


	116. Chapter 116

***** Thanks to my Guest reviewer (ImGonnaGetFired), I couldn't send you a PM reply - but thanks for the lovely review and I really hope you don't actually get fired haha :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It had been a week, and she was feeling back to her old self. Lounging casually on one of the prettily placed benches along Main Street, Andrea watched the comings and goings of the people of Woodbury. She idly rubbed the little sore spot on the back of her hand, where the IV had sat for so long, and she marveled that she had come back from being so sick.

"Mornin' Blondie," she heard from behind her, and turned with a surprised smile to see Merle approaching her. She nodded in greeting at him, her eyes quickly taking in his clean-shaven, tidy appearance, so different from the Merle she remembered. "Hey Dixon, how's your morning been?" She asked him, sliding along the bench to make room for him. He took a seat and sighed, shooting her a cocky grin.

"Same old, same old," he replied, his eyes darting over her face and clean blonde hair. She licked her lips and gave him a tight smile before turning to her bag. "I have something for you," she said, her voice almost halting. He grunted and said nothing in response, and Andrea pulled the map from her bag, spreading it out over her lap and his, to show him. She pointed at a spot carefully circled. "This is where the farm was," she told him, trailing a finger along the map to another circled spot. "That's where we lost Sophia," she explained, peeking up at him briefly, before dragging her finger further along the map.

"We started here," she told him, pointing at the place where the Quarry was, "This was the school we stopped at twice, and here is the CDC, or what's left of it." He said nothing, only stared at the map, watching her pale hand trace out the routes they had taken. "That's where Fort Benning should be, but I don't think Rick would have taken them there," Andrea cleared her throat and gestured further along the map, her finger tapping lightly at another spot.

"Here, this was where the motel was, where Mich said she met three little girls scavenging all alone. She's terrible with names, so she couldn't remember them, but the way she described them, it sounded like Linney, Maggie, and Beth," Andrea paused and looked up at him. He was nodding at the map slowly, his jaw clenched. "They're the farmer's daughters?" He asked slowly, and she nodded.

"I went back to the motel, after Mich told me, I wanted to know if it was them, but they were gone," she spoke sadly, remembering her disappointment. "Here are the places you say you think they were," she pointed at the zigzagging lines, these ones done in a blue pen, to denote the differences between Andrea's directions and Merle's. She pushed the map lightly towards him and met his hard gaze. "I hope this helps you a little bit," she told him, smiling a little. He took the map and began to fold it up, tucking it into a pocket when he was done.

"Why'd you do this?" He finally asked her, and she shrugged. "You're not the same anymore, and I don't know if that's because of this town, or because you're clean, but I don't think you're a threat to them," she explained, and his sharp eyes jumped to her own. "Not to my kin, I ain't," he said in his rasping voice. Andrea shook her head. "I know what you've been told, Merle, but I just don't see the group turning on the two of them like that, they were valued members, important to Rick," she spoke softly but her voice never wavered and Merle kept his hard gaze on her.

"Maybe yer rememberin' a different group than I am," he replied and Andrea rolled her shoulders, turning a little in her seat to look at him. "I'm not, Rick is a good man; don't play dumb like you don't remember what you did and said on that roof, Merle," her voice was harsher now, and his brow drew down as he glared at her and then looked away. They sat silently for a few minutes and finally Merle turned back to her, his face wearing it's normal cocky expression.

"So, ya gonna stay here, Blondie?" He asked her and she smirked, scratching an eyebrow for a moment. "I think I'd like to," she began, waving a hand around them, "I mean, look at this place! How can I not want to stay here?" He chuckled and leaned back on the bench, sliding his arm along the back of it. "What about ole Mutie, don't think she like it so much!" He spoke with a dry chuckle and Andrea glared at him for a moment before laughing a little herself. "She's very paranoid, but it's kept us safe, all this time; I trust her implicitly," Andrea replied, looking away from his eyes, "But I'm tired of running, and scrounging, and _surviving_, I just want to live now. I can do that here, I think."

"I hear ya," he finally said, looking back out at the street. He let his hand pat her back twice and then slowly pulled his hand back and Andrea shot him a look from under her eyelashes, trying not to show on her features how nice his warm, firm hand had felt. There was a drawn out silence and then he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Tell me about them," he said quietly, not looking over, and Andrea watched the side of his face for a moment, before starting to speak, dredging up old memories of Daryl and Linney, to share with the complicated man next to her.

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"It's just a swingset," Glenn said to her, his voice doubtful. Linney lightly slapped his arm and pointed back behind them. "Glenn, just go back, I'm telling you, we'll find what we're looking for," she insisted and Maggie leaned forward, between the front seats, speaking up at Glenn. "Just listen to her," she warned him and he rolled his eyes but turned the pick-up around. When he had the truck pulled up outside the big house, Linney waved triumphantly at the little sign in the front lawn, "_Learn n' Play Daycare_", and turned a big, smart ass grin to Glenn. "Told ya," she said.

Daryl climbed out from the back seat first and tapped Linney's door to let her know she could climb out too, Glenn and Maggie following suit. The three of them moved to the pick-up bed and grabbed a couple bags, before following after Daryl and moving through the little gate, into the yard. He nodded at the door and they moved up the stairs on the big porch together, pausing while Linney knocked on the front door. They waited and heard nothing inside, but all four of them were aware that didn't mean anything; a big house like this could be hiding all kinds of dangers.

Daryl entered first, followed by Linney, Maggie, and then Glenn, and they broke into pairs, searching the main floor. Linney kept a pace or two ahead of Glenn, knife in hand, as they entered what looked like a play room. "Grab that," she said, pointing at a small highchair. Glenn nodded and picked it up, trotting back to the front porch with it, while Linney held position in the playroom. He came back and she nodded for him to follow her into the next room, which had small desks and art work stations.

Linney licked her lips at the thought of what must have happened to all the kids who attended this daycare, and a glance back at Glenn's pained and distressed face told her that he was thinking it too. There was a closet in this room, and Linney yanked it open, dancing backwards in case there was anything inside. Nothing greeted them but shelves of arts and crafts supplies. "We might take some of that," she told Glenn in a low voice, "But only after we've got the important stuff." He nodded and they moved into the next room, which appeared to be a kitchen. They moved quickly to the cupboards and found formula, baby food, teeny tiny dishes, and lots of baby bottles and bottle supplies.

"Take everything," she told Glenn and he nodded, sweeping an arm through the nearest cupboard. Linney turned to the cupboards across from him and pulled them open to find snacks, like pudding, crackers, and cookies. She yanked her own bag open and began to stuff things inside. "Do you know anything about babies?" Glenn asked her after a moment, and Linney turned to him, an incredulous look on her face. "What?" He said, his eyes darting over to hers, "It's not a weird question!" Linney shook her head and looked back into the cupboard, yanking down a box of animal crackers.

"Kids like me, for some reason," she replied, "But babies... yeesh, I think I've held one like twice, I'm not great with babies." Glenn snorted and she spun back to him. "What?" She snapped, and he gave her a small smile. "I don't know, for some reason I just thought you'd be good with babies, like them or something," he offered, and Linney crinkled her lips, looking down at her stained shirt and the weapons strapped all over her body.

"Seriously? You're an idiot," she told him, looking away. Glenn chuckled, not offended, "I think you're a closet softie," he said in a smug voice and Linney growled under her breath. "Look, it's not like I hate them, they're small and cute, I get the appeal," she started, climbing up onto the counter so she could paw through the higher shelves, "But they're also smelly, and always puking or pooping." Glenn chuckled and Linney turned to look at him, smiling a little. "And they cry! All the time! And just can't tell you why, so you guess, and guess, and guess, and feel like you're breaking them 'cause they don't know how to use words," she continued, a laugh in her voice.

Glenn grabbed the last stack of bottles and crammed them in his bag. "I think they're alright," he told her, a shy smile on his face, "Though I gotta admit, I don't know a damn thing about them." Linney couldn't help smiling and hopped down off the counter. "If this whole prison thing works out, I'm sure you'll learn," she said, slinging her arm across his back as they moved further through the kitchen. "Does Maggie...?" Linney asked leadingly, and Glenn stopped, looking over at her wide-eyed.

"We've never discussed it, really - babies aren't really a thing you talk about anymore you know," he told her in a mildly panicked voice. Linney pressed her lips together, letting her hand fall from his back. "Yeah, I hear ya," she replied. They pushed into the next room and paused at the doorway. The room was clearly all for babies, cribs, bassinets, change tables, soft pastel decor, baby things everywhere.

"Jesus," Glenn breathed beside her, and Linney swallowed hard, meeting his anxious eyes. "I feel really out of my element here," she told him in a croaking voice. He nodded vaguely and stepped forward. He paused at a change table and knelt softly, opening his bag and beginning to load his bag up. Linney turned to small dresser, finding all kinds of clothes inside.

"What about you?" Glenn asked her hesitantly and Linney flinched like he'd kicked her. "What?!" She nearly yelled, and then pressed her lips together in alarm at her reaction. Glenn look over his shoulder at her, a glare on his face. The glare slid away when he saw her wide-eyed, pale, panicked face and he shook his head, looking back at the diapers in front of him. "Guess that answers my question," he muttered, and Linney closed her eyes for a moment, reaching blindly back into the drawer to grab more clothes. She stared down at the impossibly tiny clothing she was yanking out, swallowing against the uncomfortable lump in her throat.

When Glenn had emptied the change table he made his way over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, Lin, it's not like a baby's gonna just magically appear because you talked about it," his voice was calm and she smiled sheepishly up at him, getting to her feet. "Sorry, I'm not being a weirdo," she explained, "I'm just freaking out a little about Lori." Glenn nodded and looked away and they wandered over to the first crib. Linney stared inside at the little blankets and stuffed animals and grabbed up handfuls, shoving them into her bag. Glenn was fiddling with a mobile on the side of the crib and Linney couldn't tear her eyes away from the sun, stars, and moon dangling around from the mobile.

"We found a buncha baby shit," Daryl's voice came from behind them and Linney spun around, well aware that she was blushing a flaming red at the sight of him. She nodded and waved a hand back at Glenn, "We're just grabbing, you know, baby things." Maggie gave Linney a strange look and nudged Glenn out of the way, twisting expertly at the mobile attachment and removing the mobile immediately. Daryl was watching Linney with a tight brow, and she found that she was completely unable to control her facial expressions, so she spun away and wandered over to another crib, violently yanking out the blankets there.

"We found a playpen, a car seat carrier, an empty change table, even a little bassinet!" Maggie said in a happy voice and Linney nodded without looking back. _What the fuck is wrong with you? Calm down, it's just baby things, you're not going to get pregnant just looking at Daryl,_ she chastised herself. A hand settled on her shoulder and she leapt about a foot to get away from it. She turned back to see Maggie standing there, her face concerned. "The guys are loading the furniture up, so you wanna tell me why you're all freaked out?" Maggie asked kindly.

Linney felt her nostrils flare and she walked away, trying to put her normal swagger into her steps and wobbling a little when she tripped on a play mat and almost slammed headfirst into a crib. Maggie started laughing at her and Linney grabbed the play mat from the floor and stomped out of the room with it, Maggie on her heels, still giggling. "Oh Lin, you are so transparent," she said in a happy voice, and Linney rounded on her. "I am not!" She snapped and Maggie put a hand on her shoulder.

"Then why does all this baby stuff scare you so much? I've seen you face a pack of walkers totally at ease and confident, and in here you get all spastic!" Maggie replied, glee in her tone. Linney took a deep breath and was about to chew Maggie out, when her friend's eyes darted past her shoulder and widened a little in humor. "I'll just leave you two alone," she whispered, slipping past Linney and leaving the daycare. Linney turned around and made a face at Daryl, who was giving her an amused look.

"So, bikes n' babies?" He finally said, his voice gruff, a tiny smile on his lips. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not afraid of babies," she replied flatly. He chuckled quietly. "Keep tellin' yerself that," he muttered and she rolled her eyes. They stood silently and awkwardly for a moment before he leaned towards her. "Ya know I ain't interested in knockin' ya up, right?" He said quietly and she twitched a little, meeting his eyes uncomfortably. "Well, I'm not interested in being knocked up, so I guess that's a good thing," she responded. An expression flitted across his features, so quickly she couldn't catch what it might mean and she swallowed, looking away when she asked. "You... you don't want any kids right?"

He snorted and turned away, not answering her question. "This ain't a world for happy families anymore, Lin," he said, walking out the door. She watched him leave and bent to grab a teething ring from the ground. She was relieved and confused at the same time. _This whole Lori-pregnant thing is making us crazy_, she thought, squishing the plastic rings in her hand, _making us question things we normally wouldn't_.

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He didn't like what the daycare had done to all of them that day. Maggie and Glenn were tense and uncomfortable with each other, and Linney was a twitching mess, unable to meet his eyes. There was a part of him that knew they were all torn about the issue because they all so desperately wanted Lori to pull through, happy and healthy, with a healthy baby. But they were all very aware that there was a great deal of danger surrounding the pregnancy and the baby itself; it felt like jinxing Lori and the baby to think negative thoughts about babies and pregnancy in general.

_We ain't stupid_, Daryl thought to himself, _none of us wants to be in that position_. He glanced over at Linney, who was sitting rigidly next to him in the backseat of the truck, her hands clenched on her knees. He wanted to comfort her, but knew that it wasn't the right time; he'd just say something wrong or she'd freak out because she was so tightly wound. He wanted to tell her that the idea of having a kid with her wasn't distasteful in any way, especially if he was imagining such a scenario in the old world, the way things used to be. It would be so easy back then and he could imagine a life with her, a normal life, back home.

_But now..._. he knew that it wasn't safe now, that were lucky to just make it through every day alive. Linney turned to look over at him, her features finally softening a little when he gave her a small smile and she released the death grip she had on her knees and slid her hand along the seat between them, just touching the edge of her pinky finger to his hand. He raised an eyebrow at her and put his hand on top of hers, curling his fingers around her smaller ones. She took a deep, settling breath and looked out the window, her entire posture saying that she was moving past all the ridiculous baby talk and mentally moving on to something else.

_We don't need to be worried about this shit right, got too much else goin' on._

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks :) *****


	117. Chapter 117

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney braced her hands on her knees as she took deep breaths, trying to force her body to calm down after the flurry of action and adrenaline. They had cleared the west courtyard that morning, prying the gates there open so the already cleared section of the main courtyard was expanded. The fog that had thickly blanketed the area when they'd first come outside was gone now and Linney stood up straight, nodding over to Daryl, letting him know she was fine.

She heard Maggie gagging a little to her left and saw Glenn rubbing her back, trying to comfort her nauseated friend. The last walker Maggie had taken down had nearly exploded on impact with the ground when she sliced the top half of it's head off, splashing the ground, and Maggie, with a sickening amount of guts and other disgusting things. Linney felt her face twisting with distaste and jogged over to Rick, to take the keys for the pick-up from him.

"We're gonna load these bodies up, bring them over to the burn pile from last week, take care of them all," he told her, and she nodded. She trotted over to the pick-up, parked back by the entrance to C Block, where Carl and Beth were waiting impatiently inside the fenced stairwell. Rick had refused to allow them to help and they were both fully pouting over it. "Can we come out now?" Carl asked her, and Linney shrugged. "That's a question for your dad, buddy, I'm not giving you permission for anything," she told him carelessly, and received a glare in response.

"It's not like we're gonna pull out more grenades or anything," Beth groused, and Linney raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously, guys? You think that anyone cares about that? You're being punished and I'm sure you both know what being grounded means, so just buck up and deal with it," Linney instructed them, and both of them slouched unhappily against the fencing. Linney walked to the truck and climbed inside, turning it around and driving over to where everyone else stood in the west yard. She turned the truck off and hopped out, moving to the truck bed to yank the tailgate open.

"Gonna help move these shitheads?" Daryl asked her, flicking a clump of walker flesh from her shoulder. Linney sneered down at the smear of black blood on her shoulder and then smiled at him. "I'll try," she replied, and he laughed at her quietly, turning his narrowed eyes out towards the big grassy yard. Linney bumped him with her hip and walked past him, moving to help Maggie and Glenn with a walker. "You've got a fingernail in your hair," Glenn told her in a grunting and strained voice, as they lugged the heavy body towards the pick-up. Linney felt a disgusted shudder run through her body but tried to ignore it until they had the body in the truck bed.

Maggie stepped forward and pulled it out, pushing Linney's head down to skim through her hair and check to make sure her scalp hadn't been scratched. "What's goin' on?" Daryl asked, as he and T tossed a body into the truck. He lightly pushed Maggie out of the way and his own hands began to urgently search her hair. "Did you get scratched?" He asked her in a tight voice, and Linney shook her head. Maggie answered for her, "No, there was a fingernail in her hair and I was just being thorough." Daryl sighed and pressed a hand down on top of her head before stepping away and moving to go pick up another body.

"I think I'd know if I was scratched," Linney complained and Maggie laughed a little. "I can hear you," Daryl called back in an irritated voice, and she stuck her tongue out at him. Maggie patted her shoulder and they moved to another corpse, a smaller one this time. Maggie grabbed his head, and Linney grabbed his feet and they staggered with him back to the truck. "This is my least favorite part," Linney grouched, out of breath. Maggie laughed breathlessly. "I think I hate the killin' the most, myself," she replied, and Linney shook her head.

"No way, this is hard fucking work!" She exclaimed, as they heaved the body up into the truck bed. Maggie chuckled and they walked over to another body. "Hey Linney," T called, and she looked up at him, seeing his strained and sweaty face break into a grin, as he and Rick carried a body, "Let's play 'I Miss'." Everyone groaned and laughed at the same time, and Linney smiled at the big man. This was a game they'd all fallen into easily over the winter, to while away any spare time and let their minds become distracted.

"Sure," she replied pleasantly, grabbing onto the calves of a dead prisoner, "Daryl first this time!" Daryl shot her a glare; he didn't like this game, said it was "a fucking waste of time", so naturally Linney enjoyed forcing him to play. "Fuck," he grumbled, looking around at their expectant faces, "Fine." Rick chuckled and pushed Glenn towards the next body as Daryl thought for a moment.

"I miss a cold fucking beer on a hot ass day like today," he grumbled, and T-Dog nodded at him, "Oh hell yes." Linney laughed and Daryl barked, "Short round! You're next!" Glenn's face was strained as he tried to hold onto his end of the body Rick and he were carrying. "I miss my computer," he said wistfully, making both Maggie and Linney laugh at him. Everyone was well aware of how much Glenn had loved his video games, especially the two girls who had sat through his seemingly endless descriptions of the games, the most frequently.

"Rick?" Glenn asked, and Rick chuckled and looked down at his stained and filthy appearance. "I miss long, hot showers and being actually clean," he spoke in an amused voice, and everyone murmured their agreement. He leaned against the truck for a moment to catch his breath and nodded with his chin at Maggie. "How about you?" Maggie grinned and stared up at the blue, cloudless sky. "I miss meeting up with friends and goin' out drinkin' and dancin'," Maggie replied in a dreamy voice. Glenn smiled at her and she blushed a little, leaning towards another body.

"T?" She asked the big man, and he sighed in nostalgic bliss, "I miss a huge steak, with baked potatoes, all the fixin's, and a big apple pie with ice cream for dessert." Linney laughed out loud and T glanced over at her, a smile on his face. "What about you, Lin?" She wiped a glob of walker blood off her arm, a frown on her face, and then she looked around at them. "I miss going to the library," she said in a level voice. Rick's eyebrows shot up and Linney put her hands on her hips. "Why is everyone so fucking surprised to hear I used to like reading?" She exclaimed, a rueful smile on her face. Rick shook his head and bent to another body.

"I used to go every Sunday morning, right around church time, you know? So it was mostly empty," she explained, grabbing at the meaty thigh of the giant walker that Daryl and Maggie were trying to move. He smirked at her over the body and she smiled back. "I loved the smell, the old-book smell," she explained, and Maggie mmm-hmm'd next to her. "I remember that smell," her friend said softly, and Linney smiled at her. "Plus, it was free," Linney added, and everyone laughed. By that time, they had collected all the bodies and Rick swung up into the driver's seat, everyone else crowding in the cab or the bed, to ride out into the yard.

They unloaded the bodies, creating a neat stack next to the other huge stack they'd created over the past week. Rick looked back at the guard tower enclosure where they had left the other two vehicles, Hershel's truck and the green SUV. "Let's get the cars in and park them in the west yard now that it's cleared," he said and they all nodded. Daryl took a swig from the water bottle he'd pulled from the truck and handed it to Linney.

"Good. Havin' 'em parked out there draws too much attention," Daryl said in rough voice. Rick nodded and then gestured off towards the trees. "We'll need to gather up some wood too, to burn all these bodies," he looked at Glenn and Daryl while he spoke. "Once the vehicles are moved, we can head out there - " he was cut off when T-Dog said his name in a low, warning voice, staring hard back at the courtyard.

Two men stood there, both in prison jumpsuits, and by the hard, glaring looks on everyone's faces, Linney knew they must be the men whose lives Rick spared, Axel and Oscar.

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Daryl met Rick's hard gaze as he looked over at T, Glenn, and himself and ground out, "Come with me." Daryl nodded and looked over to tell Linney to stay put, but she frowned at him and walked towards the courtyard, Maggie at her side, determined to be included. He growled under his breath and loped after her, staying beside her. When they reached the courtyard, both of the newcomers looked sweaty, dirty, and completely dejected. Daryl tamped down any sense of pity he had for either of them and took a slight step forward, keeping himself between the prisoners and Maggie and Linney.

"We had an agreement," Rick said in a hard, cold voice, his features like granite. Daryl kept his own face in a narrow-eyed expression, meant to show no friendliness. Axel's face was desperate, his eyes wide and pleading. "Yes we did, but we can't stay in there another minute," he spoke tremulously, and Daryl cut his gaze over to Oscar, the man's proud features tight and worn down from strain.

"We been trapped in there for a week, in that tomb, with all our dead friends," Axel continued, his eyes darting from Rick, to Daryl, to T-Dog, then back to Rick. "These were guys we knew, our friends, and they're layin' around everywhere, guts and brains everywhere, it's stinking and filthy and haunted!" His voice was a choked and desperate whine and Daryl glanced down quickly when he noticed Linney moving to his side, her face tight, emotionless, and evaluating, as she got her first look at the prisoners.

"Get the bodies outta there, then," Daryl growled, before Rick could say anything. Their leader nodded, glaring hard at the two sweaty men in front of them. T-Dog took a step forward, gesturing at their cell block. "You should be burnin' 'em," he told them, his voice not as unfriendly as either Rick's or Daryl's had been. Daryl nodded at the suggestion, beginning to wonder what the hell these two idiots were waiting for.

"We tried," Oscar began, his voice harder and calmer than Axel's, "But, I don't know if you know this, the fences are down on the other side of the prison. Every time we try and drag a body out, those shitheads are lining up to get us; there's no chance to burn 'em cause we can only just drop the body and run back in." Linney shifted uncomfortably next to him but didn't say anything. Daryl gazed down at her again and saw her carefully eyeing up Oscar as he spoke. He paused to wonder what she might be thinking, before Axel took a quick step towards Rick, his hands coming up pleadingly.

"Look, we had nothing to do with Tomas and Andrew!" He insisted, the plea in his voice thick and plaintive, "You're trying to prove a point, and it's proven!" Linney shifted again and Daryl saw her swallow hard, knowing that something was getting through to her, he just couldn't figure out if it was sympathy or worry. Rick clenched his jaw and looked at his feet before bringing his cold gaze back up to Axel, causing the other man to take a step back.

"It's non-negotiable," Rick finally replied, his tone firm. Oscar stared hard at Rick, before turning to his friend and speaking through clenched teeth, "I told you this was a waste a time, they ain't no diff'rent than the pricks that shot up our boys." Axel nodded slowly, regretfully, and Daryl felt himself bristle at the suggestion that they were anything like the monsters that had done the horrible shit they'd seen all around this prison over the past week. Oscar turned to Rick and glared hard at him, not in a threatening way, but in a hard, proud way.

"Know how many friends corpses we had to drag out this week? These were good guys! Good guys who made stupid choices and ended up in here," Oscar spoke firmly, and Rick's face was unmoving. Linney looked up at Daryl and he held her bright gaze. He knew then that she felt desperately bad for these men and he sighed in exasperation, wanting to drag her away before she said anything.

"We're just asking for a chance to prove ourselves," Oscar concluded, and Rick stared hard at him, finally moving to look back at Daryl. He held Rick's hard gaze and shook his head minutely. He heard Linney breath in sharply, in surprise and anger, and she turned on her heel and stormed back to the pick-up.

Rick turned to Daryl, and then over to Glenn, who nodded sickly, and they raised their weapons at the two men, who flinched in surprise. Maggie made a strangled noise in her throat and left quickly, jogging back to Linney.

"Get out," Rick said, "You leave today." Axel's mouth worked up and down and Oscar's dark eyes stared at each of them, condemning each of them in a way that made Daryl uncomfortable. "Get movin'," he growled at the men, gesturing towards the guard tower enclosure. The two prisoners started to walk down and he, Rick, and Glenn followed, making sure they went inside. Glenn chained the gates closed and Daryl glared at the two they'd locked up. "We'll be back in a minute, stay put," he said in a rasping voice.

Rick waved him back towards where Linney, Maggie, and T-Dog stood, arguing with each other. When they reached the truck, Linney rounded on Rick, a glare on her face. Rick held a hand up to stay her objections before she even began to speak. "We're gonna talk about this, I can see it's raised some real concerns, but I'm not changing my mind," he gruffly informed her, and T-Dog snorted, folding his thick arms over his chest. Linney mirrored his stance and did the same, leaning against the pick-up. She raised her eyebrows at Rick, all traces of anything pleasant wiped from her face as she gave their leader a hard stare.

"Get talking then," she snapped.

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"Why wouldn't we want two able bodied guys to join us?" T-Dog demanded, and Rick shot him a hard look. "We've been here before, with Randall," Rick told him and Linney huffed out a breath, glaring at Rick. "They are not Randall, anyone with eyes can see that," she said in exasperated tones. Rick pressed his lips together and looked between her and T. Linney could see a muscle in his jaw ticking.

"You wanna go back to sleeping with one eye open?" He questioned them, gesturing at them angrily, "You know that they'll just wait til we let out guards down, and grab our weapons!" Linney felt her face twisting into an impatient expression. "Really, Rick? You think we're so stupid that we want them join us knowing they'd turn on us?" She shot back, and Rick raised an eyebrow at her. She stepped towards him, pointing back at the enclosure where the two men were locked up.

"Maybe I'm seeing this differently than you are, because I wasn't there that day, but I don't see two threats, I see two guys who are desperate to join our group for safety and comfort, not to rob us blind and kill us," her tone was struggling to remain calm and Maggie stepped towards her, putting a hand on her arm. Linney looked over and felt her temper cool a little at what she saw in Maggie's eyes.

"It's been just us for so long, Lin," Maggie began, her voice quiet and firm, "It's weird having other people around; can't you see how hard this is? Why put ourselves through turmoil when we can get along fine without it, without them?" T stepped to Linney's side and spoke to Maggie, "They won't get along fine without us, they don't know how to kill walkers yet, they don't the rules out there, and if we send them out there, they won't have anyone to teach them!"

Maggie shook her head and Glenn spoke up from behind them, "We didn't either, no one came along with a rulebook for us." Daryl grunted in agreement and Linney spun to him, raising an eyebrow at him. "We learned because everything went to shit around us, we were dragged along for the ride, these guys are going to be dumped straight into the middle of it, with no experience. At least here with us, they can learn, adapt, help us!" She was trying desperately to keep from getting shrill, but the image of Axel's pained and desperate face was in her mind and she felt in her gut that these men were not a threat.

"Linney," Rick finally said, and she turned to him, reining in the growing anger on her face when she saw his level expression. "They're convicts, Linney, they can't be trusted," he offered, and she made a disgusted face. "I know you know convicts, Officer, but so do I, and these two are not hardened criminals, they strike me as idiots who made bad choices, doing petty shit, and got locked up in here for it, dropping them right in the middle of a growing shitstorm," her tone was more scathing than she wanted it to be, but she was getting frustrated.

"I get guys like this," Daryl finally spoke up, and they all turned to him, his narrowed impassive eyes taking them all in, "Hell I grew up with 'em." Linney swallowed, well aware of what he grew up with. "They're degenerates, but they ain't psychos. I coulda been in here with them just as easy as I'm out here with you guys," he added and Linney couldn't help but shake her head at him, knowing that it was more likely Merle he was talking about. He shot her a small smirk and she pressed her lips together, looking away.

"So you with us?" T-Dog asked, his voice and face hopeful. Linney shook her head at T, knowing that Daryl's speech had nothing to do with accepting the men into their group. T's dark eyes leapt from her face to Daryl's and he raised his eyebrows expectantly at Daryl.

"Hell no!" Daryl told him, his face twisting in irritation, "Let 'em take their chances out on the road, just like we did." T sighed in frustration and Linney felt the muscles in her jaw bunching and tightening. Rick waved his hands around in front of himself, as if to wipe away this entire conversation. "We been through too much, and have too much to lose. I won't risk it; they don't like our deal? Then they can leave, in fact I'd sleep easier knowing they did." His voice was adamant, and had the ring of finality to it that Linney had come to recognize in him; there was no talking him down from this decision.

Linney glanced over at T-Dog and looked up at Rick, over to Daryl, and then back at Rick again. "I want to go on record as hating this decision," she told them, her voice quiet and calm. She turned around and walked away, back up to their cellblock. No one followed her and she was grateful, she felt like she might rip into someone right now. She felt terrible for the two men they were sending out to their certain deaths.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks :) *****


	118. Chapter 118

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney moved to their makeshift kitchen, Beth and Carl hovering on her heels. She grabbed an empty cardboard box and started to cram some supplies into it. "What're you doing?" Carl asked, from her left side. She glanced over at him and glared. "Nothing that concerns you," she told him sternly. Beth leaned around her right side and poked a hand into the box in front of Linney, "What about me, is it my business?" She asked in a sweet voice. Linney swatted the girl's hands from the box and shot her glare over to Beth.

"No!" She cried in frustration, "God, can you two just back off?" Beth shook her head and sat down in one of the seats at the table they were crowded around. "Nope, but you can tell us what's going on," Beth replied calmly. Linney closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them again. When she did, Carl was sitting down too, and both of them were watching her curiously. "I'm packing up a week's worth of supplies for those two guys," she managed to say, between her clenched teeth. Beth nodded and leaned her head on her hand.

"Rick's gonna make 'em leave, then?" Beth asked softly and Linney nodded, moving around the table to grab a jug of water. "Yes," she answered shortly. "You think it's a bad idea?" Carl asked her, and she plunked the jug into the box, squeezing the handle tightly. "Yes," she replied, not looking at them. She rooted around in the box a little longer and then went back to the shelves to grab some more food.

"Why?" They both asked at the same time, and Linney turned to them, shooting them an annoyed look, wondering if they'd timed that question on purpose. "Because, I don't think they're bad guys," she said, smacking her hand lightly against the shelf in front of her, "I think they got dealt a shitty hand and are being punished for something out of their control." Beth nodded and scratched at a speck of food on the table top. "And Rick thinks they're dangerous?" The girl asked innocently, and Linney let out a long, hissing sigh. "Yes, everyone but me and T thinks they're dangerous," she told them, making her way back to the box and shoving in the boxes of food in her hands.

Carl got to his feet and gestured back in the general direction of their cells. "Want me to grab them a couple sweatshirts?" Linney nodded at him gratefully, "Yes, and a couple blankets and a couple pairs of socks." He nodded and shared a significant look with Beth, before he left the room. "Linney," Beth began, and Linney looked at the girl, from her position leaning against the wall, "You know Rick just wants to protect us, Daryl too." Linney rolled her eyes. "I know that," she replied, forcing her voice to stay calm, "But I don't have to feel good about this."

They waited in silence until Carl returned with the armload of things she'd sent him for. "Thanks," she said distractedly, taking the items from him and loading the box up. Carl nodded and shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Linney, we have to protect our own, no matter what, no matter what happens to anyone else," he told her, his voice serious and earnest. Linney looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow in the air. He stepped closer to her and rubbed his hand across his mouth, "It's always got to be us against them, Lin, we can't forget that." Linney heard Daryl and Rick in his tone and shook her head.

"Thanks for the pep talk," she muttered, grabbing the heavy box and moving towards the door. "Wanna make yourselves useful and open this stupid door?" She shot over her shoulder, and both of them raced forward. Beth pulled the door open and all three of them turned when Lori called to the kids from inside. Linney nodded her thanks at them and stepped outside, waiting while they shut the door and moved back to Lori.

Stepping out of the stairwell, Linney made her way back down to the yard, passing T-Dog in Hershel's truck, and Maggie in the SUV, on her way. Rick, Daryl, and Glenn were standing down by the guard tower enclosure, watching her approach, and she kept her gaze from them, not wanting to deal with a lecture or hard looks right now.

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He watched her approach the enclosure, her face closed off, her arms full of the heavy box of goods she was carrying. Daryl stepped forward and put a hand out to her. "Let me carry it," he murmured to her, and she looked over at him blankly and shook her head. "I've got it," she told him. Daryl stepped back, feeling slightly stung, and realized that she was probably more upset than any of them realized. Glenn unlocked the gate for her and she walked through, whistling loudly at the prisoners who were hunched in the shade of the guard tower, to get their attention.

Shooting a warning look at Glenn, Daryl followed her in and waited by the gate, Rick standing on the other side of it. Axel and Oscar got to their feet and the big man took the box from Linney carefully. "It's a weeks worth of food, some clothes, and some blankets," she told them, her voice neutral. The men gave her grateful nods and Daryl tried to ease the tension in his shoulders, watching as she pointed out a couple things in the box to them.

She stepped away from them and then paused, looking back. "If you find any walkers in a group, drop everything and leave," she offered in a halting voice. Oscar raised an eyebrow at her and nodded. Linney took another step towards them, "You know to hit the head, the brain, right?" She asked them, and Axel nodded towards where Daryl and Rick stood. "Your friends already told us that," he said quietly. Linney nodded.

"One or two on their own are easy to handle, but more than that can get hairy really quickly," she told them, "Nothing is important enough to stick around for if you encounter a herd." She paused again and rocked back on her heels a couple times, biting her lip as she thought. "Noise and movement attract them the most, but you can use their guts as camouflage, if you really douse yourselves in them, and they won't notice you so much." Oscar nodded slowly at her and then gave her a skeptical look.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, his voice hard and curious. Linney took a couple steps back and Daryl felt his stomach tighten a little with guilt as he realized what she was doing. "I'm trying to give you a chance, I wish I could write it all down for you, the rules, the tricks, but I can't," she answered him and Oscar nodded, looking away for a moment. "Thank you, miss," Axel said, his voice open and sincere. Linney nodded and turned on her heel, hurrying away, stepping past Daryl and Rick as fast as she could.

Daryl shot Glenn a look and the younger man slid the gate closed and locked it, saying, "We'll cut you guys loose in a bit," to the men inside. Rick jogged after Linney and put a hand on her arm. "Linney," he said, his tone requesting she turn around. She paused and yanked her arm away from him. Daryl caught up to them and stood next to Rick, and they both looked down at her. He hated the look she shot him then, something he'd never seen on her face, not directed at him, at least. Disgust.

"What? What do you want me to say?" She asked them, and Rick took in a deep breath, looking away for a moment. "Do you think I like doing this?" He asked her curtly, and she glared at him. "Rick, I don't question whether you enjoy this or not, I'm questioning whether you're able to see past your own paranoia. Whether you're truly aware of what you're doing!" She snapped, and Rick pressed his lips together. Daryl waved a hand at her.

"Have you? You don't know them, they could be anyone, why do we gotta risk our lives just to make them two dipshits happy?" His voice was hard, and she shot him another look that made him uncomfortable. "I don't doubt that the rest of their crew were bad guys, I really don't," she began, her face tight, "But I think if these two were bad guys, they would've reacted when you tussled with those other two, Tomas and Andrew. They wouldn't have lowered their weapons voluntarily and done what you asked! If they wanted to pull something, they could have made their way to another part of the prison, found more keys and slaughtered us all, at any point over the past week! But they didn't! And now, you're killing them!" Linney stopped, slightly out of breath and Daryl kept his face still, not wanting her to see that her words affected him.

Rick took in a deep breath, "Maybe so, but I'm not willing to risk everyone I care about on a hope." Linney's face fell again and she shrugged at him. "Then you're killing them," she responded simply, and Daryl glared at her, his lips twisting in irritation. "We ain't their babysitters, if they die, that's on them," he growled at her, and she shook her head at him. "No, if they die out there, it's on us, their blood is on your hands," she responded. Rick waved his hands around, to break in.

"Would you rather have Maggie or Beth's blood on your hands?" He shot back, and Linney's features softened as she looked up at him. "No, Rick, no," she put a hand on his arm, "I'd rather have no one's blood on my hands." She looked over at Daryl, again her features carefully controlled, and turned away, heading back up to the courtyard. Daryl watched her walk away, torn between frustration and guilt. He knew that she was partly right, but he knew she wasn't seeing the bigger picture; it didn't matter if they were good or bad, if there was a chance they would be turn out to be a danger, any chance at all, then they had to go.

"Girl needs to get her head outta her ass," Daryl muttered, trying to cover up his churning emotions, as he turned away from Rick. Rick followed him, and finally spoke as they were nearing Glenn and the gate. "Her heart's in the right place," he said quietly, "But I'm not going to risk Carl, or Lori, any of the others, not going to risk _her_, for strangers. She thinks we're willfully murdering them though, so I understand why she's upset." Daryl looked over at Rick in surprise, and then swiftly smoothed his features out again. Glenn opened the gate and they walked through it, passing the prisoners on their way to the fenced pathway that surrounded the yard, making their way down to the hole they'd cut in the fence.

When they were outside the fence, Glenn moved to Daryl's side and spoke up, quietly, in a tone meant to comfort, "You know she'll forgive you, right?" Daryl shot him an incredulous and irritated look and snapped, "Get outta my damn face! Did I ask you?" Glenn rolled his eyes and stepped away, and Daryl stifled the twinge of guilt he felt for lashing out at him. They were quiet for a moment as they headed to the treeline, gathering up armloads of wood once they got there.

"Let's get this all in, leave a few armloads in the dogrun, and get those bodies burning," Rick instructed them, when they each had their first armload. On the walk back to the fences, Glenn spoke to Rick curiously, "Won't a fire attract more walkers?" Rick shook his head and then shrugged, "If it does, I'd rather we do it all at once, get it out of the way." Glenn pushed through the fence, dropping his armload and then holding the side open so the other two could climb through.

"Why not just bury them?" He asked, and Daryl snorted, dropping his armload next to Glenn's. Rick glanced at Daryl before answering Glenn, "We plan on growing crops out here, and I'm not keen to do that in walker-rotted soil." Glenn nodded at him, understanding washing across his face. They moved out, gathering several more armloads before they paused to rest, and Daryl peered across the yard, a smile spreading across his face when he saw people emerging from their cellblock.

"Looky here," he said, gesturing with his chin. They looked up to see Hershel making his way across the courtyard slowly, using crutches, tiny in the distance. Rick laughed and Glenn uttered, "He sure is one tough old bastard." They laughed together and Daryl sought out Linney in the crowd, standing next to Lori at the courtyard fence. Lori was waving at Rick and the man had a stupid smile on his face at the sight of his pregnant wife, as he waved back. Daryl looked up at Linney again and thought about waving to her, but quashed the urge, not wanting to appear over-eager. He saw her gesturing at him, though, and squinted, trying to see what she was doing.

"Is she... is she giving you the finger?" Glenn asked, and Rick chuckled loudly. They could hear the faint sound of Linney and Lori's laughter from across the yard. Daryl shook his head in mock annoyance and flicked a dismissive hand in her direction. The three men gazed up at the scene for a moment or two longer before the sight of more bodies, approaching from behind where everyone in the courtyard stood, had them frozen in place, faces twisting in growing horror.

_No, no, no, no, no_.

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After her second frustrating conversation with Rick and Daryl, Linney had trudged back up to the courtyard, trying to calm herself down. She found T-Dog, Maggie, and Carol standing around the trucks, chatting quietly, and approached them. "Hey Lin, how're you feelin'?" Maggie asked her. Linney gave her friend a sharp look and shook her head.

"I'm pissed," she sighed. T-Dog rubbed a hand across his mouth and nodded at her, "I know the feeling, but at least we can say that we tried." Linney shrugged and looked away, down to the fences, where she could make out the shape of the three men going out to gather firewood. "I'm so mad at them," she replied, and Carol put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Honey," she began, and Linney looked over at the kind-eyed woman, "Answer me honestly: can you say with 100% absolute certainty that those two are safe and wouldn't try anything?"

Linney pursed her lips, her brow lowering, and Carol squeezed her shoulder again, "I'm not being a jerk here Linney, but if you can't tell me with absolute, 100%, guaranteed certainty that they will not be dangerous, then I agree with Rick and Daryl, they need to go."

"Of course I can't say they wouldn't, but I feel -" Linney's answer was cut off when Carol put a hand out. "Honey, think about it, come on, would you put Carl, or Beth, or Daryl, into a situation where you weren't certain they would be ok, if there was even a tiny chance they could be hurt or killed?"

"Carol, that's not fair, every single thing we do is unsafe, even standing here chatting is unsafe," Linney answered, and Maggie cleared her throat. Linney looked over at her and Maggie raised an eyebrow at her. "Linney, we can control this, we can't control the rest of the world. We can't control runs or walkers, but we can control this, so why wouldn't we exercise caution with the things we can control?" Linney pressed her lips together, getting the point.

"I still don't think it's a good idea," she muttered, and Carol laughed. She looked over in surprise and Carol smirked at her, "That's all well and good, but you can't be so hard on them, they're desperate to keep us all safe, we have to respect that, work with that, appreciate that. They need us to support them."

"I do," Linney replied, starting to feel guilty for how she'd treated Daryl and Rick. Maggie gave her a small smile with one side of her mouth and then looked over Linney's shoulder, her smile stretching hugely across her face. "Dad?" She whispered in delight, and Linney spun around to see Lori, Carl, and Beth hovering around Hershel as he made his way out on crutches. Maggie ran over to him, and Linney shot a grin at T and Carol before running over herself.

Hershel smiled at them and waved with his fingers from one of the crutches. "Look at you!" Linney cried, truly delighted, in a way she hadn't been for days. He smiled and nodded, "I'm so happy to be outside," he responded, tilting his face up to the sky. Linney leaned in carefully and gave him a hug, after Maggie was done doing so. Carl and Beth had ear-to-ear smiles on their faces and Linney returned them. They watched as Lori made her way over to the fence, curling one hand on the chainlink, and the other beneath her belly. In the distance, she could see Rick, Daryl, and Glenn, leaning against the fences and watching them all. Lori waved a hand down at Rick, who waved back, her face smiling softly.

Linney stepped up next to her and gave Lori a brief hug around the shoulders, before staring down at Daryl, already thinking about how she would apologize for painting him as a murderer, without giving up her assertion that she didn't think the prisoners were a risk. "You should wave," Lori murmured, a chuckle in her voice. Linney replied wryly, "Daryl Dixon doesn't do waves." Lori laughed and waved again at Rick, receiving one in return.

She knew Daryl was watching her, though, so she stuck her hand up, giving him the finger, moving it around in the air. "How's that for a wave?" She joked with Lori, and the woman laughed harder, Linney joining her. They saw his far away figure flick a hand dismissively towards them and Linney smirked. She and Lori both froze when they saw the way all three men lurched to sudden attention and began to frantically wave their arms, yelling as they began to run along the fence line.

Linney and Lori looked at each other in confusion and then Carl's scream behind them tore through the air, his voice panicked, "Walkers!" Linney twisted around and felt a cold shiver of fear race down her spine.

_Not walkers, a herd_.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review folks :) *****


	119. Chapter 119

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Everyone reacted quickly, pulling their guns and shooting, endless, endless, shots being fired from all manner of firearms. Linney made sure that Hershel was covered as he made his way across the courtyard; he was the only one unable to shoot, and she was certain these undead bastards had a sixth sense for who was the weakest. Beth caught Linney's eye for a second and Linney nodded at her, urging her to follow her dad into the small gated stairwell that lead up to Block D. Beth pushed Hershel in behind her and stood at the open door way, throwing every knife she had, taking out six walkers, before slamming the gate shut and shooting her gun through the chainlink at other walkers.

Carl kept himself in front of his mother, shooting over and over again, while Lori, standing taller than he did, had her little handgun out, shooting at other walkers. When Maggie jogged over to Linney's side, T-Dog and Carol right behind, it seemed like they were going to be ok, until it slowly dawned on them that the gate was open. Further back in the courtyard, a gate that lead directly to where a huge group of walkers had been lurking since day one, was hanging wide open. Linney's mind fought to understand how the walkers had broken through the chained and padlocked gate. Dozens and dozens of them, too many for this little cluster of her group to take out, were ambling out.

"The gate! The gate is open!" Linney cried, and T-Dog looked over at her in a panic, following her frantic pointing, to the back of the courtyard. "Get Lori and Carl! Get them out!" He screamed at her, and Linney nodded, turning to Maggie, pausing to heave a knife at a walker getting too close to Carol. "We have to get inside, inside now!" Maggie nodded and pulled free her machete, hacking and slicing through the walkers that stood between them and the C Block stairway.

Linney glanced over at Beth and caught her wild, panicked blue eyes. "Stay there! Beth! Stay there!" Linney called to her, and the girl nodded, her expression tightening up into a braver one. Linney knew the blonde girl was out of ammo, out of knives, and didn't want her to risk anything stupid. Linney wrapped an arm around Lori's swollen waist and began to urge her forward, Carl covering their backs. She saw T-Dog and Carol, recklessly moving deeper into the pack of walkers spilling through the open gate, and couldn't waste a thought for them. She heard Carl yell behind her and she turned around and saw five walkers coming at him quickly.

Carl was fumbling with his gun, and she realized he was trying to reload. "Linney!" Lori cried out, terrified for her son, and Linney heaved her last two throwing knives, taking out two of the five coming at Carl, before shooting two more, her last two bullets being spent. The very last walker she dove at, hunting knife first, stabbing straight through it's throat. Black blood began to pour from the neck wound and she pulled the knife out and slammed it back through the walker's face, killing it. Carl wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back, and she got to her feet, running with him towards the stairwell. Lori was already waiting inside and Maggie had just slammed the gate closed behind them when a huge swell of walkers threw themselves at the stairwell, unable to reach their prey.

They spent a few seconds, catching their breaths, leaning heavily against each other. "Lori? Are you ok?" Linney asked, turning a concerned gaze on the pregnant women. Lori was white as a sheet, her hair looking so much darker against the pallor of her skin. She nodded in response, swallowing back several large gulps of breath. Maggie shot a concerned look to Linney and they each put a hand under one of Lori's arms, pulling her gently to her feet. Carl's eyes looked wild when he saw the expressions on Linney and Maggie's faces.

"Let's get inside, get you laying down," Linney said, trying to speak over the unendingly loud rumble of the dead all around the courtyard. They urged Lori up the stairs, and Linney cast a wide-eyed look over her shoulder, out to the yard. She could see Daryl, Rick, and Glenn just bursting through the gate of the guard enclosure, pounding the grass in the yard as they ran towards the courtyard. She paused to wonder if she should stop her little group, wait for them, but a screaming metallic noise behind them had Maggie shrieking in sudden terror, as the dead were somehow pushing through the gate, into the stairwell with them.

They didn't waste a moment longer, shoving Lori and Carl inside their cell block, slamming home the two metal doors, keeping the dead outside. They made their way through the eating area, hoping to lock themselves in a cell until this mess was sorted out, but just as Carl was about to step in through the door of their cell block, Linney realized the normally locked metal door was hanging open, which would never happen unless someone else had purposely left it open. She grabbed the neck of Carl's shirt and pulled him back so hard he made a yipping, choking noise, but missed being pulled into the dark and deadly embrace of the walkers that suddenly lurched out for him, as if they had been lying in wait just inside their living quarters.

"Run!" Linney cried, hauling Carl along next to her, as the boy tried to shoot at the dead. Maggie ran for the, again, unusually open gate that lead into the tombs, and they all dove into the darkness. They pulled the gate closed behind them, locking the dead into the area meant for the living, while they moved deeper into the dark, overrun halls that were currently reserved for those without a pulse.

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Maggie wanted to find cover, find a hiding place, and she was cursing her lack of knowledge of the tombs, they were running around blindly, without flashlights, only the faint light from very far away exits, around many twisting and turning hallways, made anything visible. "Arrows?" Linney hissed in a quiet voice, pressing up tight against Lori and Carl, putting herself between them and anything that could sneak up from behind. Maggie shook her head desperately. "Glenn said he made 'em, but I can't see 'em!" Maggie whispered urgently in reply, trying to see any of the spray painted arrows that Glenn had told her he made in the tombs, to help lead people to safety.

Linney was looking around, her eyes gleaming faintly in the nearly non-existent light. "We must have gone down the wrong hall," her friend finally replied quietly, and Maggie swallowed, nodding slightly. They heard the eager, shambling, footsteps of the dead coming from around the corner they'd just run down and Linney turned towards the noise, a hunting knife in each hand. Maggie couldn't watch, knowing she had to keep her eyes peeled in the opposite direction, keep Lori pressed against the concrete wall behind her. She heard grunting and swearing behind her, followed by a couple meaty thuds, and peeked quickly to see Linney shakily getting to her feet, climbing off the body of a fallen walker. Two more lay behind it and Linney quickly grabbed Lori's arm.

"We have to keep going, follow the light, find a way out," Linney urged, shoving them towards the light of the two hallways ahead of them. They moved two paces forward and then each one of them flinched impossibly hard when the loud, grating, peal of the prison alarm started to go off. The noise was everywhere, and piercingly loud to their ears, after all their months of living in relative silence. "What the fuck?!" Linney yelped and Lori started groaning and crying out behind Maggie. She turned to the pregnant woman and saw Lori's face twisted in pain, her eyes wide and panicked. "Oh god," Lori groaned, her tone hopeless.

Carl spun to his mother, the expression on his face so terrified that Maggie felt her stomach flop over uneasily. "Mom! Are you bit!?" He cried, his hands grabbing her arms tightly. Lori twitched, her whole body pulling in on itself. "No," she moaned, the word twisting to a higher pitch at the end, "The baby's coming. Now!" She brought a fist to her mouth and bit down on her knuckle, trying to smother the cry that wanted to force it's way out.

"No, no, no, Lori, no," Linney moaned behind her, her head tearing around in different directions. Maggie realized they couldn't stand here any longer, Lori's moans were already attracting unwanted attention; they could see the shadowed outlines of the dead rounding the hallway furthest from them and Linney gathered Lori in a bear hug and started to force her forward. Maggie used her machete to brutally tear through the dead they encountered in front of them, as they tried to race down a different hall. Lori was panting and crying behind her, and Maggie realized they were hopelessly turned around.

"I don't know!" Maggie cried in a quiet voice, panic seeping into her tone, "I don't know the way!" Linney screamed at her, a wordless warning, as a massive wall of the dead suddenly rounded the corner ahead of them and they turned on their heels, running back in the direction they'd just come from, Maggie knowing that they were just going in useless, terrifying, circles. They were cut off again, and again, and when Lori stumbled, barely able to walk anymore, Carl finally wrenched open a door that looked like it led into a utility room. They crammed in, and Linney slammed the door shut behind them, sticking a mop and a broom through the handles, just in case. Maggie urged Lori further into the room, down a small flight of stairs, and after they'd rounded several boilers and random machines, they found what looked like a small office.

Lori hastily ran to some pipes snaking up the wall and gripped them tightly, her knuckles pressing hard against her skin underneath. "The baby is coming, now," Lori told them, her voice hard and throaty. Maggie nodded briskly; her dad had coached her about how to handle this through out the winter, so she could be a back-up to him and Carol. "You're having the baby here," she instructed the woman, marching towards Lori, trying to keep her face calm and confident. Lori nodded uncertainly and Carl made a sound behind them.

"No! We can't!" He cried, taking a step towards them. Maggie shook her head at him, her eyes darting up to Linney briefly, "Yes we can, and I need you to be calm and help me," she ordered the boy and his eyes widened as he looked over at his mother and nodded. Linney looked almost as terrified and half-turned for the door they'd come through. "I'll go! I'll go get your dad or Carol - " she started, her voice sounding sick with worry. Maggie cut her off, a firm hand to each shoulder, "No, we can't, it's too dangerous, you'll never find your way back." She squeezed Linney's shoulders harder and her green eyes swung up to lock fearfully onto Maggie's. "We can do this, Linney." She got a small nod in return and Maggie moved over to Lori.

They got Lori's pants off and Maggie helped her stand in a more comfortable position, trying to coach her through her breathing. Linney was scrambling over the desks and tables in the room, trying to find a way up to the small windows that were high up on the walls in this strange little utility office. Carl was hovering near the door, his gun drawn; they could all hear the dead moving around through the hallways outside, beneath the louder, jarring, sound of the prison alarm, that was still going off.

Maggie was beginning to think they could do this, that this was going to be ok, when Lori started crying out in a gargled, agonized voice, Maggie bent down and reached between the woman's legs, her fingers coming away covered in bright red blood. "Lori, stop! Don't push!" Maggie cried. Linney leapt off the desk and ran over, grabbing Maggie's hand, demanding to know what was going on, and Maggie turned to her, her bloody hand still raised in the air. Linney's eyes locked on it and she stumbled back a step, eyes wide with horror, glued on Maggie's hand.

Maggie looked up at Lori, who was pasty and unwell, her body getting weaker already as she sank to the ground to rest, before shifting her eyes to Linney. Maggie's mouth worked for a moment, trying to speak, before she said, "Something's wrong."

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"You can't go!" Carl cried, gripping her arm tight enough to hurt, pulling her away from the door. Linney shot a serious look over her shoulder at Maggie, knowing her friend would have preferred she stayed, but understanding why she couldn't. "Carl, I have to, I have to try and get some help, I have to try!" She growled at him, pulling her arm from his grasp. His blue eyes were huge and he was struggling to keep the fear and panic from his face.

"Linney, you can't go out there, you can't! Stay here and help us! I'll go!" He cried and Linney angrily shoved him against the wall. "Carl, we don't have time for this, do you understand? Your mom needs help right now, NOW," he was swallowing reflexively against her growled words and she felt the slightest twinge of guilt for being so mean, before pushing past it. "Maggie has to stay and so do you, you have to protect them, if something comes through that door, it's up to you keep them safe, do you understand?" He nodded at her, his eyes not leaving hers and she took a deep breath.

She spared a glance over her shoulder, at Lori, laying on the floor, blood on her thighs and the floor beneath her. The woman looked so far from the composed friend that Linney had come to love, that it broke her heart. "I'll be back, Lori, I'll get help," she vowed, her voice breaking. Lori nodded and Linney swallowed hard against the sensation that she was never going to see these three again. She turned from Carl and yanked the mop and broom from the door, stepping into the hallway and listening as Carl shut and blocked the door behind her.

Linney moved quietly, pleased the hall was empty for now, and she tried to follow the hallway that seemed the lightest, hoping to follow the light outside of the tombs. She knew very well that she was completely screwed if she ran into more than a couple walkers, and knew very well that she was lost down here, too. _But I have to try_, she thought desperately, Lori's pained face filling her mind. The alarms kept going and going above her as she slunk down the hall, making her feel slightly loopy. They were a sound designed to instill panic and they were absolutely working.

She made a couple more turns, following the light, and realized that she wasn't being led outside, she was being led to a larger mechanical room. By the way the doorway was lit up, Linney figured there were at least a window inside and perhaps other doorways that would lead out from this labyrinthine prison. She pushed the door open and peeked inside, her eyes relieved to take in natural light, instead of straining against the dark. She heard multiple footfalls behind her, back in the tunnels and she swiftly shut the door, gliding across the room quickly, hoping any walkers outside wouldn't find her.

When she reached the back of the room she realized the behemoth machines that formed a wall on one side of the room were generators. "What the hell?" She whispered, edging closer to them, her wide eyes darting between the obviously turned on machines, back to the door, and then back to the machines. She glared at the machines as her jumbled and fear-scrambled mind finally laid out for her what was happening. _Someone turned these on, someone turned on the alarms, on purpose_, she thought, anger starting to cloud her mind. Her eyes ran over and over the machines, trying to figure out how they worked, seeing a lot of big dials, handles, and buttons and cursing herself for being too stupid to know how these things worked.

A sliding footstep behind her alerted her to someone's presence and she spun around, her hand raising her hunting knife instinctively. There was a ragged, filthy, crazed-looking little man standing behind her, his dark eyes locked on her face, his features twisted in confusion and blind anger. "Who the fuck are you? Where's the guy?" He snarled at her, his voice low and furious. Linney swallowed when she realized he had an axe gripped in one hand, a red, metal gas can in the other. "Who?" She asked, her voice coming out squeakier than she would've liked. He snarled and advanced on her, and she darted to the side, trying to sweep around him, hoping to stab him in the back of the head.

He spun to her quickly and surprised her by throwing the gas can with startling accuracy; it hit her in the head and the blinding flash of pain made her shriek and stumble backwards, running into another row of machines and tripping. Her knife fell from her hands as she tried to catch herself and she hit the ground hard on one side, knocking the wind from her lungs. The small, dark man threw himself at her and grabbed her shoulders up from the ground. Before she could even begin to fear what he was doing, he threw her at the wall behind them and she smashed her back, and then her head, against the wall and slumped down it, her vision blurring and narrowing, the pain blooming hideously in her skull.

She barely had time to think about the pain or what the fuck was going on because he picked up the gas can, threw it at her head again, and she was knocked unconscious.

*****Thought? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks - it gives me all the feels :) *****


	120. Chapter 120

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

There were so many gunshots. The sound made fear slice through him like a hot knife, but at the same time, served as proof that not all was lost; their group was a capable one, with brave fighters, maybe they had a chance. _No, no, there's too many!_ His warring emotions tore him apart as he raced along the fenced pathway, his feet tearing up huge sprays of gravel as he made for the gated guard tower, that would let him into the grassed yard, and up to the courtyard.

He could hear Daryl, breathing hard behind him, as he raced along with Rick. Daryl had screamed at Glenn to stay and close the hole in the fence that they'd just used, and Rick could hear the far away panting breaths of the younger man as he ran to catch up with the two of them, now that the fence was secure. Rick reached the guard enclosure, where Axel and Oscar were pacing and stalking about, locked in and unable to help. A small piece of that made it through the thick fog of panic in Rick's mind, that these two men wanted to help, wanted to help the people who were just about to cast them out.

Glenn threw Rick the keys and he hurriedly unlocked the gates, jamming the keys into his pocket and running again, Daryl at his side, crossbow at the ready. There were easily 20 walkers in the courtyard, though Rick couldn't see where they had possibly gotten into the enclosed area. He brought his gun up and began to shoot, his fury making every shot hit true. The familiar twang of the crossbow sounded, and then the grunts and curses as Daryl fought with his hunting knife. Glenn's short breaths and cries of exertion sounded slightly behind them as he and his machete tore into the walkers in his way.

"Where are they? Lori?! Carl?!" Rick yelled, as he spun around, trying to see all angles of the courtyard. He couldn't figure out where the hell the walkers had gotten in from, and there was no sign of Lori, Carl, Maggie, Linney, T-Dog or Carol. "Rick! Rick!" He heard Beth's voice calling him and ran to it, to the spot where she and her father were hiding. "Rick, that gate, it was open," she cried, gesturing at the far gate, "T-Dog got it shut, but he got bit!" Rick felt like a huge rush of sound was sucked out of the air around him, realizing what that meant, that not everyone was going to be ok. Glenn pushed past Rick, on his way to inspect the gate and Daryl charged forwards a few steps, nearer to Beth and Hershel.

"Where? Beth, where did they go?" He demanded, his gravelly voice strained. Rick was nodding dumbly, thinking of the word 'bite' in connection to his wife or child. Beth pointed at the stairway to their cellblock. "Maggie and Linney took Carl and Lori in there, I don't know where to," she paused and pointed back at the lower door to cell block D, closer to the gate Glenn was currently cursing at and kicking. "T and Carol went in that door after he was bit." Daryl took in a huge breath, nearly snorting it in through his nostrils and Rick looked over at him and put a hand on his arm to stop him from immediately charging to their cellblock.

"That chain was cut or chopped, not broken by walkers," Glenn's voice was furious and low, and Rick blinked at him rapidly, trying to process that. "Someone did it, on purpose, Rick," Glenn added. Daryl growled something under his breath and took a threatening step towards Axel and Oscar, who were standing anxiously by the entrance to the courtyard, each looking ill at ease. "Think they did it?" Glenn asked, worriedly, and Rick tightened his jaw, wishing to god they had just shot all the prisoners days ago. "Who else?" He spat out between clenched teeth.

Daryl shook his head and made to march over to the prisoners but the sudden ear-splitting peal of the prison alarm froze them all in place.

"What the hell is that?" Glenn cried, looking around wildly, trying to pinpoint where the panic-inducing wail was coming from. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Daryl yelled, his voice infuriated. He pulled his gun and began to shoot at the speakers high on the walls around them. Rick felt his stomach sinking rapidly and waved his hands at Beth and Hershel. "Get down!" he warned them, and when they were tucked away from the wall, he fired on the speakers there.

"This is gonna pull so many walkers!" Glenn moaned, as they slowly began to realize that the few speakers here did nothing to prevent the alarm from sounding. "It's a great big, goddamn dinner bell, is what it is," Daryl growled, as he started angrily towards the prisoners. Rick stomped after him and pulled his gun on them, shouting, "How the hell can this be happening?!"

Oscars hand came up in surrender, immediately, as did Axel's, vaguely reminding Rick that they had no weapons. "Whoa whoa!" They both shouted back, their faces finally sagging into fearful ones. Oscar especially had a regretful look on his face, and Rick blinked blankly for a moment at the expression, startled by how close the expression was to one Carl had down pat. The "I didn't do anything but I'm still going to be blamed, crap" expression. Oscar swallowed hard and Rick locked his eyes on the man, glaring daggers at him.

"It has to be the back-up generators - there's three that're connected to a diesel tank, each one controls a certain part of the prison - but the guards shut em all off when the prison was overrun!" Oscar hurried to explain what might be happening and Daryl was nodding at him, his own narrow-eyed glare still locked on his face. Rick looked uneasily down to the fences surrounding the prison, the big gates at each guard tower. He realized that the wailing alarms were pulling in a lot of walkers and a spike of fear rippled from his head to his toes

"Could someone open the main gates electronically with full power?" He asked, the insistence in his voice coming out as a growl. Daryl cursed next to him and even Glenn started to clench his teeth. He knew that both of them were thinking his thoughts. Someone from that cursed other group, the fuckers who chased them all winter, had found them, somehow sneaked in, and were sabotaging everything to take them down. If those gates were opened electronically, the yard and courtyard would be flooded with walkers and they would be trapped and destroyed.

Oscar looked to be thinking about Rick's question seriously, and Rick grew suddenly impatient, and jammed his gun in the man's forehead, snarling wordlessly at him. "I only worked in there a few days, I guess it might be possible!" Oscar cried defensively and angrily. Daryl caught Rick's eye, his teeth so tightly clenched that Rick could see the muscles all up the side of his face straining against the pressure.

Rick grabbed a firm handful of Oscar's jumpsuit, at his shoulder, and hauled him along after him as they made for cellblock C, Daryl behind him dragging Axel. "Come with us." Rick growled at them both.

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Daryl was livid. He wanted to get his bare hands on the people that did this and tear them apart. _Fuckin' chased us all fuckin' winter, how'd they find us?_ He heaved the dead body he had pinned to the wall with his knife, to the ground, the muscles in his arm bunching and moving under his dirty, sweaty skin. "Fuck," he hissed, looking back to see Glenn slam his machete down so hard into a walker's head that the skull was torn almost entirely in half. The younger man's frustration and fury was plain on his face, but when Daryl turned to Rick, he saw that and so much more.

Rick's face was a white, blood-splattered mask, tight with anxiety, fury, worry, fear, unbridled rage, and panic. Daryl was worried for Linney, it was a burning lump in the centre of his chest, but whatever Rick was experiencing made Daryl feel like his concerns were paltry in comparison. Their cell block had been swarming with walkers, and the three of them tore into them like it was nothing. Axel and Oscar, trying to be useful, had run upstairs, looking into each cell, while Glenn and Daryl did the same on the bottom floor, and there was no sign of the women and Carl.

"They were never in here," Daryl said, speaking in a hard voice to Rick, seeing Rick's features loosen slightly in relief. "That means they're in the tombs," Glenn spoke up, and Rick's face shut down again. They had seen the door to the tombs hanging open slightly, on their way into the cellblock, and they had all cursed and Daryl had silently prayed that the four of them hadn't gone down into that pit of darkness and death.

"We need to get those fucking alarms off!" Rick yelled, grabbing Axel around the neck and shoving him at Glenn. "You two go that way!" He yelled at them, pointing to the hallway at their right. Rick looked at Daryl briefly before grabbing Oscar's arm tightly, "You come with us, and whoever gets there first turn those goddamn things off!" Everyone nodded and they moved off quickly. Lights were flickering weirdly in the cells they passed, like an electrical storm trapped underground. They moved quickly and quietly, looking in cells as they went, letting Oscar silently point in the direction they needed to follow.

The light in the hall they were following grew slightly brighter and Daryl could just make out signs on the walls with various warnings about electricity hazards. _Must be getting close_, he thought. At the last hallway junction leading to the generator room, a pack of about eight walkers all growled in unison at the sight of the three men. Daryl hollered at Rick incoherently, in warning, and they forced Oscar forward, racing the last few steps to the room they needed. They burst into the room and Daryl threw himself against the double doors, holding them closed.

"There, that's them!" Oscar yelled, and leaned his own weight against the doors next to Daryl. Rick nodded once and crossed the room quickly, passing by a wall of machines that blocked off Daryl's view of the back half of this room. Rick jogged past the machines, glanced at the generators to his left and then did a double take when he glanced to his right. "Linney?" He asked in horrified and concerned tones, and Daryl faltered at the door, his eyes trying desperately to see what Rick was seeing, but the machines blocked his view. Rick took a step or two further to his right before shaking his head and shooting Daryl a hard look.

He marched back over to the generators and fumbled with the first one, trying to turn it off. The whole time Rick was at the generator, he was calling back to Linney over his shoulder. "Linney? Sweetheart? Come on! Wake up! Wake up Linney!" Daryl started calling her name too, praying that Rick's attempts just meant she was out of it, or even simply knocked out. Daryl turned back to the door, bracing himself against it as a huge thump almost pushed them both completely open. Oscar grabbed a metal chair and jammed it through his half of the door and stepped away, running over to Rick, to help him with the generators.

A primal, feral, scream from behind the generators had all the men looking up, and Daryl blinked in astonishment when Andrew, the prisoner that Rick was supposed to have locked outside in a pack of walkers, came charging out, swinging a huge bloody axe. He hit Rick and Oscar hard, knocking the gun from Rick's hand and throwing Oscar to the ground, a manic amount of strength in his smaller body. Daryl fought the urge to go help, the surging door preventing him. He could hear smashing and grunting from where he stood but had no idea what was going on.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Oscar got to his feet and grabbed a metal gas can that Andrew had dropped. Daryl realized he meant to throw it and was suddenly sure that they were going to kill Rick. Daryl threw himself back from the door, watching it explode open as some of the walkers behind it burst into the room. He shot off his crossbow, taking one down, and then pulled a knife and swiftly took down three more walkers, before kicking the rest out and slamming the door. With half the amount of walkers pushing at the door, it was no longer at threat of bursting open and he swiftly reloaded the crossbow and spun to Oscar, training it on him; the prisoner had thrown the gas can, but Daryl didn't know at who.

Now, Oscar had a gun and was holding it on the two men before him. Daryl prepared to kill the big man, listening as Andrew urged him to kill Rick, kill Daryl, and kill the girl. It was the small man's undoing, Daryl later reflected. Oscar's face twisted in fury when Andrew suggested he kill the unconscious girl, the same girl who had tried to help him and Axel just this morning. He shot Andrew and immediately flipped the gun to Rick.

Daryl shoved past them both, finally getting Linney in his sights. She had no knives on her and was covered in black streaks of walker blood. She was laying on her side on the ground and he could already seeing swelling and bruising on her face. Laying the crossbow down, he tried to call her name, lifting her head up carefully, checking her for bites and scratches automatically. When he realized she was breathing, it felt like an anvil had been taken off his chest.

"She must have a thick skull," Rick murmured at his side and Daryl grunted, lifting her up in his arms. She came to briefly then, groaning and cursing, but very disoriented, her eyes slitted almost closed. She brought her hands to her face and moaned in pain and then passed out again. Daryl clenched his teeth, and his stomach, and nodded at his crossbow. "Someone pass me that," he growled, and Rick handed it to him, helping him slide it over his shoulder. Oscar grabbed Andrew's axe and turned to the generators, pulling at the levers and finally silencing the alarms. Rick grasped Daryl's arm and started to tow him towards the doors.

"We gotta get out of here, find the rest of them!" He urged, pulling open the doors and, with Oscar, killing the walkers outside. Daryl tightened his grasp on Linney and could already feel slight twinges in his muscles from holding her, after all the fighting and killing he'd already done. Her face was filthy and bloody and tense, even in her unconscious state, and he clenched his teeth harder. _Gotta get you to that old man, get you up outta here_, he thought, taking in the gloomy, shadow-filled halls of the tombs around them. He was surprised with himself when he didn't panic about carrying her, knowing instinctively that Rick and Oscar would help him no questions asked. A look at the big prisoner didn't create the feelings of doubt or worry he'd had before. Linney had been right; Oscar was playing for their team.

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"I mean, this could be anybody doin' this," Axel whined behind him, and Glenn resisted the urge to cuff the man upside the head. "Just shut up," Glenn hissed, "You're gonna pull every walker in the place!" Axel mumbled something and then kept quiet, following Glenn as they slunk down the darkened halls of the tombs. The alarms had finally gone off, and Glenn hoped that meant Rick and his group had found the generator room. _Because my idiot certainly didn't_, he thought angrily, casting another irritated look back at Axel.

The blonde man had led him through the tunnels, mumbling uncertainly to himself the whole time, backtracking, second-guessing, and when they'd stepped out through a destroyed wall with a view of the other, wrecked, half of the prison, Axel had finally admitted he was pretty lost. Glenn had yanked the man angrily back inside, after pausing a moment to grab a metal pipe from the debris at their feet and shoving it into Axel's hands.

"You need a weapon," he insisted, before plunging back into the tombs. They found the generator room by accident, saw the walkers everywhere, and found Andrew, dead, on the floor in the back of the room. He and Axel stared at the body for awhile and then Axel had surprised him by kicking the small man's corpse. "Fucking asshole," he snapped, true anger in his voice, something Glenn found odd coming from the usually mild-mannered prisoner. They left the room and slunk through the halls yet again.

When they were approaching the last junction of the hall they were in, Glenn held a hand up to Axel, signalling he needed to be ready and quiet; Glenn could see shadows moving along the wall up ahead, indicating the presence of walkers. Weapons raised, they moved closer and prepared to attack, stopping short seconds before swinging at Rick, Daryl, and Oscar. The big man was carrying Linney like a child in his arms and Glenn blinked at the sight. "What happened?" He hissed, moving worriedly to her, peering down into her battered face.

"Andrew," Daryl rasped, the fury in voice leaving no room to misunderstand how he felt about the whole thing. Glenn nodded and they continued down the hall. When they turned the last corner, the light from the exit in sight up ahead, Glenn felt torn; they'd turned off the alarms, killed the one causing all their problems, but hadn't found anyone besides Linney. _God, Maggie, where are you?_ He thought desperately, his heart clenching hard in his chest. When they saw two walkers, bent over a corpse on the ground, eating languidly, Glenn's gorge rose, filling his throat and mouth with acidic bile. He recognized the shirt the corpse was wearing.

"Oh T-Dog, no," Rick moaned quietly up ahead, and Daryl quickly and viciously killed the walkers on their friend's body. They all stood for a moment before Oscar cleared his throat, shifting Linney in his arms. He looked at Daryl and said, "She needs your doctor." Daryl snapped out of it and moved quickly for the exit door. He shoved it open and checked the yard, making sure it was clear, and ushered everyone out. As Glenn was passing the threshold, he looked down and saw a scarf on the ground. He picked it up and carried it out into the light.

"Fuck," Daryl murmured, his voice pained. Rick stepped towards them and looked at the item in Glenn's hand, his face twisting again.

"That's Carol's," Rick said sadly, and Glenn felt his stomach twist in grief. _How many more are we gonna lose?_

***** Poor T... don't hate me guys, I know a lot of people thought T's death was senseless, but I always thought it was the best death on the entire show - heroic and selfless, how many other people actually got to go out in such a blaze of glory? As I've hinted in a couple PM's, some people are going to die, so others can live... I have a grand plan for everything :) Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks! *****


	121. Chapter 121

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"She's not bleeding, and nothing looks broken," Hershel told him, and Daryl closed his eyes as the relief rolled through him. The old man had climbed out of the cage he and Beth were hiding in as soon as he saw them approaching. Oscar had carried her over to the bleachers and lay her out on one of them, so Hershel could examine her better.

Hershel chuckled a little and Daryl turned surprised eyes to him. The older man adjusted his position on his crutches and put a heavy hand on Daryl's shoulder, smiling slightly. "This young lady has a resilient body, and a remarkably hard skull, I'd say," Hershel reassured him, and Daryl managed a small smile in reply, the corners of his lips barely turning up. Rick stopped his restless pacing and turned to Hershel and Oscar. "Oscar, I need you to carry her into Hershel's room, so he can take care of her," Rick's voice was stern and instructive, not offering an option to argue. He turned to Daryl, and Daryl narrowed his eyes, knowing what Rick was going to say and not wanting to go with him, but knowing he would, regardless.

"I need you to come with me," Rick said, his voice strained and struggling to remain level. He glanced over at Beth, Glenn, and Axel, adding, "I need you all to come with me, we have to find them." Everyone nodded and Oscar slid his arms under Linney's shoulders and knees, preparing to bring her inside. It was at that moment that they all heard the same strange, unfamiliar sound. A baby was crying. Daryl's head jerked to the sound. Everyone else did too, and he saw Maggie, a bloody little bundle in her arms, coming down the stairs from the cell block, a dead-eyed Carl on her heels.

Everyone around them made the same strangled sounds of denial, each one of them knowing exactly what the sight in front of them meant. Daryl looked over at Rick, the lump in his chest returning and flaring hot, as he read the explosion of pain that bloomed across Rick's weary face.

Lori was dead.

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Linney became aware in fits and starts, the pain in her head making her nauseated. She was in a bed and someone was crying nearby her. She looked over and saw Glenn and Maggie seated on the floor, against the wall, across the cell from where she lay. Glenn caught her eye and moved from Maggie's side, heading to Linney swiftly.

"What? What happened?" Linney said, struggling to sit up. Her memory was like an engine struggling to start, little chunks of past events rippling through her mind's eye each time she tried to rev it up. Lori bleeding, Linney leaving them, the tombs, the small man, Daryl's face tight and worried above her, the big man, Oscar, laying her down on something. Hershel, too, he had been with her, poking at her head and murmuring something in his soft drawl. "Glenn? Ow..." She sat up fully with Glenn's help, and he slid a pillow behind her back, leaning her against it. His dark eyes were worried and sad, his skin pale. Linney looked past him, to Maggie, and her breath suddenly felt thick, and hard to draw.

"Maggie? Please? What happened? Lori?" Linney asked, feeling her eyes starting to prick with tears already, somehow just _knowing_ that their friend was dead. Maggie's eyes were haunted and welling up with tears and she looked at Linney, shaking her head, before putting her face in her knees and crying. Linney swallowed hard, her mouth working to say something, _anything_, as she turned to Glenn, one of her hands flapping uselessly against his arm.

Glenn looked at Maggie and then back to Linney, lines of pain etched across his features. "I tried..." Linney started, her voice tiny and hurting, "I left, Glenn, I tried... I wanted to get Hershel or Carol, to help... I tried!" He nodded at her sympathetically and Linney turned away, her face stinging as she tried to hold back her upset. _Oh Lori, Lori no_, she thought, remembering her last horrifying images of the woman she had come to love like family. A glance back at Maggie and Glenn broke her heart further, knowing she was not alone in the feeling.

After crying silently for a few minutes, Linney finally sucked back a sob and looked over at Glenn, who had an arm around Maggie and a hand resting on Linney's knee, trying to comfort them both at the same time. "How?" She asked him, her voice cracking. Glenn gave her a really pained expression and shook his head at her. "Lin, don't torture yourself, you don't need to know," he replied softly, and Linney starting shaking her head, harder and harder, before the word exploded past her lips again, this time in a pained shout. "HOW?!"

Maggie flinched and met Linney's eyes, her lips trembling, and Glenn opened his mouth to explain, but Maggie spoke first. "You left, and it got worse, Lori was in agony, the baby was going to die," Maggie said, her voice impassioned, "Lori begged me, ordered me, to get the baby out, even though... even though that meant...meant...," Maggie couldn't finish and Linney swallowed at the disgusting amount of bile rising in her throat.

"Maggie used a knife, did an emergency c-section, got the baby out," Glenn informed her quietly, and Linney swung her legs off the bed and put her head in her hands, her mind only to happy to provide her with a gruesome mental image. "Carl had to..." Glenn didn't finish and Linney felt like every organ in her body was trying to break through her skin all at once, like her she was going to fly to pieces. "No," she moaned, knowing exactly what he meant. All at once she got to her feet and stumbled over Glenn's legs, moving out the door. She heard Glenn's startled voice behind her, "Linney! Wait!", but Linney ran out of the cell, realizing numbly she had been in Hershel's room. She barely paused when she saw Hershel, Beth, and Daryl crowded into Lori and Rick's cell, the small noises in there informing her barely aware mind that the baby was alive.

Linney didn't care, in that moment all she cared about was Carl, finding Carl. Daryl's startled voice joined Glenn's, when he realized she had just staggered past him. Linney moved quickly into the open eating area and finally found Carl, sitting alone on one of the seats. Axel and Oscar sat against the wall on the far side of the room from the boy. Carl was sitting in the seats nearest to the gate that lead to the tombs, staring at the door, barely blinking, not moving.

"Carl?" She choked out, and he turned his eyes to look at her, before moving them back to the door. Linney felt a wave of sickness inside her, trying to keep herself together as she charged towards him. She startled him, when she sank to her knees next to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He growled and shoved at her, resisting, but Linney only pulled at him, dragging him off his seat, to the ground next to her, clutching him.

"Linney, fuck off," he muttered defensively, his voice cracking. Linney shook her head and began to repeat the same thing over and over again. "I'm so sorry, Carl, I'm so sorry, I wasn't fast enough, I'm so sorry," her voice was low and quiet and pained. Carl fought, pushing at her arms, trying to force her away, but she wouldn't let go, and finally he stopped and his breath grew shuddery. His sheriff's hat fell from his head when she pulled him to her shoulder. "It's ok, buddy, don't go away, don't lock it up," she told him, afraid that if he remained stoic, remained closed off, his grief, anger, and sadness would tear him apart on the inside, destroying the boy he used to be. Her insistent, fierce hug seemed to break through the hardened fog around him; the simple act of affection letting him slide back into being a child.

"She's gone, Lin," he said tiredly, as he cried silently into her neck, "I had to, I had to..." Linney gripped his hair and hugged him tighter. "You did the right thing, the thing she would've wanted," Linney told him, and he nodded against her shoulder. Linney could feel the skin on her shoulder and neck getting slick and sticky from tears and snot, but didn't stop, just gripped him like he might be torn away if she let go, and he let her. "My dad, Lin, he's so... he went in the tombs, he said he had to find her, bring her back to us," Carl whispered, his voice cracking again.

"He's ok, he'll be fine," Linney soothed the boy, and they sat there, Linney letting him cry, letting him rail against the unfairness of his mother's death, let him get angry, pensive, worried, and sad. She just gripped him tightly, anchoring him to the ground with a physical presence, forcing him to get it all out, let him lose it completely as they sat on the hard, cold floor of the eating area. She was determined that he would feel this, feel it all, not lock it away, no matter how painful it might be. Images of her father, losing his mind, even years after her mother's death, were filling her head. _He buried it under a mountain of drugs and drink, never let himself feel it, and he never came back_. Thoughts of Andrea trying to kill herself after Amy's loss, Jim going insane after his family's death. _That's not going to happen to Carl_, she thought determinedly, _he has to come back from this._

When Carl's head got heavy against her shoulder, she realized he was asleep and lifted her head, turning around to see if maybe Oscar was still there, if he could carry Carl to his cell. She was startled to find the room was darker now, that the sun had set. The only person in the room was Daryl, seated two tables away, staring at her. She couldn't muster up a smile for him. "Can you get him to his room? Is everyone still in there?" She asked him softly, and he nodded and then shook his head. "Baby's in with Beth and Hershel," he said, his gravelly voice calming down the part of her that still wanted to fly to pieces. "Rick's still gone," he added. Linney's tongue darted out to wet her lips and she nodded at Carl.

"Get him to his room," she told him. Daryl got to his feet, making his way over and helping her get Carl up off the ground, eventually slinging the boy up and half over his shoulder. Linney followed them, her hand latched onto the back of Daryl's shirt as she walked with him. They got to the Grimes family's cell and Daryl put the boy on the bottom bunk carefully. Carl woke up for a minute then, and blinked sleepily at Linney as she sat by his feet, pulling off his boots and gun holster.

"Linney?" He asked, his voice sounding as quiet and childlike as she'd ever heard it, and she turned to him, a sad smile on her face. "What's up buddy?" She replied softly, and his eyes looked past her, to Daryl hovering in the doorway, and then back to her. "Stay here with me please?" His request gave her a physical pain in her chest and she nodded at him, patting his foot.

"I will, buddy, I just have to talk to Daryl, right outside, and then I'll come in here," she reassured him, her head spinning from her injuries and from everything that was happening. He nodded and closed his eyes tightly, as if trying to keep out the mental images she was pained to know would be swirling in his mind's eye for the rest of his life. Daryl's hand closed around her upper arm and he pulled her up and out of the room. They moved a few paces away, and she looked up at him, trying to think of what to say.

"I'm sorry," he began, his voice so low and gruff she barely caught the words. Linney looked away from his gaze, unsure of how to respond to that. His hand came up hesitantly to her face, as if he wasn't sure he was allowed to, and she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. "It doesn't matter now," she replied quietly, and finally looked up at him. His features were locked down hard, like he was trying to understand something. "It does matter," he said, the intensity of his tone surprising her. "I thought," he began, pausing for a moment, the hand on her face tightening slightly, "I thought you were dead, when we found you, for a second, I thought he'd killed you." His words were spoken like a confession, like he expected to be reprimanded for his feelings. Linney lowered her brow, glaring at him slightly.

"Well, I wasn't, it's ok, forget any of it ever happened," she tried to reassure him, and his hand dropped. He turned from her, pacing away and then hurrying back to her, anxiety on his features. "I can't," he responded, his accent strong on the two words. "Ya looked at me like, like a fuckin' monster, then everything..." He glared at her, "I thought ya died, thinkin' I was a murderer, thinkin' the worst of me, died hatin' me." She blinked at him, not sure what to say. "N' I feel like shit, cause yer here, alive, and Lori," he paused, his eyes moving to the cell where Carl was sleeping, "Rick's a good man, and them kids deserve better than to have 'er dead, but she died anyways." Understanding seeped into her mind suddenly and she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his chest and locking her hands behind his back, not letting him move away.

"What? You thought you weren't a good man? That you don't deserve to have me live?" She asked him, her voice little more than a whisper. He didn't nod, but she knew she had hit the nail on the head. "I'm so fuckin' lucky," he told her, his voice frustrated, "What happens when that runs out? When whoever the fuck is up there realizes that I don't deserve to be so damn lucky?" She shook her head at him. "You're a good man," she told him firmly, and he looked at her like she was crazy. She shook her head and dug her fingers into his back, gripping his shirt in a stranglehold. "I know why you and Rick made the decision you did, I know it, and I know you're a good man, Daryl," she insisted. His features settled slightly and he leaned down to her, pressing his forehead against hers.

They stood that way for a long time, and Linney realized that they had made peace, but that she would have to work on making him see that he deserved everything good that came his way, because he wasn't going to see it himself. "What else?" She asked him, wanting to know everything that had happened. His face twisted painfully and her stomach sank like a rock, knowing the bad news wasn't done. "Who else?" She managed, squeezing her hands on his arms tightly. "Tell me, please, just all at once," she pleaded, and he closed his eyes for a second, his pale and dirty face twitching into a hard expression, almost like he was mad at her.

"Carol," he managed, before adding, "And T." Linney's eyes went wide and she nodded dumbly, swaying on her feet a little as her grip on him grew panicky. Her lips were twitching and she started to cry again, pulling herself closer to him to bury the noise in his shirt, so he wouldn't have to see or hear her crying. She knew he felt sad, helpless, grieved, and pained, as much as she did, but she knew he wasn't demonstrative, didn't know how to emote properly, and didn't want to make it harder on him by forcing him to process her own emotions as well.

He closed his arms around her and his hug was tight, almost squashing her. But she said nothing. They clung to each other in the dark for a long time, until she felt like her face might break if she kept crying into him. His shirt was soaked in tears and snot now and she felt a mild twinge of embarrassment before it was buried by the avalanche of grief that didn't seem willing to let her feel much else yet. Daryl turned her around and pushed her back into the room with Carl. She sat on the bottom bunk and shoved Carl over, who was curled into a ball on his side, looking smaller than he really was. Linney spared another glance at Daryl and he pointed at the top bunk.

"I'll be up there," he told her, his voice deep and rough. She nodded gratefully and curled herself around Carl, hugging him tightly, trying to give him comfort even in his sleep, hoping foolishly that if she hugged him hard enough she could fix everything that was hurting him.

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The next morning dawned and everyone was trying their best to bury their grief and hide their feelings. The amount of work for them all to do was staggering, and Linney knew that all of them were aware that there would have to be time to grieve later, they didn't have the luxury right now. Axel and Oscar were collecting walker bodies, bringing them to the burn pile, starting the task before anyone else was even awake; the ease and speed with which they were accepted into the fold spoke to how fully everyone acknowledged them as good guys, and their actions only further proved it.

Beth had spent the morning feverishly cleaning blood off of every surface in the cell block, still at it now, refusing to allow anyone to help her. Linney had heard the girl, arguing with herself as she scrubbed until her knuckles were red and raw. Beth blamed herself for T-Dog and Carol dying, calling herself a coward over and over again under her breath. Linney wondered if she should force herself on the girl as well, but decided that Beth needed to work it out her own way, for now.

Maggie was wrapped up in her bed, apparently lost in the horror of her memories, refusing to talk to anyone. Linney knew that her friend thought she had killed Lori, that she should have been able to save the woman, and was buried under feelings of guilt so heavy that Linney was at a loss.

Carl was reflexively cleaning his gun, over and over again, in his cell. He wouldn't talk to anyone, but he was receptive to Linney, when she hugged him, or brushed his hair off his forehead. His blue eyes leaked tears the entire time, but she left him to his task, so he could process his thoughts the best way he knew how. After Hershel had checked the boy out, he and Daryl agreed that he should be left alone for awhile, as well. He had slept fitfully, having nightmares all night, clutching nearly painfully at Linney several times, crying out before she was able to calm him down and reassure him that he was safe. She knew he felt alone, nearly orphaned, that he needed and wanted his father, but was seeking the comfort he could from the rest of his so-called family, them being better than nothing.

Rick was still gone, not yet returned from his trip into the tombs to hunt for his wife's corpse. Glenn had left first thing in the morning to try and find him, and hadn't returned yet either. Linney tried not to be worried as she watched Daryl move around, giving orders, arranging care for everyone, planning out the day. _Rick will come back, he has to, we need him_.

Hershel and Daryl had started the day checking on everyone, arranging tasks for those who were capable and discussing plans for the coming days with each other. After her last round of checking on the three people grieving hard in the cellblock, Linney had found the two men in the eating area, with the baby.

"God, she's really small, is that normal?" Linney asked, her voice dripping with concern. Hershel chuckled, his eyes following Daryl's movements with the infant. The gruff man had the baby cradled easily in his arm, feeding her, and Linney was absolutely transfixed watching him. His eyes would dart over to hers every couple minutes and his expression was soft and gentle. _Well, looks like another girl stole his hear_t, Linney thought, smiling a little at the sight. "Sure ya don't wanna hold her?" Daryl asked, turning the baby expertly to burp her on his shoulder.

Linney watched him carefully and shook her head wordlessly, turning back to Hershel. "Is she ok?" Linney asked the vet, and he nodded slowly, his features firm and sure. "Yes, she is perfectly healthy," Hershel told her, and Linney looked back at the little baby, her hands and feet impossibly small in the little footy pjs she was wearing, taken from the stash of clothing they'd brought back from the daycare. Daryl moved the baby back to the crook of his arm and sat down at one of the tables. Linney walked to his side and looked down at the baby's little face.

"She doesn't look like anybody yet," Daryl murmured, and Linney looked up sharply, realizing that Hershel had left the room and just the two of them were left with the baby. Linney met his eyes and nodded briefly, before looking back down at the baby. She examined the small face, and the big eyes, on the tiny creature in Daryl's arms and tried to look for a resemblance in her little features. The baby had very dark blue eyes, and Linney felt certain that as she got older, those eyes would be brown. _Doesn't mean she's Shane's for sure_, Linney thought, watching in fascination as the baby's face crinkled up into a yawn, a little line forming between her eyes that reminded her of Carl when he was frustrated.

"I think," Linney began softly, reaching up a tentative finger to run down a small chubby cheek, "She looks like Carl." Daryl grunted and said nothing, his eyes locked on Linney's fingers as she stroked the baby's face. "Her skin is ridiculous," Linney said slowly, awed by how petal soft it was. Daryl snorted and got to his feet, staring hard at her. "Sit," he ordered Linney, and she looked up at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow and sitting down. He bent to her and she realized he meant for her to hold the baby.

Linney tried to get to her feet and back away, but he growled at her again. "Sit, Lin," he ordered again, and she made a face, swallowing hard, and doing as he asked. He put the baby in her arms, murmuring to her how she should hold the little bundle. When the feather light, but somehow firm, little girl was in her arms, Linney sat rigid and unmoving, terrified she would spontaneously flinch and drop her. Or reflexively squeeze too hard and squash her.

"Ain't gonna bite," Daryl murmured to her, and Linney shot a terrified look up at him. He watched her for a moment and then turned away, walking back towards the cells. "Wait!" She called, making the baby's eyes fly open again. He turned to her and nodded towards the courtyard doors with his chin. "We gotta go, gotta get T's body, find Carol's, dig some graves," he told her gruffly, "Gonna get my shit, find Glenn, and get out there." Linney took a huge breath and got to her feet, walking towards him, the baby still in her arms. "Do you need help?" She asked him, and he shook his head.

"Nah, stay here, with the kids and Hershel, Maggie's still in bed, Rick's fucked off, so you need to stay and watch them," he told her, his eyes moving from hers, down to the baby, and then back up to her eyes again. She didn't like the expression on his face. "Stop liking the way this looks," she told him bluntly, and he surprised her by chuckling and shaking his head, walking away from her. Linney watched him go and then looked down at the baby, surprised to see her round eyes locked on Linney's face.

"Well, this is awkward," Linney said to the infant, "You don't know me, and I don't like babies." She began to pace with the little bundle, making her way from one end of the eating area to the other, a slow bounce in each step. The baby pursed her little lips and fluttered her eyelashes at Linney. "Quit flirting, kid, that's not going to win me over," she spoke in a soft voice, and the baby responded by making a strange mewling noise that made Linney's eyes go wide. "Am I hurting you? Is that a 'you're hurting me you stupid fuckwad' cry?"

The baby said nothing in response and they kept pacing together. "You don't even have a name yet," she said quietly, as the baby yawned again, "You're like a stray dog; I don't know what to call you." The baby closed her eyes, her dark lashes fluttering down against her smooth cheeks and Linney studied her, in wonder and fascination. "You're a cute little shithead, I'll give you that," Linney murmured, bending her neck to quickly brush a little kiss against the baby's forehead. She heard a noise and looked up, saw Glenn and Daryl staring at her from across the room, Glenn's face especially amazed, like she'd grown horns. Daryl was just giving her his even, narrow-eyed gaze, but she knew he was equally as surprised.

She was suddenly irritated and stalked past them. "Quit gawping at me like a couple of backwater yokels," she snapped at them, making her way back to Hershel's room with the little girl. She ignored the quiet chuckles from the men she flounced past and reminded herself that babies were shit disturbers. She felt something tighten in her chest as she looked down at the little lump sleeping in her arms.

_My shit is definitely disturbe_d.

***** OK, I can almost feel the hate for killing Lori, especially since I like to think my Lori was a lot more likable than show Lori... but, as with Sophia and Amy, Lori's death was a HUGE catalyst for Rick and Carl's characters, forcing a change upon them that made them who they become... Linney's involvement will change things a bit, especially for Carl, but I intend to show some Rick POV soon, so we can really climb into his head and wallow with him for a bit... because he and Lori were absolutely not the Lori and Rick on the show... will that make him more crazy? Less crazy? Will her death hit people harder? Less? **

**Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks! *****


	122. Chapter 122

***** This chapter is a little bit sad, but after everything that's gone down, it's to be expected and I felt it would be unrealistic of me to just skate over the kind of grief that people would feel in this situation... no worries, in a couple chapters things get all action-packed and complicated again haha - Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

When the baby was in her bassinet in Hershel's room, Linney sat listlessly on the bed, trying to think of what to do next. After a few minutes of staring blankly at the concrete walls, she was interrupted by a soft sound from the door. Carl stood there, looking nearly shy, meeting her eyes hesitantly. Linney gave him a weak smile, taking in his pale face and red eyes. She held a hand out to him.

"C'mere, bud," she murmured, and he moved to her side, sitting next to her and staring into the bassinet. "She's really small," he finally said, his eyes locked on his sister. Linney looked over at him, and nodded. "Hershel says she's healthy as a horse," she told him. The boy nodded, looking between the baby and Linney a few times. "Do you wanna hold her?" Linney asked him softly, and he bit his lip and nodded again. She smiled at him and moved to the bassinet, carefully lifting the baby up, supporting her head the way Daryl had told her to earlier.

She gave the same instructions to Carl that Daryl had given her and placed the warm bundle in his arms. Carl's face softened, into something sweet and enamored. Linney swallowed hard at the sight, and put the back of her hand to her mouth, briefly wondering if she was going soft. "Linney," he said quietly, not looking away from the baby, "She's so perfect." Linney chuckled and sat carefully beside him. "Yeah, she is," she answered him, patting the baby's foot.

"Glenn found my dad," Carl said absently, one of his hands running gently across the baby's forehead. Linney was surprised but tried to keep it hidden. "And? Is he coming back?" She asked him, and Carl shook his head. "Glenn just told me he was safe, and wasn't in any shape to come back yet," the boy informed her. Linney licked her lips and nodded, before asking, "Where was he?" Carl got to his feet carefully and put the baby back in the bassinet, his natural movements with her surprising Linney.

"In the same room where..." his voice trailed off and he scowled, sitting back on the bed. Linney wrapped her arm around him and hugged him tightly. She sat hugging him to her shoulder as they stared at the infant until Carl finally pulled away, his jaw working as he blinked away tears. "Lin, please, go get him, he'll listen to you," Carl pleaded and Linney opened her mouth to protest, but his face was so earnest, so hopeful, that she cracked and nodded, getting to her feet.

"Watch your sister, keep an eye on the joint," she told him, and he nodded. Linney left the cell and made a beeline for her own room, digging around for her ammo, reloading her guns quickly. Her throwing knives were buried in various corpses in the courtyard and she hoped that Oscar and Axel would retrieve them for her while they gathered the bodies up. She dug a flashlight out of Daryl's bag and threw on one of the prison shirts on top of her tank top, leaving the buttons undone down the front. As she was rolling the sleeves up, Beth's voice came from the doorway.

"Where d'ya think you're going?" The girl asked her, her voice sounding nearly harsh. Linney looked up and pressed her lips together. "Mind your business, Beth," she replied. The girl walked into the room and looked down at the box of ammo on the bed, her eyes shifting from it, to the guns at Linney's hips, then up to Linney's face. "Glenn said he wasn't ready to come back," Beth told her, and Linney shrugged. "I know he did, but Carl needs him, and he has the baby to take care of," she responded in a quiet voice, "He doesn't have a choice."

Linney moved to walk past Beth, but the girl put an arm up, blocking the doorway. "It's dangerous, Lin, and stupid, for you to go down there, just leave him be," Beth's voice was firm and Linney pressed her lips together. "No, Beth, I can't, Rick can't be alone, can't do this alone." Linney ducked the girl's arm and made her way down the stairs, Beth on her heels. "Linney! Come on, use your head!" Beth cried, watching as Linney went into the cell the blankets and clothes were in. She grabbed a few sheets, wrapping them into a bundle, tying a rope around them and stringing the rope through her belt, so they wouldn't get in her way.

"Linney!" Beth cried, and Linney looked up at her. "What Beth? Come on! Carl needs him, we all do! And he needs us, whether he wants us or not!" Beth glared at her, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her chin out stubbornly. "Linney, it ain't up to you to fix everyone," Beth told her, and Linney walked right up to her, putting her face in the girl's. "I'm fine, you know? I got my head smacked around, but that's it! Lori... she... I'm going to help that boy and I'm going to help Rick, it's the least I can do!" Linney snarled at her and Beth pressed her lips together tightly.

"What if you get hurt down there? What do I tell Carl then? Daryl?" Beth snapped right back and Linney shoved her away, walking through the cellblock and out into the eating area. "You won't have to tell them anything, because nothing is goin' to happen!" Linney spoke over her shoulder, as Beth followed her to the gate that lead to the tombs. Linney pulled out the keys that Carl had found that day the three of them were scavenging and rattled them around until she found the one she wanted.

"I am so pissed at you right now," Beth said in a quiet, angry voice. Linney turned back and saw Beth's eyes watery and glaring. "Be pissed, that's fine, I've got to do this," Linney replied gently. Beth clenched her teeth and tossed her head, turning away and storming back into the cellblock. Linney paused, sighing, before unlocking the doors and heading into the tombs.

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He sat in absolute ruin. His head swam with memories, regrets, and anger. Her face filled his mind, his last image of her, smiling, waving, laughing, _living_. He didn't think he could cry anymore, didn't think his body would let him. Surrounded by the evidence of her death, he couldn't think, couldn't move. Her boots and pants lay on the ground next to him, one of his hands wrapped so tightly around a small boot that he knew he would have deep, red bruising on his palm.

Blood everywhere, parts of her, pieces of her, everywhere. The monster that had torn her apart lay dead, several feet away, and he knew that he should gather up the remains, to bury her, to give closure to himself, to Carl, to everyone who loved her. But he couldn't move, and he found himself wishing he could just die, just spontaneously die. _I promised to keep her safe, always keep her safe_, he thought, the words tearing a hot streak through his brain, over and over again. The unending burn of her absence tore at him, and he wondered if he was broken now, ripped asunder by his grief.

He wanted to hold her, feel her, kiss her, talk to her, tell her again and again that he loved her, that he couldn't take a single breath anymore without feeling sick with grief, that he would trade anything, _any part of himself_, just to have her back. His body surprised him, giving him more tears, when he thought the well had already run dry. His head hung to his chest and he cried silently, giving himself over to the grief, begging his body to make it hurt, make it agonizing, just so he could be distracted.

A sound barely broke through his fog, and he was dimly aware that footsteps had entered his space and he found himself wishing it was a walker. "Rick?" The soft voice that called his name was not the voice he was aching to hear and he looked up, blearily staring through watery vision at the person who was lowering themselves into a crouch in front of him. "Rick?" The voice was more hesitant this time and a hand gripped his arm lightly.

"Please, Rick, answer me," she urged him, and he blinked several times, clearing the moisture in his eyes and meeting the green-eyed gaze that was locked on his own. He opened his mouth to speak, and then snapped it shut, not wanting to bother. She sank to her knees between his splayed legs, and put a hand to his face, carefully, like he might bite. "Rick?" She asked for a third time, and he finally swallowed and answered her. "Go away, Linney," he replied. She nodded slowly and looked around the room, her features twisting spastically as she drank in their surroundings.

He watched as she untied a cord of rope at her waist, releasing several sheets there. He watched as she got to her feet and moved away, laying a sheet out. He watched as she started to cry, great big gasping sobs, retching and choking, as she gathered up the bloody, ruined pieces of his life, laying them carefully on the sheets. For several minutes, he watched her move around the small room, pausing every now and then to clutch at her stomach or her face, in pain or panic from what she saw or touched. She spent time tenderly wrapping everything up, swiftly tying together the edges of the sheets, creating a bundle that she pulled out of his view. Another sheet was thrown over the walker, yet another used to cover up the huge splotch of blood on the floor.

She wiped her hands on her pants and moved back to him, kneeling in front of him again, her eyes taking in his position, flopped like a ragdoll against the wall. "Rick, please, come with me," she said, her voice more halting and choking now than it had been before, her task having stripped something out of her. He met her eyes and wondered at her ability to do what she'd just done. Her eyes darted down to the boot in his hand and she reached for it. He frightened her, he knew, when he jerked his arm away and brought his other arm up, shoving her away from himself, violently. She tumbled backwards and caught herself on her elbows.

Her wary eyes met his again and she pulled herself up, sitting composedly on the floor a couple feet away now, out of his arm's reach. "Carl," she said, his son's name breaking through some part of his mind, "Carl needs you." His mouth dropped open and he nodded vaguely, looking around. "He's hurting Rick, he needs you, needs to know he isn't alone," she explained softly. Rick shook his head numbly, gesturing feebly at the room. "I... I have to..." he stopped and looked up at her. "Rick, come with me, let's take Lori back, she deserves to rest with T and Carol," she told him, and he nodded slowly, but didn't move. "Rick, please, she shouldn't be in here anymore, she deserves to be where everyone can say goodbye properly," Linney pressed, and he lurched to his feet with a suddenness that had the girl skittering back quickly, afraid of him.

He dropped the little boot and reached for Linney, grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet. She swallowed hard and pulled her arm from him, her eyes searching his face for something. He didn't know what she might find, he felt dead, dead inside, and blank outside. But she surprised him, wrapping her arms around him and clutching him to her with a strength he didn't realize she had. She didn't say anything, but she yanked his head down to her shoulder, pressing a hand to his hair. "I'm sorry Rick, I'm sorry," she whispered and he felt something inside of him crack open and spill everywhere. He pressed his face into her shoulder and realized after a moment that he was crying, sobbing for Lori, sobbing for Carl, sobbing for the baby that would never see those beautiful dark eyes smile at it.

At the thought of the baby, he realized he didn't even know if it was a boy or girl. His mind moved past the newborn, to Carl, imagining what was happening to his boy right now, how he must be hurting. "Carl," he managed, and Linney pulled away, putting a hand to his face, one side of her mouth pulling up into a small smile. "He needs you, but he's tough, you guys can get through this, but you have to come back, he needs to do this with you," her voice was soft and firm and he nodded. She took his hand and squeezed it. "Daryl and I can come back later," she spoke carefully, and he realized she was talking about the pitiful little sheet-wrapped bundle that held all that remained of his wife.

Rick shook his head, adamant, a familiar stubbornness flowing through him. "No, NO," he insisted, bending and carefully picking up the bundle on the floor, feeling his face sag again. Linney nodded and stepped away, making her way to the door, leading him through the tombs, through a side door that deposited them in the courtyard. She grabbed a couple shovels from the pile of tools laying by the C Block stairwell and he followed her out to the grassy yard.

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He saw her emerge first, Linney's face set tightly and determinedly, and he felt a flash of irritation, knowing she had been in the tombs. She didn't look his way, and when Rick stepped out after her, his arms clutching a bloodied bundle, Daryl felt sick. Linney grabbed shovels and Rick followed her, as they walked towards the yard. He moved to follow them, but she knew he was there and shook her head. He waited until they were half-way across the yard, before trailing after them, Glenn in his wake.

He looked over at the younger man and the stricken look he saw there made him legitimately ill. He clapped a hand to Glenn's shoulder, squeezing for a moment, not meeting his eyes, before he strode further out into the yard, sitting in the tall grass to watch. Rick put the bundle down and quietly took a shovel from Linney and they both began to dig. "Should we help them?" Glenn whispered quietly, and Daryl watched Linney's face, sweaty and strained, her eyes flickering over to Rick every few seconds. "No," he finally responded, shaking his head, "Let 'em do this."

Glenn was quiet for a moment and then walked away, quickly. He returned with two more shovels. "We need to bury T, and Carol, when we find her," he said firmly, his eyes red. Daryl stared at the shovel thrust in his face and slowly wrapped his hand around it, nodding firmly. "Fine," he replied gruffly, climbing to his feet. They approached the dirty pair working feverishly and Linney shot him a hard look. He shook his head at her, moving a couple feet away and beginning on a grave for Carol. Glenn worked next to him, angrily digging a grave for T. The four of them were quiet as they worked and before long, Daryl realized they had company.

Hershel was being helped by Oscar and Axel, slowly across the field. Beth was carrying the baby, Maggie at her side, as they walked towards them, and behind them all was Carl, the boy's face tight and controlled, obviously working hard to hold it together. Daryl couldn't look at the pained little face any longer and moved back to digging the grave for the kind woman he had considered a friend. When Rick and Linney were done, Rick moved to place the bundle in the ground, and Carl rushed forward suddenly, shoving past Maggie and then Linney, hard enough that Linney almost fell backwards into the grave she'd just finished working on. Daryl moved quickly, his arm flashing out and catching her.

She shot him a grateful look and stepped towards him, leaning back against his chest. He put a hand on her shoulder blade and he could feel her heart beating fast and hard from there. Carl worked with his father to lower the bundle in the grave and then the boy took the shovel from Linney, helping to scoop the dirt back on top of his mother. While they were working, Glenn ran off, back to the dogrun, and when he returned clutching bundles of wood, Daryl knew why. The younger man knelt to the sticks, arranging them and then bit his lip and looked around, trying to find a way to bind them.

Linney pulled away from Daryl then and pulled at the rope at her waist and he watched as she and Glenn pulled it apart and used small pieces to create three crosses. Linney yanked a knife from her waist, pushing one at Glenn, and taking one for herself. They both bent over the crosses and began to scrape at them. By the time Lori was buried, Linney had her cross ready, and walked to the head of the grave, stabbing the marker firmly in the ground. Daryl moved to Oscar and Axel and spoke quietly to them and the men jogged back to the courtyard, returning a few minutes later, carrying what was left of T-'s wrapped body between them.

Everyone was still silent, as Daryl and Glenn lowered T into his grave and then buried him, Linney placing his marker as well. She hesitated, Carol's marker in her hands and looked up at him, her pretty eyes troubled and sad. He shook his head at her, answering her unspoken question; they hadn't found Carol yet. He took the marker from her and stepped forward, jabbing it into the ground at the top of the hole they'd dug for her. He saw Glenn move to Maggie, enveloping her in a hug, and he glanced over to Linney, who was standing alone, off to the side, and he moved quickly to her, pulling her into his side and pressing a hand to the side of her head, holding her to his chest.

No one spoke, but they all silently shared the moment, and to him that felt somehow more profound than any speeches. The markers labelled the beginning of their little graveyard and the names scrawled on them were ones that he'd honestly never thought he'd have to see in this way. _T-Dog. Carol. Lori._ They broke apart and moved back up to the cellblock when the baby began to cry.

***** I'm going out of town tonight for the weekend, guys, so I probably won't get a chance to update until Monday morning, hope this tides you over! Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks*****


	123. Chapter 123

**** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

The baby was hungry and as they all stood awkwardly gathered around the eating area, Linney kept her eyes trained on Rick. He was staring at the baby like he didn't understand what it was. Daryl took the baby from Beth, as the girl went to mix up a formula bottle and she saw Maggie smiling in surprise at the sight of the rough and tumble man easily cuddling the little girl. The baby was crying, but softer now, already seeming at home in Daryl's arms. Linney sat across the table from Rick, Carl at her side. The boy hadn't gone to his father yet and she was struggling with trying not to force him to. For now, he was content to lean against her shoulder and grip one of her hands in both of his.

When Beth handed the bottle to Daryl, he began to feed the baby and after a minute or two looked up, meeting everyone's gaze, a silly smile on his face. "You don't got a name yet, do ya sweetheart?" He said, and Carl managed a chuckle. Daryl looked at Rick, and then quickly over to Carl. "Any ideas? We gotta call her something," he said to the boy, and Carl moved away from Linney, to stand in front of Daryl, one of his hands resting on the baby's little arms.

"I was thinking maybe Sophia?" The boy offered tentatively, and Linney watched as Daryl's face was briefly shadowed with the memory. "Or maybe Carol or Andrea," Carl continued, his gaze still locked on his sister, "Then there's Jacqui, Amy, Patricia..." His voice trailed off sadly before he choked out, "Lori." Rick got to his feet and staggered from the room, back to the cellblock. Linney's eyes moved to Hershel's and the older man shook his head at her, silently telling her to stay put. Daryl was smiling grimly at Carl.

"Ya'll can think about it, don't gotta choose right away," he reassured the boy, and Carl nodded, stepping away. Linney got to her feet and wrapped her arms around Carl's shoulders, holding him to her, again trying to squeeze some comfort into him. "Yer ok without a name for now, ain't ya, lil asskicker," Daryl murmured to the baby and his eyes darted up to Linney's, a smile on his face. She smirked back and chuckles rippled through the room. The baby made a little mewling noise and Daryl smiled down at her, "Ya like that, lil asskicker?" Carl finally chuckled, and Daryl looked around the room again, raising his eyebrows at everyone. "Right?"

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"We need to find Carol," Daryl declared, leaning his head back against the wall. Linney was crammed right up against him on the bed and he felt her murmur her assent. They were sitting in their cell, Glenn and Maggie on the floor across from them, Carl on Linney's other side and Beth stretched across their top bunk. He didn't think it had ever been this crowded in the cell before, and for once it didn't really bother him.

"I'm gonna go out tomorrow morning, look again, she can't have gotten far," he added quietly. Glenn looked over at Maggie and then he spoke, "Maggie and I are going to make a run tomorrow, get some more baby formula, maybe some more ammo." Linney shifted slightly next to him and Daryl realized that she was shifting Carl's concrete grip on her hand. "Is it a good idea to go right now?" She asked them, and Maggie nodded firmly.

"I need to... I have to do something, _need_ to go and do something," Maggie said, and Daryl could hear Beth's forlorn little sigh above them. Maggie's eyes darted up to her sister and she gave the girl a sad smile. "You need to stay here, Beth," Maggie informed her, and he could hear Beth beginning to protest. Linney spoke up then, "Beth, I need you here with me, we need to get on the fences, start killing the crowds that gathered."

"Fine," her voice answered crankily from above them. "I want to go out with you tomorrow, to find Carol," Carl said, his tone gruff and upset. Daryl opened his mouth to immediately shoot the idea down, but Linney's hand clenched on his forearm and the look in her eyes, the little shake of her head that she gave him, made him sigh and change his mind. "Fine," Daryl replied, before leaning forward a little bit to look at the boy, "But you run on n' ask Oscar if he can join us, then make sure yer dad's alright with it." Carl muttered his agreement and climbed off the bed, pausing at the doorway to look back at Linney.

The look on his face made Daryl feel awful and he had to glance away. Linney got to her feet and followed Carl out of the room, talking to him quietly a few feet from the door. "I don't want to talk to him," Carl said, his voice angry. "To Oscar? He won't -" Linney was cut off when Carl glowered at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "No, to my dad," the boy was furious, Daryl didn't need to see his face to understand that. Linney glanced back at Daryl, biting her lip and looking out of her depth, and he nodded at her. She and the boy walked away, Linney whispering encouragement to him, and they were soon out of earshot.

"What happens now?" Beth asked quietly, and Daryl shifted around, pushing his back up against a pillow at the head of the bed. There was no answer, and he realized they were waiting for him to provide it. Beth's head popped over the edge of the bed, upside down, her blonde ponytail hanging down like a rope. "Well?" She asked him, and he grimaced, looking down at his hands. "We keep on," he responded in a rasping voice. No one said anything and he cleared his throat. "We gotta keep clearin' the other blocks, close up that breach on the other side of the prison, clean this place up," he added flatly.

Glenn nodded and Maggie rested her chin on her knees, staring at the ground. "We need to finish scavenging the rest of the prison, there are a bunch of places we haven't gone yet," Beth offered in her soft drawl, still hanging upside down, her face a deep red now. Daryl raised an eyebrow at her and gestured towards her with his hand. "Sit up 'fore ya pass out," he snapped at her, and she rolled her eyes, but pulled herself up. "N' yer right, we gotta hit the commissary, find the warden's office, couple other places," he told them. Glenn nodded. "Oscar and Axel should know where most of that stuff is, we can get them to help us," he said, and Daryl nodded at him.

"Beth?" Hershel's voice called to her from downstairs and Beth sighed, sliding down off the bunk and waving absent-mindedly at them all as she left to go downstairs. After a few moments of silence, Daryl looked over at Maggie and Glenn and gestured towards the door. "Get on outta here, need some space," he ordered them gruffly, and had to stifle his laugh when they both rolled their eyes at him at the same time. He sat in their darkening room until Linney returned, shutting their door behind herself. He reached over to the lantern and turned it on, then.

"How's the boy?" He asked her quietly, and she shrugged one shoulder, perching on the little stool across the room. She began to remove her things, leaving everything in a heap on the floor and slid into a clean prison tank top, one of his, the bottom of it hanging to mid-thigh. She sat back on the little stool and pulled her fingers through her hair a few times, as if to brush out the snarls, and he bent to her bag, digging around in it until he found the brush she carried. He moved to the edge of the bed, dropping his feet to the floor and pulling her shirt on the ground over to the space between his legs.

"C'mere," he urged her softly, wiggling the brush a little. She gave him a small soft smile and sat on the ground, her back to him. He began to carefully brush her hair, taking his time and moving slowly, gently. "What happened today?" He asked her, his voice low and quiet. She didn't say anything for a long while, and just when he'd decided that he wouldn't push it, she spoke. "I've never... I mean... Lori was... she was barely left, you know?" Her voice was a pained and choked whisper, and Daryl paused his brushing, putting together the pieces in his head.

"Walker?" He asked, and she shrugged. "Carl shot her, so she wasn't one, but one of them assholes definitely got her," Linney's voice was still soft, but the anger in it was unmistakeable. He kept brushing, not saying anything, knowing that it helped her to talk when he couldn't see her face, for whatever reason. To him it didn't matter, sometimes he felt like he could just look at the set of her shoulders, or the position of her fingers, and know exactly what she was feeling. _Not tellin' her tha_t.

"Rick was just sitting there, in the middle of everything, it was so... so gruesome and sad," she took in a shuddery breath, and he realized she was crying, but he didn't stop brushing. "He looked like a shell, like a husk, it was terrifying, and he was _torturing_ himself, forcing himself to sit there, surrounded by all her parts..." Daryl took in a deep breath, the mental image making him want to pace, or go out and kill something. "So I, I _gathered_... all of her, into the sheet..." She stopped talking and he stopped brushing. His mind was telling him what had happened, what Linney had had to do, and he felt dizzy for a moment. He put the brush down and stared at the back of her head for a couple seconds.

"My head hurts," she said quietly, and he reached out, turned out the lantern, and pulled her up onto the bed, laying her down and pulling her up against his chest while he lay behind her. He'd nearly forgotten about the injuries she'd sustained, she never complained about them, and she had pushed through everything today, like everything was fine. He felt an urge to go back to the generator room and kill Andrew over and over again, but instead he wrapped a hand over her forehead and held her until she fell asleep. As the night grew fully dark, he soon found himself falling into a fitful sleep of his own.

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"Linney?" A voice called her, and she shifted in bed, trying to bury her aching head deeper into her pillows. "Linney?" The same voice called again, and she cracked her eyes open, spying a dark form outlined by her door. "Carl?" She croaked in response, pulling herself up and rubbing at her eyes. "Can I come in?" He asked, his voice defeated sounded. Linney waved a tired hand at him and he walked into her cell, sitting on the edge of her bed.

His head was hanging down, his face drawn and pale in the moonlight that was now shining in through the cellblock windows. "What's goin' on?" Daryl mumbled beside her, his voice deep and throaty with sleep. Linney pressed a hand to his shoulder and spoke quietly, "It's ok, he just wants to talk." Daryl lifted his head up and squinted at Carl's dejected form and he spoke gruffly, "Why ain't ya with yer dad, boy?" Carl turned to look at him, and then back up to Linney.

"He won't talk, he just sits there and stares at me," Carl finally answered, and Daryl grumbled something, before turning on his side and facing the wall. "Go outside n' talk," he growled at them, and Linney got to her feet, wrapping a blanket around her waist. They moved out to the walkway of the second floor, just outside her cell and they sat on the floor. "If he won't talk to you, then you gotta talk to him," Linney counseled the boy, and Carl shrugged, a finger trailing around on the ground next himself.

"I need him to talk, tell me something, tell me what to do," Carl replied and Linney put a hand on his shoulder. "No one needs to be telling you how to feel right now Carl," she assured him, "Rick just needs to hear you, see you, know that you're alive and alright." Carl took in a deep breath and cleared his throat before answering. "Lin, he wouldn't even look at us when we asked him about me going with Daryl tomorrow, he didn't care. Why would he care if I talk to him now? If I tell him I'm sad?" Linney bit her lip and rubbed her eyes again. _I'm too tired for this_, she thought, her head still aching. "He's hurting right now, buddy," she told him softly, and he frowned. "I am too, doesn't he care?" Linney nodded at him, her eyes sad. "Of course he does," she answered. Carl looked away and they sat silently for a few minutes.

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?" He asked her, his voice so plaintive and tentative that she couldn't say no. "Fine, but you get the top bunk," she replied, and he nodded, his shoulders slumping in relief. They went back into the room and she helped him up into the bunk, handing him a spare blanket. He watched her carefully once he was laying down. "Tomorrow we are talking to your dad," she told him, "And you're sleeping in your own bed, ok?" He nodded at her and then closed his eyes, signaling an end to the conversation. Linney watched his face for a moment before pulling their door shut again, and laying down next to Daryl, kissing his ear. He turned to slowly look at her, his eyebrows knit together in concern.

"Just for tonight," she whispered, and he watched her face through narrowed eyes, before nodding and cupping the back of her neck, pulling her head into the crook of his neck. He was asleep again quickly, but she lay awake for a time, listening to Daryl breathe beside her and Carl breathe above her, Daryl's pulse bumping along against her face. Rick and Carl needed each other, she knew that, and she knew she couldn't keep being a bandaid to either of them, they needed to comfort each other. On the heels of that thought, she decided to speak with Rick the next morning.

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Linney was sleeping like a log the next morning and he had to peel her off of himself to get out of bed. He hurriedly got dressed and as he reached for his weapons his eye caught on Carl's sleeping form above them. _Shit, forgot he was here_, Daryl thought, uncomfortable with the notion that that kid could have woken up and seen him changing. Daryl reached a hand out and shook the boy, trying not to be rough.

"Wake up, man," he hissed, and Carl opened his eyes, squinting at him. "Get up, time to go, gotta find Carol today," he spoke gruffly and gestured to the bottom bunk. "Keep fuckin' quiet, don't wake Lin up," he instructed, and Carl nodded, sitting up and then climbing down. They left the room together and made their way downstairs. He knew that if the boy was walking with Linney, she'd be holding his hand, but he had no intention of coddling the kid.

"Get in there," he gestured at Rick's cell, "Get yer weapons and shit, meet me in the big room." Carl nodded and Daryl shook his head slightly, heading into the eating area. He grabbed three protein bars and three juice boxes and laid them out on a table, nodding at Oscar when the big man wandered in, looking rumpled and tired.

"Here," Daryl said shortly, pointing at the food. Oscar nodded and sat down, quietly eating. Carl walked in, sheriff hat on his head, gun at his waist. "Eat," Daryl instructed the boy, and received another nod in response. The three of them ate in silence, cleaned up in silence, and walked outside in silence.

"Gotta take a piss," he gruffly informed the two of them, and they all split off in different directions of the courtyard to relieve themselves. When they regrouped and entered a different side of the tombs than he and Glenn had searched yesterday, he prepared himself for the long walk through semi-darkness, hoping it wasn't a stupid idea to bring the kid with him. _Fuck it, Rick thought it was ok_.

They walked carefully and quietly for hours, searching each cell, killing anything they came across. The boy was quiet, sullen, his features tight and angry. Daryl was again struck with the notion of what Linney would do in this scenario, and felt ill at ease. He was frustrated that it was so easy for him to imagine what _she_ would do, but completely at a loss for what _he_ should do.

"You know," he found himself talking without thinking about it, "My mom died when I was a lot younger than you are now." Carl looked up at him, his blue eyes wide and interested. Oscar was a few paces behind them, but Daryl ignored him, pleased that the kid was at least responding to him. "My mom, she loved her wine, loved to smoke in bed too, 'specially when she got drunk," he peered into a couple doorways and watched as Carl bent to the corpse of a guard on the ground, picking up it's set of prison keys and baton.

"One day, I was out playin' with the other kids in my neighborhood, 'cause Merle was in juvie, so I could do that," Carl nodded at him and Daryl continued, "They was all ridin' their bikes, but I didn't have one, so I just ran along with them." A walker staggered down the hall towards them and Daryl brought the crossbow up without thinking, killing it in a business-like way. He bent to the corpse and yanked out the arrow, wiping it on the prison jumpsuit the walker was wearing. "Anyhow, after a while, we heard all kinds of sirens n' we all chased after them, wantin' to see what was goin' on," Daryl peeked around a corner up ahead, making sure it was clear, pausing in his speech.

"So we get back to my neighborhood, all those kids ahead me on their bikes, and everyone was starin', starin' at me, n' I realized that it was my house on fire, my mom. She fell asleep, burned the whole fuckin' place down, her in it." Carl stopped walking and Daryl turned to him, surprised to see sadness and sympathy on the boy's face. "Everyone told me it was better that way, but I don' know why, it just never felt real, ya know? There was nothing left a her, so it was like it didn' happen," the old familiar hurts welled up inside himself and he swallowed.

Carl was giving him a steady look. "I shot my mom, to keep her from turning. I shot her, she was dying, but not dead yet, but I shot her," Carl took a step closer, his features hard, eyes piercing in the semi-dark of the tombs they stood in, "It was real." Daryl kept his face still, and nodded curtly. He put a hand on Carl's shoulder and squeezed once, quickly and firmly.

"Sorry about your mom," the boy finally said to him, and Daryl nodded before replying, "Sorry about yours." They started walking again.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, my lovely readers :) *****


	124. Chapter 124

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Merle didn't feel good about his current task. A task made more difficult because the Gov was hell bent on getting what he wanted. _Fuckin' Mutie, why couldn't ya jus' play nice?_ He glared over his shoulder at the idiots following him as he tracked her through the woods. They'd been out for two days at this point, trying to find her. He'd found her tracks easy enough, and it looked like they were about to catch her.

The Gov said she attacked him, after killing all the biters, and maybe she did, but Merle knew his boss, knew the things he said, things he did, his decidedly strange view on women. _Not my problem, she ain't anyone to me_, he forced himself to think. When Mutie left on her own, Andrea refusing to go with her, Merle had watched her walk away, a smug look on his face, but internally felt sick. He knew, _knew_, exactly what he was going to be asked to do. _Yeah, 'asked'_.

He glared at the ground in front of him, the heat getting oppressive, reading the tracks, trying to determine which way to go. The Gov ordered him to find her, kill her, bring back her sword and her head. He wondered how much of the Gov's actions were because of Andrea. It wasn't lost on him, or any of the other guys, that Andrea and the Gov had something going on. Merle shrugged it off, like he did so many other things, because he didn't care about Blondie. _Just some stupid bitch too big for 'er britches; he's welcome to 'er._

He had immediately offered to go after Mutie on his own, assuring the Gov that he'd make short work of her, intending to go out, and wander around for a few days and then say she was long gone; that he'd tracked her to a vehicle or something like that. He didn't know if the Gov didn't really trust him, or if he was so hellbent on catching and killing her that he didn't want to risk sending just one man, but he'd ordered three others to go with him.

_Sent another fucking tracker, too_. Merle cast a dark look at the idiot kid with the bandana wrapped around his head. He'd tried to mislead them, almost immediately, and the kid corrected him. That was when he started to really think the Gov didn't trust him, either that or he wanted to make sure that if one tracker went down, a second was right there, ready to pick up the task.

He found the 'biter-gram' shortly after, and the scared little shithead, the one with the fucked up name, was the one that figured out the message. Merle put on a show, yelling and strutting around, daring her to come out, never dreaming that she was actually lying in wait. She sliced through two of his men really quickly and that's when Merle got mad. He didn't like them, but these were his men, people from his home. He shot at her, hitting her in the leg, but she still managed to flee, racing away like a gazelle.

Merle and the chicken shit raced after her and they tangled with some walkers and she got away, again. That was when he decided she could just go to hell. She was edging into the red zone, and so were they; she was as good as dead. But no, suddenly chicken shit got some guts and decided that they were going to complete the task no matter what, that they weren't going to feed the Gov a line about how she was ripped to shreds and they were forced to run. So he killed him. Merle stared down at chicken shit's body and felt bad, he really did, but he knew that there was no way he was running out into the red zone after her, and he sure as hell wasn't going to have this kid make him look like a fool or a traitor to the Gov. Merle knew exactly where he'd end up in that scenario and he had zero interest in taking a dive into the screamer pits.

So now, he was angry, wounded, hot, tired, and thirsty, and, admittedly, somewhat turned around. After what felt like hours, he made it out of the trees, onto cement, at the edge of a small parking lot. A glance at the sun told him it was midday. As he headed towards the abandoned cars, hoping to find one he could hotwire, he heard voices and lay low for a moment. He saw two people and realized that they were alone. They had a nice big truck and some supplies. _Perfect_.

"Hey!" He called, trotting closer to them, gun drawn, knife out, "What's going on?" When they turned to him, he had time to notice the pretty young girl's face twisting into fear. When the young man turned around, gun trained, Merle almost dropped his weapon in surprise. He could hardly stop the next words out of his mouth, he was so blown away, "Well, I'll be good god damned!"

"Jesus Christ... Merle?"

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The baby looked like Carl, and that was ok with him. He ran a tentative hand over her downy little head and was pleased when she didn't wake up. "Rick?" He turned to the doorway and saw Linney standing there, a bowl in one hand and bottle of water in the other. "I've come bearing food?" She said tentatively, her words meant to bring a small smile to his face, he knew. He couldn't respond that way, though, so he just nodded. She put the food down on the small table and then sat herself on the edge of the bed.

"Eat," she ordered him, and he looked at the bowl of oatmeal, knowing it was from the prison cafeteria stash. He picked up the spoon after catching a dark glare from her and began to shovel it mechanically into his mouth. "So, Glenn and Maggie are out on a run, getting some more baby food, and maybe some ammo," she told him, her tone conversational. He nodded, not looking up from the bowl.

"Hershel's with Beth, they're organizing the supplies some more, the ones me and the kids brought back," she continued on, getting to her feet and picking up the baby. He watched as Linney sat back down with her, the infant not waking from the movement. When Linney's eyes swung up to his, he looked back down at his food again. "Carl's with Daryl and Oscar, searching the tombs around D Block," she said softly, one finger trailing up and down the baby's little hand. Rick scraped up the last bit of food and then cracked the water bottle open.

Linney sighed a little before talking again. "Axel thinks he knows how to get the toilets going again, said he did a lot of plumbing and shit like that while he was here," Linney chuckled and gestured vaguely into the air with her free hand, "He tried to explain it to me, but I don't really get it, all I understood was that if he gets it right, we might not need to use buckets anymore." Rick nodded and drained the last of his water, putting the empty bottle down on the table.

They were both silent for a moment and when he looked up at Linney, he realized she was trailing her eyes over him critically. She got to her feet, holding the baby, and walked to the cell door. "Follow me, please," she said, her voice making it clear that he was to do exactly as she said and nothing else. They had been sitting in Hershel and Beth's room and she led him back to his own. When they got in there, he realized it was different. Someone had cleaned it, straightened everything up, the beds were fresh and clean, made up with prison linen. All their gear and clothing was folded and neatly arranged on a tiny little bookshelf crammed in next to the head of the bed. He realized an entire clean prison outfit was folded on the bed. A tub of water was in the middle of the room, a towel, comb and bar of soap on the little metal stool.

She smiled at him and waved her fingers at everything. "Me n' Beth were busy this morning," she told him. He swallowed and looked around, knowing what she wanted him to do. She carefully walked past him, stepping outside. "Clean up, get changed, then come back to Hershel's room, I'm gonna feed Lil A - the baby, feed the baby," she told him and used her free hand to push his door closed. He realized that a striped sheet was hung over the door now, carefully knotted at the top, tying it to the bars on the door, acting as a curtain.

Alone in his dim cell, he methodically went about cleaning himself, and left his clothes laying in a heap on the floor. He felt better, more alert, when he was done, and when the stiff, clean prison garb hung on his frame, he truly felt awake. He reattached his holster and gun, and his knife, and pushed the door open, stepping out into the sunny space. He heard some soft, off key singing and his brow twitched. Moving quietly, he found Linney standing in the centre of Hershel's little cell, the baby in her arms. She and the baby were slowly rocking side to side, a little bounce in her step as she moved foot to foot.

He recognized the song she was singing, an old one, he struggled to remember the name but could only remember it was something about an octopus. She was not a good singer, but her tone was soft and her words were sung with pleasant energy and he leaned against the doorframe for a moment, watching them. The baby was awake, her round eyes blinking up at Linney's face. Linney seemed to realize she had an audience and spun around, her face flaming red.

"Jesus, Rick!" She cried, and she moved quickly, putting the baby in her bassinet. When she turned back to him, her face was calmer and her hand was extended towards the bed. "Take a seat," she told him, and he did. She sat on the stool and looked him over again. "You look better," she said carefully, and he nodded, clearing his throat. "Thank you, for doing that," he responded, his voice sounding flat. Linney nodded and swallowed, leaning forward, putting her elbows on her knees.

"Look, Rick, I need to talk to you about something," she began, her eyes solemn as they met his. He didn't say anything, so she started to talk.

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"Try it," Axel urged her, and she tentatively reached for the toilet handle, pulling down on it. When it flushed, her face lit up, and she grabbed his hands and danced him around in a circle, so incredibly pleased that she forgot herself for a moment. Beth giggled behind her and Linney released the confused man and grabbed Beth in a bear hug. "No more peeing in buckets!" Beth sang, and Linney laughed before adding, "No more emptying those damn buckets!" All four of them laughed then and Hershel turned to Axel and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you so much," he told the blond man, and Axel ducked his head, clearly embarrassed. "Now, uh, don't go gettin' too excited, it's just the ones in this room, an' the sinks an' the shower don't work none," Axel told them, gesturing at the three toilet stalls in the small shower room they were in. Linney shook her head, still gripping Beth around one shoulder, and smiled. "Seriously, we haven't had a working toilet in months, you have no idea how awesome this is," she told him, and Axel took a couple steps away, towards the door, clearly nervous and embarrassed from all the praise and attention. He waved his hand out towards the hall and nodded, "If I can get some more information, from the main maintenance office in the administrative wing, then I can probably look into what it might take to get everythin' else goin' too," he told them, and they all nodded back.

Axel left quickly after that and after flushing the toilets again, Linney and Beth moved to walk out with Hershel. They paused in the hallway and all three of them looked up the adjoining hall Linney and the kids had traversed on their supply run. "I'm pretty sure there's no wide open way to get to the outside up that way, but we'll have to check, to ensure it's safe for us to come and go," Linney spoke to Hershel and he nodded, gesturing down the other hall, that lead straight to their cellblock. "We'll get everyone on it, but for now, at least, the access to the tombs is locked up tight, so no unwelcome visitors will get into the bathroom through there," Hershel's soft drawl was still pleased, "We'll just have a buddy system until then."

They made their way back into the cell block, and locked the door behind them. Linney was surprised that she was actually looking forward to going pee, relieving herself had become something she had learned to fear and hate since the Turn; it left you vulnerable, exposed, and quite often embarrassed because you usually had an audience. _Or at least a bodyguard._

They gathered in the eating area and found Rick sitting there with the baby, chatting with Axel in a subdued way, about the bathroom news. Linney eyed him carefully, trying not to seem critical, but knowing that she wasn't going to be able to stop watching him that way for a while. Her talk with him had been agonizing. She had felt like she was stepping way out of bounds, but couldn't stop herself. Reminding herself how important it was to Carl kept her going.

"We're aren't on the run anymore, Rick, so you have the luxury to grieve, but you have to remember that you've got Carl and the baby now, you have to keep yourself present, for them. Carl thinks you don't care and I honestly think you're scaring him a little bit," she had told him and he had winced a little, hanging his head and looking at his hands. She had moved to sit beside him them, squeezing an arm around him the way she did Carl.

"He wants to talk to you, cry with you, grieve with you. He _needs_ to, and you have to let him, and share some of your pain with him," she had whispered, trying to resist the urge to cry herself, "Everyone else understands, don't put on a face for us, but you have to try for Carl, save up all your energy for Carl." He had been silent for a few long moments before saying, "And the baby, I have to try for my daughter."

Now he sat, still sad, still grieving, still pale and looking like a ghost of his former self, but _present_. He stared at his daughter, responded to Hershel, and looked from face to face as the rest of them spoke. When Carl and Oscar returned, Rick got to his feet, handing the baby to Beth. Rick went to Carl and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, leading him away, back to their cell. Beth and Hershel went with the baby, back to their cell, and Oscar sat down exhaustedly next to Axel. Linney hopped to her feet and went to grab the big man a drink. She brought him water and some leftover oatmeal, as well.

"Sorry, it's a little cold," she told him, putting the bowl down in front of him. He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes in an embarrassed way. "Ok, it's a lot cold, sorry," she added, and he chuckled. She watched him eat for a moment and then moved back to their little kitchen, scooping out a bowl for Carl, and carrying it to his cell, wordlessly putting it on their table and leaving immediately without looking at either of them. Back in the eating area, Axel was telling Oscar about the toilets and the big man was smiling.

"Sorry, where's Daryl?" She asked him, and his features fell. Linney clamped a panicked hand on the table edge in front of her, swaying a little in terror, and Oscar's eyebrows shot up in alarm. "No! No, no, sorry sweetheart, he's fine, he's still down there," the man corrected her assumption in a hurry and she let out a huge breath. "Did you find her?" She asked him, and Oscar licked his lips, looking around worriedly.

"We found a walker with her knife in it's throat, and there was a door, pretty sure a walker was trapped behind it. Daryl's certain she's in there and he told us to leave so he could..." Oscar's voice trailed off and Linney nodded in terrible understanding. She got to her feet and immediately made for the door, but Oscar caught her arm and stopped her. "Don't," he said and she turned to him, her expression quizzical. "What?" She asked, "Why?" Oscar let her arm go and shook his head.

"The section is clear, he's safe, man wants to do this alone, specifically told me to tell you to stay here," Oscars voice was regretful, yet firm, and by the look on his face she was suddenly certain he would lock her up rather than let her go. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she grumbled. She sat down again and listened as Oscar went over the things they'd found, the walkers they'd killed. He produced a pair of slippers from his baggy pockets and Linney couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face.

Rick and Carl emerged shortly thereafter, both of them walking into the eating area, both of them looking slightly puffy and worn out. "We're gonna head down to the fences, take out some walkers there," Rick told them all, and Linney nodded. Carl looked at his dad and then over to Linney, "Wanna come with us, Lin?" He asked her, and she smiled. "You know I do," she replied, and followed them out.

As they made their way across the courtyard and then the yard, Linney rolled her shoulders and leaned her face into the late afternoon sun, realizing that they'd need to get dinner started soon. They neared the guard tower enclosure and Rick suddenly stopped, putting his arm out to halt Linney and Carl. The two of them looked up at him and Linney saw his gaze glued on something past the fences. It took her a moment to see what he was staring at. There were dozens of walkers along the fence and at first she couldn't figure out what alarmed him so.

One of the walkers was holding a red shopping basket in one hand, and she staggered back a step from the fence when Rick, Linney, and Carl moved closer. Linney got a good look at her face and her jaw dropped in complete and utter surprise. The hair, the sword... _holy __shit_.

"Michonne?"

***** Thoughts? Questions? Opinions? Please read and review, folks :) *****


	125. Chapter 125

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

At first Maggie thought they weren't going to have a problem, that the man was crazy, a thief, maybe something worse, but would be easily dealt with; after all there were two of them and one of him. "Jesus Christ... Merle?" Glenn asked, in a voice that could only be described as completely and utterly gobsmacked. Maggie glanced over at Glenn, her expression incredulous and then looked sharply back at Merle when Glenn didn't so much as peek over to her. Glenn's entire focus was on Merle, the gun trained tightly, his facial expression hard, worried, and sharp. _Easy now, girl, follow his lead._

"Looky here, see?" Merle bent forward slowly, lowering his weapon to the ground and then putting his arms in the air. Maggie wanted to tell him to lower the knife as well but realized the knife was attached to his arm... correction: attached to his metal stump of an arm. She was trying to get a read on the man, but couldn't; he looked hard, rough, and mean, despite the big smile on his face. _This is Daryl's brother, Linney's friend, tread lightly_. Glenn seemed as transfixed by the metal arm as she was and Merle noticed, raising an eyebrow and gesturing to it. "Yeeeahh, ya like that? Made it m'self!" He rasped cheerfully, and Maggie shivered a little. It was becoming more and more clear to her that this man was not like Daryl at all.

He stepped closer and Glenn tightened his jaw, raising his gun a little higher. Merle's eyebrows shot up and he put his hands in the air again. "Hey, hey, stay calm, kid," he told Glenn, and then he swallowed hard and Maggie watched a flicker of genuine feeling cross his face, "My brother? The girl? Are they alive?" Glenn pressed his lips together tightly and nodded and Merle's face sagged momentarily, the relief on his features palpable. "They safe? Nearby? Take me to 'em, hey?" He asked, moving closer. Glenn shook his head, his features tightening again, his brow drawing down angrily.

"No, you stay here, we'll go get them and bring them back," Glenn responded, his tone firm. Maggie licked her lips again and kept her eyes on Merle. He was glaring now, at Glenn, his gaze darting over to her every now and then, almost dismissively. "Come on! You know me! This is my family! You can trust me!" Merle insisted, his voice pleading angrily. Glenn shook his head again, the scowl on his face growing.

"No, _you_ trust _us_," Glenn responded, "We'll bring Daryl and Linney to you." Merle stood up straight, his brow curling downwards in fury. He muttered something angrily, which Maggie was pretty sure sounded like, "Jus' like the Gov said." It meant nothing to her. When he suddenly grabbed a gun hidden at the back of his pants and shot it at them, they barely had time to react. Merle dove for Maggie and they tumbled harshly to the ground. His metal arm, with the giant knife, was across her front, the sharp blade terrifyingly close to her face, and he pressed the gun into her forehead.

"Don't fuckin' move sweetheart, don't make me haveta do nothin'," he growled at her, and when Glenn turned the corner, she realized that Merle had pretty much won; all the fight went right out of him at the sight of her being held at gunpoint. Merle hustled them into her father's truck, Glenn driving. Merle slid into the backseat after her and kept the gun pressed against her ribcage. After a couple barked instructions at Glenn, Merle settled back.

"Don't do this," Maggie found herself saying, her voice low and warning, "Linney is my friend, she's like my own sister." Merle's eyes locked on her face, and she realized that he and Daryl didn't have much in common, except for their eyes. Those narrowed, piercing, knowing eyes. "I don't know ya, shut the hell up," he snarled at her, his tone half-hearted, "Take me to my kin n' ya'll can go home."

"That's not gonna happen," Maggie replied, "We got too much to protect." He glared at her again and Maggie clenched her own jaw, looking out the window. "Where are ya takin' us?" She managed to ask, her anger at the man growing, and Merle smirked at her. "Back to Woodbury," he replied. That meant nothing to either her or Glenn. A few more minutes of tense silence passed and then Merle looked over at her, brow drawing down again. "Who the fuck're you?" He asked her, and she curled her lip before answering.

"Maggie Greene," she told him, trying to make her voice sound angry and strong. Merle nodded at her and smiled, understanding washing over his features. _He knows something about us, knows more than we think, how?_ She glanced up at Glenn, his dark eyes worriedly caught on her own in the rearview mirror, and she wanted to tell him that she thought Merle knew more than he was saying, but didn't want to upset the man. Merle gave Glenn a couple more instructions and then looked over at Maggie again, something similar to regret flashing across his face before anger replaced it.

"Last chance to tell me where they are and take me to 'em," Merle said suddenly, his voice gruff, "Let's make this easy on ya, I'm offering ya the chance to avoid havin' to meet my people... jus' tell me where they are n' take me to 'em." Glenn shook his head and Merle closed his eyes, ground his teeth together, and then grimaced at Maggie.

"Then I'm sorry sweetheart, yer boyfriend here made the wrong choice; the Governor's been dying to meet some a yer group."

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He had them both duct taped, in the basement of the old building, where the Gov liked to keep his very special guests. Martinez had shown up to help him and at the sight of the man, both Glenn and the girl had freaked right the fuck out, snarling and screaming, especially the girl. "You stabbed her! You bastard! I'll fucking kill you!" The girl started screaming, and Merle looked to Martinez, a question in his eyes. Martinez grabbed the girl, shoved her violently to the ground, and duct taped her mouth and hands quickly, keeping her from saying anything more. Merle had led Glenn at gunpoint to another room, forcing him into a chair, binding him to it and then left him there.

Then he went to talk to the Gov, which he was partially dreading. It was pretty clear that his story of Mutie being attacked, them being swarmed, and the other three men with him being killed was not a story the Gov wanted to hear, but at least he bought it.

"Got something else for ya though," Merle told him, feeling ridiculously guilty for some reason. "Found a couple of people from that group," he told the Gov, and the tall man's eyes lit up with his first question, "Are they locked up?" Merle nodded and they both walked in silence to the basement. The Gov seemed excited and Merle felt a little sick in the pit of his stomach; he enjoyed a good fight, but nothing about this seemed like it was going to be fair. _Ya acted without thinkin', now them kids is here and ya'll know he's gonna fuck 'em up for fun, n' make ya do the dirty work_. He shook his head, banishing the thought.

At the first room, the Gov peeked into the space through the slit in the door and saw Glenn, sitting in his chair, rocking it in his efforts to free himself. "Tell me," the Gov breathed, his face avid and angry. Merle nodded and clenched his teeth, his nostrils flaring. "Part a that group, the one from Atlanta. Name's Glenn," Merle began, and the Gov nodded, "Same group we been chasin' all winter, same group Andrea was part of." The Gov met his eyes then, squinting them, not liking that information.

"Go on," he instructed Merle, after a moment. "I met 'im with my original group, before we met up with the rest a that big group." Merle peered in through the slit, narrowing his eyes a little. "He's quick, n' sneaky. Was the guy who did all the runs for the group. He don't look like much, but I tell ya, he don't scare easy," he continued, and the Gov smirked slightly before stepping away from the door. "He was on that roof with you, wasn't he?" The Gov asked him, and Merle nodded.

"He didn't chain me, kept back, like Andrea did; he was too focused on gettin' everyone out of Atlanta to worry 'bout me bein' chained up," Merle spoke in a low rasp, the familiar ripple of anger, hurt, and a need for revenge moving through him. He didn't want to take revenge on Glenn, though, all his need for vengeance was directed towards Office Friendly and the big guy, T-Dog. However, Glenn could lead him to the rest of them, to his family. Merle straightened, tightening his jaw. His family. He never did a thing to Glenn and the kid was still holding out with the info that could lead him to Daryl and Linney. _It ain't right, I'll fuckin' beat it out of 'im if I have to._

He watched the Gov move to Maggie's room, looking through the slit there, his smile growing. Merle kept his face hard and gruff, but internally he felt himself getting sicker. She was just a kid, barely older than Linney if he had to guess, and he knew, _knew, _what the Gov could do, probably wanted to do. _Fuck, I'm a lotta things, but I ain't like that_. He'd rarely even hit a woman, only if she really deserved it, like he had when he first met Linney and she crammed a gun into his neck. He wouldn't do anything strange, twisted, or sick, though. Wouldn't ever force himself on one, that wasn't his style; he prided himself on being able to get a woman through his natural born charisma.

Merle's eyes locked on the Gov, narrowing at the way he was watching Maggie, and he realized that he had brought that girl, a girl uninvolved in any kind of vendetta he had, into danger, knowingly, and he wasn't fucking proud of it.

"She ain't involved, she wasn't there, in Atlanta," Merle said, and the Gov turned and frowned at him. "You say that like she's guiltless," he told Merle, his voice hard, "She was part of the group that left Andrea, that aided Grey and his group of miscreants, that stole our supplies, and injured and killed our men. She's part of the group that's holding your family! She knows where they are, right now, she knows, and she won't tell you! Why? Because she doesn't want to have you reunited!" The Gov's voice became the persistent, persuasive tone that had won Merle over to begin with and he began to think differently.

_I'll get the information I want from Glenn, beat it outta him, n' see 'bout letting that girl go, maybe use the boy as leverage if she don't bring Daryl and Linney back to me_.

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Glenn was pretty sure they were in some seriously deep shit. After seeing the guy with the dark goatee, it became crystal clear that not only were they in the hands of the psychopath named Merle, but that particular psychopath was apparently also a part of the group of monsters that had chased them all winter. He kept struggling against his restraints, even if it was to no avail; Maggie was locked up somewhere else and he was terrified. He kept second-guessing his decision to keep their group's location secret from Merle.

_No, it was right, it was the right choice._ He thought of Hershel, Carl, the baby, Beth, the vulnerable members of their group. He thought of how downtrodden everyone was right now, suffering from nearly debilitating grief. He had no doubt that if he'd brought Merle to his group there would have been a touching reunion, followed by Merle killing Rick. He thought back to Linney and Amy, their assertions that while Merle was not all a bad guy, he was still dangerous at times. Neither one of them ever tried to say he wasn't erratic, vindictive, and a drug addict. No, they both fully owned up to those less than desirable qualities in their buddy, Merle. They just also liked to add that there was a good guy buried under all that somewhere.

When Merle entered the room, his face flat and hard, Glenn watched him carefully, tensing up in his chair. _He doesn't look warm and fuzzy_. Merle crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows at Glenn, expectantly. "So? Gonna sing a different tune chinaman?" Merle asked him, his voice the same rough rasp that Glenn remembered. Glenn said nothing, did nothing, just stared back at Merle with an intensity he didn't realize he was able to muster.

"I just wanna know where they are, that's all," Merle said, putting his hands in the air, as if in surrender. "We went back for you," Glenn said, and Merle laughed, once, harshly, and stormed over to him, clearly expecting Glenn to flinch from the sudden movement. When he didn't, it was evident that Dixon was surprised. "Well ain't that sweet," Merle growled. Glenn took a deep breath, keeping his voice level, his features flat.

"Rick, Daryl, T, and myself, we went back, but you were gone," Glenn told him evenly. Merle glared at him, waving an impatient hand at him. "Tell me more," he ordered. Glenn took another deep breath and figured that sharing ancient history wouldn't hurt the group now. "Camp was attacked while we were out looking for you, a lot of people died," Glenn paused, his eyes cutting away for the first time, "Amy died." Merle glared harder and shoved a hand against Glenn's shoulder, roughly, indicating he should continue.

"We moved on, and lost Jim on the road. Then onto the CDC, and that was a bust; we lost Jacqui there. We hit the road again, lost Sophia," Glenn paused and his eyes darted to the wall, wondering if Maggie was on the other side of it, "We found Maggie's family's farm, and we lost Dale. Then Shane..." Glenn's voice trailed off, not wanting to talk to Merle about this, but when he saw how the man's features grew livid, his nostrils flaring, he quickly moved on. "Linney killed Shane, after he attacked her," Glenn told him, and Merle nodded once, shortly.

"A huge herd hit the farm, we lost two of Maggie's group, and Andrea..." Glenn's voice trailed off again, the thought of how Andrea had been presumed dead hitting him in the gut, even after all these months. Merle was staring at him steadily and then turned away, pacing thoughtfully to the other side of the room, "Ya'll were droppin' like flies," he commented, and Glenn said nothing, not sure what kind of response the statement warranted. Merle turned around and Glenn glared hard at him.

"We spent all winter trying not to die, trying to settle. We nearly starved to death and froze to death a dozen times, but we were being hounded, chased around by this psychotic group of guys. Guys who killed a group that had just offered us sanctuary!" Glenn was mad again, thinking of Grey's group, and Merle shot him a knowing look.

"Oh yeah, figured that was you. We followed you around, and I came _this close_, over and over again, to catchin' up to ya," Merle growled, and Glenn watched as the man slammed down a picture on the table in front of them. "That's Linney's," Glenn said flatly, looking up at Merle, "She lost it at Midway Estates, the night we ran, she was pretty upset." Merle raised an eyebrow at him and tucked it away again. "'S how I knew ya'll was close, found this, and then, I'm guessin' it was you and Lin that night, that stabbed Martinez," he continued, and Glenn nodded curtly.

"Did he tell you we were hiding, just trying to get away? That he grabbed her? That she was just trying to defend herself?" Glenn was getting angry again and Merle flicked an eyebrow back up. "I saw the fuckin' knife, I found Daryl's bolt in one a our men, knew ya'll was alive and runnin'," Merle was irritated, that much was clear, but Glenn wasn't sure why. He thought of Maggie again and was hoping to appeal to Merle's affection for his family. "We all ran together, wouldn't have made it this far without Daryl's hunting and Linney's work with the kids or going out on runs with me," Glenn added, and Merle stared hard at him and then waved a hand, "What then?"

Glenn swallowed hard and moved on, "We found the storage facility, set up there, and things were ok, til your men showed up. Attacked us in the night, held us at gunpoint, all of us, even Lori and Hershel." Glenn's voice was disgusted, his features pulled in utter disdain, and Merle gave him a questioning look. "Hershel's an old man, and Lori is... was... pregnant, and they dragged them out anyway, in the middle of a cold night," the disgust in his voice was still heavy and Merle made a face at him.

"I don't know nothin' 'bout no pregnant woman, or old man, but pretty fuckin' sure if they made it that far, they wasn't exactly defenseless," Merle replied, turning his knife blade to and fro under the weak light in the room. Glenn glared hard at him. "Did your man tell you? What he did to Linney? What they did to Maggie?" Glenn was nearly shouting this and Merle stood at attention, his expression dark and dangerous. Glenn sneered at him, "Your buddy smacked Linney around, Merle, then stabbed her, and said it was payback! She was unarmed and he had her inside with him alone for awhile, doing god knows what! He beat on her, then he dragged her outside and stabbed her! After that, he had one of his men beat on Maggie!" Merle backed away, his jaw jutting forward dangerously, his expression furious. Glenn calmed himself, tried to breathe.

"Those kids? Linney spent all winter working with them, and they killed all those men, all but two," Glenn snapped, "Those big tough men, tough enough to intimidate a pregnant woman and an old man, tough enough to beat on women, those guys? They were slaughtered by two kids!" Glenn laughed, a harsh coughing noise, and was pleased when Merle turned to him, a look of mild surprise on his face. "Shut up," he snarled and Glenn shook his head, smiling darkly at him. "We got outta there, got away, trying to out run you assholes, and found a place, a safe place."

He paused in his tirade, the term 'safe place' throwing him. _Because it's not safe, not really._ His features fell. "Because of that, because of your men taking our home from us, we lost Carol, T-Dog, and Lori, almost lost everyone," Glenn felt the very recent losses, like waves of pain against his skin. Merle watched him carefully, his eyes narrowed to slits, and Glenn was angry again.

"Linney and Daryl are our family now, _ours_, they are part of our group, they wouldn't want to come here even if you begged!" Glenn yelled, and Merle charged forward, shoving his blade under Glenn's nose and glaring at him, inches from his eyes. "Where are they? Huh?" He made to pull the knife up under Glenn's nose, and snarled again, "Where are they boy? Don't wanna hurt ya, but I will, tell me where the rest of them are holed up and we can let ya go, the farmer's daughter, too, let ya go before anything has to happen!" Glenn said nothing, thinking of the group again, and squeezed his eyes shut, prepared to take whatever Merle dished out.

Merle made a deep, disgusted noise in the back of his throat and released his grip on Glenn's head. "I won't tell you where they are, they're my family now, and I'm not letting them anywhere near this place, these people, _you_," Glenn leveled a steady, angry look at Merle. There was a knock at the door and Merle went to it, opening it a little bit. There was a hushed argument taking place there and suddenly the door was thrown open and the goatee'd man and another larger man charged in, shoving past Merle.

The two men moved towards him and started punching him; stunning, pounding, blows to his head and body. "Tell me Glenn!" Merle yelled from behind them, "Where are they?!" Glenn said nothing, just took the beating and kept his mouth shut, hoping that if they whaled on him, they'd leave Maggie be. "Tell me! Just fuckin' tell me!" Merle yelled.

*****Are we all still on board together? Haven't heard from many of you in a good long while, so I'm curious as to whether or not everyone's still digging the direction I'm going? Thoughts? Questions? Opinions? Please read and review kind folks, reviews are the writers version of notches on a bedpost - make me proud of my prowess! :) *****


	126. Chapter 126

***** Lord, we are getting so close to the stuff I know you all are waiting for and I CAN'T WAIT to hear what your reactions are to it :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Rick stared at the bloodied, obviously injured woman clutching the big red basket, stuffed full of baby formula, but he couldn't make himself move. He heard Linney talking, saying a name, calling the woman by name, and heard Carl responding with, "The superhero lady?" The woman looked at Linney and recognition registered faintly on her face.

"Michonne? It's me, do you remember? Rick! We have to let her in!" Linney cried, running for the gates. Rick barely registered any of it, still staring at the woman, knowing he should be curious, worried even, about why she was here and what the basket meant, but he found himself wishing she would just go away and leave them alone. The walkers standing on either side of her seemed to realize that despite her coating of gore, she was not one of them, and she staggered back several more steps, putting down the basket and pulling her sword, her movements pained and jerking.

"Rick! Rick! The keys!" Linney was shouting at the gates and the woman began to swing her sword, slicing through the walkers around herself. The movement was drawing them though, a lot of them, and he could tell it was going to be a losing battle. There was a harsh yank at his waist and he turned to see Carl running back to Linney, the keys in his hands, the two of them fumbling at the lock, bursting through the gates and to the next door. He finally woke up when he saw the two of them run outside the safety of the fences, pulling their guns and shooting at the walkers around them.

He ran then, casting one last glance over at the strange woman, watching as she killed one last walker and then collapsed. Linney and Carl were shooting at everything near the woman and near themselves, managing to clear a path to the strange woman. "Rick! Rick!" Linney was yelling at him, and he ran faster, taking out two walkers on his way. Linney had grabbed the basket, thrusting it at Carl and shoving him hurriedly back towards the safety of the gates. Linney bent to the woman, shaking her frantically, calling out her strange name. "Michonne! Michonne! C'mon lady, work with me here!"

Rick tucked his gun into it's holster and bent to her prone form, grabbing an arm and leg and hauling her up like a sack of potatoes. Linney shot at more walkers that were getting too close and he heard the click of her empty weapon. He staggered under the woman's weight and pressed onwards to the gate and Linney ran to his side, snaking an arm around his waist and grabbing his gun, using it to continue to kill the walkers that were too close. When they made it through the gates, Carl ran them closed, locking them quickly. Rick fell to his knees and the woman fell off his shoulders, landing in an ungainly heap on the ground.

"Rick?" Linney asked him, and he panted, holding a hand up to her. "Lin, get a truck, I can't..." he managed, and Linney turned, racing back up to the courtyard. Carl was anxiously dancing around them and Rick realized the boy had grabbed the woman's sword. "Put that down," Rick told him, and Carl frowned but dropped it quickly. They heard the roar of an engine and saw the silver pickup rushing through the yard towards them. He was dimly worried that Linney's panic might make her crash into them, but she stopped it neatly, abruptly swinging the truck around and backing through the gate towards them like it was on rails. _And Dixon always says she can't drive worth a damn_, he thought disjointedly.

When she turned the truck off, she hopped out, yanked open the tailgate and bent to the woman, pulling off her empty scabbard for the sword. She turned to Carl, tossing it at him. "Put the sword in here, then put the whole thing in the truck, with the basket," she instructed, and the boy leapt into action. Linney started to pull the woman up and slapped Rick's shoulder. "Rick? Get with it! Come on, we need to get her to Hershel!" Rick looked at her and nodded and together they got her in the truck. Linney heaved the truck keys at him and they bounced off his chest, thumping to the ground with a loud jangle.

"For god's sake Rick, come on, get with the program!" She snapped at him, and he scowled at her tone, making her smirk in return. "Be pissy later, just get us up there," she said, climbing into the truck bed and slamming the tailgate shut behind her. She sat next to the woman and was murmuring to her. Rick climbed into the truck and began the drive up to the courtyard.

Things happened quickly then, Oscar, Hershel, and Axel coming outside, helping move the woman inside, Linney trotting along next to her. Rick had the presence of mind to insist they lay her out in the eating area and keep her from the cells, from the baby. Hershel was eased to the ground by Axel and Oscar and he began to check over the unconscious woman, after Linney retrieved some medical gear for him.

Rick sat at one of the tables and slowly felt his foggy grief being pushed from his mind as the multitude of questions surrounding the woman and her appearance began to grow larger and larger, leaving him little room to think anything else. And he was grateful.

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Linney watched as Hershel cleaned the wound, and she continued to wipe gently at the woman's head with a wet rag, Beth by her side. She had insisted that Michonne might feel better if she saw them, at least a couple familiar faces amongst so many strangers. Hershel had her sewn up and bandaged her wounds, and then he moved back to the tables to talk to Rick, who was sitting there with the prisoners and Carl, the baby in his arms.

"What do you think she's doin' here?" Beth asked softly, her blue eyes huge and wondering. Linney shrugged, meeting the girl's gaze with equally wide eyes. "I'm not sure, it's a weird coincidence, right?" Beth nodded and then they both looked down at the woman when she began to groan and move around.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," Linney told her, raising her eyebrows at the woman when her startled dark eyes finally opened up. Those eyes locked on hers and an almost amusing expression of surprise flitted over her features as she stared first at Linney and then at Beth. The blonde girl waved, a big smile on her face. "Hi," she said in her sweet voice, and Michonne managed a kind of wild, snarling, half-smile as she tried to sit up. Linney and Beth moved quickly, bending to her, easing her back up against the wall.

"We brought you up here, you're injured, and were surrounded," Linney told her carefully, nodding at the woman, hoping to see some kind of recognition. Michonne's eyes moved past them, to Rick holding the baby, Carl leaning against the table next to him. Hershel was standing just to Rick's side, leaning on his crutches and the two prisoners were over in the kitchen, boiling water. _They're making dinner, jesus_, Linney thought in mild amusement. She wondered how this looked to a stranger, their ragged little group in the dingy prison room.

"Are ya thirsty?" Beth asked, and the woman looked at her for a moment and then nodded, and a bottle of water was produced. Linney sat cross legged on the floor and stared at the woman, Beth mirroring her on the other side. Carl finally moved over and sat between the two of them, his curiosity too much to bear. Michonne watched them all with suspicious and pained eyes. "Do you need something for the pain?" Hershel asked, his gentle country drawl enough to put anyone at ease. Michonne looked up at him, her eyes darting down to his leg and then back up to his face. Linney touched her arm gently.

"You were shot, do you know that?" Michonne turned at the question and finally a different expression crossed her face, weary amusement. "Yes," she said wryly, and Linney turned to Hershel. "Want me to go grab it?" She asked him, and he shook his head, moving through the room, back into the cells. "What are you doing here?" Rick asked, his brow drawing down in concern. Michonne looked back up at him, her face twitching a little as it seemed to dawn on her that he was holding a baby. She looked concerned and Linney turned to Rick and waved a hand at him.

"Let's get her resting easier, hey? Then we can ask questions, does that work?" Linney's voice was firm, but not rude, and Rick narrowed his eyes at her and slowly nodded. He got up with the baby and went to the kitchen, accepting a bottle from Oscar to feed the little girl with. Michonne looked back at Linney after following Rick and the baby's movements, and raised her eyebrows questioningly. Linney shook her head, glancing at Carl briefly before muttering quietly, "She didn't make it." The injured woman nodded, looking away again. Hershel reappeared with a small bottle in his hands and passed it to Beth.

"Take two now, and we'll see how you do, you might be able to take two more later," he instructed her. Beth handed the pills and the water back to Michonne and the woman took them. Linney looked at Carl and jerked her chin towards the cells. "Go grab a couple pillows and some blankets," she urged him and he popped to his feet, running off quickly. When Carl returned and Linney felt the woman was settled, she met Rick's eyes and got to her feet, pulling Beth with her. They stood in a little cluster across the room and Rick opened his mouth to speak, but the door from the stairwell banging open made them all leap in surprise.

Daryl burst through the door and Linney blinked in shock at the sight of Carol's limp form in his arms. He was filthy, haggard-looking, and clearly exhausted, but Carol looked worse. "Quick! Hershel! She needs help," Daryl yelled harshly, and he charged through the eating area, into the cellblock, everyone quickly following. Linney paused at the doorway, looking back at Michonne, and closed and locked the door, locking the woman in, before rushing along after everyone to find out how Carol could possibly be alive.

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Her leg was killing her, but a quick peek under the bandage showed clean skin and neat stitches. The one legged man had obviously had some form of medical training. She flashed to the doctor at Woodbury, the nice lady in her pretty little office. Michonne looked around the room she was in now, and shook her head at the difference. It was obvious that this was a prison, there were bars everywhere. It looked clean, at least the floor next to her smelt strongly of lemons, and she had to assume that one of those little girls had done some cleaning.

Groaning quietly and using the wall, she got to her feet and staggered slowly around the room. At the other end of the room was a little kitchen, bookshelves stationed around a little table creating a work and storage area. A camping cookstove was hooked up to some propane and an array of baby supplies were spread across one of the shelves. The rest of the room was remarkably bare, except for a small caged area near where they had laid her down, closed and locked and filled with supplies, it looked like.

The differences between Woodbury and here were piling up in her mind and despite the dimly lit room and the cold walls of concrete around her, she felt much more at ease. There was plenty of excited murmuring in the other room and she hobbled over to the locked doorway everyone had hurried through when that man had entered with the injured woman. She saw the next room was all cells. _Definitely a prison_. The dark haired girl had her arm tight around the shoulders of the little boy and her hand clasped with the little blonde girl, all three of them standing a few feet outside of the cell, that the doctor man was inside. The tall black man was cradling the baby, next to them, the other man in the prison jumpsuit was leaning against the wall outside the cell, face exhausted.

She could just see the woman's feet in the cell and the tall, thin, dark haired man who had helped her inside with the kids was crouched at the bottom of the bed, his face worried and hopeful at the same time. The man who had brought the woman in, the one with the light brown hair and crossbow strapped to his back, stepped out of the cell and the dark haired girl released the kids and moved to him, hugging his chest, his arms coming up easily to embrace her. When they kissed briefly, Michonne was able to determine what their relationship was.

She was mildly fascinated watching this ragged little group of humanity in front of her; it was like a game trying to determine who they were to each other. Was the little boy the dark haired girl's brother? The dark haired man their father? The blonde girl, was she related to the blonde man? Or the old man? She thought of the pretty girl that Merle took today and remembered that the blonde girl was her sister.

Michonne grimaced, not wanting to interrupt what they were doing, but worried about the whole reason she came here. Worried about that nice girl and her boyfriend. Wishing she had said something the moment she recognized the girl outside the store, instead of hiding like a scared rabbit and waiting for some sign that she would be ok approaching them. _You waited too long, and he got them_. Her eyes went back to the group; it appeared the injured woman was awake and the baby was brought to her, there were gasped words, tears, and hugs all around, and Michonne realized something about the little group, something she didn't see in Woodbury: They were a little family, and there was definitely love here.

_I can trust that, I need to help them get their people, maybe get Andrea too_. She paused in her line of thinking, watching the boy lean against the dark haired girl and the big man in the prison jumpsuit ruffle his hair. _They need to know about Woodbury, they need to keep safe from Woodbury. But first I need to make sure they won't take their worries out on me._

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Linney was fairly certain that she wouldn't ever forget the look on Carol's face when she saw the baby for the first time and simultaneously seemed to realize that Lori wasn't there. Putting the two facts together looked like it broke something inside the short-haired woman. Linney was struck with the realization that Carol was closer to Lori than to anyone else. _This is like losing a sister._

Carol clung to Rick, hugging him for all she was worth, and when her blue eyes locked on Linney's over Rick's shoulder, Linney pressed her lips together tightly. The ends of her mouth bowed downwards in a sad frown and Carol clamped a hand onto the back of Rick's neck, hugging him the way Linney often found herself clinging to Carl. Trying to keep him there, keep him grounded, and with them.

When Rick gently pressed her back down to the bed, he kissed her forehead, and then turned to the rest of them, saying gently, "Let's let Hershel get Carol comfortable." Linney plucked the baby from Oscar's arms, wanting to hug and squish something, and nudged her shoulder against Daryl's. He moved with her deeper into the cellblock. They leaned side-by-side against the wall and watched for a moment, as the two prisoners went with Carl and Beth, back into the big room, to sit with Michonne. Rick stayed just outside Carol's cell door and seemed to be nodding in response to soft questions she was asking him while Hershel tended to her.

Daryl leaned towards her and kissed the side of her head quickly, before laying a hand on the baby's little head, his thumb looking ridiculously large as he stroked the tiny face. "Gonna tell me 'bout our visitor?" He finally asked in his customary gruff tone. Linney felt a small smirk on her face and looked up from the mesmerizing sight of the baby's smooth pale pink skin contrasting against Daryl's tanned and somewhat dirty hand. His eyes were narrowed, but his face was soft, as he watched her watching them.

"It's that woman, from the motel," she told him, nodding in understanding when his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What the fuck's she doin' here?" He snapped, his eyes darting back to the big room before returning to her face. "Don't know, we went down to clear the fence and there she was, shot, with a shopping basket filled full of baby formula." Daryl's hand moved to her shoulder at her explanation, and he squeezed, his face darkening in worry.

"How the hell'd she know 'bout the baby? Or the prison? She been following us?" His questions were sharp and hurried, and Linney placed her free hand on top of his, where it was gripping her shoulder. She patted him lightly and gave him a pointed look. "Too tight there, big guy," she warned him, trying to keep her tone light. He blinked in surprise and looked down at his hand like he'd forgotten he had one. He jerked it away as if she was on fire and then looked back to her face. "Sorry," he mumbled, and she smiled lightly in return.

Linney popped up on her tip-toes, placing a kiss on his jaw, the baby making a little mewing noise between them. "We need to talk to her, and Rick needs to be included, but let's let Carol get settled and Michonne rest a bit; wherever she's been, she's had it rough and looks like she could use a break." Daryl nodded at her words and bent to her, putting both hands on either side of her face and kissing her a little more urgently.

The baby mewed again and he jumped back, his face twisted in a combination of worry and guilt. "Need to put Lil Asskicker to bed. Fuckin' weird kissin' on ya with her right there." Linney laughed at his worry but nodded. "Gimme a sec, and I'll meet you upstairs," she told him, and saw his eyebrows fly up so quickly in surprise that she had to laugh again. After the past couple days they'd had, she knew he expected sex to be the last thing on her mind, but she was craving the closeness so badly that it was a physical pain.

When the baby was in her bassinet, Linney crept away from everyone, up the stairs to her cell. She found Daryl stretched out in their bed in the semi-dark cell. He was wearing only his boxers and she smiled at him, at his eagerness. "Don't gotta do nothin', if yer sad, I get that," he said, and she shook her head at him, beginning to remove her clothing.

"I am sad, but I need to not think about it," she replied softly, her eyes never leaving his, "I miss you." He swallowed and nodded. When she dropped her last article of clothing to the ground, she climbed into bed swiftly and moved straight into his arms. The swirl of heat and intense feeling pulled her up and away from where they were, and let her forget that there was anything besides herself and him, for awhile.

When they were finished, she lay against him, enjoying the warm skin-to-skin contact, enjoying the sound of his heart beating against her ear. Everything about their lives was epically fucked up right now, but they all had the baby, they had Carol back from the dead, and they had the newest puzzle of Michonne downstairs, to keep things interesting, so she was hard pressed to think that life was terrible.

Linney squirmed a little, laying on her side and propping her head up on her hand, so she could stare at him. "Quit it," he muttered, keeping his eyes closed. "No way," she told him, and one of his eyes cracked open and he glared at her. "No amount of stink eye can stop me, thought you got that by now," she said, her tone light. The one open eye was rolled at her and then he closed it again. "It's rude," he informed her, tucking his arm beneath his head. After a few more minutes of examining him languidly, she sighed and got to her feet, slowly pulling her gear back on. He watched her from the bed, one corner of his mouth curled a little downwards.

"Time to go back," she told him regretfully, and it was his turn to sigh. "If I let ya stare at me a little longer, can we stay up here a bit?" He asked, his tone only half-serious, and Linney laughed, throwing his boxers at his head. He snatched them off his face and smirked at her.

"Take that as a no," he grumbled, swinging out of bed and pulling them on. He stretched to his feet and Linney twined herself against his chest briefly, one of her shoes in her hands. "Time to go solve a mystery. I promise that at bedtime, I'll stare at you for hours," she vowed, in a heated voice, and he chuckled.

"I'll hold you to that."

***** So, I didn't kill Carol because I like Carol! I really do! I'm not exactly a Caryl fan (though at this point I'm like, just give him a frigging love interest already, 'cause it's killing me) - so she's living here in my universe too - someone's gotta stick around and keep an eye on the damn flowers :) Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? I'm so excited for like the next ten chapters... I'm almost giddy haha - Please read and review folks! *****


	127. Chapter 127

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

There was something about the woman that struck him as familiar, but not in a way that made him think he knew her. More like he understood her without realizing he was trying to. She moved like a panther, and her eyes were sharp, not missing a single thing. _If we had anything to hide, I'd be worried_, Daryl thought to himself, watching as Linney pressed a juice box into Michonne's hands, cracking a joke about the flavor. The woman smiled at the big genuine grin on Linney's face, and Daryl knew that smile, because it was so like his own.

Michonee was smiling because she just couldn't help herself, even though she really wanted to keep it together, keep her tough exterior on good and hard. Linney glanced back at him, her grin including him now, too. He realized the same stupid smile was now stretching across his features and he felt foolish, shaking his head a little bit. Linney did that to people all the time, made them smile even if they didn't want to. He wondered if she was even aware of the ability when she did it.

Michonne shifted onto one of the hard metal seats at the table and frowned at the juice box, before sipping at it in a surprisingly delicate way. Linney grunted as she sliced the top off her own juice box, chugging it back, ignoring the straw. She thumped the box down, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and grinned at Michonne again.

"I love grape juice," she said, making the other woman blink her dark eyes in surprise at the statement. "You don't say," Michonne dead-panned in response, and Linney nodded exuberantly. "Seriously, it's the superior juice. And don't even dare to pull the apple card, we all know that's for babies and old people," Linney went on, and Daryl got up from his seat, moving away from them, to the kitchen area. He began absent-mindedly putting away some of the dishes from dinner. He could hear Linney going on behind him, her voice happy and sweet, her words focused on silly things, childish things. Rick made his way over to the kitchen, the baby in his arms, and moved to Daryl's side, to pass the baby to him.

"What the hell is she doing?" Daryl asked in a nearly silent whisper. Rick met his eyes and replied equally as softly, "Same thing she did with Randall." Daryl stiffened, his mind rushing back to last summer. He met Rick's eyes again and realized that the quick whispered conversation she'd had with Rick before the three of them went into the big room had probably been about this, this plan of hers.

Turning back to monitor them, the baby in his arms, Daryl watched as Beth and Carl wove their way into the scenario. The three of them were like a well-oiled machine, working off silent and nearly invisible signals between each other, as they sat companionably around Michonne, peppering her with innocent questions. Linney shoulder bumped Beth and smiled at the girl, giggling, actually giggling, when they asked about the sword and where it came from. Michonne informed them it had belonged to her boyfriend, her face twisting briefly as she seemed to realize she'd answered before wanting to.

Carl swooped in with a boyish question about the camp she came from, and if they taught her how to use it before she left. Daryl schooled his face, focusing on the baby, and making stupid small talk with Rick, Oscar, and Axel, so that the three of them could work their magic. When they heard Beth squeak in horror and race from the room, her face in her hands, all of them flew across the room.

Carl looked up in fear at Rick and said, "Maggie and Glenn got taken." Linney was staring hard at Michonne and waved a hand at Carl. "Take the baby and go right now," she ordered him, all traces of the girlish kid gone, her voice and face hardening back into the sharp planes of a survivor. Michonne was staring at Linney incredulously.

"You just stood there and watched them get taken?" Linney asked Michonne, her entire body stiff and furious. Rick flinched and stepped forward, placing a hand flat onto Linney's back, a little sharply. "What? What happened? Where are they?" His eyes narrowed into a glare and he swept it from Linney to Michonne. Linney got to her feet and looked over at Axel.

"I need all the knives you collected from the bodies," her voice snapped out the sharp order, and then she swung her furious glare to Rick. "Michonne came from a nearby settlement, called Woodbury. Almost 80 people there, well armed, and behind walls. They took in her and a friend. Michonne says something is off about the place, their leader is a bad man, a dangerous man, so she left. Her friend stayed. The leader sent out a group of men to hunt her down and kill her. They shot her and she ran. She hid in a parking lot and saw Maggie and Glenn, overheard them talking about the baby, the prison. She stayed hidden while one of the men hunting her approached them and kidnapped them." Linney's voice fell hard and firm, her eyes darting from Rick's to Daryl's.

Michonne was stewing behind her and Daryl wondered how much of that information was given out piecemeal and if Linney just lumped it altogether now, putting all of the injured woman's cards on the table. From the look on Michonne's face, he could tell that she had not wanted share her story this way, this quickly. She had obviously underestimated Linney. Beth and Carl, too, for that matter. Daryl couldn't help but smirk a little as he glared at the woman. _She ain't gonna trust kids no more_.

Axel returned with the box filled with knives and Linney wasted no time pulling her knives out and sliding them into all the empty sheaths strapped on her body. She glanced up at Rick. "So, are you going to go get your guns? Or am I going after them alone?"

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"Ya ain't goin' alone, don't be stupid," Daryl snapped at her, and Linney ground her teeth together, "Ya ain't goin' at all." She slid the last knife home and put her hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side. "Don't you be stupid! I AM goin', and you all are coming with me," she turned to Michonne, her face tight, "And you're coming with us, too." Michonne nodded and Linney felt relief that the woman was being so cooperative.

"Never said I wouldn't," she told Linney evenly. Michonne's face was tired, slightly pained, but serious and firm. Linney pressed her lips together and Rick stepped forward, clamping a hand on Michonne's shoulder tightly. "I appreciate you coming here, risking the trip, risking our reaction," he told the woman, before turning to Linney, his face sliding into the familiar expression of leader, "But I don't want her with us, don't know if we can trust her." Michonne and Linney both started to protest at once and it was Beth whose voice cut through the room, in outraged tones.

"Of course she needs to go! Don't think she'd come all the way here the way she did, if she meant to trap us! She didn't hurt us before and she ain't gonna hurt us now. Ya'll are going to get my sister and Glenn, n' bring 'em home, and she'll lead you," Beth was standing in the doorway to the big room, her face tight and stubborn, her big blue eyes narrowed as she glared at Rick. Linney nodded and crossed her arms over her chest, moving to stand next to Michonne. All three women were staring hard at Rick and he glanced over at Daryl who simply raised one eyebrow at him, but said nothing.

"Fine!" Rick growled, throwing his hands in the air, "We need weapons, we need supplies, and we need to go, within the hour." He turned on his heel and left the room. Linney smiled tightly and waved Beth over, pointing at the box. "Get your knives, you and Carl are gonna be the last layer of protection here," she informed the girl. Beth nodded, sliding her blades home with practiced ease. Michonne was watching them both and finally murmured to Linney, "Can't believe you tricked me." Linney turned a small smile on the woman and raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry about that, but you strike me as the strong, silent type and recent events have made me impatient. I didn't feel like pussy-footing around until you felt like sharing," Linney answered matter of factly. Michonne narrowed her eyes and looked over at Beth, then back at Linney. "I'm thinkin' there's a lot more to this place than meets the eye," she responded slowly. Beth grinned at her tightly, and pulled a knife from the sheath at her arm, twirling it in her fingers without looking at it. A lazy smile started to pull at the corners of Michonne's lips and Linney rolled her eyes. She elbowed Beth, causing the girl to lose her grip and drop the knife.

"Quit being a show off," she chastised, and Beth turned red, bending for the knife. She stuck her tongue out at Linney and muttered, "I'll get some stuff for ya'll," before leaving the big room. Linney looked around and realized that they were alone, everyone else had run off to grab weapons and supplies. "Glenn and Maggie are family," Linney said, not looking over at the woman, her eyes staring sightlessly at the wall ahead of them. Michonne nodded and Linney got to her feet, moving to the storage cage and grabbing Michonne's sword.

She held it in both hands and paused before Michonne, staring her in the eye. "I like you, you seem like good people, but if you pull anything, anything at all, your skull will be growing a blade before you even realize it's happening," Linney kept her voice calm, low, and even. Michonne's dark eyes moved to her face as she reached for the sword, sliding it over her shoulder. She nodded and didn't look away from Linney's steady green-eyed gaze as Rick, Daryl, the prisoners, and the kids re-entered the room, their arms full of gear.

Rick thumped down a box of ammo and nodded at Michonne. "You better get talkin', tell us what we're up against," his voice was cold, and Linney raised an eyebrow at the tone, not taking her eyes from Michonne. Michonne finally tore her evaluating stare from Linney's face, to look up at Rick. Her expression changed, to one of rage and disgust.

"He calls himself the Governor, but his real name is Phillip."

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Rick paced anxiously in the courtyard, below the walkway, feeling like a cat with all it's hackles up. He watched as Daryl slammed another bag into the back of the green SUV, Linney leaning against the side, obviously giving orders to Beth. The new one, Michonne, was standing with her arms crossed a few feet from them, favoring her leg, and Rick clenched his teeth. When they all realized that Glenn and Maggie were in the clutches of the group that hunted them all winter, led by a madman, their sense of urgency sky-rocketed. That the people of Woodbury were the same people that chased them, they now had no doubt.

He thought of that night, the night at the storage lockers, the night he feared he would lose his entire world, and his stomach twisted. _These are monsters, not men_. "Beth, I don't care what happens to our supplies, our vehicles, anything else, but you had better keep the kids safe, got it?" Linney's words drifted over to where Rick stood and he watched Beth nod smartly, marveling at the thought that the delicate looking blonde girl was actually quite capable of doing just that.

He didn't feel good about leaving, not at all, but Oscar and Axel were staying behind, Hershel and Carol, the baby, obviously Beth and Carl too. _They'll be fine, gotta worry about ourselves, about Glenn and Maggie_. Rick looked up when Carl walked out of the cell block, the sheriff's hat on his head bobbing as he trotted over. Rick pulled him in for a crushing hug and then held him away from himself, both hands on Carl's skinny shoulders.

"You'll help Beth, keep everyone safe, right?" He asked the boy, and Carl nodded seriously, his blue eyes sober and hard. "You take no risks, you understand? Your only priority is keeping these people safe, keeping your sister safe," Rick continued, his grip on Carl tightening minutely. The boy nodded again. "I'll keep them safe, Dad, all of them, especially Lil Asskicker," Carls' voice was so serious that it took Rick a moment to realize what the boy was actually saying. "Lil Asskicker?" He asked, one eyebrow raising up dubiously.

Carl nodded and a rare smile broke across his face, leaving Rick helpless to do anything but smile back. "That's what Daryl named her, everyone calls her that, cause she doesn't have another name," Carl explained, and Rick closed his eyes and shook his head, fully aware that Linney called Carl and Beth her "lil asskickers". _Guess she's got a new recruit_. He opened his eyes and smiled at Carl. "She needs a real name, Lil Asskicker is not a good one," Rick told his son, and Carl chuckled, nodding.

"I've been thinking about it dad, and do you remember my third grade teacher, Ms. Henderson?" Carl asked him, and Rick grinned. He definitely remembered the woman, a teacher that Lori had been jealous of; pretty, young, and sweet - Rick was fairly certain that the crush Carl had on her was on par with the crush Rick and every other dad had, too. "I do," he replied, and Carl chuckled a little, perhaps remembering the same thing Rick was: Lori standing in the kitchen, hands on her hips, face scrunched up in irritation as she said, "No woman needs to look that good when she's teaching little kids, it's just stupid."

"Well, her first name was Judith, I was thinking that might be a nice name," Carl offered, his features softening. Rick grinned at him even bigger, loving the name. "I think that's perfect, Carl," he told the boy. Carl nodded exuberantly and trotted away, heading right to Daryl. Rick smiled as the boy stopped in front of the hunter, hands on his hips. "You gotta call her Judith now, not Lil Asskicker," Carl informed Daryl authoritatively. The man looked surprised and raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Rick before glaring down at Carl.

"Never heard of a nickname? I'll call 'er whatever I want, now scram," he snapped at Carl, and the boy just rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively at Daryl. Rick walked towards them all and Linney glanced over at him, finished her lecture with Beth. "Ready, boss?" She asked him, and he nodded, surprised to find he was secretly pleased that she was back to using her nickname for him.

There was an awkward moment, when they all stood around, before Linney reached for Beth and yanked the girl to her, hugging her tightly. Rick hugged his son and then watched as Linney grabbed Carl hugging him even tighter than Beth. The two of them clung together and Rick felt his features soften, struck for the hundredth time by their bond. She whispered something in his ear and the boy nodded seriously. Beth and Carl gave Daryl solemn hugs as well and Rick shared a faintly amused look with Linney, as Daryl stiffened uncomfortably at the contact.

They loaded into the SUV and Rick drove them down the road, pausing at the gates for Linney and Daryl to leap out, unlocking, opening, closing, and locking them, killing any walkers they needed to. A last glance in the rearview mirror showed him Beth and Carl, standing shoulder to shoulder at the courtyard gate, looking small and alone.

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She felt like she couldn't cry anymore, couldn't scream for Glenn anymore. The sounds of him being beaten went on and on, Merle cursing and yelling at him the whole time. _How can Daryl be related to such a monster? How can Linney love such an evil man? _She had fought against her restraints, pleading at the top of her lungs for them to release Glenn, to leave him be. It was all to no avail and Maggie felt like a failure; she had promised herself that she would keep Glenn safe, do whatever it took to keep him safe, and she wasn't able to do a thing.

Maggie couldn't even hope for a rescue, no one knew where they were, they probably weren't even aware that anything was wrong yet. When the sounds of beating came to an end, there was silence, and then the sounds of men screaming at each other in the hall, arguing with each other.

"N' I'm tellin' ya that ya ain't gonna do that!" Maggie realized it was Merle, arguing with someone else, maybe a couple someone elses. "Not your call, man," someone angrily responded to Merle, and she heard the sounds of struggle, someone punching someone else. "Git yer fuckin' hands offa me 'fore I gut ya," Merle warned in a growl, "I'm the one callin' the shots on this, n' ya ain't gonna toss a fuckin' biter in there!" Maggie began to tremble, realizing what that meant. _Oh god, Glenn, no_. She was slowly becoming aware of the fact that Merle, for whatever reason, was trying to prevent someone from putting a walker in with Glenn. _Probably to make sure he can get the information he wants._

There was the sound of more struggle and then someone hissing, "You're a fucking traitor, you redneck piece of shit. First no one can touch the girl, then only you can interrogate the boy. Now you think that you get to call the shots when he won't give up what we want?" She heard the meaty sounds of someone being punched in the hallway and hoped against hope that it was true, that Merle, for whatever reason, was trying to keep her safe, trying to make the other men go easy on Glenn.

She froze still, not moving when she heard several loud bangs, doors opening and closing, the far off sound of Merle cursing and yelling, and then the familiar hissing and groaning of a walker. "Glenn! No! Glenn no!" Maggie started screaming, realizing that they'd dragged Merle from the building, and brought in a walker, intending to throw it in with Glenn. There was silence, then a door slamming shut and she could hear Glenn, yelling, grunting, and smashing around. Her heart beat so hard it hurt and she became aware that she was panting in fear, listening to Glenn fight for his life.

There was silence, and then a long, loud, primal yell. It took her a moment to realize it was Glenn, and she prayed fervently that he'd won, unbitten.

***** Thoughts? Opinion? Questions? Please read and review, kind readers! *****


	128. Chapter 128

***** Hey all - so I'm fairly certain we are all aware of what happens between the Governor and Maggie - it was tough to watch. Anyhow, I'm not going to write it, just hint at it, because I don't think I need to delve into that... just wanted to give you all a heads up. Otherwise, enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Those kids were going to die gruesome deaths and it was his fault. Merle slammed his head against the wall of his prison in frustration, cursing his own stupid, redneck ass for bringing them back to Woodbury. He had yelled and cussed at Glenn, the whole time Shumpert and Martinez were beating the hell out of the boy, trying to get the idiot kid to just open his gob and spill his guts. _Stubborn little bastar_d, he thought, in grudging admiration. He had finally man-handled the other two out of the room, knowing they'd kill Glenn if they didn't stop.

Glenn had turned his bloodied and battered face to Merle in complete confusion as he began to fight with the other two, trying to keep them off the boy. They took it outside and Merle tried to insist he take over now. It became apparent that the Governor had talked to Martinez before he sent them in to beat on Glenn. Merle barely had time to feel uneasy that the Gov distrusted him so much, that he'd send in other people with different orders, before they shared the biter plan. Then he saw red. He didn't particularly like Glenn, but he knew the kid was just trying to protect his own, and he admired that, especially because he realized now that "his own" included Daryl and Linney.

Merle was a stubborn man, and a lot of people thought he behaved with wanton cruelty, but he liked to think there was a method to his madness. In this case, he had acted rashly, letting his worry and desperation to find his family blind him to the repercussions of bringing Glenn and Maggie into the clutches of the Gov. Now they were going to die, and Merle was locked up, deemed a traitor. _Ain't gonna kill me pretty, neithe_r, he thought, a creeping sense of despair building in his mind. _Ain't gonna get to talk to 'em again 'fore I do, either,_ he mused sadly, thinking of his family.

The Gov would torture the two kids, until he got the location of the group he longed to get his hands on, then he'd kill them. After that he'd get that group, drag them back here, kill them terribly, children included, maybe make Merle watch as he killed Linney and Daryl, then kill Merle himself, publicly.

He felt like the worlds biggest asshole, knowing that he'd been fed bullshit all along, only now finally seeing clearly how the Gov had tricked him all this time. Glenn's behavior didn't jive with the idea of him being part of a group that wanted to hurt Daryl and Linney. If Merle was honest with himself, he knew that group from Atlanta would never have hurt Linney and Daryl, he just wanted them to be evil; desperately wanted to buy into that idea out of anger and a need for revenge. _And now, they all die cause of me._

He sank to the ground, banging his head against the wall again, the bonds on his wrist cutting into his one hand painfully. They'd disarmed him and he felt truly impotent, not a feeling Merle Dixon enjoyed.

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"The walls are guarded, with multiple men, heavy artillery, and huge spotlights," Michonne was saying in the backseat, and Daryl grunted, sharing a quick look with Rick. "Is there any way we can sneak in?" Linney asked, her voice hard and curious. Michonne grunted in response and he assumed that was a yes. They'd been driving for hours, taking a long, criss-crossing route that Michonne told them was necessary to avoid the patrols and scouts the Governor had out regularly.

"How'd you learn these things if you were only there for a short time?" Rick asked, not sparing a glance in the mirror. Daryl looked back and saw the woman smirk, a haughty expression on her face. "I don't get noticed unless I want to be," she replied cryptically, and Daryl looked back out the windshield, rolling his eyes. "We snuck up on you pretty good, back at the motel," Linney offered, her tone snotty. Rick chuckled and Michonne shot Linney an impatient look.

"Don't usually worry about little girls," Michonne shot back, her tone only mildly irritated. Linney chuckled and muttered, "Bitch." He saw Michonne give Linney a sideways smile and realized the two of them were baiting each other on purpose and enjoying it. Daryl shook his head; he never did understand women, least of all women as strange as these two. When the road was pitch black aside from the headlights, Rick reluctantly announced that they had to pull over; it was too dangerous to drive at night, the headlights could attract all manner of things.

"Only have to drive a few more miles in the morning before we park and head in on foot," Michonne told him, as they settled into the darkness, deciding to rest in the car for the night. "Good," Rick answered, "How long on foot until we reach Woodbury, after that?" Michonne's face pursed in thought.

"We'll be there for tomorrow evening, and wait until the sun sets to go in," she responded thoughtfully. They all sat in silence until Linney shifted around and pulled open her door. Daryl twisted in his seat and snapped at her, "Where the hell ya think yer goin'?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "I gotta pee," she told him, her voice irritated. "Not alone ya don't," he growled in return, climbing out of the vehicle with her.

"I hate a pee bodyguard," she muttered, as he fell into step beside her, moving to the closest tree. "Don't be stupid, it'd be worse to get bit takin' a piss, n' you know it," he told her. He stood at her back, watching the forest behind her, while she took care of herself and kept an eye on the road. When she was done, he took a piss himself and then they moved back to the SUV, standing at the trunk. Linney tucked herself against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. They stared out at the darkness surrounding the vehicle.

"I'm scared for them," Linney finally said, her breath heating up a patch of his shirt, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt them and if they have, I'll kill them myself, slowly." Her tone turned dark and angry and he held her tighter, sure that she meant every word, but not intending to let her get that close to anyone bad. "They're gonna be jus' fine," he reassured her and she said nothing, just twisted in his arms a bit to lean back and look up at him. Her eyes were glowing faintly in the darkness and he stared back down at her, his face in it's normal impassive mask.

"You always say that," she finally told him, and he let an eyebrow flicker up at the irritation in her voice. He clenched his arms a little tighter around her and shook his head. "They're gonna be jus' fine and we're gonna find this Governor and we're gonna fuck him up for what they done," he responded. Linney just stared at him and then put her head back against his chest. "We can't lose any more people, Daryl," she spoke after a few silent moments, and he grunted. She pulled away from him and moved a step back.

"I'm serious, we can't lose anymore people, I can't handle it, I'm running out of room in here," she pressed a fist against her heart, "I can't hide away anymore pieces; if anyone else dies I'm done being good." She kept her fist clenched against her chest and Daryl eyed her speculatively. "What's that mean?" He asked her. Her face remained flat but her eyes flashed up at him. "If anyone tries to take away any more of my family, I'm done," she looked away, "I'll kill every last person behind those walls, with a fucking smile on my face." He understood her worry, her frustration, her desire to even the playing field, but something about her statement worried him. He moved quickly, grabbing her and crushing her to his chest.

"No," he said, "Ya ain't leavin' me like that." She looked up at him and opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off, bending down and covering her lips with his own. He knew it was dangerous to stand out in the open, in the dark, kissing, but he was worried that she was planning some kind of idiot suicide-mission if they found Glenn and Maggie dead. He wanted to make her understand how much he hated that idea. When he pulled back he glared at her.

"No matter what, ya don't get to fuckin' leave like that. Like some kind of selfish bitch," he growled, and she glared back at him. "You don't understand me," she finally replied and he rolled his eyes. "Are you a fuckin' idiot? 'Course I don't," he snapped, "Jus' sayin', ya don't get to leave n' fuck off like that. Revenge ain't gonna help anyone, n' I'll never forgive you if ya get killed tryin' to get some." His accent was thick with his irritation and her face softened as she looked at him. She reached a hand up to his face, cupping his scruffy cheek.

"I'm not leaving you, I'll never leave you."

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It was the longest night of Glenn's entire life. There was one tiny window in the room he was being kept prisoner in, a small slit up against the roof, indicating he was in a basement. After the goatee'd man had thrown the walker in, Glenn's mind went blank, drowning in the onslaught of adrenaline coursing through him. He could hear Maggie, screaming for him, and as he struggled to stay out of the clutches of the dead thing, he prayed she was screaming out of worry, not pain.

Now, after killing the walker, he was sagged against the floor, free of his bonds. He knew someone had gone into Maggie's room, perhaps an hour ago, and that she had spoken only once or twice, while another deep voice had droned on and on. He was terrified for her, sick for her, rendered nearly blind with his impotent rage and inability to help her. No one was coming for them, the group would have absolutely no idea where they'd been taken. He wondered where Merle was. Merle didn't beat on him, but he didn't help, until Glenn started to grey out, losing consciousness from the beating.

He heard them in the hall, heard Merle argue with his men, argue against their plans. He heard them accuse the redneck of being a traitor and drag him away. Idly, Glenn wondered if Merle had been killed. He hated the man for putting the two of them in this situation, for endangering Maggie. However, when he realized that Merle might be on their side, he worried that their only chance of escape had been dragged away kicking and screaming.

A noise in the hall drew his attention, and his door was thrown open, his two tormentors returning, a tall, imposing man behind them. Glenn struggled to his feet, clutching his sides and made a move towards the remnants of his chair, hoping to get a weapon in his hand. The tall man raised an eyebrow and made a tsking noise, waving his finger at Glenn before gesturing over his shoulder. Another man appeared, pushing Maggie into the room, and Glenn felt his breath come to a strangled halt in his throat. She was topless and had her arms clutched over her breasts, her face twisted into an expression that Glenn could barely read.

He felt his own expression drooping, his anger growing, but his fear for Maggie growing more quickly. "Your friend, Merle, is gone now," the tall man offered, wrapping an arm around Maggie's shoulders. Her jaw jutted out in fury as she cringed away from him and Glenn made a move towards them. The man with the goatee produced a gun and held it up to Maggie's head. "Just answer the Governor's questions and we won't have to blow her pretty little head off," he snarled. Glenn felt his face twisting and the Governor chuckled, pushing the gun away from Maggie.

"No, no, Martinez, this little lady has already proven she'll do anything to keep the young man safe," the Governor was speaking to Martinez, but his words were meant for Glenn, sending him a message. Glenn took in Maggie's appearance and he swallowed convulsively, horrified at what that meant. The Governor stepped past his men, past Maggie, and held his gun to Glenn's head. "Tell me where the rest of your group is hiding," he ordered and Glenn tightened his jaw and shook his head, fully prepared to die. The Governor pressed the gun into Glenn's forehead and he couldn't help but wince at the pressure of the metal jabbed against the bleeding cut across his forehead.

"Tell me, or you die, right in front of her," the tall man snarled, and Glenn clenched his teeth harder. "A prison!" Maggie cried, her voice choked with fear and tears, "They're in a prison." Glenn's expression fell and his eyes closed. The pressure of the gun left his face and he heard the Governor laugh. When he opened his eyes, he saw the Governor pressing a kiss to the side of Maggie's head and he made to dive at them, but the goatee'd man, Martinez, punched him the gut and Glenn fell back against the wall. Maggie cried out for him and the Governor rolled his eyes and shoved her towards Glenn.

When she was back in his arms, he clutched her tightly, protectively, determined to keep her from them now that she was with him again. "Thank you for your cooperation," the Governor mocked them, "We'll get your group back here soon, and you can all be reunited for a little while." He and his men left and Glenn immediately tore off his shirt and helped Maggie slide it on. Tears streamed down her face at the sight of his bruised and battered body.

"Oh god, Glenn, what have I done?" She sobbed, as they sank to the floor together. He tried to soothe her, but he knew that those men would be searching for the nearest prison immediately. "Did they? Did he?" Glenn couldn't make himself ask, and Maggie flinched hard in his arms. "No, he just made me get naked, that's all, I swear," she told him, her voice firm and furious, "He said they'd start cutting off pieces of you if I didn't."

They sat clutching one another for a long time. "No one's coming to help us," Maggie finally said, and Glenn nodded, seeing no point in lying to her. "They won't know what's coming, who's coming for them," Maggie added, the fear in her voice palpable. Glenn nodded again, his eyes moving around the room. His gaze landed on the walker. "We need weapons, we have to try to fight them off, get a gun," Glenn said to her slowly. Maggie looked at him and then followed his gaze across the room, landing on the only thing that could serve as an easy to hide weapon.

"It's better than nothing," she finally responded, and they got to their feet.

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The trek through the woods felt like it took forever and Linney was sweating like a pig. She pulled the collar of her tank top away from her chest for a moment, trying to fan some air against her skin. Daryl was moving along in front of them, Michonne right on his heels. They were both keeping an eye on the trail, on any strange tracks, and on their surroundings. Rick was walking soundlessly next to her. She kept glancing up at him, relieved and worried at the same time, by the look on his face. She was pleased to see the intensity and concentration on his face, his determination to make things right written all over him. She was worried though, that this outing may be too much, too soon for him.

Linney was a big believer in sucking it up and doing what needed to be done, but Rick's loss was so huge, so raw, and so recent, that she was concerned for him. "You ok?" She asked for the third time, and he glared at her. "Ask me that again, Linney, please," he grumbled at her, "Can't tell ya how much I love it." Linney rolled her eyes and ignored him, looking away. They trudged on in silence for a few more minutes, pausing when Daryl brought an arm up, signaling that something wasn't right. Three walkers stumbled onto the path ahead of them and Linney dove past Michonne and threw knives at them, taking them down, one, two, three.

Daryl growled impatiently at her, but Linney felt marginally better having killed something, and she bent to collect her knives. When she turned back, Michonne was giving her a small, impressed smile. "Nice," the woman said and Linney crooked an eyebrow at her and smiled, moving back to Rick's side. Their leader was glaring at her. "That was stupid and reckless, you should've just let them take care of it," he told her, gesturing at Daryl and Michonne, and she glared back at him. Before she opened her mouth to launch into an irritated tirade at him, another group of walkers came through the trees to the left, and this time Michonne launched into them, slicing them down with a deadly kind of grace.

"Nice," Linney told her when she was done, watching Michonne flick her sword to remove the gore from it. Michonne smiled at her. "There's nothing like using a blade, right?" Linney smiled back at Michonne's question, raising an eyebrow. Daryl snorted and they looked over at him. "Ya done jerking each other off over yer damn knives?" He snapped at them, "Or d'ya wanna keep movin' 'fore more of them dead bastards show up?" Linney glanced at Michonne and saw amused dark eyes watching her. They both laughed and Linney clapped the woman's back.

"Oh, I like you," Linney said, and Michonne smirked back at her. Linney turned back to Daryl and nodded her head at the path ahead of them. "We goin' or what?" She asked him impatiently, and he shook his head, continuing forward. They walked quietly for the next few hours, Michonne and Linney taking out any walkers they came across, each of them clearly admiring the other's handiwork, and Linney had to chuckle to herself. _Definitely got myself a sword crush._

Rick seemed to disapprove of their interaction. When the sun was setting and they were finally crouched outside the walls of Woodbury, he pulled Linney back. "I know you like her," he began, his eyes darting from Michonne to Linney's face, "But she isn't staying afterwards, we can't do it, I won't do it." Linney was furious, but now, hiding like bunnies behind a truck, outside the heavily armed and guarded walls of their enemy's home, didn't seem like the right time to argue.

"Whatever boss," she murmured dismissively. He grumbled something and pushed past her, grabbing Michonne's arm roughly. "We need to get in there now, so do what you promised and lead us in," he snapped and Michonne nodded, her face falling into a glare. "If anything happens, if you do anything to make me think you're double crossing us, I'll kill you without a second thought," he warned her, the icy tone of his voice leaving little doubt to his intentions. Even Linney shuddered, behind him, hating it when he sounded like that. She again wondered if he was perhaps not stable enough to handle this. When they rushed by her, armed to the teeth, and Daryl grabbed her arm to cart her along with them, Linney shoved the worry from her mind. _Too late now_.

Under cover of darkness, Michonne lead them through a small break in the walls, and they were in Woodbury.

***** Thought? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, kind readers! *****


	129. Chapter 129

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

**Welcome back IndigoAvalar :) I'm glad you kept reading! Holy cow - super ridiculously flattered over here from your review - THANK YOU - I can't PM you, so I'm putting my response here (anyone who wants to get right to the good stuff, start reading where the bold print stops).**

**Darinney! - Love it!**

**I love Linney and Carl, too - I surprised myself with how much I like them and how much I enjoy writing the two of them and it's become bigger than I thought it would.**

**The exciting stuff is coming, it was fun to write it, and I'm still not done, I can't stop tweaking because I'm paranoid it'll be crappy! Don't worry about Merle, he's got the Merle version of warm and fuzzies for Daryl and Linney, but he's still a giant dick to everyone else and I intend to keep it that way :)**

**When I reach the end of season 3, I'm going back out into imagination land with them, like I did for the 2-3 break, to kill some time and also to discuss what building up prison life was like, the challenges, the drama, and of course to spend some time with Darinney (ha!) - I read a few places on the interwebs that a lot of people seem to agree that it's about 8 months inbetween season 3 and 4, so that's about the same time period.**

**Season 4 is crazy, like _crazy_, and I've known who Linney will end up with right from the very start and I'm not changing my mind - I hope everyone else likes it too, when I finally, eventually, get there.**

**I've actually been embarrassed to share my music with my readers, I didn't want anyone to think I'm a huge lame-o for my choices - although, a lot of it is TWD soundtrack stuff... I'll do this just once and list my favorites and then go hide, blushing, in my little cave of worry:**

**_Blackbird Song - Lee DeWyze_**

**_Lead Me Home - Jamie N Commons_**

**_Kingdom Come - The Civil Wars_**

**_Come Away To The Water - Maroon 5_**

**_Hey Brother - Avicii_**

**_Nothing But Trouble - Phantogram_**

**_Hail Hail - Shovels & Rope_**

**_Black - Kari Kimmel_**

**_Oats in the Water - Ben Howard_**

**_Sally's Song - Amy Lee _**

**_Neverending amounts of Lindsey Stirling_**

**_Heidi's Growl & Diggin' The Grave - The Town Pants_**

**_Pompeii - Bastille_**

**Thanks so much for your long review :) I super appreciate it, it made me all happy and giddy this morning! Back to the regularly scheduled reading!**

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As far as she was concerned, anyone younger than Ben was not going to survive in this world. She'd seen it again and again, in the beginning, and then with their last group. Children were vulnerable; small, weak, and unprepared. So, when the five of them were surrounded, trapped in the bowels of the hellhole they'd tried to seek refuge in, she didn't expect that their saviors would be children.

Sasha screamed her brother's name, certain that she was about to watch him die, when the distinctive, and loud, blast of gunfire sliced through the room, and the walkers started to drop around them, one by one. Sasha didn't pause, swinging her bat wildly at the few remaining around her, trying to keep them off of Donna and Allen. Ben had a knife and was trying his best to kill the walkers around them, but whoever was shooting was taking them out before they had a chance to get too close.

There was a break in the waves of the dead that had followed them into this dank room, and they all turned to look at the people who had saved them. A skinny, pretty, blonde girl stood next to a dark haired boy in a sheriff's hat, each of them armed to the teeth, grasping guns in their hands. "Hurry!" The girl yelled, waving a hand at them. Sasha turned to Tyreese, her eyes wide and blinking stupidly, not certain that she wasn't seeing things. "You heard the girl," her brother rumbled back at her, and Sasha lashed a hand out to Ben, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him along with her. She heard Allen and Tyreese struggling with Donna's weight behind them, but didn't stop.

The little boy ahead of them paused in his headlong rush back down the dark halls, and shot at something over Sasha's shoulder. "Run! Follow her!" He yelled, his voice cracking. Sasha hurried, briefly wondering if she should insist he keep up with them. He was shooting again, covering their retreat, and Sasha kept running, with a death grip on Ben's shirt. The girl lead them to a door, unlocking it and ushering them inside. Sasha burst into a big room, filled with tables and stools, a makeshift kitchen just inside the door.

She released Ben and turned to the barred door they ran in and saw the blonde waving her hand at someone out in the hall, pulling a knife from her arm and hurling it smoothly. The boy darted through the door and they slammed it closed. She watched as the two kids yanked pokers from belt loops at their waists and neatly began to stab at the faces of the walkers piling up on the other side of the door. After a couple minutes, all the walkers were dead and a large heap of bodies sat outside the door.

"We'll get Axel and Oscar to clear them later," the blonde said to the boy, who nodded firmly in agreement. The two kids turned to them then, their eyes watching Allen and Tyreese lay Donna down, skipping over to Ben's pacing form, and Sasha's tight posture. She noticed that neither of them holstered their weapons, and the blonde kept a hand cupped over another knife on her arm.

"Who are you and what the fuck are you doin' here?" The boy barked at them. Sasha felt a ripple of fear run down her spine and wondered what trouble they could be in now. She jumped when the blonde smacked the boy in the back of the head. "Carl! Don't cuss like that!"

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She really felt like they were in a bad movie. Some kind of action flick, darting from shadow to shadow, hiding place to hiding place, following the wily stranger to save the damsel in distress... and Glenn. Linney crouched next to Daryl behind some bushes, waiting for the signal to bolt for their goal, an abandoned-looking store that Michonne swore would lead them to where she guessed Maggie and Glenn would be.

"Now, Lin," Daryl hissed at her, grabbing her elbow and dragging her along in a crouch. They burst through the doors of the building and Rick slammed it closed behind them. They all collapsed and breathed heavily, trying to catch their breaths and slow their thumping hearts. "We need to move through the back door, down the alley, til we see some stairs that go down. That's where all their secret meetings were and their private storage. That's where they'd keep prisoners, I'd bet," Michonne told them. Rick's face twisted. "Why so out of the way?" He asked, and Michonne shook her head, gesturing impatiently out to the street. "There are regular people here, families, people who know nothin' about the shit the Governor's done, the shit his men do, the evil," her voice was scathing, and Linney felt disquiet growing in her chest.

"I didn't realize that normal people were here," she said uneasily, and Daryl clamped a hand on her arm, trying to comfort her. Michonne shot her a steady look. "That's what makes this worse, a man that does what he does, that leads other men in his evil ways... that's a man that will turn on his people like a rabid dog," Michonne's voice was low and steady and she met Rick's glare calmly, "He needs to be stopped." Rick shook his head.

"I don't care about him," he told her flatly, "I'm here for my people and that's it." Michonne glared at him. "Once you take your people back, he'll never stop hunting you, you'll never know peace, he needs to be stopped," Michonne insisted, and Rick shook his head. "We are here for our people _and that's it_," he snapped. Linney met Daryl's eyes worriedly and he shook his head, silently warning her not to get involved. They all froze when they heard the front door open and they darted into the shadows at the back of the store.

The man who entered seemed to think they were unruly citizens, not actual threats, warning them about curfew. He made it to the back and Rick tackled him to the ground, threatening the man with his gun, asking where their people were. The man claimed ignorance and Linney stepped forward and clubbed him across the back of the head with the butt of her gun. Rick glared over at her. "He didn't know shit, let's just go where Michonne said to and get the fuck out of here," she insisted. Rick stared steadily at her, and she could tell he was trying to decide whether or not to be mad at her. He finally nodded and she breathed a little easier, stepping back while Daryl bound and gagged the man using strips of a sheet he'd found.

They opened the back door and snunk down the alleyway, Linney praying hard that they could leave without further incident.

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Maggie took out two men with her bone shiv and Glenn managed to kick the man with the goatee right in the chest. He dropped his gun and Glenn dove for it, a sense of elation filling him when he had a weapon back in his hands. He kicked the man again, hard, and turned to Maggie, only to sag in disappointment when he found her pushed to the ground, three different guns trained on her. "Drop it now, and no one gets hurt," the large black man told him. Glenn gripped the gun tightly, his face twisting in rage, and then he dropped the gun.

The man with the goatee, Martinez, moved like lightning, kicking Glenn in the back, knocking him to the ground, too. He fell next to Maggie and she looked at him, her face dirty and scared. They were both yanked to their knees, their hands bound behind them. "I'm sorry," he told her, and she gave him a tearful smile. "We tried, at least we tried," she replied, and they both looked up, eyes wide and terrified, when they heard the laughter of the Governor. He rounded the corner and wagged a finger at them.

"You two little troublemakers!" He exclaimed, his tone as jovial as if they were a pair of naughty toddlers. "I can't believe you actually yanked the bones outta that biter for weapons!" He grinned at them and then shared his smile with Martinez. Glenn noticed the goatee'd man seemed to be forcing his lips up into a smile. _Jesus_, Glenn thought in sudden realization, _they're all afraid of him_.

"Of course, you killed some of my men, so I'm going to make sure this doesn't go well for you," he vowed pleasantly, as if promising to take them to the fair. "I was just gonna shoot you both, quick and easy! But now..." his voice trailed off as he knelt in front of them, reaching out a hand for Maggie's face, "Ya'll are taking a little trip to the screamer pits." Maggie twisted her head from him, her lips pulling back into a snarl. The Governor got to his feet and turned to his men.

"Get 'em out there, and wait for me to bring the traitor, he should watch them go," the Governor ordered them. Glenn looked over at Maggie. "I love you," he told her, and she smiled sadly. "I love you, too," she replied, right before a sack was pulled over her head. Glenn only had a moment to stare sadly at the sight before a sack was pulled over his head too. He waited tensely, not sure what to expect, when suddenly all hell seemed to break loose around them.

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She heard them and felt her heart twist. Linney glanced over at Rick, taking in his furious features. They listened as someone detailed his plans to kill them, and then heard Maggie and Glenn exchange despaired 'I love you's'. Linney felt like a volcano in her chest was bubbling to the surface and yanked the flash bang from Rick's hands, tearing the top off and heaving it around the corner, out into the room where their friends were being held. Daryl tossed one right after her and the resulting explosions shook the basement.

They all tore around the corner and Linney dove at the figure she knew must be Maggie, kicking violently at the ankles of the man standing directly behind her friend. The man screamed, fell, and had one of Linney's knives shoved through his temple, all in a manner of seconds. Linney pulled the bag off Maggie's head and began to pull her friend back the way they'd come. Daryl was on her heels with Glenn, and Rick was shooting at everyone still standing. Linney heard Daryl grunt behind her as someone landed on him and she shoved Maggie at Michonne, pushing past Glenn to where Daryl was fighting with someone on the ground. Linney shrieked as loud as she possibly could to grab the man's attention, and he and Daryl both paused to look over at her, squinting through the smoke.

Snarling, she threw herself at the man, landing on his shoulder and tumbling down to the ground with him. Daryl got to his hands and knees and moved for her, but Rick screamed something, and suddenly another flash bang went off. Linney was stunned, the man she'd thrown herself at locked his arms around her neck in alarm, and she felt like she was choking. There was smoke and shadows everywhere; arms and flailing legs filled her vision. The terrible ringing from the flash bangs in her ears faded slowly, to be replaced with gun fire.

She bit the man's arm as hard as possible and gagged when she tasted blood. He yelled and they rolled through the dirt of the basement flooring. He slammed her into the wall on their final revolution and she got a glimpse of his face. His eyes widened at the same time hers did, as recognition flashed across each of their faces.

"You little bitch!" He screamed, at the same time she yelled, "You fucking asshole!" Linney grabbed a knife from her waist and swung her arm up in a flash, stabbing him in the same shoulder she had that first time, all those months ago. The man with the goatee snarled and flung her away from himself, reaching up for the knife. Linney pulled another one and threw it, purposely aiming for his leg, catching him in the knee and making him shriek like a woman. She realized she had made a very stupid mistake getting so tangled up in fighting this one person, when a foot kicked at her from behind, sweeping her own legs out from underneath herself. She slammed to the ground and turned, reaching for another knife.

A tall man emerged from the the dust and smoke, a gun trained on her head, a lunatic grin on his face. He flicked an eyebrow up and gestured at the hand reaching for the knife. "Drop your hand to the ground before I bite your fingers off one by one," he warned her, his tone pleasant. Linney rested both hands on the ground, holding herself up with them. He looked around at his men, glaring at the goatee'd man. "Get yourself to the doctor, right now, Martinez," he ordered. Linney moved to get to her feet, not liking how the man towered over her while she was on the ground.

He gestured at the man next to himself, a large black man, "Shumpert, get her weapons," he calmly told the man. Linney tried to steady her breathing, looking around briefly, pleased to see no one left in the room but the men they'd killed, and the men they hadn't. _Everyone else got away_, she thought in dizzying relief. Shumpert gestured at her to hold her hands out and when she heard the click of another gun being trained on her from behind herself, she slowly obeyed. Shumpert moved quickly and efficiently, removing all her knives and her guns.

When he stepped back, Linney stood unarmed in the center of a group of about six angry men, all of them with guns on her. "Overkill?" She said, the sass in her voice hiding the absolute terror she could feel growing inside herself. The tall man smirked and shook his head. "You look like trouble," he told her, lowering his weapon. Linney raised an eyebrow at him. "Let me go and my troubles won't be yours," she replied. He smirked and stepped towards her. She looked up at him and realized he had to be at least a foot taller than her. _Yeah, I'm not feeling so great about this_.

"I lost two people tonight, two prizes," he told her, a hand reaching for her face, his thumb rubbing across a cut on her cheek. Linney hissed and pulled away from the sting, and he held the thumb up to show her the blood. He moved the thumb to his lips and Linney watched in abject horror as he stuck it in his mouth. He closed his eyes for a moment and then glared down at her, the smile still on his lips. "But, I'll take what I can get," he said in a reassuring tone.

Linney took a tiny step backwards and tried to control her face, tried to keep it hard and impassive, knowing she was probably failing. "I've got some questions for you," he spoke calmly, and Linney flinched when she realized that she could hear a ridiculous amount of gun fire in the distance. _Daryl, Rick, get out, get out_. He cocked his head to the side, aware that she was hearing it as well. "I've got a lot of men here, a lot of fighters. Your friends will try to get out, but I doubt they'll make it," he said. Linney smirked at him.

"You'd be underestimating them," she told him in a flippant tone. He chuckled, and his hand lashed out quickly, backhanding her across her face. She grunted and fell to one knee, bracing herself against the ground with her hand. "Secure her, search her, and put her in that room, I'll be back once it's over," he ordered his men, striding past Linney. As the men closed in on her with duct tape and frowns, she fervently prayed that all this wasn't going to be for nought, that everyone else was going to get out.

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He couldn't believe she was gone, he couldn't believe he was so stupid and careless that it had taken him until they exploded into the tiny store front to realize she wasn't with them. "We have to go back," he insisted, speaking angrily to Rick, and the man nodded his head. Maggie zipped up the hoodie she'd found on the ground, around Glenn, and said, "That woman? The one you were with? Michonne? Where'd she go?" Daryl looked around and so did Rick, as if she might magically reappear.

"Shit," Rick cursed, looking over at Daryl, "They must be together, they must have gotten separated." Daryl nodded and moved for the door, "We need to find her," he insisted again, and Rick put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't like that woman, but if they're together, they'll be fine," Rick's voice was a hiss, "Glenn can barely breathe, he's hurt bad. Linney will be fine with Michonne, you know that, we gotta get Glenn and Maggie out of here, now." Daryl wavered, his heart constricting painfully.

"We get them out and then we come back and look for her," he bargained, his voice not wavering. Rick nodded emphatically, "Of course, I would never leave her here." Glenn groaned and coughed, bending over in pain. "Daryl, it was Merle," he groaned, "Merle brought us here and let his men beat on us." Daryl felt like he'd been hit by a train, the shock of his brother's name and this place not making any sense together. "What? Merle's this Governor?" He asked, his voice sounding stupid with surprise. Glenn shook his head and gagged against the pain in his ribs. Maggie put an arm around him and looked up at Daryl.

"No, he's like a lieutenant, but he brought us here when we wouldn't tell him where you guys were," she said in a rush, "His men started to beat on Glenn, and Merle tried to put a stop to it, and they turned on him, dragged him off, called him a traitor." Daryl felt dizzy, his worry for Linney now being made worse by the new, added, worry for his brother. "I have to go get him," Daryl said breathlessly, "Get him and we'll both find Linney." Rick grabbed his arm, his grip painful.

"Daryl, no, we don't know this place, don't know what's going on, we have to get Glenn and Maggie out of here and then I promise I'll come back and help you find Linney," Daryl nodded briskly, swallowing hard and reaching for Glenn, yanking him to his feet.

Every step they took, every shot they made, he worried that he was doing the wrong thing, moving further and further from finding Linney, from saving his brother. When the opportunity came to provide cover for the other three to get out, he jumped at it, yelling at them to go, that he'd catch up. He provided cover and sighed in relief when he realized that the three of them were over the wall and away. He was pinned down though and reached for another flash bang, his last one, in his pocket. He tossed it over the garbage can he was hiding behind and heard a loud metallic _clink_ and the flash bang bounced back, landing at his feet.

"Fuck," he muttered, trying to dive away. It went off, stunning him, and when he saw boots all around him, multiple guns trained on him, he put his hands up. _Fucking idiot, that didn't go well._ A tall man approached him, a huge grin on his face. Daryl was forced to his feet and the man stared at him. "Two for two, I'm ok with that," he said, almost to himself, and Daryl felt a ripple of worry in his stomach.

_Does he mean Merle and me? Linney and me? Michonne and me?_ "Search him, secure him, and lock him in the other room, I have to go have a chat with someone."

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, gentle readers :) *****


	130. Chapter 130

***** I'm going to put up a trigger warning guys, even though you all know I tend to avoid writing _that_ kind of stuff... but, it's the Gov, and he's a mega creep... I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

_Well, your hands are taped behind your back and you have no weapons_, Linney thought to herself, looking around the room she was locked in. _There's a torn apart walker on the ground back there and two guys with guns staring you down. All in all, not your best moment._ She smirked at her inner dialogue and one of the men, the one named Shumpert, glared at her.

"What're you smilin' about?" He asked her in a deep, irritated voice. Linney shrugged and tried to flip her hair off her face. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She said calmly, shooting him a sweet smile. His brow furrowed and she looked away. _You need a plan_, she told herself, _a good one_. Her eyes cast around the room and she found herself coming up dry at every turn. It was too hard to plan when she had no idea what was going to happen next. There were voices in the hall, some muffled yelling, and the sounds of someone being hit. Linney's stomach curdled at the thought that someone from her group may have been grabbed.

"What's going on?" She asked Shumpert, and he shrugged at her. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He responded, one corner of his mouth tilting up in a wry smile. Linney huffed out an exasperated breath and looked over at the other man in the room, the one holding her picture. "Can I have that back please? I promise it's a fairly harmless picture, it won't set me free or anything fun like that," her tone was sarcastic, and the man shook his head, looking down at the picture. He smiled over at Shumpert, whose own face turned up in a small smile.

"Gov's gonna wanna see this," Shumpert said, and Linney took a deep breath, trying to hold back her temper, which she could feel boiling close to the surface. A few moments later the door burst open and the man with the picture moved swiftly to the Governor. "Found this in her back pocket," he said quietly, and the Governor took it, his face twisting in amused disbelief. He laughed shortly, a barking noise.

He glanced over at Linney and his grin was huge. He waved the picture at her, laughing harder. "Family?" He asked her, and she glared at him, not responding. He leaned to Shumpert and whispered something in the man's ear. Linney strained to hear and she thought she heard the word 'brother', but ended up just chewing on the inside of her cheek as she waited for their conversation to end. When the two men left the room, the Governor turned and looked over at Linney, the picture of the Dixon brothers still in his hands.

"I want that back," Linney told him, her voice betraying her worry. He smirked and moved closer to her, putting it down on the table. He grabbed a chair and dragged it over, sitting across the table from her. "I've found, in this world, that we all carry very little with us. It's as if we aren't capable of maintaining much of our former selves, except that which we consider the most important," he steepled his fingers together thoughtfully under his chin, as he shrewdly regarded her, "So, for a girl such as yourself, who obviously cares about weapons more than anything else, to make room on her person for something like a picture... well, that says to me that the people in the picture gotta be pretty important."

Linney tried to keep her breathing stable, worried that he was potentially trying to label targets if he struck back at her group. She glared at him, not saying a thing. He tapped his fingers on the picture, and his face twisted more, his smile growing nearly manic. "I'm thinking brothers," he told her, his tone satisfied in a way she couldn't understand.

He picked up the picture and stared hard at it, and then he got up abruptly and moved around the table towards her, grabbing her arm and hauling her to her feet. She tried to pull away from him, but his grip on her arm was growing painful and he had her nearly hanging in the air, her tip toes scraping against the floor.

"Put. Me. Down," she snarled at him, and the Governor chuckled quietly. "I must say, I prefer them dark and angry," he whispered to her. She nearly choked in rage when she felt one of his hands trailing over her butt, pressing against it. It took her a minute to understand that he'd tucked the picture into her back pocket. He released her roughly and she dropped back into her chair. She leaned away from him, her fear evaporating as she grew more and more angry. He moved languidly behind her, and she could hear him pacing.

She hated not being able to see him, but every time she tried to turn he slapped her head, and she began to feel like a scolded puppy, not to mention how much her face hurt. _He's just fucking with you, this guy gets off on mind games_, she reassured herself. "If I were to say to you, take off your shirt, what would you say?" He asked her, his tone gentle and curious. Linney shook her head and coughed out a hard, angry laugh.

"I'd tell you where to go and how to get there," she responded harshly, and he chuckled. She wasn't expecting his hand to clamp down tightly around the back of her neck and start squeezing painfully. "What if I insisted?" He growled at her, and she clenched her teeth together and said nothing. He squeezed harder, his thumb pressing painfully on the front of her throat, and she squirmed, trying to get away. "What if I gave you a very good reason to do it?" He asked, releasing her neck hard, throwing her forward against the table.

"Fuck you, you stupid bastard. Try this when I'm not bound, try this when I have my knives," she snarled against the table, grunting when he pressed her face against it. The pressure on her shoulders from her bound wrists made her want to cry, but she just squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her teeth together. He chuckled and let her go, moving casually around to the front of the table and sitting again. He looked her right in the eye, a gloating smile spreading over his lips.

"It didn't take much to make your friend Maggie do it," he told her, and Linney leapt to her feet in blind fury, the chair tumbling to the ground behind her. She moved quickly, ducking down and hitting the edge of the table with her shoulder and then launching to her feet, making it flip back onto the Governor. She kicked the bottom of the table as it crashed onto him and then raced for the door, spinning and putting her back to the handle. Her fingers scrambled at it and she heard him laughing. Her panicked eyes darted up to the Governor, who was pushing the table off himself calmly. The handle finally turned and Linney flung the door open, darting into the hall and immediately rebounding off Shumpert.

In less than a minute they had duct tape over her mouth and her ankles were bound. Shumpert lugged her back into the room and she saw the Governor had straightened the furniture. He was smiling broadly at her. Shumpert dropped her back into her chair and she cursed at him behind the tape. The Governor walked over and crouched in front of her. "You," he said, running a gentle finger down the side of her face, "Are more fun than I thought you'd be." Linney jerked her head away from him and glared, cussing him out behind the tape. He laughed, as if he could understand exactly what she was saying.

He popped to his feet and grinned at her, hands on his hips. "I was gonna kill ya, with everyone else, during the festivities, but I think I'm going to keep you," he promised her, and she cringed. He walked to the door and paused, tapping his hand against the doorframe. "Tonight's going to be a lot of fun, I'm really looking forward to it," he told her pleasantly and she twitched angrily in her chair, "You'll enjoy it too, of that I'm sure!"

He left the room, the door shutting Linney into the dank space alone. She finally hung her head and cried a little, out of fear, out of worry, and out of self pity. Then she sat for a couple hours and waited.

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"Where are they?" Maggie cried, crouched behind a truck with Rick. Her heart was thumping in terror. Glenn was sprawled on the ground behind them, struggling to get his breath. Rick growled in frustration, "I don't know, I don't know." Maggie and he spun at a sound behind them and she felt her features sag when she realized it was just Michonne. Rick launched to his feet and slammed the exhausted woman against the side of a nearby truck.

"Where is she? Where did you go? _What happened?_" Rick's whispers were so loud and strained that Maggie charged towards him, putting a cautioning hand on his shoulder. "You have to be quiet!" She hissed urgently. He barely spared her a glance before slamming Michonne again. "Where is she?!" He whispered in fury. Michonne shook her head in confusion. "Who? Who?" She asked, her eyes moving from Rick and Maggie, down to Glenn, and then back up to Rick. Understanding washed over her face. "You lost her?" She accused Rick, shoving his hands off her. "Where's Daryl?" She continued, and Rick reached for his gun. Maggie clamped her hand over his, and growled at him.

"Rick, for god's sake, obviously they're both still in there, and shooting her doesn't help, we need her!" Maggie's voice was furious and Rick turned panicked eyes to hers. She realized his fury was helping him choke back his fear. She thought back over the past couple of days, how his world had fallen apart. How Linney had stood there with him and Carl, and patiently helped him try and hold everything together. She could see it now, the naked fear on his face, fear that he was about to lose Linney too. Maggie grabbed his arms and squeezed them as tightly as she could.

"Rick, you and I need to go get them, right now, no more time to waste. Michonne can watch Glenn, get him back to the car, understood? Now Rick, we go now," she urged him, and he nodded emphatically. His features flickered through several emotions and finally landed on anger. He turned to Michonne and glared at her, one hand pointing at Glenn.

"Keep him alive, keep him safe," he snarled at her, and Michonne nodded, "Get him to the vehicle and if we aren't back by midday tomorrow, drive back to the prison and tell everyone what happened and make sure they get to safety." Michonne nodded again, her face earnest, eager to help. Maggie eyed the woman sympathetically, knowing that things had been terrible for her, but still remembering the confident 'superhero' she'd met in the winter.

"Please, keep him safe," Maggie told her, her voice strained with feeling for Glenn. Michonne smiled at her and put a hand on Maggie's arm. "I will."

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Beth felt really bad for the group they had locked in the big room. She sat in her cell with her dad, Carl, Carol, and baby Judith. Axel was standing outside the door and Oscar was at the door to the big room. She knew the two of them were trying to act like guards for them, and she appreciated it, but knew that she'd absolutely destroy anyone that tried anything, without hesitation. A glance over at Carl confirmed that he was in the same mindset.

The older woman they had with them had died, and she and Carl both offered to end it, but the big man, Tyreese, insisted that he would do it. Beth had brought them blankets, clothes, water, and food. Her father had checked out their wounds, cleaned and stitched them up, and Axel and Oscar had dragged out spare mattresses for them. Tyreese's sister, Sasha, had thanked them and then proceeded to screech at them when they were locked in. Beth let Carl take the lead on that, to let him save some face after she'd scolded him for cussing earlier; a kneejerk reaction she regreted.

"We don't know you, we don't trust you, and we shouldn't have to," he told them calmly, looking from face to face, "You're safe here, and don't have to worry about walkers." Tyreese had stayed his sister's reaction and nodded at Carl. "Your house, your rules," he replied, and Carl nodded curtly, putting an arm around Beth's waist and leading her away. She stepped away from him when they were out of view and now as the hunkered down in the one cell, Beth felt free to move back to her worrying about the group going after her sister.

_Strangers in the prison are a piece of cake_, she thought, her mind flickering over the images of the ragged group in the other room, a group that appeared to be worse off than her own. _Maggie, please come home_.

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Daryl felt himself sinking into a state of mind he hadn't been in since he was a boy. He was slowly shutting himself down, locking away his reactions, his voice, his understanding, and simply enduring what was happening to help keep himself sane. He was locked up, bound to a chair, without weapons. He had been beat on, but not much. He heard smashing in the next room and was worried about who they had over there. A man was laughing a lot, but it didn't sound like Merle. He looked around the room he was in, and realized that this was a bad place, a room where a lot of hurt had been brought to other people.

He didn't respond, didn't look up when spoken to, didn't move when hit, and basically sat like a scowling lump. He recalled how nearly comfortable this state of being had become for him as a boy, and how hard he had to fight, as time went on, to pull himself from it. He had wanted more than anything to stay in the safe place in his mind, all the time. "Cheer up, friend, you're in for a treat," came a voice from the door. He looked up and saw the goatee'd guy there, bandaged up, leaning on a crutch.

He recognized the man, a red burn of fury building in his chest, realizing this prick had been the one who hurt Linney. But the locked down part of his mind wouldn't allow him to do anything but burn up inside. They kept him in the room for what felt like hours, and when a knock sounded at the door, he didn't even flinch. The men approached him and one of them put a sack over his head. "You're really gonna like this," the goatee'd man whispered in his ear, and the first crack in Daryl's calm facade finally appeared. He began to worry, to get sick with it. He didn't know what was awaiting him, but he felt in his gut that these sick fucks wouldn't be excited unless it was really bad.

As they dragged him around he could hear many loud voices yelling, shouting, jeering, and he finally grew legitimately frightened. His mind was unable to process the sounds of an angrily shouting crowd, the smell of burning torches, and the feel of cool night air. _Where the fuck am I? _

"And's here's one of the terrorists! Merle's own brother!" Daryl flinched hard as the sack was pulled off his head and he was met with such an astounding array of sights that he couldn't think.

But he saw Merle, and had to blink repeatedly at the sight. His brother was just as beefy looking, his hair a little longer, dressed in fairly tame clothes, with a huge metal arm. They were in some kind of gladiator-style ring, surrounded by an angry crowd. He couldn't take his eyes off Merle, and they shoved him over to stand next to his brother, his hands still bound behind his back. He was torn; elated to see his brother living and breathing, terrified about what this meant for them, and sad that Linney was going to lose them both in one night.

"No! Phillip! No! Don't do this!" He heard a woman scream and his eyes widened as his jaw dropped, when he found the source of the screaming. _Andrea_? She ran up to the Governor, being held back a couple of men. She fought against them, screaming that he was her friend, that this was wrong. Daryl just gaped at her. He was surprised by how pleased he was to see her alive, but he wanted her to shut up before they killed her too. He began to shake his head at her and she reached for him, her eyes moving to include Merle as well.

The Governor flicked a dismissive hand at her and droned on, his words slowly registering on Daryl. _Fight to the death? _He thought incredulously, wondering if he was dreaming. The look on Merle's face mirrored his own feelings and he felt his stomach sink. Someone cut the bonds on his hands and he shook his wrists briskly, to get more feeling in them.

"Oh, and one other little incentive," the Governor said, waving a hand to the other end of the arena. Two men led in another smaller figure and Daryl recognized Linney immediately, despite the bag on her head. He launched himself towards her, and many arms suddenly wrapped around him, restraining him. His protective shell was completely burned away by his fear for her and he wanted to use his bare hands to rip the Governor apart when the bag was pulled off her head and he saw the blood on her face.

Linney's eyes were huge as she took in Daryl, and she sagged in the arms of the men holding her. She had tape on her mouth and the Governor gestured at her. "Let the little lady speak," he said in a loud voice. Daryl glanced over at Andrea and saw her on her knees in abject horror as she stared at Linney. "Daryl!" Linney yelled, the second the tape was off her mouth. She darted her eyes around and Daryl watched every feature on her face twist and flinch as she spotted Merle next to him.

"Merle?" She said, her voice low, terrified, confused, but somehow still pleased. He heard Merle make a choking sound next to him but didn't look over at him. "Andrea!" Linney yelled, and Daryl spared a glance at the blonde who was fighting the people holding her again. "Linney! Linney! Phillip! Let her go! She's just a kid!" Andrea yelled at the Governor, but the man ignored her. He turned to Daryl and Merle, giving them an excited smile.

"You will fight, or she will pay for it," he told them. Linney gasped and struggled and started screaming and swearing at the Governor. The man stared at the brothers steadily, watching as the two Dixons still stood frozen in place. He raised his eyebrows at them and then he gestured at the men holding Linney. One of them pulled a knife and dragged it across her arm, leaving a long red cut in it's wake. She yelped and fought them harder.

Daryl turned to Merle and caught his brother's fist directly in the center of his face.

***** We're here! Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Angry I stopped there? Muahahahaha... more tomorrow! Please read and review, kind fellows! ******


	131. Chapter 131

***** 400 Reviews, you guys! Thanks _An Amber Pen_ for being the 400th review :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

She felt like her muscles were all spasming at once, as she hung twitching in the arms of the men restraining her. _Merle, Merle, Merle_, she thought frantically, her eyes locking on his. The Governor's threats washed off her like nothing, she didn't care if his men hurt her, she just wanted them to get away, both of them. Andrea threw a wrench into her thoughts though, she had honestly thought the woman was well and truly dead. She was elated to see her again, looking so much the same, but equally worried about what her presence meant.

She glared at the Governor again and did a double take, finally noticing the bloody patch on one of his eyes, the small dribble of blood leaking from the bottom. _What the fuck?_ She wondered, gaping at him. The guy on her left cut her arm and she yelled, the pain was bright and intense, but easily ignored after the initial slice. She wished she'd kept her mouth shut, though, because Merle suddenly stiffened, straightening up in fury and turning to Daryl. She shouted, trying to warn Daryl, but it was too late. He turned to look at his brother and got Merle's punch right in the face.

Linney fought harder, yelling loudly for him as he fell to the ground. Merle began to kick him, not holding back, and Linney was terrified that he'd lost his mind. "Merle no! Don't hurt him! No!" She shrieked, and the Governor laughed. She saw he had sidled up closer to her and she felt her face crinkling together in fury. She began to yell curses and insults at the man, hoping that she could somehow drag the attention off the men brawling.

Daryl finally picked himself up and started dishing it back to Merle. She watched as they fought, and realized that Merle was putting on a show. He was bigger than Daryl, and a natural fighter, there was no way that Daryl should be getting in the shots he was. _What's his plan?_ The men holding her tossed her down and she tried to twist, hoping to keep her face from slamming into the ground. Her shoulder thumped painfully into the dirt and she attempted to roll to her knees. A heavy boot hit her back and knocked her down, pinning her to the dirt. She wrenched her head up and saw the Governor behind her, smiling down at her.

The crowd around them roared as yet more men brought out walkers on leashes and Linney bucked against the boot on her back. "Walkers! Daryl! Merle! Walkers!" She screamed at them, and both men stopped beating on each other and looked up, seeing the walkers closing in on them. Merle bent to Daryl quickly and whispered something to him. Linney sagged in relief when they moved to stand back to back. Andrea was still screaming, calling all of their names, and Linney looked over at the woman, whose face was twisted in horror.

"I'm sorry Linney! I didn't know! I didn't know!" Andrea yelled, and Linney couldn't nod, because as the Dixons fought the walkers, the Governor decided to up the ante. He kicked Linney, making her yelp in pain again. One of his men grabbed her and forced her to her feet. He held a knife to her shoulder and began to slowly drag it down. She clamped her teeth together to try and swallow her screams, but the pain grew and she couldn't hold it in. Both brothers turned to her and the Governor shouted, "You know the rules! She pays if you don't play!"

She watched the two of them exchange a loaded glance, but before they could do anything, the head of the man holding her exploded. She slithered from his grip in surprise, falling to the ground, and realized that someone was shooting at the people of Woodbury. Lights were shot out, flash bangs were thrown, and Linney rolled around on the ground, trying to get away from the chaos. Smoke was everywhere and the crowd was screaming in terror now. She could hear Andrea screaming for her, Daryl screaming for her, and men howling in pain and fear. One of the lit torches tipped on it's side and set some of the benches surrounding the ring on fire.

Feet pounded up next to her head and Linney screamed as someone bent and scooped her up off the ground, slinging her over their shoulders. "Daryl! Help!" She screamed, and the person holding her clapped her back roughly. "Shut up, you stupid shithead," a voice growled at her, and she sagged in nearly delirious relief. _Merle_.

He was running, and as she craned her neck she caught a glimpse of Daryl, punching a man who was holding his crossbow, and taking it back. As they raced from the ring she saw Maggie shooting to cover their retreat and heard Rick's voice, urging them onwards. They crowded around a dark cluster of vehicles and Merle put her down.

Maggie bent to her and sliced through her bonds quickly. Linney felt wobbly but launched herself at her friend, hugging her tightly. They said nothing, and Daryl pulled her away, clutching her in panicky tightness to himself. When he released her Rick grabbed her next, surprising her with a hug. "Are you alright? Are you alright?" He asked her over and over, his voice strained with worry. Linney nodded at him and his face sagged in relief. He clapped a hand to Daryl's shoulder and they exchanged a loaded glance, filled with mutual gratitude and relief.

"Now, we gotta run, now!" Merle hissed, and they pushed through a hole in the wall surrounding Woodbury, and fled into the night.

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"I'm telling you this only once, Allen," Sasha hissed, "We are burying Donna and then going back inside, and that's final." Allen glared at her, his face tightening in frustration. "How can we overlook this opportunity?" He shot back, turning his angry glare to Tyreese. Her brother's face was hard and disapproving.

"Those kids saved us. They took us in and provided for us when we were otherwise going to die," Tyreese growled, "And you want to repay that by killing them and taking their home?" Allen paced away from the sheet-wrapped body of his dead wife, running his fingers through his filthy hair.

"Haven't we suffered enough?" He asked angrily, gesturing at Donna's corpse, "How much more do we have to lose before you realize that sometimes you have to just take what you need?" Tyreese moved towards Allen, towering over him, glaring at him. "I'm not killing innocent people, women and children, just so we have a place to sleep at night," Tyreese told him, his tone indicating that this was not up for discussion. Sasha walked up beside her brother and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You disgust me," she murmured in a heavy tone, and Allen had the good sense to look mildly ashamed. "Can we stop this?" Ben asked, his tone weary. They all turned to him and saw the look of exhaustion and frustration on his face. Sasha cast one more angry look at Allen and moved to Ben's side, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Of course, of course we will," she soothed, glancing back at Tyreese, "It's time to let her rest."

Allen and Tyreese moved back to the body, each of them bending to take a side. They lifted Donna's form off the ground and began to walk to the yard again, to the place that the old man, Hershel, had indicated they should bury her. The creak of a door behind them made their little group pause. Beth and Carl came out from the cellblock, weapons strapped all over them, shovels in their hands.

"Here," Beth said, handing the shovel to Ben, smiling at him sweetly. The boy ducked his head in an embarrassed nod and muttered thanks to her. Carl moved towards Sasha and handed her the other shovel. His face was as hard as granite, a disturbing look on a child. "I'm sorry about your mother," he said gruffly, in Ben's general direction. Ben nodded again, casting a dark look over at his father.

"My mom died a few days ago," Carl said, his face twisting into a grieved expression briefly, before it settled back into the hard mask. Sasha pressed her lips together and shook her head sadly. Ben licked his lips and clutched tightly at the shovel, glancing over at Beth, before looking back to Carl. "I'm sorry, man," he replied. There was an awkward silence before Beth cleared her throat, looking from Ben to Allen. "If you need any help at all, please let us know, we know how hard this must be for you," the girl spoke softly, and Sasha stepped towards Allen, nudging him with her hip.

"We're fine, thank you," she said quickly. Allen grunted and began to move forward, Tyreese following his lead. They trudged down to the small graveyard, the two kids staying in the courtyard, watching them. They were greeted by two filled graves and one empty one. They put Donna down and stared at the empty grave. The grave marker above it had been knocked to the ground and when Sasha moved to it, she saw the name 'Carol' scratched into it.

"Isn't she alive?" Sasha asked in confusion, and Tyreese shrugged. "Sorry!" A woman's voice called them. They all turned to see the woman in question, Carol, making her way over from the entrance by the guard tower. "That was supposed to be mine," she spoke ruefully, reaching for her grave marker, "That's a little gruesome, sorry, we really should have warned you." She ran her fingers over her name and shook her head. When she looked up at them, Sasha gestured at the hole.

"What happened?" She asked the short haired woman. Carol frowned and looked down at the other two graves. Sasha followed her gaze and watched as Carol moved and knelt between them. "Lori was Carl and Judith's mother, she died during an emergency c-section, when we were overrun by walkers," her voice was tight and sad and one of her hands clenched at Lori's cross. "She was my friend," Carol added softly. She looked up at Sasha and then over to Ben and Allen.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss, please, don't strain yourselves further," she waved a hand at her empty grave, "I was lost during the attack and they thought I was dead, so they dug one for me. Please use it," she urged them. Allen cleared his throat and turned away, hiding his face from them. Ben stepped forward after casting another dirty look at his father.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said quietly. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed him, "I'm very sorry, Ben." Carol stepped away, and pulled her knife, dropping to her knees and scraping her name off the cross. She flipped it over and carved the name 'Donna' into it, then handed it to Tyreese, who used his free hand to help her to her feet. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?" Sasha asked the woman carefully, thinking a few days ago was not a lot of time to recover from an attack.

Carol smiled at her, a sad, sweet smile. "I'm tired and achy, but I'm alive when obviously I shouldn't be, so I'm fine," she replied. Sasha nodded at her and moved to Allen's side. "We should lay her to rest," she told him softly, and the man shrugged her hand off his arm roughly. Carol cleared her throat and backed away, towards the guard tower. "I just wanted to let you know it's ok to use it, I'll leave you now. I need to get back on watch anyways," Carol told them hastily.

Sasha and Tyreese watched her leave and then looked at each other for a long moment. They turned back when they heard Ben struggling to get his mother in her grave. Allen never turned around and Sasha, Tyreese, and Ben ended up burying Donna without him. When they were done, none of them said anything and Ben eventually moved to his father's side, glaring hard.

"We aren't hurting these people," he said in an angry voice, and Allen turned to him, his features twisted between anger and sadness. Ben grabbed both shovels and moved back towards the prison. "We aren't hurting them," he said again, "We're going to pray they let us stay."

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They got off the roads surrounding Woodbury quickly, following Rick through the forest as they headed towards their vehicle. Maggie and Rick seemed to sense that three of them needed some privacy, so they kept their distance. Daryl was completely silent, his eyes darting over to Merle repeatedly, as if he needed to constantly reassure himself that he was real.

"You look like shit, sweetheart," Merle finally said, the first words he'd spoken since they'd escaped. Linney looked up at him and glared. "Wow, I really missed you, too," she replied sarcastically, and he chuckled, his crusty laugh making her feel like crying. She blinked her eyes rapidly, turning her head from him so he wouldn't see how close she was to becoming a sobbing mess.

"N' you got one hell of a faggy haircut there, little brother," Merle said gruffly to his brother. Daryl chuckled dryly. Linney lost it then, letting big fat tears trail down her face. Both Dixons stopped when she did, and stared at her in surprise. She balled her hands into fists and glared at them as she sobbed. "I really missed you!" She cried, her voice coming out in a squeaky whine. Rick and Maggie both paused ahead of them, turning in surprised interest at the tone of her voice.

Linney couldn't move. She couldn't believe her reaction, or stop it, and was absolutely humiliated by it. Daryl looked like he was hiding a smile and Merle was open-mouthed staring at her. "Jesus Christ, kid, quit blubberin', yer makin' an ass outta yerself," he told her, his tone hesitant and gruff. Linney clenched her teeth, trying to get angry, but knowing she was losing the battle. She let out a loud honking sob and charged him, throwing herself against him, and hugging Merle for all she was worth. His arms were halting as he brought them up and hugged her back, weakly.

"What the hell did ya do to 'er? She never did this shit before," Merle spoke in an accusing voice, and she heard Daryl tell his brother to fuck off. "Seriously, sweetheart, what the fuck?" Merle was chuckling a little bit as he pulled her off his chest and held her away from himself. "I fucking missed you, you stupid dickhead!" She cried, the tears still running like a faucet. Merle started to laugh and forcefully turned her, making her move forward. They started to walk again, and he put a casual arm around her shoulders.

Linney could see Maggie and Rick exchange an astounded glance, and then they turned forward as well. She could feel her shoulders hitching as she slowly stopped sobbing, trying to rein in her unexpected outburst. When she finally calmed down, Merle's arm dropped from around her shoulders. Linney wrapped her arms around herself, startled when she realized she had none of her weapons.

"Those stupid fucks took all of my knives," she groused. "So we get ya some more," Merle replied easily. Linney nodded and looked up at him quickly, amazed again that he was there, walking along next to her and Daryl as if nothing had ever changed. "You're right, me and the kids found a ton of weapons when we first got to the prison, I can probably find a few there," she responded. Merle grumbled something and Linney looked up at him.

"What?" She asked him, and he glared at her briefly. Linney looked past him, to Daryl, and he shrugged. "What, Merle?" She persisted. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. "Guess I can jus' wait while ya grab yer shit, jus' don't take too long," he told her, his tone annoyed. Linney blinked in confusion and looked up at Maggie and Rick for a moment; both of them were too far ahead to hear their conversation. Rick peered over his shoulder at her and shot her a small smile. She smiled automatically in response and then looked up at Merle again.

"What do you mean?" She asked Merle, her words slower this time. Merle raised an eyebrow at her like she was crazy. "Well, I ain't goin' in with ya! Ya'll can say yer goodbyes n' I'll wait outside," Merle explained in a rough voice. Daryl put a hand on his brother's arm and jerked him to a stop.

"We ain't leavin' the prison," he said firmly. Merle shoved his brother's hand off his arm and glared at Daryl. "Gonna leave me behind again, then?" He accused, his voice disgusted. Linney slapped his arm and he rounded on her. "Are you stupid?" She asked him. He glared and leaned down to her, his face darkening. "Are you?" He growled. Linney rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "You're coming with us, dumbass," she told him, and he laughed once, in disbelief.

"No, I ain't," he barked back in harsh amusement, "I ain't gonna live with Officer Friendly, n' I ain't gonna live with the little chinaman n' his girlfriend, not after what happened." Linney swallowed and looked up at Daryl, her own mounting concern mirrored on his face as well. "Merle, we can't leave the prison. I can't leave them, they're family now, we can't just -" Linney began to explain, her voice awkward and halting. Merle's face twisted into a snarl and he stepped back from them.

"So ya'll are jus' gonna side with them again? Leave me for them again?" He snapped, and Daryl's face jerked into an expression of fury. "You left _US_," Daryl growled, his voice carrying loudly. Maggie and Rick halted and made their way slowly back in their direction. "I was cuffed to a fuckin' roof!" Merle yelled loudly. "I cut my fuckin' hand off to survive!" His face had grown red in his fury and Linney felt her own face twitching in rage.

"They went back for you!" She cried, and Merle jabbed a finger in her shoulder angrily. "So I fuckin' heard - fat lot a good it did me though, hey sweetheart?" His voice was furious, and Daryl moved to step between Merle and Linney. "Back off Merle, yer the one that took those fuckin' drugs that day. _You fucked up, you_!" Daryl sounded more angry than Linney had ever heard him. Merle's face was alternating between fury, guilt, defiance, and something else, something Linney wanted to call worry, but couldn't, because she wasn't sure if he was capable of being worried.

"I ain't goin' back to live with them," Merle said in a low, angry voice, pointing at Rick and Maggie. Linney swallowed and tried to reason with him, stepping closer to him and putting a hand on his arm gently. "Merle, please, you're our family, you come with us, and that's that. We can't be separated again," she pleaded with him, her eyes flashing up at him, "Please Merle, it'll work, with everyone, because it _has_ to work." Merle's jaw was clenching so hard that the muscles in his face were twitching.

"Ya'll gotta choose, sweetheart, me or them."

***** Don't hate me for ending it there! More to come soon... Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, my dearest readers :) *****


	132. Chapter 132

***** Oh boy, decisions, decisions, decisions... Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"We don't have time for this right now," Rick interjected, moving to stand next to Linney. Merle glared at him dangerously. Rick sighed and put his hands in the air. "Look, hate me all you want, but she," he pointed at Linney, "Is bleeding from multiple wounds and I've got first aid in the car." Merle's jaw was clenched as tightly as his fists, and Rick held his gaze steadily, wondering if the man was going to attack him.

"Merle," Daryl said quietly, in a firm voice. Merle turned and held his brother's gaze for a long moment, before looking down at Linney. Rick felt marginally better when he saw the softened look of defeat on the man's face at the sight of Linney. Rick glanced down at her again and could see that her wounds were the least of her concerns right now. Her eyes were watery, her expression torn, and he knew that she was being ripped apart by the choice that Merle was forcing on her and Daryl. Rick glanced up at Daryl and saw the same torment in his eyes.

"Git goin'," Merle ordered the girl, his tone softer than it had been before. They all started moving and Rick jogged back to Maggie. The three behind them were silent again. "Rick," Maggie whispered, her voice high with panic, "They can't leave, we can't just let them leave." Rick shook his head at her, casting a quick look back at the trio behind them.

"I can't make them stay," he replied quietly, trying to keep the defeat from his voice. Maggie pressed her lips together tightly and shook her head. "Rick, I hate what that man did. I hate that he's the reason Glenn nearly died," Maggie hissed, her voice so vehement that Rick wasn't surprised to see angry tears wending their way down her filthy face, "But we can't let them leave!" He realized she was waiting for him to tell her that Merle was welcome.

Rick rubbed his face roughly with his hand. "Maggie, he's dangerous, erratic, and could be a threat," he began, holding up a hand to halt her immediate protest, "But he's _their_ family. So we'll find a way to make it work, for everyone." They were silent for a moment. "I don't want to lose either of them, but it's ultimately not our choice," Rick added this reluctantly, and Maggie made a small choking noise.

When they finally reached the road, and the car, they found Michonne pacing like an angry lion outside it. She looked up when she heard them, her hand immediately going to her sword. She paused when she realized who it was, a look of immense relief spreading across her face. Her pleasure withered quickly when she saw Merle.

"What is he doing here?!" She shrieked in fury, yanking her sword, and charging for Merle. Linney and Daryl reacted first. Daryl swung his crossbow up and pointed it directly at Michonne's head, growling, "Back the fuck off." Linney charged Maggie and snatched a gun from her waist, swinging it around and burying it into Michonne's back. "Drop it," she snarled at the angry woman. Merle started chuckling and Rick glared at him angrily.

"Everyone calm down!" Rick shouted, and no one moved. "He tried to kill me!" Michonne yelled again, and Rick stared at Merle with utter distaste. "You're the one who shot her?" He snapped, and Merle put his hands up and laughed. "Sure I did, ole Mutie here pissed the Gov off somethin' terrible," Merle laughed a little, "But I was under order to git 'er back, n' was prepared to let her get the slip, fer Andrea's sake. But, that bastard sent back-up, jus' to make sure the job got done." Merle glared at Michonne. "N' you attacked us, killed two of my men and sic'd biters on us! Was I supposed to jus' lay back n' die?"

Everyone paused, on edge and breathing heavily. Something Merle said clicked in Rick's head. "Andrea?" He asked in astonishment. Merle smirked at him and nodded. "Hell ya, Mutie n' Andrea spent the winter together, all snuggled up in each other's arms," Merle replied in a lecherous voice, and Linney moved to him and got in his face. "Just shut the fuck up! You ain't helpin'!" She yelled at him. Rick watched them and then turned to Daryl.

"Is she really there?" He asked the man, and Daryl nodded regretfully. "Yeah man, she was there, she was with 'em, but she didn't know about any of us bein' there," his tone was heavy, and Rick looked wide-eyed back at Maggie. The girl's face was pale and strained, obviously struggling to process everything. "She's all nice n' cozy with the Gov now, though, regular First Lady if you ask me," Merle said in a mocking voice, and Michonne snarled at him, lunging again. Linney swung the gun back to Michonne's forehead.

"Don't think I won't blow your fucking brains out. Now back the fuck off."

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Michonne stood a ways off from the SUV, pacing and muttering angrily to herself. Linney kept one eye on her and one eye back in the trees, to where Daryl and Merle were arguing. "Linney look at me," Rick said softly, turning her chin back to him. She met his eyes and held his piercing look for a moment before dropping her gaze down to her hands. "Just sit still and let me bandage this," he muttered, cleaning the wound on her cheek.

Glenn and Maggie were standing a few feet away and Linney could hardly look at Glenn, hardly meet his eyes. She felt sickened and ashamed that he was so badly hurt because of Merle, essentially because of her and Daryl. "Glenn, I'm so sor-" she began, and Glenn stepped forward, his usually placid features tightening angrily. "Lin," he snapped, interrupting her, "If you apologize one more time, I'm gonna slap you." Linney gave him a weak smile and sat still while Rick bandaged her face.

"There, probably another scar to add to the collection," he told her, patting her hair gently. She slid off the tailgate of the SUV and ran her hands carefully over the large bandage that stretched from her shoulder to her chest and the one on her arm. "You're lucky nothing needed stitches," Rick muttered again, and Linney glared at him.

"Lin, what are you gonna do?" Maggie asked, her voice dripping with worry. Linney shook her head and turned to watch Merle and Daryl. Merle was leaned against a tree, a sardonic smile on his face, while Daryl paced angrily in front of him, raking his hands through his hair in frustration. "He's coming back with us, he has to," she finally responded. Glenn stepped forward and swallowed. "What if he won't," he insisted quietly. Linney squeezed her eyes shut and backed away from the three of them. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes and grimaced.

"I don't know! Ok? He just has to!" She cried, and gentle hands pried her own from her face. She looked up into Rick's eyes. "Against my better judgement, he can come back with us. We'll keep him separate from the main group, but nearby," Rick told her softly, and Linney found herself nodding, "Besides, he knows more about this Governor, about Woodbury, than anyone else, and we need that information, badly." Linney licked her lips and swallowed hard, looking down at her shoes.

"But Lin, he may not choose to come back with us," Rick finally added, and Linney looked up at him, into the eyes that were so like Carl's. She knew, absolutely _knew_, that she couldn't leave Carl. Above everyone left at the prison, it was that boy that held her there the most. She glanced over at Daryl, and felt certain that it would destroy Daryl to lose his brother again. She closed her eyes and saw his face on the day they first lost Merle. _I can't do that to him again_, she thought, _he'd stay if I insisted, but I can't do that to him._

"Rick, I can't ask Daryl to choose," she whispered, and Rick put a hand on her neck briefly, squeezing gently as he stared up at the sky. "I know Lin, I know," he replied. She stepped back from his grasp and moved a pace or two away, turning her back on the three of them. "If he won't come back, then we have to leave with him," she said slowly, holding a hand in the air to stay any protests, "_But_, only until we can convince him to come back with us." She waited and no one said anything. She finally couldn't stand it and turned back to them.

Maggie was crying and Glenn looked furious. Rick looked lost, and Linney felt her resolve weakening. "Not forever Rick, not forever, I'll come back," she said quietly, "You know how persistent I can be. It would just be until I can convince him to come back, a couple days at most. He's high on his pride right now, he needs to cool down, and then we'll make him come back with us." Glenn looked like he was about to protest and Linney held her hand up, directing a vicious look at him.

"We will come back, we will, I promise," she vowed. There was silence for a few moments and they all started to nod. Maggie rushed to her and hugged her tightly. "You better fucking come back, Lin, I swear to god, you better come back, or I'll kick your scrawny ass," Maggie said into her neck. Linney laughed.

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Daryl hefted the pack on his back a little higher, trying to get it to sit more comfortably. He glared at his brother's back and resisted the urge to club Merle across the back of his idiot skull. Linney was silent, withdrawn into herself in a way that worried him. She had explained her plan to him before they left, and although he was worried it wouldn't work, he was glad that he wasn't going to be forced to choose.

Rick had given them all the supplies in the SUV, handing Linney and himself guns and some ammo. After a long moment he had handed Merle a gun as well. Daryl would have laughed at the confused look on Merle's face if he wasn't so angry about the whole thing. The three of them had moved through the trees, following Merle, immediately after, and Daryl couldn't ignore the look on Linney's face as she continually glanced back at the people they were leaving.

He put a hand to her shoulder now, squeezing her comfortingly, and she looked up at him. Her eyes were still watery and he had to look away. After a couple hours, Merle stopped them, casting a disapproving look at Linney. "Time to take a break 'fore crybaby here falls over," he grumbled. Daryl said nothing, only dropped his pack and helped Linney slide hers off as well. She sat against a tree, exhaustedly, and Daryl went to work quickly, stringing up some wire as a perimeter. Merle set up a small campfire and then they all sat silently at different corners of the camp site.

"You're coming back with us," Linney said in a monotone voice, staring flatly at Merle. His brother raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "All those people you say you hate, agreed that you should, because Daryl and I are their family," she added. Merle grunted and said nothing. "We got people back there, people we protect," Daryl said quietly, thinking of Carol, the baby, and the kids. Merle shook his head and chuckled.

"You gone soft, little brother," Merle said drily. Linney clenched her jaw and glared over at Daryl before looking at Merle. "They're our family, Merle, every bit as much as you are," she snapped at him. Merle glared at her. Linney got up and moved to sit next to Merle. "Carl, Beth, the baby, I _care_ about them," she said vehemently. Merle smirked at her and stared back at the fire. Daryl shook his head, knowing how hard it was for Linney to talk about her feelings like this.

"They depend on us," Daryl added, and Merle swung a dismissive hand in his direction. "Then fuckin' go, both a ya, jus' fuckin' go," he snarled. Linney took in a deep breath and turned away from both of them, giving them her back as she stared out into the forest. "I missed you," she said again, quietly, not turning back. Daryl was staring at his feet, but looked at his brother from beneath his eyelashes, making sure Merle didn't see him looking.

Merle's jaw was clenched and Daryl could see him fighting something. Merle shook his head and turned to Daryl. "What about you, huh?" He asked in a mocking voice. "Did ya miss yer big bro too?" Daryl smirked at him and finally shrugged. "Prob'ly," Daryl muttered, and Merle laughed. "Ya'll are a bunch a fuckin' pussies now, hey? I leave ya for a lil while n' now it's all about _feelin's_ and _lovin_' and _family_," his mockery turned into a growl at the end and Daryl looked away.

Linney had her head resting on her knees and Daryl glared at Merle before moving to one of the packs and pulling out a sleeping bag. "Lin," he said gruffly, and she turned to him. "Here, sleep, ya need it," he gently insisted. She nodded and got up, moving wordlessly to the bag and climbing in. Daryl risked a glance over to his brother and saw Merle watching them. He paused for a moment, and then decided that his brother could go fuck himself if he had a problem with it; he leaned down and placed a gentle, quick, kiss to Linney's mouth. She smiled sadly at him, before turning to her side, away from them, falling into sleep with minutes.

He and Merle glared at the fire together for several long minutes after she had passed out. "So you n' her," Merle finally said, not looking up from the flames. Daryl grunted, "Yeah." They were silent again before Merle began talking.

"I got myself outta Atlanta, took yer truck," he said gruffly, "Near died from blood loss, infection, n' shock. I jus' kept drivin'. Didn' even know where I was most a the time." Merle shifted and chewed on his lip for a moment. "Musta run outta gas, started walkin', n' passed out on the side a the road. Next thing I know, I'm in a fucking bed, some doctor takin' care a me. Hooked up to a IV n' everything, thought maybe this whole bullshit world was a fuckin' dream. Til I realized I was in a fuckin' basement, not a hospital." Merle looked up at Daryl, his blue eyes hard.

"The Gov picked me up off the side a the road, got me healed up. Saved my damn life. Hell, they even got me my new hand," Merle paused and held up his arm, waving it around a moment. Daryl's eyes went to it, trailing over the contraption. "I owed him n' he knew it," Merle added, looking back at the fire again. "Did a lotta shit for that man, for Woodbury. Thought I was a new man. Dried up completely, ya know? Not a single bit of the good stuff since that rooftop, 'sides the shit they let me have while healin', which wasn't much."

"Good to hear," Daryl muttered, staring hard at his brother. Merle nodded and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a picture. He handed it to Daryl wordlessly. "What the fuck?" Daryl asked, amazed, "Where the hell'd you get this?" Merle looked up at him. "We was there, at the same place, Midway Estates, found it the next mornin', thought I'd helped kill ya." Merle shook his head and chuckled roughly.

Daryl handed the photo back to Merle. "Give that back to her," Daryl said, "She was real upset when she lost it." Merle nodded, staring at the photo for a moment before shifting and tucking it away. Merle turned and stared at Linney for a long while. Daryl watched him and wondered what could possibly be going through his brother's mind. _Thinking like a damn woman_, he thought in irritation with himself, _who cares what's goin' on in there?_

Merle stretched his legs out in front of himself. "We spent all winter huntin' the group that got away. The Gov's got a real hard-on for ya'll, wants to fuck all a ya up. When I realized ya'll were in that group, he promised me the two of ya'd be safe, off limits." Merle explained and Daryl growled. "Ya know that ain't true, right? They came that night, they-" Daryl's angry tirade was cut short when Merle held his arm up, halting him. "Yeah, I fuckin' know now," he interjected. Daryl nodded.

"They're good people, Merle," Daryl finally said. Merle peered at him as if he was speaking a foreign language. "They chained me to a fuckin' roof," Merle growled and Daryl shook his head. "I know that, don't ya think I fuckin' know that? But ya deserved it, n' you fuckin' know ya did," Daryl snapped. Merle took a deep breath and looked away.

"Ya look like shit, little brother, get some sleep, I'll keep watch n' wake ya in a few hours," Merle's voice was oddly gentle and Daryl paused, staring at him for a moment. Merle made a furious face at him. "What the fucks wrong with you? Lookin' for a fuckin' kiss goodnight, ya stupid pussy?" Daryl rolled his eyes and pulled out another bag, laying it next to Linney's. He put it between her and the edge of their camp. He lay down, facing her and eventually fell asleep, after staring at her still features for a long while.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review folk, let me know what you think of the decision they made :) *****

**Also, because I'm a shameless self-promoter, I wanted to let you all know I've recently posted a weird and creepy little one-shot starring Daryl. If any of you are interested, check my profile, it's there and it's called "They're in the Basement" :)**


	133. Chapter 133

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Rick was dreading facing everyone when they returned. As they drove down the small dirt road, towards the gate, he could feel his stomach clenching tighter and tighter. Carl and Carol were waiting at the guard tower and he felt a small rush of gratitude that they appeared to be holding everything together so well. When the SUV was safely through the gates, Rick opened the driver's door and hopped out, turning to Maggie.

"Get Glenn to your father," he told her, and she nodded. Maggie slid over the console into the driver's seat and wrapped her hands around the wheel. "What about her?" Maggie asked, nodding back at Michonne, who was passed out in the back seat. Rick stared at the woman, who was tired, dirty, and injured, obviously having gotten into a severe scuffle with someone in Woodbury. He pressed his lips together and took a deep breath.

"Have Axel and Oscar secure her inside a cell, and accompany your father to check her out, after he's seen to Glenn," he instructed. Maggie nodded and he slammed the door, stepping back so she could drive up to the courtyard. He turned in time to catch Carl, who had hurtled himself at his father. "Carl, thank god, thank god," he murmured, squeezing his son tightly. He stepped away and turned up the edge of Carl's hat, peering into his eyes. Carl knew, he saw; they'd been back for mere moments, and somehow, Carl already knew.

"Did she die?" The boy asked tremulously. Rick squeezed his son's shoulder and shared a troubled look with Carol. The woman was tense and pained looking, waiting for his answer. "We found Merle," Rick said, and Carol made a small cry, turning away from him. "He was in Woodbury, I'll explain more about it once we're inside, but we escaped with him," Rick explained. Carl's eyes were liquid and furious as he stepped back.

"She left us? She left with him?" He questioned, his voice gruff with outrage. Rick swallowed and nodded, holding up a hand to explain further. "Merle wouldn't come back here with them, and he made them choose," Rick explained. Carl's face was twisted with anger. "And she chose him?!" He cried. Rick moved to him, clamping his hands down tightly on Carl's upper arms, to hold him in place. "They're coming back, they went with him to try and convince him to come back," Rick tried to soothe his furious son, "Carl, she'll come back, they both will, she wouldn't just leave you." Carl jerked hard and tore from Rick's grasp.

"I don't care! Fuck her!" Carl yelled, turning away and racing for the prison. Rick felt at loose ends and stood watching his boy go. Carol crept up next to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm, urging him back towards the prison. "What happened Rick?" She asked him softly, and he shook his head. "It was terrible and we are in some pretty deep shit," he responded, "But I need to explain to everyone." Carol nodded and they made their way across the courtyard.

"Rick," Carol began hesitantly, her voice still thick with upset about Daryl and Linney, "There's something we need to tell you." He turned to look at her, his eyebrow going up in concern.

"We have some new people here."

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Sasha sat next to Ben and rubbed his shoulders absentmindedly, trying to comfort the boy while Tyreese and Allen shared a whispered, furious conversation. Allen seemed unwilling to let go of the idea that they were missing an opportunity to take the prison from it's current occupants. Glancing over at the boy next to her, Sasha knew that Allen was alienating his son with every word he spoke. Ben's glare was deep and black.

When the doors from the courtyard flew open, Oscar came through the door, half-carrying, half-dragging a young asian man, a pretty girl right on his heels, helping in a woozy and limping woman with a sword strapped to her back. "Hershel!" Oscar yelled, "Hershel! We need your help!" There was a clattering from inside the cellblock and Hershel pulled the door open, rushing out as best as he could on his crutches.

"Glenn? Glenn? Hurry, get him to my room," Hershel urged. Sasha and her group sat frozen, watching in horror as the roughed up people hurried through, the cellblock doors slamming closed behind them. Sasha exchanged a worried look with Tyreese, who moved to her side immediately. "Guess the others are home," he murmured. She nodded and then flinched when the door from the courtyard was thrown open again, Carl storming through in a fury.

The boy didn't spare them a glance as he hurried into the cellblock. The next bang at the door had Carol coming through, her arm wrapped sympathetically around a tall, slim man. The man spared them one brief, hard, glance, before he moved authoritatively through room, into the cellblock as well. Sasha knew, without being told, that this was their leader.

"He's not even going to talk to us?" Allen griped, from his place near the kitchen, and Tyreese turned around to him. "The man's got other things to worry about," her brother explained slowly, "He'll come to us when he's ready." Ben and Sasha nodded, and Allen glared down at his hands again. Tyreese watched the door to the cell block and then turned to Sasha. "When he does, let me do the talking," he told her.

They sat in silence for a bit before curiosity got the better of her and she moved to the barred door leading to the cell block, leaning against it and watching the bustle inside. The woman with the sword had been stripped of her weapons and was locked into the cell nearest the door, Carl and Beth standing outside it, watching her. The asian boy was being worked on by Hershel and the pretty girl who had come in with them.

"She just left?" Beth was saying, her voice cracking painfully. Sasha turned her attention to the two kids, ignoring the niggling feeling that she was doing something wrong by eavesdropping. "Merle was there," Carl responded sullenly, gripping the bars between his hands. Beth's eyes were wide as she stared at him.

"Daryl's brother? How was he there?" She asked incredulously, and Carl shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?" He shot back, and Beth sighed sadly. "But they're coming back, right?" She asked urgently. Carl shrugged again and Beth's face turned stormy as her eyes grew watery. "Right?!" She exclaimed, and Carl turned to her, his face frustrated.

"How should I know?!" He all but yelled back, and Beth flinched. The blonde took a deep breath and closed her eyes, obviously making an effort to calm herself. "Carl," she said softly, and the boy looked at her, his features softening when he saw how upset she was. "I'm sorry," he muttered. They were silent for a moment and then Carl ripped the hat off his head, gripping it in his hands.

"Dad says Merle refused to come back, so Linney told my dad she and Daryl were going with him to try and change his mind," he explained further. Beth was nodding slowly, her eyes locked on the woman in the cell. "She'll come back," Beth finally responded, definitively. Carl blinked at her, his uncertainty written all over his face. "How can you say that? Why would she bother?" He asked her, and Beth smiled at him.

"She'd never leave you, everyone knows you're her favorite."

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Andrea was beyond livid. She had never felt so much anger and confusion in her entire life, and she was at a loss as to what to do. It was terrible having Woodbury under attack, then to be brushed aside as a nuisance by Phillip! She paced in the confines of her room, Milton watching her warily from the couch.

"It's bad enough I find he and Michonne literally trying to kill each other, then those fucking creepy heads, then Penny! But Merle? And Daryl? _And Linney?_" Her outraged tones were making Milton nervous, she could tell. "Making two brothers fight to the death under threat of torturing that girl? That's sick!" She cried, and Milton nodded. She knew he agreed, she'd seen his face, seen the horror on it as the entire scene unfolded. Milton was a peaceful man, driven only to benefit and improve Woodbury; what Phillip had done last night went against everything Milton stood for. _But he's meek, he'll never say or do anything to stop that kind of shit._

"Why would he hide from me the fact that my old group was here?" She asked Milton, and the man shrugged, his face pale. "I overheard Martinez, heard what he said about them, that they were the 'enemy' you've been hunting all winter," Andrea spat out, spreading her hands out in front of herself, "I know that group, I know those people, and they aren't monsters! They're women, and children, and families!" Milton got to his feet and moved to the window, peeking out at the street below.

"He wants them, Andrea," he said softly, and Andrea stiffened in horror. "There's a darkness in Phillip, that's been there since the beginning. I know he wants to make Woodbury strong, but he's got another side to him." Milton turned to her, his features sagging, "He'll hunt them down and kill them one by one." Andrea put her fists to her stomach. "I have to stop it, stop him," she replied. Milton moved to her and put a gentle hand on her arm, shaking his head.

"You have to be careful, Andrea, don't let him think you're the enemy too," he counseled. Andrea nodded, lost in thought. A picture of exactly what kind of monster Phillip really was grew in her head. She knew Woodbury had good people in it, people who deserved her help and protection, but Rick's group deserved it too. _I can save them both, there has to be a way._

"Don't confront him, don't side with them," Milton went on, and she glared at him. "How else do I help them?" She snapped, and he shrugged. "Try diplomacy I guess," he responded. Andrea nodded thoughtfully. _I can do that; I'm good at that bleeding heart crap_, she mused. "I'll have to pretend everything is fine, and probably keep taking him to bed," she said out loud, and Milton turned red, stuttering his answer back to her, "Uhh, y-yeah, that's p-probably a good start."

She felt certain that she could do this, fool Phillip into thinking she was ok with everything, that she just wanted to save everyone, find a way to force him to make peace. _I want to see them again, but I have to play this right_.

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"My name is Tyreese," the big man introduced himself, and Rick nodded, extending a wary hand. "Rick Grimes," he replied. Tyreese nodded and extended his hand to the pretty woman behind himself. "This is my sister, Sasha, and our friend Allen, his son Ben," the man continued. Rick nodded at them, his face flat. He glanced back over his shoulder at the group clustered behind him, all of them there except for Michonne. _She's not really your group, though_, he tried to tell himself.

It hit him like a fist in the chest, not seeing Daryl and Linney amongst his people. "You've met everyone here, except for Maggie, Hershel's daughter, and Glenn," he said evenly. The two of them nodded at Tyreese and his group. Rick turned back to the man, noting his earnest face and kind eyes. "Your boy and Beth saved us," Tyreese said, "We were as good as dead and they saved us." Rick nodded at him, glancing back at Carl and Beth. He wanted to yell at them for going into the tombs, but he knew it would be pointless. _They did the right thing whether or not you admit it._

"We lost one of our own," Tyreese added, his tone somber. Rick looked up when the boy, Ben, spoke up, his voice choked with grief, "My mom." Rick sighed, nodding at the teenager, well aware of what he and his father must be feeling right now. A glance at Allen didn't reveal a grieving man; Allen's eyes were flat and devoid of emotion. Rick stared at him for a long moment, ultimately deciding that the man was lost in grief too deeply to function.

"We'd like to ask to stay here, with your group," Tyreese began, his tone earnest, "We'll stay wherever you'd like us to, help out however you'd like us to. We'll pull our weight." Rick nodded absently and glanced back at Hershel again. He knew without asking what Hershel wanted him to do. "We know you're having problems with another group right now," Tyreese said, and Rick turned back to him quickly, his eyes narrowing. "Didn't mean to eavesdrop," Tyreese added hastily, "We couldn't help but overhear. We owe you and your people our lives, and we'll stand with you against them, help you any way we can."

Rick swallowed back the immediate 'no' pressing against his lips. He briefly imagined what Linney would be saying and doing right now, probably tugging at his arm impatiently, shooting him a hard stare from those big eyes. He pressed his lips together, missing his little conscience. Daryl would point out the strategic benefits of other people, and both of them would likely recognize the sincerity of this little foursome, at least from Tyreese, Sasha, and Ben.

Ben. Rick looked at the lanky teen and felt his heartstrings being tugged. _This boy could be Carl,_ he thought. _Don't I owe it to Carl to keep this other boy safe?_ "Please don't send us back out there," Sasha pleaded, her dark eyes hard with fear and worry, "It's like ten little indians out there, we're just going to be picked off one by one." Rick felt his chest constrict; how many times had he said the very same thing to Hershel? To Jenner? He glanced back at Hershel and saw the old man giving him a hard stare.

Fighting against his own worries, his own paranoia, Rick finally nodded at Tyreese. "You can stay," he said in a tight voice, "We'll help you clean out the next cellblock. You'll share duties and watch." The collective sigh of relief in the room was enough to make Rick smile a little. He thought of Lori and T-Dog, wondering if they all would have faired better if they'd had more numbers back then. Tyreese advanced, shaking Rick's hand eagerly. "You won't regret this," he said happily, his large hand closing around Rick's. Rick nodded and pulled his hand away.

He turned to his group and nodded at them. "Does that work for everyone?" He asked, and they all nodded. "Beth, Maggie, Carol, gather up cleaning supplies, help them get going," he said to the women. He turned to Axel and Oscar, "Help them clear out the bodies, get them to the burn pile." The two men nodded, and Rick finally turned to his son. "Get them supplies, bedding, clothing."

He turned back to Tyreese. "We have bathrooms, Axel's been working for days on it; three toilets and, apparently as of yesterday, one sink, all at the back of this block. You are welcome to use it," Rick told them, noting the smile of pleasure on Sasha's face. "Carl will get you some soap too, I'm sure you'd like a bath of some kind," he added. The woman nodded exuberantly, her face breaking into a pretty smile. "Thank you, thank you so much," she responded. Rick walked towards the cell block.

"Once you're settled, we'll talk weapons, we'll tell you about what's coming," he said over his shoulder. He paused in the doorway, tapping his fingers against it. "Stay out of the tombs," he added, before walking away.

_I hope I'm making the right decision._

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Both of them looked different. Merle stared at them as they packed up their camp the following morning, evaluating them. They were both thinner. Daryl was nearly all muscle, lean in a way he'd never been before. _Lost his bitch tit's_, Merle thought, _finally got arms like a real man_. There were small scars on his arms and a couple on his face as well. His eyes were harder, more unforgiving than they'd been before, except when he looked at Linney.

_Little bro's got it bad_, Merle mused mockingly, _fuckin' pussy_. He looked to Linney and grimaced. Besides her bandages, she had a scar on her forehead, and one across her cheek. He could see the scar's on her arms and shoulders as well, knowing that at least one of them was from Martinez. Her face was thinner, the youthful roundness he remembered, gone, which only made her cheekbones sharper, her eyes larger. He shook his head, thinking of her mother. _Dead ringer for 'er Ma_, he thought nostalgically. He grudgingly admitted to himself that she was more than just a pretty little girl now, much more, but the thought made his stomach turn; he too clearly remembered the scrappy little shit she'd been as a kid, to think of her any other way.

She'd lost weight, like Daryl had, but had developed muscle tone as well. Daryl had indicated that she was not to be underestimated in a fight, and Merle found himself wanting to see her in action; he was proud that she could be a '_mean little fucker_', as Daryl put it, when she wanted to be.

He still couldn't believe he'd found them both. Linney kept looking at him and fucking crying, which drove him nuts, though he had to admit he was enjoying the attention. Daryl too, kept looking over at him, faint pleasure on his hard features. _Pansies_.

He had missed them, he knew it, he just wouldn't say it. Mostly because it wouldn't benefit anyone, and also because he didn't want them getting it into their heads that he might grudgingly go with them if they decided to leave. It still burned him that they were so attached to the other group. He'd seen the way Officer Friendly looked at Linney, like she was his sweet little girl. Looking at Daryl like he was his right hand man. _They ain't his_, Merle thought petulantly. He hated the man, hated him so much, but still had grudging respect for him (not that he intended to show it). Deputy Dumbass kept his family alive, kept them safe, hell, he saved all their asses the other night, at great risk to his own.

Linney had taken to telling random little stories about the kids, her Lil Asskickers, she called them. He could easily read the look on her face. He was a hard ass, but not stupid, he knew what they meant to her, especially the boy, Carl. Merle remembered Carl, the little boy at the Atlanta camp, so eager to befriend her. He liked the idea that she had trained up a little army of mini-killers, probably would even enjoy meeting them. _Ain't gonna happen, though._

As they trudged through the trees a little further, he thought over his reasons why he couldn't join their happy little family. He wondered how long until they decided to just leave him. Daryl and Linney walked a pace or two ahead of him, and he saw the way their fingers twined together lightly. _Can't lose 'em again_.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Think Merle's gonna cave? Please read and review, friends! *****


	134. Chapter 134

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"Will you come back with us?"

"No."

"What about now?"

"No, goddamnit."

"Hmm... Will you come back, _please_?"

"Linney, I swear to fuckin' god, I'll smack ya."

"So, is that a 'yes'?"

"No." Merle's face was tight with irritation. Linney smirked at him and then looked down at her hands, picking at a cuticle idly. She glanced up briefly to make sure she wasn't about to walk into a tree, then looked back at her fingers. "You know," she began, her tone light, "I don't have a problem asking you over and over and over until you finally cave." Merle grumbled something but didn't reply immediately.

"Daryl might," Merle finally said, his tone gruff. "Daryl barely ever listens to me," Linney shot back, "Right, Daryl?"

"It's 'bout 2 o'clock," Daryl muttered in response, a tiny smile tugging at one side of his mouth. Merle turned an angry face back to Daryl, and waved a dismissive hand at him. "Fuck ya both," Merle groused. Linney took in a deep breath and rolled her head back and forth. She was trying to be calm, trying to unearth the smartass that she knew still dwelled within her. They had tried everything they could think of over the past day and a half: impassioned begging, whining, crying (on Linney's part), endless reasoning, even guilt-tripping. All of it was for naught; Merle wouldn't budge. So that left her with annoying him, teasing him, and just generally being a pain in the ass.

"I think you're afraid," she finally said, her tone flat. Merle grunted in response and Linney snuck a peek up at him. His jaw was so tight she felt sure he'd crack a tooth if he kept it up. _Jesus, I might not be far off the mark; he's afraid to go back_. "I think big, tough, Merle Dixon lost his hand and turned into the world's biggest pansy-ass, pussy, momma's boy," she sneered at him, "Spent all winter gettin' fat and cozy, laying around on your ass in Woodbury. You didn't have to fight or struggle for nothin'! Had it all handed to you by big poppa Governor, right?"

Merle had stopped walking and she turned to him, taking in his flared nostrils and red face. He was legitimately furious with her and her old instincts with him came rushing back. _Gotta keep pushing_, she thought. Daryl was shooting her a warning look and Linney just narrowed her eyes in return. "You're afraid to come back with us because it'll be tough living, not cushy and comfy like ya'll are used to, right?" Linney stepped closer to him, her brow tightening, her eyes snapping angrily.

"You don't know shit about hard times, Merle, you've spent the fucking apocalypse in comfort. You didn't even have to lose us, you knew we were out there almost the whole time. We lost you, and a lot of other people we cared about. We fuckin' starved! Froze our asses off! Fought tooth and fuckin' nail against your men and the dead! And that made our group strong, cohesive, tight, an army and a family, all in one," Linney felt her hands curling into fists at her sides as she glared at the big man, "And that fucking terrifies you."

Merle was nearly vibrating with fury and Linney could feel Daryl tensed to spring, in case his brother went for her. "You'd be lucky to be a part of our group, Merle," she told him, "We don't like new people, tend to lock 'em up or kill 'em. But you're being handed a key, a free pass, invited to join despite all that's happened." Linney turned on her heel and walked away, speaking over her shoulder, "And you're turning it down because you're scared." She didn't hear them following her, but didn't care. She was shaking with sudden anger. What had started out as merely poking the bear, had ended up being a legitimate venting of her frustration.

She kept trudging along in the direction they had decided to follow that day, and could hear Daryl and Merle arguing in hushed tones behind her. When she finally reached the creek they'd been heading towards all morning, she stopped and dropped her bag. Linney looked around for walkers or other threats and then sat on a big rock at the water's edge. She hastily removed her boots and socks and folded her pant legs up. When she dunked her feet and ankles into the water she hummed in pleasure. It was cool and delicious.

"Ya pissed him off," Daryl's voice came from behind her and he crouched down next to her, staring at her feet. She kicked them lightly in the swiftly moving water and shrugged. "He needs to come back with us, and I don't care if he hates me when we get there; we're not losing him again," she responded, her face blank as she watched the sun reflect off the water. Daryl took in a deep breath and didn't reply.

Linney reached forward and dipped her fingers into the water, trailing them around, back and forth. "Do you think we could knock him out and drag him back? Lock him up in a cell to make him stay?" Her question was posed thoughtfully, but not seriously, and when she turned back to look at Daryl, she could see that he was actually considering it. "I was kidding," she told him. He looked up at her, eyes squinting against the sun. "If we were closer it wouldn't be a bad idea," he responded.

Linney got up, standing on the rock, and stared down at him incredulously. "He's too heavy," she finally managed to respond. "Who's too heavy?" Merle spoke from behind her and she turned back to look at him. "You," she answered. He glared at her and then rolled his eyes. "I'm gettin' sick a all this," he said, and Linney sat back down again, pulling on her socks and boots.

"Then, come back with us," she said, as she laced up the boots. "Yer bein' a real bitch, know that?" he spat and Linney shrugged as she got to her feet and yanked her backpack on. "Yup," she replied. Daryl grunted and got to his feet. "Quit makin' this so hard," he told his brother, and Merle ground his teeth together. "Ya'll jus' don't get it," he growled. Linney moved towards him and grabbed his hand, which he promptly tried to pull away. Her grip on it was tight and she ended up dancing back and forth, following the pull of his arm as he tried to shake her off.

"Tell us, you idiot, tell us what we don't get!" She cried, her voice impatient. She clenched her hands down hard on his one, squeezing tight enough that it had to be hurting him. "I want to go home!" She nearly yelled. "And I want you there! So stop this bullshit and come home!" He used his metal stump to smack at her hands and she wrinkled her nose in irritation before pulling them away. "Jus' leave me, then, jus' leave me behind, like ya did before!" He yelled at her, shoving her shoulder. Linney stumbled backwards and tripped over Daryl, landing hard on her butt with a grunt.

Daryl lunged to his feet and swung at his brother, cursing at him for being an idiot, for being stubborn, for being an asshole. Linney sat in the dirt and watched in astonishment as they broke into a full-on brawl. Daryl began yelling at Merle, "You left! Not us! Not me! You _always_ leave!" Merle shoved him away roughly, but kept pulling at Daryl's shirt on his back to keep him from slamming face first into the dirt. Daryl fell to his hands and knees and his shirt tore from his back.

Linney put a hand to her mouth when she saw the look on Merle's face. He was staring in absolute horror at Daryl's bare back, fully exposed now, at the scarring there. She scooted back from them, realizing immediately that Merle had never seen the scars before. "I didn't know," Merle choked out, sorrow in his voice, "I didn't know he was..." Daryl crawled away before getting to his feet, resentment on his face. He yanked his ruined shirt back up, pulling his backpack on to cover the rip, and clenched his jaw.

"Yeah, ya did," Daryl ground out, not looking at either Merle or Linney, "He did the same to you, that's why ya left first." Linney didn't move; she'd seen the scars, of course, and Daryl had told her the first time that they were from his father, but nothing more than that. "I had to, man," Merle choked out, his tone guilty, "I woulda killed 'im otherwise." Daryl moved to Linney, grabbing her arm and hauling her to her feet. She stared at Merle in panic as Daryl began to drag her away through the trees.

"Where you goin'?" Merle called, his tone worried. "Back where we belong," Daryl responded shortly, pausing and looking back at his brother. Linney pulled once on her arm, opening her mouth to say something. Daryl brought his other hand up and put it over her mouth gently, telling her wordlessly to keep out of this.

"I can't go with you!" Merle yelled, defeat in his voice. Daryl shook his head. "Why not?" He challenged, his tone flat and even. Merle's face was a picture of pain and worry. "I tried to kill that black bitch! Damn near got that chinese kid and his girlfriend killed!" Merle answered. "He's Korean," Daryl replied in irritation. Merle blinked several times, his mouth working in confusion. "Whatever," Merle managed to respond, "It doesn't matter man, I just can't go with ya."

Daryl dropped his hand from Linney's mouth, and released her arm as well. He grabbed her hand in his and began to walk again. They were a few paces further when Daryl paused again, waving a hand in the air towards Merle. "You know, I may be the one that's walkin' away, but yer the one that's leavin'," he murmured in disappointment, "Again."

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Linney wasn't talking to him and he worried that she was mad at him. He hadn't let go of her hand, but he knew she wasn't holding on to him, her hand was limp in his grasp. He could still feel remnants of adrenaline burning through his body, after the situation with Merle. However, for the first time in his life, he knew he was absolutely making the right choice. He glanced down at Linney again, at her filthy bandages, at her skin smeared with dirt. _We don't belong out here, like this, we belong with our people_.

Her other hand moved behind the curtain of hair hiding her face and he saw her wipe brutally at her eyes. Cursing softly, he stopped walking and let go of her hand. "Linney," he said, "Linney, look at me." She looked up at him, trying to pull a placid face, but her bottom lip was trembling. "We have to go home, Lin," he said softly. She surprised him by nodding. "I know that, I do," she replied, "But Merle..." Daryl ground his teeth together and put both hands on his head, gripping his hair in frustration.

"He's gotta make his own damn choice, Lin, it ain't up to us, n' we ain't stayin' out here like this! This ain't home! We need to be at home! We got people, _our people_!" He realized he was yelling at her. She was nodding though, crying while she did, but nodding. "I know!" She cried, "I'm just gonna miss him!" Daryl blinked a couple times, realizing she was agreeing with him, not opposed to his plan.

Her eyes locked onto his and she gave him a loaded look. "You're not forcing me into leaving him, Daryl," she said firmly, "I told you I'd never leave you, so no matter what, I'm with you. And yeah, I'm fucking upset about Merle, but this is the right choice. He has to choose to be with us, not the other way around."

He wiped his thumbs across her cheekbones, thinking to wipe away her tears, and only making a smeared, dirty mess on her face. "Jesus," he muttered, "Ya need a fuckin' bath." She rolled her eyes. "So do you, Stinky," she replied. He huffed out a short laugh and leaned to her, planting a kiss on her mouth, tasting dirt and tears. He moved his face to the side, smelling her hair and the crook of her neck. "You still smell good," he murmured. Linney pushed him away and made him look at her.

"Are you gonna be ok?" She asked him, "'Cause if I'm missin' him, I can't imagine what you feel." Daryl shrugged one shoulder and put an arm around her shoulders, pushing her forward with himself. They walked in silence and Linney sniffled loudly. "Such a fuckin' crybaby," came a rough voice from behind them. Daryl felt like a shit ton of weight floated up off his shoulders and chest as he turned to see Merle trudging towards them slowly, his face hard, his eyes in their normal semi-glare.

"Merle!" Linney shrieked, making both men jump. She pulled away from Daryl and raced for Merle, throwing herself at him hard enough to make him stumble back a step. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt. Daryl shook his head slightly, wondering again at her reaction to his brother. He knew there was a strange relationship there, not that Linney ever talked about it, and it brought out a side to her that he didn't often see.

He shot his brother a small smile, watching as he tried to push Linney off. "Yeah, yeah, calm the fuck down, sweetheart," Merle muttered, but Daryl could see the corners of his lips twitching. Merle succeeded in prying her off himself and she wrapped her arms around his metal one, walking with him towards Daryl. Merle paused next to him for a moment and didn't say anything, just met his eyes briefly.

"Made the right choice," Daryl said gruffly. Merle grunted and glared down at Linney. "Don't rub it in, asshole," he said, moving forward. Daryl watched them walk for a moment, before following them. He was relieved and happy, more so than he'd been in awhile, and hoped that things wouldn't go sideways now that the three of them were going home.

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It was dark by the time the prison came into view. The three of them moved quickly and quietly towards the fence. They didn't see anyone in the guard tower enclosure and Linney dug her keys out from her bag, unlocking the padlock there swiftly. When they were inside and the gate was closed and locked again, she breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, two dark figures came moving out from the darkness next to the tower, tackling Merle and Daryl to the ground.

"Drop your weapons!" One of them yelled, "Drop them now!" Linney ran towards the two strange men and threw herself at the smaller of the two, knocking him off Daryl. "Who the fuck are you?" She yelled, ducking a fist. The man she had knocked down got to his feet and trained a gun on her, his face pale and angry. "Who the fuck are _you_?" He yelled back. A big black man was grappling with Merle and finally gave up trying to fight him off, pulling a gun and training it on Merle's head instead.

"We fuckin' live here!" Daryl yelled, panting. Linney's fingers were itching to move to her gun and the man holding the gun on her shook his head. "Stop! Don't move!" He yelled. "Where's Rick?" She cried, stepping back, towards Daryl. His hand snaked out and grabbed her arm, yanking her harshly behind himself. "How do you know Rick?" The big man asked. Merle was chuckling darkly, "Nice welcome home ya got here, sweetheart, ready to reconsider coming back?"

"Wait - what're your names?" The big man asked. Daryl spat on the ground and glared at him. "What's it to you?" He snapped, and the big man moved his gun closer to Merle's head. "Just answer the fucking question!" He yelled. Linney tried to move around Daryl, and he growled and pushed her back. "I'm Linney," she said quickly, "This is Daryl and Merle, we live here!" Both men lowered their weapons at once.

"Sorry," the big man said, "Rick told us you might come back, but we haven't met yet so we didn't know who to look for. Sorry." The smaller man's face was still angry. "We know about the Governor, everyone's on guard," he said in a tense voice. Everyone relaxed a little and Linney tried to move past Daryl again. This time he let her, but kept a hand on her arm. "Who are you?" She asked them.

"My name's Tyreese, this is Allen, we arrived while ya'll were getting your people back, Rick's let us stay," the big man introduced himself. Linney nodded carefully. "We want to go inside, now," she told them, and both men stepped back, nodding. Linney looked up at Daryl and tilted her head towards the gates.

"C'mon Merle," Daryl said, and the two of them pushed Linney on ahead of them, keeping themselves between her and the other two men. Once they were in the yard, Merle began to laugh. "Think I like it so far," he said in an amused voice. Linney snorted and gave him the finger. They entered the courtyard and Linney could see Merle swiveling his head around, trying to take everything in. "It's too dark, Merle, I'll give you a tour tomorrow," she said. He didn't reply and she looked up at him. "I want to get in, get washed up, and go to fucking bed," she told him.

Merle stopped walking when the door to their cellblock flew open. "Think you got some hello's first, sweetheart," he said gruffly. "Linney!" Beth shrieked, racing down the stairs and across the courtyard. She flew into Linney, knocking her backwards into Daryl, who steadied her. Beth was nearly strangling her with her forceful hug.

"I knew you'd come back! I knew it!" Beth cried, her tears soaking Linney's shoulder. Linney laughed a little and squeezed Beth back. Beth pulled from her and moved to Daryl, gripping him in a crushing hug as well. "Daryl? Linney?" Carol's voice came from behind them and they turned to see her trotting out to them. Beth moved back and allowed Carol to hug first Daryl, and then Linney.

Linney could tell that Daryl was extremely uncomfortable. The two women ushered them towards the stairs. "Carol and I were both on watch on the catwalk," Beth explained and Linney glanced up at the catwalk, seeing that it was lined with wooden pallets and metal table tops. She looked up at Daryl and he raised his eyebrow at her. "Are you Merle?" Beth asked as they walked up the stairs. Merle grunted and Linney glared at him. He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "Yeah," he finally said. When they walked into the big room, Carol pointed at the chairs.

"Have a seat, guys, I'm going to let everyone know," Carol said. She walked towards the door to the cells and paused, shooting a smirk back at Merle. "Nice to see you again, Merle," she told him drily. He raised an eyebrow at her and sat down. Beth stood next to Linney, and Linney could tell she wanted to hug again. Sighing, she got to her feet and hugged the girl once more.

"I missed you, Greene," she told the girl. Beth leaned back and wiped tears from her face. "You smell terrible, Lin," Beth responded, and both Dixons laughed. Axel and Oscar entered next, and they both gave Linney a brief hug, and shook Daryl's hand. Linney introduced them to Merle, just as Maggie came through the door. Linney ran to her and enveloped her friend in a hug. Maggie hugged her back tightly, neither of them saying anything, just holding on for dear life.

Maggie gave her a heavy look and smiled tightly before going to greet Daryl. Linney noticed she nodded briefly at Merle and then moved to stand behind Axel and Oscar, away from Merle. "Glenn's still in bed, he's havin' a hard time getting around, pushed himself too hard today and yesterday," Maggie explained. "I'll go see him before bed," Linney replied, and Maggie nodded, a small smile on her face.

Hershel came in next, his weathered face creasing into a smile. "Linney, thank god," he murmured, hugging her gently. Linney swallowed hard and watched as Hershel put a hand on Daryl's shoulder, smiling at him and patting his back. When Rick walked in, Linney could see complete and utter relief on his face. He headed straight for her and yanked her into a tight hug. "Are you alright?" He asked her, and she nodded against his shoulder. When they parted, he put a hand on top of her head affectionately and Linney smiled at him tremulously. "Where's Carl?" She asked, and he frowned.

"He's still in our room," Rick replied, "He's upset with you." Linney took in a deep breath and glanced back at Daryl. "S'ok," he told her, nodding towards the cells, "Go on n' see him." Linney smiled gratefully and moved into the cellblock, guilt coiling in her gut as she went to see Carl, and to apologize for leaving him.

***** Thoughts? Feelings? Opinions? Questions? I tried to make this chapter mostly Linney/Dixon centric because I knew it was emotional enough in the show, just with Merle and Daryl - add in one emotionally uncontrolled Linney and you've got a recipe for drama/angst/and plenty of feeling your feelings :) Please read and review folks! *****


	135. Chapter 135

***** Hey guys - a kinder, gentler chapter - getting the touchy-feelies out of the way this chapter - no worries, we'll be back to the fun stuff soon :) **

**I'm posting again today because I spent some time this afternoon reading some of the forums for this sight and was struck by how freaking lucky I am to have such a great bunch of people reading my story - the horror stories other writers were posting made me cringe! So this extra chapter is a reward for all of you reviewers, favoriters, followers, and readers being fantastic and awesome :)**

**Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"So, you're back," Carl's voice floated out from inside his dark cell and Linney hesitated at the door. She could make out the shape of him sitting on the edge of the lower bunk, as her eyes adjusted to the dark. "Yeah," she answered, her voice thick. She cleared her throat and patted a hand against the side of the doorframe. "Can I come in?" She asked, and he didn't reply.

"Carl?" She asked again, after there was no answer to her first question. "Why bother?" He finally responded gruffly, and Linney raised an eyebrow at him. "Carl, I had to go, but I'm sorry it upset you," she told him. He got to his feet slowly and walked towards her. When he stood in front of her, he glared at her, although she thought it was half-hearted. "Did you even stop to think about us when you decided to go with him?" He asked her in a flat voice.

Linney reached for his shoulder and he moved away, his eyebrows lowering even more. She sighed before answering. "Carl, please, you know how hard it was for Daryl and I to lose Merle the way we did. You're not a baby, so don't act like one. I hated leaving with him, hated not coming back with your dad, but I _had_ to," she paused, taking a breath and lifting an eyebrow at him when he finally met her eyes, "It was never going to permanent, I'd never leave you guys that way." Carl swallowed and looked away.

"Is he here now?" Carl asked, and Linney nodded. "He decided to come back with us, and I don't know how it's going to work, but I'm asking you right now to help me make it work," Linney's voice was firm but quiet, and Carl looked up sharply at her request. "It's not going to be easy. You remember what Merle was like. You know what happened in Atlanta. It's important to Daryl that he stay, important to me, and you're my friend. I'm asking you to help me make it work." Carl stood up straight and moved his shoulders back.

She realized that he was taking her request seriously, because he knew she didn't ask him to help her with things this important often, or at all. "I'll help, Lin, you know I will," he answered, his voice cracking as he did. She smiled at him and reached for his shoulder again; this time he didn't back away and she pulled him in for a hug, a tight hug. He hugged her back, clutching his arms around her firmly.

"I missed you," he said into her shoulder and Linney nodded against him. "I missed you too, the whole time," she responded. They stood hugging each other, almost seeming to need the hug to reassure themselves that the other person was there, until a gruff voice broke them up, "Need to get him in a room." Linney released Carl and turned back to see Daryl standing next to Merle. Rick, Oscar, and Axel stood a few feet behind them, hands on their weapons, clearly prepared to deal with Merle if he became a problem.

"I want him at the far end of the cell block, on the top floor," Rick said in a hard voice, pointing past Linney and Daryl's cell. Linney met Daryl's eyes and nodded, aware that Rick was putting a big chunk of Merle-watch on her and Daryl; Merle would have to get by their cell to get to the stairs, if he somehow broke out. Linney took a deep breath and glanced at Carl, who was standing beside her, staring hard at Merle.

Merle was watching Carl just as carefully and finally raised a sardonic eyebrow and started to chuckle. Carl glanced up at Linney before stepping closer to Merle, his features tightening. "You better treat everyone right," Carl warned him, "I'll be watching you." Merle grunted out a laugh and nodded at Carl, before looking back up at Linney. "Gonna show me my room or are we gonna stand here n' chat all fuckin' night?"

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"Glenn?"

"Linney?" His voice was groggy and tired, making Linney wince a little; she hadn't wanted to wake him up. "Yeah, it's me, I just wanted to say hi, but I'll talk to you in the morning," she said and heard movement and shuffling inside his cell before a lantern was turned on. She put a hand to her mouth when she saw how bad Glenn looked. He had bandages and stitches all over the place and his ribs were wrapped up tightly. "Aw, Glenn, jesus," she breathed, meeting his dark eyes. He was sitting on the edge of the bed and waved a hand at her.

"You have to come here, I'm not getting up," he told her, wincing a little as he shifted. Linney moved hesitantly to his side and sat next to him, leaning over to give him a ginger hug. He brought his arms up around her carefully and hugged back. When they pulled apart she held his gaze for a moment, regret and pain washing across her face. "If you say you're sorry I'm kicking you out," he grumbled, and Linney laughed, sitting back and appraising him.

"Is it really bad?" She asked him, and he shrugged. "Doesn't feel great, but it's fine, Hershel said nothing seemed too severe; it will all heal," he replied, and Linney pressed her lips together and nodded.

"So, you're back," he said, leadingly, raising an eyebrow at her. She nodded again. "Yeah, we're back," she replied. "With Merle," he said, not asking a question. Linney looked at him again and her jaw clenched a little. "Of course," she responded. Glenn looked away. "I'm not happy about it," he told her, avoiding her eyes, "But if he's the price to have you two here, then I'll pay it." Linney sighed a little and he looked back over at her. She took a deep breath, forcing the urge to apologize back, and spoke, "How is Maggie? She hasn't been very talkative."

Glenn cleared his throat and looked away. "She's not great, something happened there, and she won't really go into what exactly it was. I'm worried that guy, that Governor, did something, you know, like he tried to..." Glenn's voice trailed off and Linney reached for one of his hands and grabbed it tightly in her own. She tried to think about what to say, her thoughts dragging her back to Shane, about how badly she wanted to move on and leave the incident behind. Daryl had been fixated on whether or not Shane had raped her, and because he hadn't, she wanted to just drop it, bury it forever. She could understand where Maggie was right now.

"Is that important, though?" She asked him carefully, and he looked at her like she was crazy. "What?" He asked, incredulous, and Linney licked her bottom lip before shifting her gaze to the ceiling. "After Shane, all anyone cared about was whether or not he had raped me, and since he hadn't, I wanted more than anything for them to drop it and quit asking. All that concern focused on whether or not he had done that one thing, made me feel like I shouldn't be upset about all the other stuff he'd done, like the other things didn't matter, and that I should be relieved, instead of upset," Linney paused, and risked a glance over at Glenn, "It made me feel like I was stupid to be upset about the other stuff, like no one cared about the other stuff, like I should just get over it."

Glenn was completely silent and when she looked back at him, she could see he was pretty near tears. "Jesus, Lin," he muttered, "I wasn't trying to make her feel that way, I didn't know..." Linney put a hand on his arm, patting it comfortingly. "Glenn, she knows you don't mean to make her feel bad, trust me, it's just hard."

"Can you talk to her?" He asked her, his voice pleading, "Can you tell her you get it? Tell her what you told me? Tell her I don't mean to sound like I don't care about the other stuff?" Linney took in a deep breath, fighting the immediate urge to say 'no'. She opened her mouth to respond and Maggie's voice came from the doorway. "I already know," Maggie said softly. Linney turned around and Maggie stepped through the doorway. Linney realized she had probably been on the other side of the curtain, and got to her feet.

"Maggie, hi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be talking about you - " Linney began, and Maggie held a hand up, giving Linney a sad smile. "It's ok, Lin, I know, thank you," Maggie told her. Linney nodded hesitantly and looked back at Glenn before meeting Maggie's blue-eyed gaze again. "I'll go and let you talk," Linney offered. Maggie put a soft hand on her shoulder and nodded, and Linney skirted past her and out the door.

The door shut behind her and she heard their murmured voices. Linney headed towards the stairs, up to her room. Inside Daryl was bent next to his pack, his hair wet, dressed in clean clothes. "Hey, get a chance to clean up?" He asked her gruffly, not looking up. "No," she responded. He seemed to realize that something was wrong and looked back at her, one eyebrow raising questioningly. She waved a hand at him and reached for her clothes, plucking out a clean outfit. "I'm gonna go and get washed up now," she told him. He turned to her completely, his eyes wary, his expression watchful.

"Sure you're ok?" He asked her and she nodded. "Yeah, it's just been a day, you know?" She replied, and he smirked as he got to his feet. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a gentle hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. They stood together for a minute before he pushed her away. "Go on now, ya stink," he told her, chuckling a little. Linney smiled at him and nodded, realizing that they were truly home again, that they could sleep safely tonight, surrounded by their people, in the privacy of their own room.

She paused at their door and looked back at him. "You gonna be up when I get back?" She asked him, and he nodded, hefting his pack up onto the bed next to himself. "Yeah, jus' don't take forever," he answered, one corner of his mouth tilting up a little. She smiled at him and then just stared at him for a moment, admiring the hard features of his face, the wet sheen of his hair, and the way he filled out the shirt he was wearing. "Good," she told him, before turning and leaving the room.

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He wasn't the kind of person who often felt nervous, but sitting locked in his cell, Merle had to admit that he wasn't feeling overly confident. He looked around the small room and chuckled to himself. _Not like ya haven't been in a room like this before_, he thought in wry amusement. Linney and Daryl had shown him his room, the boy, Carl, right on their heels. "It's not fancy, but it's clean and safe," Linney had murmured, watching him look around the little room.

Within an hour, he'd been given bedding, a change of clothes, a lantern, and dinner. Linney had tied a sheet up to his cell door, giving him some privacy, and his brother and the boy had taken him to get cleaned up. He'd had to hand over his weapons, which he was expected. The sheriff and Maggie had been giving him stink eye since he walked in, and he assumed that there would be some dealings for him there, in the future.

A key rattling at the door drew his attention and he heard Linney's voice calling to him softly, "Can I come in?" Merle sat up on his bed and grunted at the question. "Whatever," he replied gruffly. She popped her head around the door and he saw her hair was wet and she looked much cleaner; wearing fresh bandages and a clean change of clothes. Seeing he was decent, she moved to the little metal stool in the room and sat down, looking at him.

"Get to talk to yer buddy, the chinaman?" He quipped, his face mocking. Linney glared at him and nodded, looking down at her hands for a moment. She didn't say anything for a long while and he began to wonder why she'd even come. Before he could chew her out over the pointless interruption, she looked up at him, locking onto his gaze. "I'm really glad you're here," she started, clamping her hands together in her lap, "I know it's not what you wanted, but I'm glad you're here."

He stared at her, not certain how he was supposed to respond to something like that. She held up one of her hands, as if to fend off anything he might say. "Look, I know you're as bad as Daryl, not liking to talk about shit, and I get that, so I don't expect you to respond... just listen," she told him. He glared at her, and then rolled his eyes and nodded, waving his hand at her to get on with it. "I know about your daughter," she said, her voice soft and halting, "You talked to me about her that second night, when you were all fucked up."

Merle clenched his jaw and looked down at the ground. "Theories abound about why I like you, why I got so attached to you," she continued, "And everyone here seems to think it's because you're like a father figure to me." Merle looked up at her, his eyes hard and evaluating. "I don't think that's quite right. My dad died a long time ago, and even when he was alive, he wasn't a father to me. I don't think his death left a void for anyone to fill, because I don't know if he ever really filled that spot to begin with." Linney scratched her neck and met his hard stare before looking down at her hands again.

"I don't know what your relationship was like with your own daughter and I'm not going to presume that I do. I don't think I could fill that kind of space for you, because I don't think you ever had a void there to begin with, either," her voice was firm, but quiet, and he felt his features settling into their familiar glare. "But you are important to me, and it happened really quickly, back at the beginning. And I'm not sure why, maybe because everyone gets attached so quickly now?" Her green eyes darted back up to him and then down again.

"But after you were gone, there was something I wished I'd told you, when I still had the chance," she got to her feet and turned to the door, keeping her face from him, "It's ok that you're not my dad, or any kind of real father figure, and it's ok that I'm not your daughter, or if you even feel that way about me." Linney took a deep breath, her hands clenching at her sides.

"You're still important to me, you're my family, and I love you," she finished and Merle said nothing, blinking at her words. Before he could open his mouth, or even get his brain to form a coherent thought, she grabbed the door and opened it, moving quickly to get outside and away from him. "Linney," he said, his voice dry and nearly rasping. She paused, one foot out the door.

"You've gone soft, kid, that's gonna get ya killed. So toughen the fuck up n' quit talkin' 'bout yer damn feelin's," he was gruff, almost angry sounding, and Linney said nothing, just closed the door behind herself. He heard her feet padding away on the concrete outside and sat staring at the curtain on his door for a long while. When he flicked the lantern off and lay down, he stared at the underside of the top bunk for an even longer time and thought about missed opportunities.

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Milton rushed into Andrea's room, without knocking and startled her. "Jesus, Milton, what's going on?" Andrea asked, putting a hand to her chest. He closed the door behind himself and leaned on it a moment. She got to her feet and walked over to him, grabbing his arm and towing him away from the door, to the other side of the room, where she pulled him down to sit on the couch.

"He knows which prison it is and he's planning a trip there," Milton told her, his features tight and worried. Andrea's breathing picked up and she nodded, looking away, mind racing to think of ways to stop this. Milton tapped the back of her hand and she looked back at him. "He's only going with a few people, I don't think it's an attack," Milton assured her, and Andrea grimaced.

"I don't believe that for a second," Andrea retorted, "They've been having meetings and running around gathering things up for days, Phillip won't even talk to me. Something big is up." Milton shook his head. "No, I really don't think so, from what I can see just him and a couple men are leaving tomorrow, not some kind of... of... invasion force," Milton's tone was soft and worried. Andrea wondered at his words.

"You know he's not going with a welcome wagon, Milton," she snapped, and he winced. "Probably not, but I saw the maps, he just circled the prison, and now is planning a small excursion. They must be related, but I'm not sure what he's going to do," Milton paused, rubbing his cheek, "You're not the only one he's not talking to."

"Could he be thinking to snatch someone? Plant a bomb? Just yell threats at them?" She spoke out loud, not really expecting an answer. Milton got to his feet and moved to the door, "I don't know, maybe all those things?" He put a hand on the door and looked back at her, "I need to go, I don't want anyone to see me here, but I just thought you should know, to prepare yourself in case he does something terrible." He left the room quickly after that and Andrea gripped the couch cushions next to herself.

She felt like she should do something, but knew she didn't have time to locate this prison, to get there before Phillip and his 'excursion' team. She wished fervently for a working telephone as she rubbed her temples, and knew she could only hope he didn't do anything terrible. She would go to the prison on her own, after he returned, she told herself. _And pray that he doesn't kill everyone there, before I get there._

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review folks! *****


	136. Chapter 136

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Merle tapped his fingers on the map again, making the huge sheet of paper rustle against the table. "He shoulda been here by now," he grumbled, almost to himself. Rick was standing on the other side of the table, hands on his hips, glaring at the map. "It's been almost three days, is that really enough time to regroup and retaliate?" Rick asked him, and Merle shot him a disgusted look.

"They ain't a group like this one; huddlin' in the dark like damn refugees," Merle shot back, "They got numbers, and weapons. He shoulda been here by now." Linney was beginning to feel nervous; Rick might not be able to pick up on it, but Merle was worried, and that was enough for her to be worried. "Don't know what he could be planning, ain't normal for him to do this - he likes to strike hard n' fast." Merle added. Linney spoke up then, her eyes moving first to Merle's gaze and then Rick's.

"Maybe it's you; you and Michonne?" She suggested, raising her eyebrows, "He knows you're both here, maybe he had to think outside the box, since you know all his moves?" She expected Merle to scoff but he simply nodded, thinking about what she said. "We're already preparing as best we can," Rick said, running a hand through his hair, "Everything's locked up and we're setting up cover as quickly as we can." Merle glared at him. "That ain't gonna be enough, when he rolls on in here with his big trucks, dozens of men, and more guns than you got," Merle's voice was threatening, and Linney knew that Rick felt as unsettled as she did.

"We need to strike back at 'im," Merle continued, his tone hard, "Need to get our gear n' get back to Woodbury, take 'im out while we still can, when he don't expect it." Rick shook his head and shot Merle an impatient look. "To do that successfully, we'd need every capable person here to come with us, and we can't leave the rest of the group unguarded like that, leave the prison vulnerable," Rick insisted. Merle grunted and shook his head, clearly not agreeing with Rick.

Judith let out a little snort in Linney's arms and Rick's face smoothed out as he stared at his daughter with adoration. Linney shot Rick a small smile and got up, pacing back and forth a few feet from the men surrounding the map. Carl was sitting at the next table, watching Merle, and Daryl was sitting at yet another table, watching everyone.

She figured that Merle must feel like he had an entourage, the way so many people were constantly shadowing him. Linney hadn't left Merle's side all morning, and Carl didn't leave hers. Daryl was a little less obtrusive, hanging back, taking care of various things he and Rick had hushed conversations about. Beth was also tailing Linney quite a bit, and it made her feel stifled, so she had sent the girl out to find something to do, earlier that morning. Judith blew a small spit bubble and Linney grabbed the tail of the blanket wrapped around the infant and wiped at her little pink mouth.

"You're so gross, aren't you my little shithead?" Linney cooed softly in a singsong voice to the baby as Judith's round, dark blue eyes latched onto her own. She kept her eyes locked on the little face, the little face that was looking more and more like Carl every time she saw it. After a few moments Linney sniffed the air and made a face. "Ew," she grumbled, her lips twisting in disgust. Snorts and laughter came from the other side of the room, and she looked up to see Rick chuckling and Merle watching her like she'd grown a second head.

"I think she crapped herself," Linney said, her tone dripping with displeasure. Rick raised his eyebrows and nodded, a smile on his face. "I bet she did," he responded, "All her stuff's in my room now, so you may as well go get her changed." Linney groaned, really not wanting to, but moved towards the cellblock anyways. She paused at the door when Rick called to her. "When you're done, pull Beth off watch and have her sit with Judy for a bit, I need you back here," he instructed from behind her. Linney nodded without turning around and went into the block, heading straight for Rick's cell.

The little metal table in Rick and Carl's room had been transformed into a change table and Linney flicked the lantern on before turning to it. A noise at the door drew her attention and she saw Carl and Daryl standing there. "Carl!" She scolded, "I'm not in that room, am I?" She raised her eyebrow at him and Carl jumped. "Oh yeah! Sorry!" He cried, and immediately turned on his heel and went back to the big room. "What's that about?" Daryl asked gruffly, watching as she grabbed supplies to change Judith's diaper.

Linney looked up at him, her face still frowning in disgust. "We have a deal, he and I, he's helping me keep an eye on Merle, keep him out of trouble - If I'm not there to watch, Carl needs to be, Beth too, if he and I aren't around," she explained. She finally figured out the snaps on the bottom of Judith's little sleepers and managed to pull her little legs out. The diaper stank and Linney could feel her gorge rising.

"It would be really uncool if I barfed on a baby, right?" She asked, not really looking for an answer. Daryl grunted out a laugh and walked into the room, standing behind her. He brought his arms around her, over her own arms, and started to lift her hands, moving her through the correct motions. "You've never done a diaper change before, have ya?" He asked, his voice low, his breath warm on her neck. Linney felt her hands squeezing reflexively on the tub of baby powder. "No, of course I haven't!" She responded. He put her hand on the baby wipes. "C'mon it ain't hard, first the dirty one comes off, then cleaning, then the new one, then the cream and baby powder, then lock it all up," he walked her through each step, and when they were finished the baby was clean and re-wrapped. Linney felt like she'd actually accomplished something.

Daryl picked Judith up and placed her quickly in her bassinet, before nodding his chin at the mess. "Gotta get that all in the bucket n' clean yer hands," he told her. Linney followed the motions and squirted the antibacterial gel onto her palms wiping it up and around all the way to her elbows. Daryl used some next and smirked at her. "Don't gotta bathe in that stuff, just on yer hands," he told her. Linney glared at him and patted her damp hands on her pants. She moved back to the bassinet and reached for Judith but Daryl put a hand on her arm and stopped her.

"You go get Beth, I'll hang out with Lil Asskicker for a bit," he planted a kiss on Linney's forehead and reached for the baby, a soft, silly smile on his face as he held the infant. She paused at the door and watched him for a minute, shaking her head at him. "What?" He snapped softly, trying not to disturb Judith. "You," she responded, waving a hand at him, "No one should look that good holding a baby." He snorted and she smiled again before turning on her heel to go locate Beth.

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"Hey, you seen Beth?" A voice called from behind her and Sasha turned to see Linney, the girl she'd been introduced to that morning. "Think she went down to the guard tower with Axel, Ben, and Tyreese, said they were gonna clear the fence this morning, big walker pile-up there," Sasha replied. She watched as Linney nodded and then paused, walking across the catwalk towards her. "How are you guys settling in?" Linney asked her awkwardly. Sasha shrugged and gestured at the gun in her hands.

"Pretty well, a little nervous about this need for security," she replied, and the girl nodded, looking around. Her eyes moved down to the courtyard, where Oscar, Carol, Maggie, and Allen were moving filing cabinets up to the fence, creating a barrier. Sasha followed her gaze, and it wasn't lost on her how out of it Allen seemed, not socializing with the other three at all. "How is he?" Linney asked, obviously asking about Allen. Sasha looked over at her, analyzing the watchful, wary expression on the girl's face.

"He's not handling it great," Sasha found herself admitting. Linney shot her a sad smile and nodded. "We've been there, are still there, I guess," she said. Sasha nodded. "We've all been together pretty much since the beginning," Linney continued, "Losing Lori and T was like... well, it was losing family." She turned and locked her green eyed gaze on Sasha. "Rick's not over it yet, neither is Carl, but they're managing because they know they have to, life now doesn't let you grieve properly anymore, you know?" Linney added. Sasha scratched her neck and nodded.

"Allen's never been great at dealing with stress," Sasha admitted, "Ben's doing better than his dad is, and I think a lot of that is due to finding this place." Linney gave her a small smile. "I'm glad you did," she replied, "Because we need you." Sasha blinked at the confession, not sure how to reply. Linney ran her hands through her hair. "The group after us, that Governor, he's not a good person," Linney told her. "Rick mentioned what he did, what was happening in Woodbury," Sasha told her, and Linney quirked up one side of her mouth, a hand going up to the bandage on her shoulder and chest, idly stroking the gauze.

"He's sick," Linney said quietly. Sasha stared hard at the girl. "Why are you telling me this?" Sasha asked, and Linney looked back at her, an eyebrow shooting up. "I just want you to know what you're getting into," the girl replied, "It's not your fight, but if you're staying, I want to make sure you're really in it, that you aren't going to drop us when we need you." Sasha hmph'd and looked away.

"We aren't like that," Sasha began, her eyes drawn to Allen, who was standing and glaring at Carol and Oscar, instead of helping with the heavy file cabinet they were trying to maneuver. "Well, not all of us," she amended, her brow drawing down as she regarded the man. Linney followed her gaze and pursed her lips. "Rick likes to say that we have to pull together, to keep from falling apart," Linney murmured, wrapping her fingers through the fencing, "And you three seem like good people, people who belong here. But Allen..." Sasha moved next to her, wrapping her fingers in the fence near Linney's hand.

"I understand," Sasha said, "You see him as a liability, because he's so angry, so upset." Linney nodded and Sasha swallowed hard at the memory of Allen, trying to convince them to kill everyone here so they could take the prison themselves. "I can't speak for him," Sasha whispered, "But I can speak for myself, for Ty, for Ben, and we are with you, we _want_ to be with you." Linney nodded, releasing the fence and stepping away. She moved to the C Block side of the catwalk and paused.

"I need to go find Beth, I'll see you later."

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"She's not up on the catwalk," Linney announced, as she walked down the stairs that led from the catwalk to the big room. Rick and Merle looked up at her, but Carl kept his eyes on Merle. Linney hid a smile at the boy's tenacity and walked over to Merle. "Sasha said she's down by the fence, I was thinking Merle could come with me and we could take the long way around, where the path starts by D block and the other guard tower," Linney stood next to Merle, but was talking to Rick, who nodded at her.

"Ok, good, give him an idea of the space we have to cover," Rick told her. He gestured at her with one hand. "Do you still have your keys? I'd like you to lock up that far guard tower, it's too far out of view, and it could be a weak spot if we leave it open," Rick told her. Linney nodded and curled her hand around Merle's metal forearm, tugging him towards the courtyard door. "Daryl's in with Judith, if you're interested," she said over her shoulder, to Rick.

Merle followed her silently, letting her pull him outside. As they made their way across the courtyard, to the D Block stairs, he shook her hand off his arm. "So..." Linney began, glancing over at him, "How are things?" He shot her a mildly irritated look. "Y'know how they are, been following me all morning," he grumbled in reply. Linney nodded and pulled open the D Block door, waiting for Merle to pass through. "Merle, c'mon, you know why I am, and it's not all because of you," she told him.

"Don't need a babysitter," he said in his rasping voice, "Ya think ole Merle can't watch his own back?" Linney chuckled and shook her head, leading him through the cell block, passing a glance over at the four cells now occupied by Sasha's group. "I don't really know this new group," she said mildly, waving a hand at the cells, "And none of us really know Michonne." Merle's face was amused as he shot her a dry smile. "Ain't gonna have a problem with Mutie, sweetheart," he told her.

They paused while Linney unlocked the door that led out to the back stairs for D Block. "Care to elaborate?" Linney asked him, ducking under his arm as he held the door open for her to walk through. The door clicked shut behind them and Linney locked it again. Merle scratched the stubble on his face and pointed at his chest. "She ain't like me, she wants people, doesn't wanna be a lone wolf," he told her. Linney tried to smother her giggle but it didn't work. Merle shot her a strange look and she smiled at him teasingly.

"Gimme a break Dixon, you want people too. I don't buy that lone wolf shit," she rolled her eyes at him and kept walking. Merle paused a few seconds before following her. "Yer fuckin' wrong, sweetheart," he growled, and Linney wrapped an arm around his metal one again. "Explain it to me, then," she told him. Merle shook her arm off and abruptly pushed her up against the fence, glaring down into her startled face.

"I want to protect my own, keep my own, but I don't give two shits about these people, not a one of 'em," he snarled, "Don't for one fuckin' second think I wouldn't let these stupid shitheads die, if it meant keepin' me n' my own safe." Linney's eyes were wide and startled as she looked back and forth between his own furious blue ones. "I see," she managed. Merle shook her slightly, making the fence rattle behind her.

"I done things..." he began, his breath hot on her face, and his features furious. She stared back, not sure if she wanted him to continue. He released her with a shove into the fence and she bounced against it, putting her hands out to steady herself. "I ain't Daryl," he growled, as he paced to the other side of the fenced pathway, "I ain't makin' friends, or lovin' up on any rugrats, or suckin' on the sheriff's dick. That ain't why I'm here." Linney swallowed hard and felt her eyebrows drawing down into an angry expression.

"Why are you here then?" She asked him, trying to keep her irritation from her voice. He looked at her like she was simple. "I'm here to keep both a ya stupid fuckers alive," he told her, "I'm here to keep my hands on what's mine." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a picture. Linney felt like all her facial features became unhinged all at once when she saw the picture of her parents in his hands.

"Where'd you get this?" She breathed, reaching for it. He let her take it and she held it in both hands, drinking in the image of her parents, letting her eyes retrace their features in her mind. "Midway Estates," he told her, and she nodded. She looked up at him and knew by the cringe on his face that her eyes were probably a little teary. She tucked the picture in her back pocket, snug up against the one of Merle and Daryl. "Thank you," she told him. He nodded at her, raising his eyebrows at her noncommittally.

"Daryl's my kin, n' so are you," he told her, his voice nearly angry, "Me n' ole Kev, yer pa, went back a long ways; s'my job to make sure ya don't end up dead." Linney blinked at him, completely at a loss as to how she should respond. All she knew was that it was probably time to lighten the mood; Merle couldn't handle heavy stuff for very long before he felt the urge to do something stupid, or break things.

"That's cute," she finally told him, her tone mocking. He looked at her incredulously. "I think I'm more than an obligation," she teased him, "I think you loooove me." He snorted and laughed, shaking his head. He pushed her shoulder with his metal arm, shoving her forward. "Quit wastin' my time, ya little shit," he groused in his familiar rasp, "Officer Friendly gave us a job to do, n' we better get it done, don't wanna get in trouble." She looked over at him and smirked at the shit-eating grin he was shooting her.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until they made it to the furthest guard tower. Linney reached for the door and Merle suddenly swatted her hand out of the way, pushing her behind himself. "When's the last time one of ya'll was down here?" He asked her quietly, glancing over his shoulder at her. Linney shrugged, "I missed the last couple days, but before that, it was like a week ago, I guess?" He gestured at the foot prints in the gravel, that lead from a cut in the fence a few feet away. Linney swallowed hard and shook her head.

"That's not us," she hissed quietly. She and Merle both drew their guns and he put his metal arm on her shoulder. "Stay behind me," he ordered her, and for once she didn't argue. He reached for the door and pulled it open quickly, sweeping into the darkness beyond it. Linney hurried after him, and shut the door behind herself, locking it after them. She could barely make Merle out in the murky light of the room at the base of the tower.

Which is why he was already on the floor, unconscious, before she saw the strange man with the big gun coming at her.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks! *****


	137. Chapter 137

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney shoved her shoulder against the closet door, trying not to hurt Merle in her efforts. "This would be a great time to wake up," she hissed at him, bumping her hip against his head. The man with the gun hadn't wasted any time with conversation, he'd simply called up the stairs and a second man, with a second large gun, had come trotting down.

Within seconds they had an unconscious Merle tossed into the small storage closet and Linney was rammed in after him. They slammed the door shut and she heard furniture moving around and chains being rattled against the door. Then both sets of footsteps had clomped up the stairs, to the open top area of the guard tower. One of the men muttered something about waiting for a signal and Linney felt a cold shudder ripple through her stomach.

"Merle, please wake up!" She cried in quiet panic, trying to shake him. The closet was tiny and Merle was not, so he was taking up most of the room, crammed inside the small space. Linney had one foot on the ground between his knees and the other unfortunately resting on his leg. His unconscious figure took up almost all of the floor room. _This fucking room is meant for coats and lunch boxes, not giant rednecks_, she thought in irritation. It was dark to boot, so she couldn't look around to find something to help them get out.

There was no handle on the inside of the door, but Linney still tried to shove her shoulder against it again. Her efforts put all her weight down on the foot on top of Merle's leg and he finally grunted. "Wha' the fuck?" He muttered in confusion and anger. His hand struck at her leg and she nudged his head with her hip again. "Merle! Stop it! It's just me," she whispered urgently. He patted his hand along her leg and then froze, yanking it away like she was burning him.

"What the fuck? Where are we?" He growled, shifting around. "That guy knocked you out and crammed us both in the closet, he had a buddy with him," she replied, "Pretty sure they shoved furniture against the door and then chained it shut somehow." Merle was trying to get to his feet and finding it difficult. "Move, kid," he said gruffly and she yipped when he turned his legs and twisted her foot a little in the process.

"I can't! There's no where to go!" She snapped. He was still for a moment and then he grabbed the foot trapped between his knees, lifting it up. Linney wobbled and braced her hands against the walls. "Don't! There's no where to stand but on you!" She exclaimed. Merle grunted and put the foot on his other leg, allowing him to shift slightly. "Gonna get up, just lean on me, put yer scrawny ass on my shoulder," he ordered her. Linney shook her head and then sighed, realizing she had no choice; Merle was the only one with hope of breaking the door down.

She leaned against him and sat on his shoulder, her hands bracing tightly against the wall. "Jus' don't fart," he grumbled at her, his tone gruff and mocking. Linney let out a huffy breath of irritation, and Merle wrapped his metal arm around her knees, holding her steady. "Duck," he told her. Linney realized he meant to shoot to his feet and she bent over top of his head, praying the ceiling was tall enough that she wouldn't break her neck.

In one movement, Merle bent his legs beneath himself and got to his feet. Linney lost her balance and smacked her face against the wall. "Fucking fuck," she snarled to herself. She raised her arms and felt the ceiling just above her and sighed in relief. _At least my fucking head won't be shoved through the roof_. "Ok, ok, ok," Linney said, not sure what they should do next.

"Gonna put you down now, try not to sack me, hey?" Merle muttered, and Linney grunted her ok. Carefully, with more touching than either of them was comfortable with, Merle slid her down and her feet found the floor. Now that they were both standing, there was much less room than before. "Try n' move," he told her, and Linney tried to make herself small on the other side of the door. Merle was heaving his shoulder against the door and rebounding off of it fairly roughly.

"Fuck," he cursed, pausing to catch his breath, "No give at all." Linney hummed in distress. They spent a few minutes that way, Merle shoving against the door and Linney cringing out of his way until the sound of gunfire made them both flinch. "Merle!" She cried in worry, throwing herself against the door, trying to get out. The gunfire was all around them, coming from upstairs in the guard tower and in almost every direction outside. "He's here, fuck, he's here!" Merle growled, heaving himself against the door.

"Can we break it down? Like snap off the top part or something?" Linney cried, trying not to scream when Merle tromped down heavily on her booted foot, accidentally. "It's fucking metal, Lin," he growled, "Everything in this motherfuckin' shitheap is fucking _METAL_!" He was furious, his voice loud and nearly painful in the small space. "Are we fighting back? Can you tell? Does anything sound like it's coming from the courtyard?" Linney was frantic, thinking of Carl, Daryl, and Judith. "Beth! Beth's down at the front gate! Merle we have to get out!" Linney crammed herself in front of him and started battering the door with her fists.

"Quit it! Gonna break yer damn hand, ya stupid shit!" Merle yelled in her ear and she stopped, sagging against the door. "They took our weapons, Merle," she muttered, her face pressed against the door in defeat, "They're gonna open up that door and kill us." Merle put a heavy hand on her shoulder and gripped her tightly.

"No they ain't," he told her gruffly, and Linney stood up straight, thinking he had a plan, "They're gonna drag us back to Woodbury and kill us slow."

"That's comforting."

"Wasn't supposed to be."

"Sarcasm, Merle."

"Fuck you."

"Boy, I hope we're trapped in here together _forever_."

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_Thank god we were on the other side of the tower,_ Beth thought, as she huddled at the base of the guard tower, behind a metal desk. Ben was next to her and when she saw how tightly he was gripping his gun, she worried he might piss himself or pass out. _Or both_.

When the gunfire started, Tyreese had shoved her ahead of him so quickly she had tumbled to the ground and rolled, tearing up the skin on her knees and elbows. He didn't hesitate, hauling her back to the guard tower, getting her under cover, tossing Ben after her.

She glanced behind them, to where Axel lay in the dirt. He'd been shot, it looked like it was in the shoulder, but with the way he was bleeding, it could be the chest too. He was alive, or at least he was right after he'd been shot. "Go! Go! Girl, go!" He had grunted at her after he fell and she had crouched next to him. His good arm had slapped her upside the head to make her go, and she hoped he was just playing dead now. They had no time to drag him to cover. Tyreese had run through the gate into the yard, moving around the overturned prison bus, trying to get a shot at the people on the outside of the fence.

Beth knew it was this Governor guy attacking them, and she was terrified. From the quick peeks she risked, she saw that he had two big trucks, a handful of men, and a whole lot of big guns. He also somehow had men up in the far guard tower; each time she tried to move towards the door for the guard tower she was cowering next to, a blaze of shots would tear up the ground in the direction she needed to go. "What do we do?" Ben asked her in a panicked whisper. Beth glanced over at him and saw he was sweating heavily, but at least appeared to have better control over himself.

She peeked around the desk again and realized the only chance they had would be to move the desk with them, as they tried for the guard tower door. "Can you lift it from the underside?" She asked him, pointing at the desk. Ben nodded and moved, hefting his shoulder underneath the edge of the desk. Beth followed suit and they began to creep around the side of the tower.

"The door! Go for the door!" She cried, and Ben pulled in that direction. The slams of bullets against the desk made them both scream each time they struck, but they kept moving. A few bullets zinged into the ground near their feet, and she prayed that none of them would strike their exposed boots, ankles, or calves. "Hold it up!" She yelled at him, reaching for the door knob when they were in front of the door, releasing her grip on the desk. Ben grunted under the additional weight, but did what she said.

She yanked the door open, put a hand on Ben's shoulder, and pulled him back inside the tower. He released the desk with a loud bang and they fell backwards into the tower. Beth slammed the door shut behind them and rested only a moment against the heavy metal door. Ben was laying on his back on the floor, trying to catch his breath.

"Let's go," Beth panted, pointing up the stairs, "Let's get up there and kill them all."

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Maggie was screaming in horror at Carol, who was cowering behind Oscar's body. The man's dead body was riddled with bullets and Carol had no where to go. Someone was shooting at her from the far guard tower, so Carol had no way to move. "Maggie!" A voice yelled at her, and she looked over her shoulder, to see Carl, emerging from D Block, two rifles in his hand. He ran over to her, staying behind the piles of office equipment. He handed her a rifle and she grabbed it eagerly. "How'd you get across the catwalk?" She cried, as she positioned herself behind a filing cabinet, prepared to take aim at the far guard tower.

The people at the far end of the yard, with the big guns, had been firing directly across the yard, through the courtyard, blowing apart the catwalk walls they had put up. Maggie knew Sasha was up there and was praying that she was ok. The woman had dove to the ground, behind a metal tabletop, as soon as the pallets around her began erupting from the heavy gunfire. Carl couldn't have run across there.

"I went through the tombs!" He told her. Maggie nodded and took aim, blasting the walls of the tower above where a shooter lay, not quite able to get him. "Let me! Let me!" Carl yelled, shoving her back. Maggie moved, slightly miffed at his attitude. He lined up his shot and hit the shooter on his first try. "He's down!" Carl yelled. Maggie screamed at Carol to run, to come to her. The woman got to her feet, racing in a crouch towards them. When Carol was safely behind the cabinets with them, they sheltered together, knowing there wasn't much else they could do.

"Where's Allen?" Carl asked, his head swiveling around as he looked for the man. Maggie made a disgusted face and met Carol's eyes. "He ran," Maggie spat out, "As soon as the shooting started, he ran towards the back of the courtyard." Carl snorted in derision and grabbed a pistol off his hip, forcing it into Carol's hands. "What do we do now? Where's your dad? Daryl? Hershel? Glenn? Michonne?" Carol frantically asked Carl and the boy gripped his gun more tightly.

"Hershel's with Judith, he's taking her to the upper administrative levels we cleared last week. Glenn and Michonne went with them, for protection, since they can't really help out here yet," Carl explained, and Carol sagged in relief, "My dad and Daryl took off through the tombs, I think they're going to try and get out the other end of the prison, sneak through the trees back to where these assholes are."

Maggie's ears felt oddly empty, and it took her a moment to realize that the gunfire had stopped. She peeked around the edge of the filing cabinet and gasped. The other two with her poked their heads around as well, and they all watched in horror as a huge truck slammed through the gates by the guard tower enclosure, and drove out into the yard.

"What the fuck?" Carl murmured. "Carl," Maggie and Carol admonished half-heartedly, at the same time. The back door of the truck was released from inside the cab, and a huge ramp dropped down. It took Maggie a moment to understand what the clump of moving figures were, as they stumbled down the ramp.

"Fuck," Maggie whispered, realizing it was dozens of walkers.

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Martinez went from pleased and gloating, to mildly panicked, to full blown 'oh-shit' in a matter of minutes. When the truck busted their gates, he couldn't help but smile viciously in triumph from his spot within the trees. He was there to catch or kill anyone who tried to escape, and so far, no one had. He saw that a couple figures in the prison fell, hopefully dead, when the shooting started. But then he saw one of his guys fall out of the furthest guard tower, slamming heavily to the ground below.

He watched as a desk appeared to move around the other guard tower, the one with the gated entrance to the outside, and then minutes later, shots were exploding from the top of that tower and the second guy in the far tower fell dead. Readjusting his grip on his gun, Martinez wondered if it was time to fall back. A glance over to the trucks, where the Gov, Shumpert, and a few of the other guys were standing, revealed a very content looking Gov, who was watching with satisfaction as the biters spilled from the delivery truck.

Martinez realized that the Gov probably didn't know about their two guys in the tower, didn't realize that they were vulnerable. He glanced back at the field and saw the two men from the delivery truck leap from the doors in their riot gear and run towards the gate they had just busted through. The plan was for them to drive it in, release the biters, and race back to the other trucks. Except the people of the prison seemed to have a different plan. Both men almost exploded as dozens of bullets shattered through their bodies. They both fell in pieces to the ground and the freshly released biters dove eagerly towards the snack.

Shrieking from the other trucks drew his attention and Martinez realized they were seconds from this all going sideways. Someone in the guard tower enclosure was shooting at the trucks, killing everyone but Shumpert and the Gov, who were sheltered behind the second truck. Both men dove into that truck and drove away. Martinez gaped at them; he was being left behind. _Gotta get back, can walk back if I got to_, he thought.

He crouched and moved backwards through the trees, only stopping when something ungodly hard slammed into the side of his face, dropping him to his knees. He landed on his bad knee and yelled in pain. Rolling to his side, he was stopped when a heavy boot dropped down onto his chest. He looked up into the furious, cold, face of that redneck, the one with the crossbow, Merle's brother.

"Hey motherfucker," the guy growled at him, before slamming the butt of the crossbow into Martinez's face.

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"Merle," Linney hissed, after it had been silent for over an hour. "What?" He replied harshly, trying to remember it wasn't her damn fault they were trapped in here. "I've got a problem," she whispered, her voice flooding with embarrassment. "What, kid? Jesus, think we got bigger problems right now tha-" she cut him off by grabbing his arm and squeezing. "I have to pee," she muttered. Merle was silent and then started laughing.

"It ain't funny!" She cried, and he realized by the amount of upset in her voice that she was probably pretty close to pissing herself. _Jesus H. Christ_, he thought. "Not a damn thing I can do for you, sweetheart," he grumbled, trying to shuffle away from her. "I can't even think right now!" She cried, and she started squirming around. "Jus' don't piss on me," he mumbled, and she punched him in the gut. He grunted at the pain and growled at her.

"Look here, ya little shit, it ain't _my_ fault we're trapped in a damn closet! It ain't _my_ fault ya gotta piss! And it ain't _my_ fault that you don't know how ta hold it!" He yelled at her, and he could hear her quick intake of breath as she prepared to scream back at him. She was stopped by the sound of the door to the tower being yanked open and Rick yelling, "Linney! Linney! Are you in here!"

"Rick! We're in the closet! _Please hurry_!" She screamed back. Merle winced at the sound of her shriek in his ear. "Maggie, help me with this," they heard Rick say, and there was grunting as chains clanked around and something heavy was moved from the door. The door swung open and Linney shot out like a bullet, forcing her way past Rick, Maggie, and Carl. She exploded out the tower door and all three of them turned to Merle in astonishment.

He couldn't _not_ laugh, so he did; great, gut-shaking chuckles. "Shii-it," Merle choked out, waving a hand in the direction Linney had run in, "When ya gotta go, ya gotta go." Carl laughed with him, immediately getting the situation, and Maggie's face brightened in surprise a moment later and then she was laughing too. Merle abruptly cut off his laughter and glared at Rick. "What the fuck happened?" He snapped. Rick pressed his lips together and his forehead crinkled into a dark glare.

"Your old boss paid us a visit, and we got ourselves a problem."

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, folks :) *****


	138. Chapter 138

***** Hey people - I'm sick as a fricking dog right now... had enough energy to update with this pre-written chapter today, but I'm not doing so hot. I can't promise I'll be able to get anything up for the next couple of days, since everything else I have isn't edited yet :( Please ignore typos in this chapter, usually I do a last editing sweep before updating, but I'm pretty fuzzy-brained today ... Regardless, enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney stood up from her hurried crouch next to the far guard tower, yanking her pants back up and hooking her belt together. She paused when she sensed a presence behind her, and spun around quickly, to find a group of walkers leering at her from the other side of the fence. "Gahhh!" She yelped in a garbled voice, taking rapid steps away from the fence. Everyone came running over at her yell and she looked over at them, her lips pulled down into a disgusted frown.

"What the fuck?" She asked, putting a hand to her chest, pointing the other one at the fence, "How in the hell did they get in there?" Rick's face was hard as he explained, "Governor attacked, broke the gates, delivered a truck full of walkers." Linney grimaced and met Merle's eyes quickly. His expression was flat and hard.

"Beth!" Linney suddenly exclaimed, whirling to Maggie, "She was in the guard enclosure! If the gates are down..." Maggie nodded, swallowing hard. "We're on our way there, they're inside the tower, we need to help them get into the dog run," Maggie told Linney. Rick handed her back her gun, as well as the couple knives he'd pulled off the men who had fallen from the tower. Merle took his gun, plus one of the large guns from the intruders. Rick grabbed the other large gun, and Maggie and Carl split the remaining weapons between themselves.

They moved at a jog along the dog run, a cluster of walkers following them on the other side of the fences. There seemed to be way more walkers than a truck could deliver and they all understood the situation fairly quickly when they arrived at the gate that lead to the guard tower enclosure. With both gates down, the prison was open to the surrounding forests, and all the gun fire had attracted a lot of walkers. _So many, my god_.

"How're we getting across?" Maggie asked, stepping back from the gate when several walkers rushed it at once. Rick gestured at the fence. "Start stabbing," he told them. Merle shot Linney a smirk and she shook her head, knowing he enjoyed killing walkers, because he hated them so much. They spent several long minutes, stabbing over and over again, at the walkers crowding the gate and the surrounding fence, but it wasn't helping, there seemed to be no end to the stream of them.

"Beth?!" Linney yelled, receiving a swat from Maggie on her shoulder. "Don't yell! You'll attract more!" Maggie scolded her. Linney shot her an irritated look. "Does it matter at this point?" Linney snapped, "I want to see if they've got any ammo up there to help with this." Maggie nodded slowly and turned back to the fence, stabbing another walker, grunting at the effort it took. Linney knew they were all going to have sore arms after this.

"Beth?!" She called again, even louder this time. Finally a blonde head popped out the door at the top of the enclosure and Beth waved. "Hey! We're all in here!" Beth yelled back. Rick looked relieved and paused in his stabbing, wiping a blood stained arm across his forehead, smearing walker blood there. "Who's we?" He yelled back. "Ben, Tyreese, and Axel, but he's hurt real bad!" Beth called back. "What kind of ammo you got left?" Linney yelled back. Beth shook her head. "None!" Came her reply.

Linney exchanged a look with Rick, then Merle. "So what do we do? We can try and shoot up this area, enough to clear a gap, have them run over?" Linney asked them. Rick nodded, but Merle was shaking his head. "Should find out if they can all walk," Merle suggested in a dry voice. Rick nodded and turned back to Beth. "Can everyone run?" He shouted. Beth shook her head again. "Axel can't, he's unconscious, and Tyreese can't run, he got shot in his leg!" She yelled in response. "Great," Linney murmured.

"Merle, you, me, and Maggie need to get over there, help the four of them back this way," Rick said, his voice hard. Merle clenched his teeth and glared at Rick, looking ready to argue. Linney put a hand on his arm and held the other one up to Rick, begging a moment. She tugged Merle a couple steps away.

"Merle," she whispered, "You gotta help them, this is the kind of thing that shows them you're here to help, that you can be trusted." His hard eyes glared into hers and she let every feature on her face plead with him. He glared at her for a while longer and then finally looked away, cursing under his breath. "Fuck, fine," he muttered, spinning from her, back to Rick. "Let's do this now, longer we wait, harder it's gonna be," Merle barked at them. Rick shot Linney a grateful look over Merle's shoulder and she shrugged.

"Beth!" Maggie called to her sister, "Get everyone down to the door, we're comin' over!" Beth disappeared and Linney moved to Carl's side. She glanced down at him briefly before looking back up at Rick. "We'll cover you," she told him calmly, and Carl nodded steadily next to her. She saw Rick watching them both, before he put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Take your time, don't waste bullets, make each shot count, got it?" He counseled them both, and Linney glanced down at Carl again, meeting his bright blue eyes. The boy had a sideways smirk on his face and she found herself matching it.

"We got this, dad," Carl replied. Rick clapped their shoulders and moved to the gate, unlocking it and grasping it in his fingers. He turned to Merle and nodded. "Ready?" Rick asked the man, and Merle grunted, his gun ready. Rick's gaze caught Maggie's and she nodded as well, from her spot next to Merle. Rick threw the door open and leapt over the heap of walker bodies there, Merle and Maggie on his heels.

Linney threw herself against the gate, closing it, while Carl's gun already began to go off. The boy was quick to blow away the walkers lurking around the guard tower door. When Linney had the gate closed she began to aim strategically, taking out walkers that approached the rescue team's blind spots. She took out one approaching Rick from the side, then one coming up behind Maggie. Merle never flinched once, not even when she and Carl both shot at one coming up behind Merle, to his left. They both hit the walker in the head and it's skull was absolutely obliterated, splashing Merle in gore.

He kept moving though, without pause, and Linney had to smile. _Nerves of fucking steel_, she thought. The trio made it to the door and yanked it open, lunging inside and slamming it shut behind them. "Now what?" Carl asked, and Linney nodded at the door. "Keep an eye on the door. If any of these undead shitheads get right outside of it, and looks like they're gonna be in the way, shoot 'em," Linney instructed the boy, "Other than that, don't waste bullets." Carl nodded and aimed at the door, his eyes flickering around calmly.

Linney pulled her knife and started whistling at the fence, gathering a few walkers to her, stabbing them viciously when they were in reach. She heard Carl shoot once or twice at the area she had him watching. She glanced over and saw no one at the door yet. _What's taking so long?_ Linney shook her head and moved to the other side of the fence, stabbing the walkers shaking the fence there. She glanced at the flattened gates laying on the ground, torn straight from the hinges. She knew they'd have to get at least the outside gate back up if they were to ever get control of the yard again.

"Lin!" Carl yelled, and Linney spun around to see the door of the guard tower fly open. She pulled her gun and charged the gate again. Walkers in the area all began hissing at once at the sight of so much food in one spot. Maggie and Ben were helping Tyreese get across the small space, and Linney yanked the gate open for them as soon as they were close. Maggie dropped Tyreese and turned back to the gate, pulling her gun. Beth had her fireplace poker out and was moving in a neat circle around Rick and Merle, who had Axel laid out between them. Linney nodded at Carl and shoved her gun at Ben.

She turned to Maggie and yelled, "You two cover us!" Carl wrenched his fireplace poker free and Linney pulled a knife in each hand. They moved out into the yard, despite Rick and Merle both yelling at them to stay back. They were making a slow go, because Axel was bleeding and unconscious, and Merle kept stopping to drop Axel's feet and shoot at walkers. The walkers, for their part, were exceedingly interested in them, because Axel's blood was calling to them.

"Take the left Beth! Carl! The right!" Linney yelled. Beth moved to Merle's side, and Carl swept around to his dad's side. Linney swung and stabbed at the two walkers who lunged around the fence towards her. Beth and Carl were moving the way Linney had taught them, quickly, carefully, and above all, calmly. Linney was clearing their front path, stabbing relentlessly. Ben and Maggie were shooting at any walkers that were approaching out of the kids' reach and soon everyone was at the gate. Linney threw it open and they all charged through it. Rick and Merle didn't pause, they just kept moving with Axel, back to Hershel, Linney assumed.

Tyreese got to his feet painfully, and after squashing her sister in a tight hug, Maggie left with Ben to get the big man back as well. Linney's arms were killing her, and she knew both kids must be feeling the same strain. They all sat in the centre of the dogrun, keeping out of reach from the fences on either side, catching their breath. "You two are gross," Linney panted, taking in their blood splattered appearances. Beth laughed, "You don't look much better!" Carl chuckled at that, and soon all three of them were laughing together.

"God, I missed you guys," Linney sighed, laying down on the ground, staring up at the sky. Beth lay down beside her and let out a deep breath. After a moment Carl lay on Linney's other side and all three of them tucked their hands behind their heads. "All kinds of bad shit happened today," Carl muttered, and Linney nodded, not looking away from the endless blue of the sky above them. "I know," she replied. "Oscar's dead," Carl told them, and Beth let out a long, sad sigh.

"At least Tyreese and Axel should be ok," Linney countered, hoping to lift the boy's spirits. "I think this place is cursed," Carl murmured, and Linney finally got up, leaning on one elbow to look down at him. "Everywhere is cursed," she told him, "We just need to work harder to make this place stronger." Carl didn't nod, he just stared at her steadily. Beth sat up behind her and got to her feet, brushing dirt off her pants. When she spoke it was matter-of-factly and both Carl and Linney turned to gape in surprise at her.

"No, we just need to kill the Governor and everyone in Woodbury, then everything will be fine."

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Daryl waited under the staircase in the cell block, until Merle was done helping get Axel into Hershel's room. His brother turned to relieve Maggie of her side of the Tyreese burden, leading the big man into another cell to rest. Merle's face was hard, impassive, and blank. Rick popped out of Hershel's cell and raised an eyebrow at Daryl. Daryl nodded back and a ferocious kind of satisfaction flitted across Rick's face, before he settled back into his normal sharp-eyed and calm expression.

"Merle," Daryl called softly, when Merle stepped out of the cell he'd deposited Tyreese in. His brother looked up at him and raised his eyebrows. "Where's Lin?" Daryl asked him. Merle pointed vaguely behind himself. "Screwin' around with those two little killers a hers," Merle responded. As if on cue, they heard loud voices and saw the three in question come through the door from the big room. Daryl grabbed his brother's arm and yanked him to the back end of the cell block.

"Need ya to come with me, got somethin' for ya to see," Daryl said in a low, gruff voice. Merle shot him an interested look and Daryl unlocked the door that lead to the other side of the prison. He heard Linney call his name just as he was about to step through. He turned and she came running over to him. She was streaked in black blood and he knew without asking she'd been killing walkers. "Hey," she breathed, coming to a stop in front of him, "Where ya going?" He shrugged dismissively, "Merle n' I got shit to do," Daryl told her. "Shit that don't concern you," he added when she opened her mouth to ask.

Linney made a face and rolled her eyes, not arguing, surprising him by smiling wryly. "K, whatever, I've got stuff to do, too," she told him, her smile turning into a teasing smirk. She waggled her fingers in the air theatrically and continued in a mocking voice, "_Super secret spy stuff_." Daryl glanced back at Merle, who had gone several paces down the hall, past the door. Daryl could tell he was getting impatient. Linney popped up on her tip toes and kissed his jaw, and Daryl grabbed the back of her head, kissing her firmly on the lips, one of the few places on her entire head not splattered with blood.

"Get cleaned up and I'll see ya soon, I'm glad yer ok," he whispered to her. She smiled at him and he felt even more sure about what he was going to do. His relief that she was ok was huge, although, he honestly hadn't been too worried; Linney being with Merle comforted him. He knew that Merle wouldn't let anything happen to her. She reached around him and tweaked his butt quickly, winking at him, before ducking away and trotting back to Beth and Carl. Daryl watched her go and then spun to Merle.

"Yer gonna like this," Daryl promised as he lead his brother further into the prison. They wove through the hallways until they reached an ominous area. "Fuckin' deathrow?" Merle questioned him and Daryl raised an eyebrow at him. They moved further through the murky, stinking space. Walkers trapped in the cells there snarled and growled, but none wandered in the open space, so Daryl let the walkers stay. He knew it added to the feeling of dread in the place.

When he and Merle stopped outside one of the cells, Merle stared at the bloody figure stretched out on the cot there. Merle started to laugh and so did Daryl. Martinez craned his neck and looked up at the two Dixon brothers standing outside his cell, laughing at him. "Well, ain't this a pretty picture," Merle drawled, taking the keys from Daryl and prying the cell door open. He moved closer to the bed, Daryl behind him.

"I got some gooood questions for ya, friend," Merle said, leaning closer to the man, "N' I'm pretty sure you got some explainin' to do 'bout some a the shit you done."

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Rick stood outside the cell that Hershel and Carol were in, as they working feverishly over Axel. He was surprised with how worried he was about the mustached blonde man. A little over a week ago the man was someone Rick considered an enemy, and now he was a valued group member. Rick felt a pang in his chest at the thought of Oscar. The big man had been kind, hard working, and always willing to lend a hand, even with Judith. Rick paced slowly away from the cell, into the one next to it.

Maggie and Linney were working with Tyreese; the man had been shot through the calf. The bullet tore all the way through, which he knew was lucky. He continued walking and found Michonne and Glenn in Michonne's cell, Judith in her carrier on the floor in there. "How're you two doin'?" He asked them. Michonne looked up at him, her hard face calm. "We're fine, baby's fine," she replied. Rick glanced down at Judith's serene little face, sleeping comfortably.

"Thank you for keeping them safe," he told the two of them. Michonne shrugged. He knew she would have preferred going out, directly into the fray, but when he'd ordered them to stay inside, to stay with Hershel and the baby, they listened. He moved away, into the big room, where Beth, Carl, and Ben were sitting. Beth had a first aid kit on her lap, as she treated her and Ben's cuts and scrapes. Rick felt his brow draw down in concern. "Where's Sasha? Allen?" He asked.

Carl looked up at him, quickly glancing at Ben before he did. "When the shooting started he ran for it, think he ended up in the tombs or the far courtyard," his boy answered him. Ben's face was drawn down into a hard scowl and Rick felt briefly terrible for the teen. "I'm not sure where Sasha went," Carl added, "Maggie said she was on the catwalk, and then didn't see her again." Rick nodded, grabbing lightly at Carl's arm.

"Let's go find her," he told his son. Carl cast a wary glance at Beth and Ben. Rick tugged harder on his arm. "They're fine, let's go, she may need help," he insisted. Carl nodded and got to his feet, following Rick up the stairs that led to the catwalk. Rick pushed on the door, grunting against the weight of the fallen pallets and table tops in front of it. When he had it pushed open, he saw that the catwalk was a mess. Most of the wooden pallets looked like they had exploded when they were hit; shards of wood were everywhere.

He immediately spotted legs on the other side of the catwalk and hurried over, lifting the metal tabletop off of Sasha's unconscious figure. Carl helped him turn her over and Rick saw the wound on her forehead. She appeared otherwise unharmed. "Looks like she hit her head pretty hard," Carl observed. Rick nodded, holstering his gun. He bent to the woman and lifted her up with a grunt, slinging her over his shoulder. She was lighter than he thought she'd be, but still he staggered a little under the weight.

"Carl, door," he grunted, and Carl ran ahead, kicking things out of his way and then holding the door open. They made it inside and Ben looked up when he heard them. He got to his feet in a hurry, startling Beth, and ran up the stairs to help them. "Is she alive?" Ben asked, his voice deep with worry. Rick nodded and gestured with his fingers for Ben to move. "Need to get her to a cell, lay her down," he told the boy. Ben bounded down the stairs as Rick carefully descended.

He got her into the cell next to where Tyreese was laying, and Beth elbowed past him, calling for Glenn as she did. The blonde girl took charge, ordering Glenn around as she bent to Sasha. Rick left the cell and watched as Ben hovered anxiously outside Sasha's cell. He glanced down at Carl, as his boy moved to lean against the far wall with him. "We're gonna be ok, dad," Carl assured him. Rick looked down at him, at the face so much like Lori's, though the eyes were definitely his, and he couldn't help but smile.

Rick thought of the Dixons, in death row with their prisoner. He thought of his daughter, safe and healthy, in the cell with the sword-wielding addition to their group. He thought of everyone else tirelessly working together to keep their wounded comfortable and alive. He thought of the ruin that lay outside their door. He thought of their enemy. He looked down at the steady expression on Carl's face again, noting that his boy was slowly outgrowing his childish features. He put a heavy hand on Carl's neck and squeezed affectionately.

"Yeah, we'll figure it out," he replied.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review kind readers - it makes me all smiley and happy :) *****


	139. Chapter 139

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney scrubbed hard at her arms and hands, trying to get all the blood off of herself. She heard Beth cursing beside her trying to do the same thing over her own washing tub. "You know," Beth began, between grunts, "I really like having water, I do, but I wish to god it was hot." Linney hummed noncommittally and Maggie dropped her bar of soap with a splash in the tub across from the two of them. "Beth, you sound like an ungrateful little snot," Maggie chastised. Linney snorted back a laugh and scrubbed at her fingers.

As the two sisters argued Linney focused on finishing off her hands and then yanked off her top and bra. "Whoo!" Maggie teased, trying to embarrass Linney, who glared at her friend, blushing slightly. "Don't look at me, you perv!" Linney groused. Maggie chuckled and bent back to her own tub. To save time, the three of them had yanked in three tubs, filling them up with clear, cold water and decided to bathe at the same time in the small grungy bathroom, after vowing solemnly that they'd keep their eyes to themselves.

Linney mentally compared her cold tub bath to a luxury spa treatment. _No more lugging water up from the little creek outside the fences or making dangerous water runs_. She'd take the cold water any day. Soap was something they had plenty of, after the raid on supplies she, Carl, and Beth had made that long ago day. Linney was happily scrubbing herself clean of the dirt, sweat, and vile walker blood that had accumulated after the long day they'd had, so far.

When she was done, she stuffed her damp feet in her relatively clean pair of prison runners, and tucked a towel around her body. She dumped her tub and filled a jug up with water, intending to wash her hair. Maggie made short work of her own cropped hair and began to dry up and get dressed. Beth was cursing at her blonde mop, a chunk of it so badly tangled the girl was muttering about cutting it out.

Earlier, when the wounded were taken care of and resting, Rick and Carol had urged the three of them to go get cleaned up. Carl and Ben had already been sitting on the stairs with wet hair and clean clothes. Linney hadn't needed to be told twice and hastily grabbed clean clothing and a towel. Now, standing in the bathroom with the two other girls, their mounds of dirty clothes all around them, she had an unpleasant thought.

"We're going to need to do laundry pretty soon," Linney remarked, while scrubbing at her clumped and greasy hair. Maggie hummed across the room, a sound of irritation and displeasure. "I hate laundry," Maggie replied.

Linney laughed and turned her head sideways to peek at her friend. "Yeah, and I love it so much," she replied sarcastically. "At least we don't gotta fetch the water from too far away anymore," Beth said reasonably. Linney grumbled a reply and nodded, not mentioning that any laundry they did would be the first batch that Lori wasn't there to help with. The girls were all silent as they finished up, drying off and getting dressed quickly. They dumped out their tubs, rinsed them out, and sat them upside down on the tile, gathering up their soap and towels when that was done.

As they left the bathroom, Maggie and Beth each grabbed their lanterns they'd brought with them, to light up the dark space. Linney shut the bathroom and turned around the little homemade sign that Beth had put up when the bathrooms were up and running. One side said "Do Not Enter - Occupied for Bathing", the other side said "Open for business", which Carl had found hysterical.

Back in the cell block, Linney was disappointed to find that both Dixons were still gone. She put her things away and headed into the big room, where it appeared that everyone minus Axel, Tyreese, and Sasha, were sitting. She headed right for Rick. He seemed to know exactly what she was going to ask, because he got up and waved her back into the cell block so they could speak privately. "They're busy," he told her immediately, his voice hard. Linney squinted her eyes a little as she stared at him.

"Should I be concerned?" She asked him carefully, realizing that he wasn't going to give her any information. He shook his head. "They're busy and it's fine; we have a lot more on our plates to worry about right now," he responded. Linney caught what he wasn't saying '_Don't ask, because we won't tell_'. She nodded at him and took a deep breath. "So now what?" She asked him, and he pointed with his chin towards the big room. "Let's get back in there and I'll let you all know," he told her.

Linney took a seat on a table, between Carl and Glenn, and looked expectantly towards Rick, who was standing in front of all the tables. "We all know what happened today," Rick began, his voice serious, "And we lost a good man today." Linney winced, thinking of Oscar, a man she hadn't really had the chance to get to know, but someone who seemed like a person regardless. "We can't bury him right now, because we can't get to the yard," Rick told them, "We'll have to deal with sealing the yard from the outside world, but first, we need to get things back in order in the courtyard."

"What about retaliation?" Beth asked, her voice angry. Everyone turned in surprise to the blonde girl, and Linney raised an eyebrow at the look of fury stretched across her normally calm face. "He came here and destroyed our home! He killed one of our people and wounded a bunch of others!" Beth continued, her cheeks flushing red. Maggie put a calming hand on her sister's arm and Beth pulled her arm away, getting to her feet. "Are we gonna do anything in retaliation?" Beth exclaimed angrily. Rick remained remarkably calm, only nodding at Beth's upset.

"We'll get into talks about that, we will, I promise, but right now, we have to regroup, get ourselves ready in case he does it again," Rick responded calmly. Linney nodded at him, and then turned to Michonne. "What do you think he's going to do next?" She asked the angry looking woman. Michonne cut her eyes to Linney and nodded tersely. "Probably better to ask Merle about that," she said in irritation, "But, my guess is that he'll sit back and wait to see what we do."

"Should we be posting guards in the woods, you think?" Glenn asked Rick. Rick put his hands on his hips and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a voice from the cellblock doorway. "He'll have guys all up n' down the roads 'round this place by now, prob'ly in the trees, too," Merle announced. Linney turned to see him leaning against the wall there, arms crossed over his chest. Daryl was standing in the doorway, crossbow over his shoulder as he regarded the group in the room.

"Shouldn't we check for sure? Maybe get out there and try to kill some of them?" Glenn pressed on, and Merle smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You gonna go out n' do that, chinaman? 'Cause I sure ain't," Merle snarked back, standing up straight and striding up to stand a few feet from Rick. "The Gov don't do nothin' half-assed, he'll have dozens of 'em out there," Merle continued. Linney felt her brow drawing down in consternation.

"So, what? We just sit here and let them starve us out? How is that a good move?" She asked Merle. The elder Dixon gave her a smart-ass look and shrugged. "Don't shoot the damn messenger, sweetheart, jus' tellin' ya what it's like," Merle responded drily. Carl got to his feet next to Linney, his face dark. "Just let me, Beth, and Linney out there, we know how to handle shit," the boy growled, ignoring the elbow in the ribs from Linney at the cursing, "He won't see _us_ comin'!" Merle shot a hard look at Carl, staring the boy down until he took his seat next to Linney again, shutting up.

"Rick's right," Daryl said gruffly, shifting uncomfortably when all eyes turned to him, "We need to get our own shit back in order. Hell, we've got wounded people, ain't the time to be makin' stupid moves n' playin' the hero." Carl grimaced, but nodded, just like Linney knew he would. Carl might not be ready to listen to anything Merle had to say, but he trusted Daryl, they all did. Rick turned to the group, gesturing at them.

"Need a couple volunteers to get Oscar wrapped up, til we can bury him," he said. Ben and Michonne put their hands up and Rick nodded. "We need more metal tables, desks, cabinets, things like that, I want to line the fences and stairs with them, rebuild the catwalk, make some points of cover out in the courtyard," Rick continued, and then tapped a hand on his own chest, "I'll help with that, Daryl, I'd like you to help me." Daryl nodded. "Carl, I want you and Beth to distribute ammo, and weapons, at certain points through the yard, that I'll show you later, but for now, you two will help Maggie get the debris cleared out there," he added.

Rick turned his hard gaze to Linney. "I want you and Merle to make sure each tower is locked down," he told her. Linney sighed and nodded, knowing that meant that she and Merle were going to have go beyond the gates, and kill some walkers. _I just took a damn bath,_ she thought in irritation. "Now, the last thing we need to talk about is Allen," Rick glanced to Ben, "He ran during the attack and we have to find him, he could be hurt, or worse." Ben rubbed his face and stared at his feet.

"Ben, you and Michonne are going to take care of Oscar and immediately go on guard watch, in the far guard tower, so you two will pack up some gear to take with you, and let us handle the search for your dad," Rick instructed the boy. Ben nodded and Linney pressed her lips together in sympathy. She knew why Rick was leaving Ben out of the searching; if Allen was a walker or ripped apart, Rick didn't want Ben to have to see that.

"Ok, everyone, get going on your duties, Daryl and I will check the tombs for Allen," Rick said in finality. Linney got to her feet and moved to Merle. "Grab a drink or a snack or something, I wanna chat with Daryl quickly," she told him. Merle rolled his eyes. "Don't take long, don't wanna sit here while the two a ya fuck around," he rasped back at her. It was Linney's turn to roll her eyes, but she turned to Daryl quickly.

"Come sit with me for a sec," she told him. Daryl tensed up, glaring at her and she made an irritated face. "For godssake, Daryl, I just wanna talk, not torture you." He flinched at that, and she shook her head in confusion and mild irritation, before grabbing his arm and towing him along behind her. They got up to their room and she pointed at the bed. "Sit for a sec," she ordered, rooting around in her bag for her brush and a hair tie. He watched while she ripped and tore at the snarls in her semi-wet hair, an angry grimace on her face.

"Are you gonna tell me why you two disappeared for a couple hours?" She asked. He immediately shook his head. "Ain't none of yer damn business," he grumbled back. Linney nodded, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "Are you gonna tell me why you both have bleeding knuckles?" She asked, glancing down quickly at his hands. Daryl glared at her before flexing his hands a couple times.

"Already told ya, it ain't none of yer business," he growled. She bent and put the brush away. "I really won't pry, if you don't want me to," she said softly, as she moved from the bag to sit on the little metal seat in their room. He was watching her carefully, like he expected her to attack him. "Bullshit," he finally said in response. Linney laughed a little and picked at her fingernail for a second. "I know, I know, it sounds weird," she responded, and he grunted.

"We're all here now, together, and despite what assholes you both are sometimes, I know neither of you wants that to change, so I'm sure it's nothing too awful," she added, "Plus, Rick knows, too." Daryl's face remained hard and stubborn and she took in a deep breath. "You're being careful though, right? Whatever it is?" She asked him, giving him a searching look. He finally nodded. She didn't like how uptight he seemed right now. He was obviously going to guard this secret fiercely, whatever it was, and he seemed both righteous and unhappy about it, so she knew it was something he didn't necessarily enjoy doing, just something he felt like he _had_ to do. Merle too.

She got up and moved beside him on the bed, leaning up against him and wrapping both arms around him. "I have all kinds of feelings for you, you know," she murmured against his chest. He finally chuckled a little, obviously finding her lack of emotional vocabulary amusing. "Me too, I guess," he rumbled back. She leaned away and lifted an eyebrow at him. "Geez, Dixon, calm down, don't go getting all gushy and romantic on me," she teased him. He held her gaze and smirked at her. Daryl leaned down to press a firm kiss to her lips, wrapping an arm around her quickly, to squeeze her to his side.

"Shut up," he growled, before squeezing her hip, then getting to his feet to leave the room. She watched him walk away and when he was out of the room, she let her face fall into worry. Linney felt a lot more worried about whatever he, Merle, and Rick were up to, and also a little stymied by their secrecy. She desperately wanted to pry, snoop around, and find out what was going on, but instinctively felt that would cross some kind of line with the three men.

Linney left the room and met Merle in the big room. "Ready to go kill some biters?" He asked her drily. Linney flickered an eyebrow up at him and nodded. "Then let's grab some big knives n' get the fuck out there, kid."

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"Glenn thinks we can string lights down here, run some extension cords out one of the doors to a generator," Rick said, flicking his flashlight up and down the walls ahead of them. Daryl grunted and then looked over at Rick briefly. "Guess there ain't no hope a gettin' those big generators workin' again, is there? Now that Oscar's dead?" Daryl asked gruffly. Rick's face twisted in disappointment as he nodded. "Oscar was a good man, coulda been a good addition, and now..." Rick didn't finish. Daryl grimaced and looked away, scanning the dark walls and halls ahead of them.

Daryl put an arm out, signaling to Rick that he should halt. He listened carefully, certain he heard footsteps. He used gestures to let Rick know that there was likely a walker up around the corner. They moved smoothly and silently, rounding the corner quickly. Sure enough, a half-eaten prisoner was lumbering slowly down the hall towards them. Daryl shot a bolt through it's head without much preamble, and then yanked it out once the walker had fallen.

"There was a big dolly, maybe for equipment or furniture in the generator room," Rick commented, while Daryl wiped walker gore off the bolt and onto the prisoner's jumpsuit. Daryl loaded the weapon again and nodded, letting the arm holding it point down the hallway. "Let's go then, we ain't gonna find him down here, anyways," Daryl replied, referring to Allen. Rick rubbed his stubbly jaw and nodded. They moved easily and quietly together, used to this kind of skulking about with each other. Rick pushed open the generator room door and Daryl closed it firmly once they were both inside.

"Ah, there it is," Rick said quietly, in satisfaction, "Knew I saw it in here." Daryl watched while Rick approached the dolly on the far side of the room, pushing it around, making sure the wheels didn't squeak. "Let's grab the counter top and table," Rick instructed Daryl, pointing at the small workstation near the door. They worked swiftly, clearing off the countertop and laying it flat on the dolly, following with the table, which they lay top-side down.

"Has he told you anything?" Rick asked, catching his breath while Daryl shifted the table. He shrugged in response, getting to his feet and meeting Rick's gaze. "Lotta babblin', some threats; Merle's goin' slow on 'im, says it'll scare 'im more that way," Daryl muttered. He chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment before waving a hand at Rick. "He told us 'bout the scouts though," Daryl added, "Gov's plan was to have the scouts ring the prison once he was done his fire n' light show." Rick swallowed, glaring off at nothing.

"We need more from him," Rick intoned in a surprisingly gravelly voice. Daryl's face was like granite. "He can't give us nothin' aboout Woodbury we can't already get from Michonne n' Merle," Daryl replied roughly, "We'll work on 'im for more plans, but I think Michonne's right; the man's gonna sit back now n' see what we do. Guy may not even know any plans." Rick raised an eyebrow at him as they started to push the dolly back out into the tombs. "Does that matter? He's got a lot of things coming to him," Rick nearly snarled.

Daryl was quiet, thinking about revenge. Pummeling a guy for information, he could get behind that. Beating the shit out of a guy as payback for hurting your girl or your family, he could get behind that too. But Merle and Rick each seemed to want to make this guy pay something more than that. To torture him. _It ain't just about Linney, neither_. Daryl glanced over at Rick, the flashlights casting eery shadows on the man's face in the darkness of the tombs. He figured Rick wanted to take out a lot of his loss and frustrations on the man, and Merle wanted to make his former ally suffer for a long list of crimes.

Daryl knew he'd do what was asked of him, but it didn't mean he had to feel good about it.

***** Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Please read and review, kind folks! *****


	140. Chapter 140

***** OK, this took me all weekend to write, a very weird experience for me because I'm used to just banging them out in a couple hours (please ignore typos, I tried to catch them all!)... The updates won't be as fast and furious until I'm better guys, probably once every few days at the rate it takes me - I hope I don't lose too many of you!**

**_Guest13: _I can't email you back an answer, but I don't know when I'll end this story! I don't have a plan for that, I'm just going to write until I think it's done!**

**I've had some requests for some more Linney and Daryl alone time - this was as much as I could allow given the current storyline :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney scrubbed at her skin for the second time that day, this time in irritation. She looked over her sudsy shoulder at her heap of walker-gore-stained clothes on the floor and sneered. _Maybe Rick can do some of the laundry if he thinks it's so funny_, she thought crankily, remembering the amusement on Rick's face when he'd seen her returning from her task with Merle, splashed with gore and scowling.

Locking the tower doors had been mostly easy, especially at the furthest guard tower enclosure. The tough one had been the guard tower just outside the courtyard gates. She thought she and Merle were never going to stop stabbing and stabbing.

Upon their return, Merle had cleaned up first and grumbled something at her about leaving him be for the night, as he staggered down the hall back to the cellblock. She understood the sentiment. She had no appetite after all the gore, and was beyond stiff and sore in her neck, back, shoulders, and arms. _Christ, even my wrists and fingers hurt. _

The courtyard had looked better, what she had seen of it at least. Daryl and Rick had obviously been busy, dragging a lot of furniture out to the courtyard. Beth, Maggie, Carol, and Carl had been cleaning it up as best as possible, too. Carl and Beth each had a giant janitor's push broom and the _swish swish_ sounds they made were oddly comforting.

A knock sounded at the bathroom door and Linney groaned and then called out, "Occupied! Read the sign!" A chuckle came from the other side of the door and when it was pushed open, Daryl poked his head into the room. "Ya all alone in here?" He asked gruffly. She nodded without turning around, continuing to scrub at her arms. "Jesus," Daryl breathed from behind her, when she bent over and dumped a jug of water over her hair.

Linney giggled and peered over at him, upside down in her vision, her wet hair dripping in a curtain around her face. "Do ya look like this every time ya come in here to clean up?" He asked gruffly, gesturing at her bare form. She had one foot propped up on the side of her tub, her whole body wet and glistening dimly in the lantern light. She quirked her eyebrows together and scrubbed shampoo into her hair, finally nodding. "Well yeah, it's a bath," she replied casually. He put down his crossbow and began yanking off his other gear.

"Grab yourself a tub," she instructed, standing up straight and letting her wet and heavy hair fall across her face. She shoved the wet clump of it out of the way so she could fully ogle him as he stripped down to nothing. "Don't need my own," he replied, as he moved towards her. She flicked an eyebrow up at him and stepped back, giving him room. When he'd stepped inside the tub with her, there wasn't much room left, and she found herself less concerned with that than she thought she'd be.

"Can I wash you?" She asked him quietly and slowly, and his eyes locked on hers, narrowing. He nodded and she moved to grab the jug of water and bar of soap. She reached up and began to pour water over his shoulders, watching in fascination as it slid over his chest and down his stomach, catching every now and then into droplets on the light smattering of hair on his front. Daryl's breath was slow and deep and Linney moved with the soap, carefully sudsing it up in her hands.

He was beyond merely aroused by the time she had finished, cool water or not, and Linney handed him a towel as they stepped out of the tub. "Put shoes on," she muttered, not able to tear her eyes away from his hardness. "Why?" He replied, tilting her chin up and leaning right down to her face. "It's dirty in here," she murmured. He lay the towel on the sink and pulled her closer, kissing her face, her neck, and her hair. He was leading her backwards, towards their gear, and nodded at her shoes.

"Go ahead," he told her, watching her like a predator watches prey. Linney bent to her shoes, putting her face level with his lower half. She jammed her shoes on and then stared at him. He stepped carefully into his shoes and then reached for her quickly, yanking her to her feet and flush against his chest. She could feel his erection digging into her stomach and moaned a little. "We should go..." she began, before he bent to her and silenced her with his mouth.

They twisted and growled against each other's lips, until he slid his hands down her back and cupped her behind. "Daryl," she managed, through ragged gasps, "The floor's gross in here, we should go back to our room." He pulled his face away from her and gave her a small, wicked smile. "Who said anything 'bout needin' the floor?" He asked. He lifted her up, off the ground, her legs going immediately around his hips. Linney laughed a little as he backed them towards the wall and she was pressed up against it.

A quick adjustment of her hips and they were both groaning in satisfaction. The room made every breath, every gasp, every sound, echo and bounce. The dim light cast shadows all around them, shadows that jumped and danced around with her and Daryl's movements. She gave brief consideration to just how loud they were probably being, but stopped caring when Daryl leaned his upper body slightly away from her, so he could tilt her hips to a new angle, and bring his lips to her breasts.

Neither of them could move afterwards; Daryl leaned his back against the wall and Linney regained her footing on the ground. She leaned against his body, squashing her breasts against him, resting her forehead on him. A warmth and looseness suffused her body, her sore, tight muscles chased away.

Later, when they were back in bed, Linney watched him, watching her, for awhile. "Sometimes," she began, her words trailing off and not picking back up. "Sometimes, what?" He asked quietly, his voice rasping in a way that made her close her eyes for a moment. She smiled at him and brushed his hair off his forehead. "I don't even know what I was going to say, I just think I like you a lot," she told him, smiling at him. He glared at her and then laughed a little. He rubbed a hand over his face and spoke from behind his palm. "Yer so weird," he grumbled laughingly.

Linney let herself slump down to the mattress next to him, kissing all over his shoulder and then his neck, her lips fast and light. He shrugged his shoulders a little and wrapped his arms around her, trapping her to his chest. "What?" She asked, and he smirked. "That itches, don't do that," he replied. Linney smirked this time. "Itches? I don't think so," she told him, her eyes lighting up, "That tickled, didn't it?" He glared and shoved her off his chest, back to her spot beside him.

Linney sat up quickly, a grin spreading on her face. "Oh my dear lord," she exclaimed, "You're ticklish!" He clapped a hand over her mouth, his eyes darting to their closed door. Linney grinned against his palm and then licked his hand. Daryl glared at her and pulled his hand away. "Quiet down, ya fuckin' psycho," he hissed at her, and she giggled hard.

She couldn't stop laughing at the notion of him being ticklish from her feathering kisses along the soft side of his neck. His outrage over her reaction was only making it funnier and soon she was doubled over, laughing hysterically, trying to keep quiet. Tears were slipping from her eyes and she knew her face must be beet red. She clutched harder at her stomach, at the pain in her abdomen from laughing so much. When she finally calmed down, he was sitting up against the back of the bed, watching her with a soft, pleased smile on his face.

She finally rubbed at her cheeks, wiping away the tears there, and smoothed her hair off her face. She cleared her throat and licked her lips, looking at his face apologetically. "I'm sorry, it was too... I thought I might die laughing... Your face, and you actually being ticklish..." she chuckled again, and he reached a hand out, using a thumb to wipe at a tear about to drip off her jaw. "Haven't seen you laugh like that before," he finally replied, his tone pleased and gruff. Linney calmed down more, noting the soft look on his face.

She climbed towards him, cuddling against him and staring up at his face. He angled his head to look down at her and smiled at her. "Are you ticklish anywhere else?" She asked softly, and his expression switched from soft and loving, to glaring and suspicious, in a flash. "I'm just asking because I'd laugh like that more if you let me tickle you, frequently, and whenever I want," she continued innocently. He shook his head and glared.

"I'll whup ya good if ya ever do," he replied. Linney smirked at him and pulled away, climbing onto his lap and removing her shirt and his, quickly. "I have ways of finding out what tickles you," she promised him, kissing his chest. He watched her carefully as she began to trail her lips everywhere. His head flopped back against the head of the metal bed with a dull clang when she disappeared under the blankets, still intent on finding a new ticklish spot with her lips.

She wasn't able to find another spot, no matter how long she stayed in certain areas, though it wasn't for lack of trying.

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"You really need to eat," Maggie insisted, pushing a bowl of oatmeal closer to Sasha. She grimaced at the bowl, which was nearly shoved into her chest by Maggie's persistent hand. "I'm not really that hungry," Sasha replied, trying to keep her tone even and firm. Maggie tutted at her and glowered, trying to put on her best no-nonsense face, before replying.

"You hit your head a couple days ago, and have barely eaten since then! So now you gotta eat! If you're weak, you won't heal properly. If you don't heal properly, you'll be useless. If you're useless, you're gonna be a drag on our resources. If you become a drag on our resources, then we'll have to kick you out," Maggie finished her tirade with a raised eyebrow and Sasha let out a harsh laugh. "Those're some pretty big leaps in logic," Sasha said. Maggie suppressed a laugh and shot a look over to the next table, where the Dixons and Linney were cramming down their servings of oatmeal mechanically.

"If you don't eat your oatmeal, I'll have Merle feed it to you," Maggie threatened, crossing her arms over her chest. Maggie heard choking from the next table and looked over to see Daryl shoveling his food back even quicker, trying not to show any amusement. Linney was snickering into her bowl, glancing over at Sasha and Maggie and shooting them a small mischievous smile. Maggie glanced up at Merle and caught the moment of surprise on his face. Maggie wasn't sure if he was surprised that she was speaking his name aloud, or including him in a joke, or both. Either way, she had definitely surprised him. His features quickly settled into strained impatience and he glared at Sasha threateningly.

Maggie chuckled and nudged the bowl at Sasha one more time. Sasha finally heaved a huge sigh and threw her arms into the air in resignation. "Fine! Fine! I'll eat your damn oatmeal," she cried in irritation. Maggie smiled in triumph and glanced over at the other table, watching as Daryl grabbed their three bowls and took them over to the tub. "What's your plan today?" Linney asked Merle, and he barely looked at her as he responded.

"Nothin' that concerns you," he said gruffly. Even Maggie was slightly taken aback by the declaration; she figured that after the turmoil of the past several days, that they'd all want to spend time together. Linney took it calmly, simply nodding in reply. Maggie immediately wondered why. _I'll get it out of her later_.

"Don't ya got some laundry to do?" Daryl said as he walked back to the table, "I heard Carol ask ya right before breakfast." Linney's jaw clenched tightly and Maggie guffawed, and then clapped a hand over her mouth. Linney's eyes shot over to hers and the glare there was not friendly. "I think Carol wanted your help too, little miss oatmeal," Linney shot at her, in a sickly sweet voice. Maggie rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "Whatever, I'll meet you outside," she told her friend. Maggie pointed a finger at Sasha. "Eat your oatmeal."

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"I'm going this morning, you stay here," Rick ordered him, his tone making it clear this wasn't up for discussion. Daryl widened his eyes in surprise. "You n' Merle gonna go together? Alone?" He replied incredulously. Rick nodded and glanced around, putting a firm hand on Daryl's shoulder and leading him a couple steps away from the open cell doors.

"Look, I know this isn't an ideal situation for you," Rick began, holding up a hand to stay Daryl's immediate objections, "I get it, this isn't your thing. You think we got all the information we're going to get, so anything more is torture. I'm not gonna force you to do something like this when I know it don't sit right with you. _I_ want more answers, _I_ want to question him more, so _I'll_ do the heavy lifting, with Merle's help." Daryl pressed his lips tightly together and looked away, his face hard and angry.

"I fuckin' hate that guy, hate what he done to Linney, Maggie, and the rest of the group, especially that night," Daryl responded gruffly. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and then turned back to Rick. "I think he's done, think he's told us what he's got to tell, n' I just can't -" Rick cut Daryl off, his face firm. "I know, I get it, please stay here, keep things moving," Rick requested, "Keep Carl and Linney busy, don't want them comin' looking for me." Daryl nodded, trying to ignore the undeniable rush of relief inside himself.

After three days straight of literally beating information out of Martinez, Daryl was at the end of his rope. The man was a bloody pulp and Daryl was beginning to feel like a monster, though, if he was honest with himself, Merle had done a lot of the dirty work the last day or so. He wasn't sleeping well either and had woken up to Linney shaking him, her face etched with concern as she tried to hug the negativity out of him. Watching Rick walk away, Daryl rubbed at his face, trying to figure out if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he didn't have the stomach for this.

He found himself out in the courtyard a little later, making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. Michonne and Ben were on watch again, something that everyone agreed was a good arrangement. Allen hadn't been found anywhere. They could all only assume he'd perished in the tombs or on the other side of the prison; he was likely a walker or a pile of gore at this point. Ben was taking it remarkably well, and Daryl was impressed. Even Merle had commented that the kid didn't look like much, but that he had some steel in him.

Beth and Carl had spent the past few days sweeping up the destroyed bits of the courtyard and trying to kill as many walkers as they could along the fences. Daryl eyed the broken gate at the far side of the yard; they still hadn't fixed it. The walker traffic in that area was so thick, that they just couldn't safely get out there and grab the downed gate, to strap it back in place. Daryl wandered further across the courtyard, to the back end of it. Maggie and Linney were elbow deep in washing there, at the door closest to the tombs entrance, the one that lead to the other end of the bathroom.

Linney peered up at him, squinting in the sunlight, her forehead crinkling. "Hey, what's up?" She asked him. He shrugged and gestured towards them. "Carol still inside?" He asked. Linney nodded and looked back down at the shirt in her hands, rubbing it against a washboard with a grimace on her face. "She's inside with Sasha and Tyreese, having them help her go through the supplies," Maggie told him. Daryl nodded and looked away for a moment. Rick wanted them to start keeping strict inventory of everything they had, and since Sasha and Tyreese were still recovering from their injuries, it made sense that they'd help Carol.

"Where's Glenn at?" He asked Maggie, and she smiled up at him. "He's around somewhere, been setting up all the furniture and everything, trying to create walls and barriers," she explained. Daryl nodded. Glenn was good with puzzles, good with problem solving. Daryl and Rick had both agreed to let him go ahead with all the many and varied plans he had for creating places to shelter and take cover behind in the courtyard.

Daryl noticed the rope strung along the corner of the courtyard the two women were working in and watched as Maggie began to wring things out and hang them on the line. Linney was still cursing at the shirt she'd been scrubbing and she flung it into Maggie's tub. "Gah! I give up! That stupid stain won't come out!" She growled, making Maggie chuckle. "Quitter," she responded and Daryl snorted, turning away.

"Don't you laugh at me, Dixon, or so help me god, I'll make you do all this yourself," she snapped at his retreating back. Daryl shook his head and walked away, a smile on his face. He nodded at Beth and Carl, both of them blithely stabbing at walkers through the courtyard fence while they carried on a conversation. He paused to watch them, surprised by how normal they were behaving in the face of the grisly task. Shaking his head again, he headed inside, grunting a quick hello to Carol and her helpers, before going to check on Asskicker and Hershel.

The old man was in the process of changing Axel's bandages and Daryl nodded a quick hello to them. "Doin' a lot better today, man," Axel said, his voice more pleasant than Daryl thought it should be. Hershel smiled at Daryl and returned to his work. "It's healing, slowly, but cleanly," Hershel added and Daryl shrugged, not sure why they were talking to him like he was Rick; he was just making his rounds. Daryl left the cell and went into Rick's room, finding the baby asleep in her bassinet. He picked her up carefully, trying not to jostle her, and sat for a minute on the bed.

Her little face was so calm, so serene. She was like a little bit of therapy, a little bit of normal, in their relatively fucked up lives. He watched her brow crinkle and then smooth out, her lips pursing as if she was unimpressed with something, and he couldn't help but smile. He couldn't allow himself to be deluded into thinking that things were getting better, because they were pretty far up shit creek at this point, without a paddle in sight.

He and Merle had confirmed that there were indeed spies around the prison. The yard and surrounding fields were full of walkers. If they needed anything outside the prison, they were going to be hard pressed to sneak out and get it, and furthermore, they knew that could possibly invite another attack, or a kidnapping of the people sneaking out. Daryl put his pinky finger in Asskicker's little hand, letting her fingers grasp it in her sleep.

_The Governor is watchin', waitin' on our next move. We don't even know what that'll be yet._ Daryl got to his feet and put the baby back into her bed. He moved quietly from the room and rolled his shoulders, trying to release the tension building there. He didn't know what Rick's plan was, didn't know if he had anything to offer to help create one, either. However, it was obvious that things were getting back in order here; they were cleaning up, arming themselves, planning for defense and planning for escape.

_Once everything is back to normal, what then? What's our next move?_

***** Questions? Comments? Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know! *****


	141. Chapter 141

***** ****As per usual - I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It was the asthmatic kid that really did it for her. Milton had told her all about how Phillip had cast shade at the notion of child soldiers when he accused Rick's group of having them. Now, he was referring to them as 'young men and women', Woodbury's 'courageous youth'. He had his men training them to shoot, to fight. She had been so utterly furious she had hardly known what to do with herself. But forcing kids with illnesses to fight? It seriously crossed a line for her.

Andrea shook her head at the memory and again praised herself for waiting a couple days after Phillip returned from the prison. If she had rushed off to the prison immediately upon his return, the way she had wanted to initially, she would have missed out on a lot of good information. Phillip told Milton all about what had happened. Milton in turn told her. Now Andrea felt like she could truly impart good advice to Rick, when she eventually reached the prison.

She scratched at the back of her neck idly, sighing from the damp heat that pressed in from all sides of the forest. Her companions grumbled and grunted along with her, though she doubted it was from the heat. A quick glance at the two men following her brought a tight, rueful smile to her face. _Really took a page out of Michonne's book with these two_, she thought. The armless, jawless walkers on leashes following behind her were working like a charm. No other walkers even glanced up at her.

Andrea paused to check her map and take a swig of warm water from the battered bottle in her bag. Catching her breath, she thought about her interactions with Phillip, the fine line she was walking with him. She was not hiding the fact that she was pissed about her friends, pissed and disapproving about the attack on the prison; to behave otherwise would be suspicious. She really had to force herself to act like she was still deeply attached to him, though.

Andrea scoffed and rolled her mouthful of water around her teeth and gums. He sickened her now, and she sickened herself. She hated that she ever fell for his posturing and lies, she hated that he got her so attached to Woodbury, to it's people. _I especially hate still touching him, kissing him, sharing his bed_. Andrea swallowed her water and grimaced at the stale flavor of it.

She knew it was working though, her deception. He believed that she was just being sentimental and headstrong, and above all, that she was being naive. That her lingering emotions for the people in her old group were legitimately clouding her judgement about what was best for Woodbury. Andrea clenched her fingers around the edges of the heavily creased map in her hands, thinking about how badly she wanted everyone to make it through this.

_There is a way, a way for both groups to make it through this_, she thought desperately, _There's a way for Phillip to see he is wrong_. Her eyes traced the direction she needed to head in on the map, as her mind wrapped itself around the image of peace, of Phillip seeing the error of his ways and being locked away where he couldn't hurt anyone again. Andrea started walking again, ignoring the tiny voice in her head that told her she was hoping for something deeply flawed.

A coughing noise from behind her took a moment to filter through her thoughts; her heat-addled brain didn't immediately realize that walkers don't cough. Andrea spun around, flicking her knife up into her hand, and froze when she saw a filthy man staring at her in awe. His eyes moved from her obviously alive face, trailed down her clean clothes, along the leash, and to the necks of her walkers, where the rope was securely tied.

"How?" He rasped, his voice hoarse and painful sounding. Andrea licked her lips and moved around her walkers, wanting clear aim to lunge at the man, if he proved to be a threat. His gaze flickered from the walkers, to hers, and she saw pained and tired blue eyes staring back at her. He weakly held his hands up in surrender at the hard look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I won't hurt you," he managed, slumping against a tree.

Andrea swallowed and lowered her knife, watching as the man slid down the tree and sat on the ground. "What happened to you?" She asked carefully. He looked up at her, a pleading expression on his face, his eyes watering. She saw the all-too-familiar strain of loss and grief on his face and she looked away, blinking rapidly to prevent her own eyes from tearing up. "I lost them, I lost them both," he mumbled, succumbing to silent tears. Andrea swung her bag off her shoulder and pulled out another bottle of water. He took it from her in shaking hands.

"Where are you coming from?" She asked him quietly, watching as he sipped at the water. He licked his parched lips and looked up at her carefully. "I'm trying to find Woodbury," he replied. Andrea felt her brows draw down in suspicion. "What?" She said sharply. He sipped at the water again and met her gaze.

"I lost everything, and the people that took my family need to be stopped," the man said, anger leaking into his weak voice, "I heard that in Woodbury there is a man, their leader, who can help me." Andrea blinked in surprise, not certain what shocked her more - that Woodbury and Phillip had a reputation outside of Woodbury, or that there were even enough people grouped up outside of Woodbury to create such gossip.

"If you approach the gates looking that like, they'll think you're a walker and kill you on sight," she finally said in response, gesturing at his filthy appearance. He nodded slowly and Andrea opened her bag. She eyed the man again, noting his smaller stature and how skinny he was. "Here," she said, handing him a t-shirt from her bag, "This should fit you." He took it from her and she winced when he pulled off his own shirt, revealing his thin torso.

"How long have you been out here alone?" She asked him while he changed. He pulled the shirt down and looked up at the treetops thoughtfully. "Three days? Four maybe," he answered. Andrea grabbed a sock from inside her bag and wet it, leaning towards the man carefully. She paused and met his eyes. "Is this ok?" She asked him, wiggling the wet sock a little bit. He nodded and she bent to him, gently cleaning his face. He had several scrapes and scratches there, small ones, all of which looked like they had been inflicted by trees.

"So you've been sleeping in the trees?" She queried casually, wiping the sock along his forehead. He nodded and she smiled at him. "Good plan," she replied. His eyes darted past her, to her walkers. "What's the story with them?" He asked her. Andrea shrugged, sitting back on her heels. "An old fiend taught me about them," she told him. He eyed them again and nodded slowly. "They act like camouflage, right?" He guessed.

Andrea got to her feet briskly, nodding at him. She held a hand out to him, hauling him to his feet.

"You need to walk east until you hit the road," she instructed him, pointing in the direction he needed to go, "Once on the road, head south until you reach the walls of town." He nodded and Andrea slung her backpack on. "Keep your hands in the air, wave them around, anything that makes you distinctly unwalker-like," she continued, "When you get there, ask for the Governor, make sure it sounds like you've been sent to see him. Make sure it's worded that way, otherwise they may turn you away at the walls."

Andrea turned and started to walk away. "Wait!" He shouted from behind her, and she spun to him, an irritated look spreading across her face. "Are you stupid? Never yell out here!" She scolded him. He winced and then rolled his hand at her. "Who are you? Are you from Woodbury?" He spoke quickly, and Andrea shook her head. "I'm just the person who saved your life, isn't that enough?" She replied wryly, not wanting to give him any information he could inadvertently pass on to Phillip.

"Look," she began, knowing she sounded too cryptic, "You clearly need help, and I couldn't not provide it. I've given you water, cleaned you up, and pointed you in the right direction. For now, that's all you need to know." He stared at her and nodded. "Thank you," he finally said. Andrea smiled and made to half-turn, but paused, spinning back to him. "It'll go better for you if you don't mention me at all to anyone in Woodbury," she told him. He nodded again and looked down at his feet.

"So no name, huh?" He asked carefully, mild amusement in his voice. Andrea chuckled dryly. "No, but I hope everything works out for you," she said. The man smirked and stuck a dirty hand out to her. She took it and they shook briefly.

"Well, my name is Allen, and maybe I'll see you again sometime."

***** There it is, I'll get more out soon - let me know what you think! Don't worry - we all know where Andrea's trek through the woods leads, so we'll be seeing Linney and company soon :)**

**Also, I was recently told this story has been added to the Best of Daryl Dixon Community, so hurray! **

**Special thanks to _hideher_ and _enchantmentanjel_ for keeping touch - it was nice to hear from you guys while I've been sickified *****


	142. Chapter 142

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

The prison came into view as soon as she walked through the trees. Andrea paused and stared at the scene in front of her. The buildings were behind fences and there were walkers swarmed everywhere across the big grassed yard. "Ready, boys?" She murmured to her undead companions. They gargled their agreement and Andrea made her way slowly through the destroyed gates, her eyes darting everywhere. A few walkers seemed to notice her, then immediately got confused by the conflicting smells. She knew if she could just keep slow and quiet then everything would be ok.

As she approached the concrete courtyard, her eyes trailed over the huge amount of furniture stacked and placed all around the fencing and the various stairwells and walkways. She had seen damage from gunfire by the gate, and could see more on the buildings here. _Goddamnit, Phillip_. Two heads popped out from behind the wall of filing cabinets nearest to her and she gaped at the sight of Beth and Carl, each heavily armed.

"Andrea?" Carl asked in surprise. Neither of them moved and Andrea curled her fingers around the fencing. "Carl! Beth!" She quietly exclaimed, her chest tightening with pleasure at the sight of the two kids. Her eyebrows quirked together in confusion when neither of the kids moved. "Guys, please let me in!" She called to them. The sound of gurgles and grunting behind her let her know that the nearby walkers were starting to realize that their might be some food in their midst.

Beth stepped out from behind the filing cabinets and darted quickly across the courtyard, taking a zig zag route through the metal furniture everywhere. Andrea realized that the girl was sticking to a route that kept her covered as she raced for a stairwell labelled "C Block".

"Carl?" Andrea asked, watching as the boy pulled a rifle up, bracing it on the shelving near him. She could see him scanning the yard behind and around her through the scope.

In a sudden rush of understanding, she knew they thought she was part of an ambush, a trick. "I'm here alone! Carl! It's me, come on, please let me in!" She hissed. The boy turned a blank face to her and swallowed hard. He shook his head minutely and they both jumped in surprise when the cellblock door swung open with a bang and people came pouring out.

Rick's face twisted in surprise and worry when his sharp gaze landed on her. Andrea held his eyes as he and the others moved swiftly to the gates. She was dimly aware that Merle was opening the gate. He hauled her inside the courtyard, and she released the leash on her walkers. The gate slammed shut behind her and Rick grabbed her, throwing her roughly to the ground. "Why are you here?" He demanded, prying the bag off her back and taking her knife. Andrea kept her hands flat on the ground and breathed in and out, shocked and scared by this greeting.

"I'm alone, Rick, I'm alone, I came to see you all," she babbled, her face against the cement. Rick hauled her to her feet and dragged her off, further through the courtyard. She heard the sounds of everyone's hurried footsteps, as Rick pulled her around a corner, into a smaller courtyard. He shoved her up against the wall there and then released her, stepping back. She trailed her eyes over him, swallowing at the sight of the man he'd become.

He looked tired, his face scruffier, his eyes hard. "Why are you here?" He demanded again. Andrea swallowed and her gaze jumped over to Linney and Daryl, standing side by side next to Rick. They wore identical hard expressions, and Linney's hand was resting on the butt of her gun. "Linney? Please, you know I wouldn't hurt you, I came here to talk, to try and help!"

"Help?" Merle spat out, "How the fuck ya gonna help us?" She looked over at him, seeing the suspicion on his face. "I know what's Phillip's done, I came as soon as I could, to try and help, to stop this madness," she answered, looking from Merle's expression of frank disbelief, to Linney's sharp suspicion, back to the cold blankness on Rick's face.

"He's killed one of our men," Daryl said, his gravelly voice ringing familiarly in her ears, "Injured a bunch of others." Linney stepped towards Andrea. "Not to mention what he tried to make Merle and Daryl do to each other! What he would've done to me! What he did to Maggie! What he did to us all winter long!" Daryl put a hand on Linney's bicep and drew her back slowly. Andrea nodded.

"I know, please believe me when I say you have every right to be furious, I'm not defending him," Andrea began, her tone pleading and firm, "I didn't know, truly, I had no idea. I've just found everything out over the past little while and now that I've pieced it all together, I came to try and fix this!"

"So you can go back to your Governor? Live your life of luxury?" Linney snapped, and Daryl bent to her, murmuring something in her ear that seemed to calm her a little bit. Andrea shook her head and looked from Linney to Rick. "No," she replied quietly, "So I can save you guys, save the people in Woodbury who are innocent to this mess. I don't want anyone else to have to die." She watched everyone visibly relax around her and prayed that meant her message got through to them.

Rick's features were still hard, and he just stared at her. "You need to leave," he told her calmly, turning on his heel and walking away. Andrea stared at his retreating back and then glanced back at the others. "You have to at least listen to me, let me tell you what I came here to tell you," she spoke earnestly and watched as Maggie and Glenn shared a look. Beth and Carol were standing next to each other, their faces both hopeful, but restrained as they gave her tentative smiles. Finally Carol broke from the group and ran to Andrea, engulfing her in a hug.

"It _so_ good to see you again," Carol said in quiet happiness.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Linney hung back, watching Andrea greet Carol, Beth, Glenn, and Maggie warmly. Hugs, tears and smiles were all around between them. They moved inside and Andrea and Hershel hugged and had a short, earnest conversation. Even Daryl clapped the woman on the back in greeting, giving her a rare smile. Carl gave her a brief hug, too, his face warily pleased. She knew everyone was thinking the same thing. After all the loss they'd incurred, it was nice to have a reunion, to have someone come back from the dead.

Tyreese, Ben, and Sasha were all introduced to Andrea, and when Carol brought out Judith, Andrea's face fell. "Lori?" She whispered, looking around at all of them. Linney licked her lips and edged closer to the doors that lead to the cellblocks, wanting to get away. She listened as Carol and Beth quietly explained what happened to Lori, T-Dog, Jimmy, and Patricia. She listened to Andrea's quiet, sad words in response.

Linney felt all twisted up inside. She was pleased to see Andrea, she had been even back in that horrible ring in Woodbury. Knowing the woman was alive was like a brief reprieve in a world where everything seemed to run on an unending cycle of grief and loss. She just couldn't help but feel betrayed, she couldn't help but feel like Andrea had done something wrong by unknowingly siding with their enemy.

"Linney?" Andrea's voice came from behind her and Linney turned to her. She stared at Andrea for a moment, wincing internally when she saw bits and pieces of Amy in the woman's features. "I'm sorry about what happened, Lin, I swear to god, if I'd had any idea -" Andrea began, her voice serious and quick. Linney put a hand on Andrea's shoulder and squeezed, stopping her.

"It's ok, Andrea, it's ok - I'm happy to see you, it's just been so goddamn hard," Linney replied quietly. Andrea nodded and reached for Linney, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so happy to see you again," Andrea whispered. "Me too," Linney replied, patting awkwardly at the woman's back, trying to signal an end to the hug.

Andrea chuckled and backed off. "It's nice to see some things never change," the blonde commented, and Linney gave her a sideways smile. "You said you needed to tell us something important?" Linney asked and Andrea nodded, turning back to the room full of people. "I do," she started, "And I'm begging you all to just listen and believe me."


	143. Chapter 143

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"It's been a long time, Andrea," Linney started, rubbing a hand across her face wearily, "So you'll have to forgive me for being a little suspicious." Merle snorted from behind her and she resisted the urge to look back and shoot him a dirty look. Andrea did it for her though, glaring at Merle and pursing her lips slightly in irritation.

"Let's get one thing straight here, guys," Andrea said, her voice clear and strong, "I would still be here, part of this group, fighting this enemy with you, if I hadn't been left behind that night, and you all know it." Linney didn't blink, unable to tear her eyes from Andrea's stern expression. _She has a very good poin_t, she thought, with just the slightest twinge of guilt.

"Hey, in case ya got a selective memory, there was a damn herd swarmed all over that place," Daryl grumbled, "We didn't exactly have a choice." Linney looked from Andrea back to Daryl. He had his arms crossed defensively over his chest and she knew that, while he also had a very good point, he too felt guilt over leaving Andrea behind, without even trying to find her. Andrea took in a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"Look," she said, waving both her hands slowly in front of herself, "I get it, you thought I was dead. But can you really blame me for having my feelings hurt over being abandoned?" Linney heard Beth and Carl both mumble "No," under their breaths and she turned to glare at them. Both kids stood up straight and slid a step back. Linney had told them that they could listen in on the conversation taking place in the eating area, but that it wasn't a game and they had to be quiet.

"I'm going to be super blunt here," Linney replied, "Feelings don't get a lot of consideration anymore, not when you have to worry about dying pretty much constantly." Andrea held Linney's direct gaze for a moment and nodded slowly. "Bygones?" Andrea offered wryly, one blonde eyebrow crooking up, and Linney felt a nearly unwilling smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. She nodded slightly and Linney was hit with a wave of nostalgia for their life in the last two weeks on the farm.

"This is all jus' lovely, but I think it's time to skip the bullshit n' tell us what ya came all this way to tell us," Merle put in, his tone rough and abrupt. Andrea looked over at him, her eyes moving quickly over the other people gathered around her, first. Linney wondered what they looked like to the blonde woman now. By comparison, Andrea looked to be wearing designer attire - her clothes were mostly clean, and definitely not prison garb. She didn't look as beat up as the rest of them, bearing no scars, bruises, or cuts on her pale skin.

Maggie and Glenn were standing shoulder to shoulder to Andrea's left, facing her. Carol, Tyreese, Sasha, and Ben all stood to her right. Linney was standing with Daryl and Merle, and a little ways behind them stood Michonne. Carl and Beth were behind her, now sitting on the edge of a table. Hershel was holding the baby while he sat at one of the tables even further behind the kids. Andrea stood in the centre of their little ragtag group and Linney felt certain that for once, Andrea was nervous to be the centre of attention.

A clanking noise back in their living quarters reminded Linney that Rick was still nearby, out of sight, but definitely not out of ear shot. Rick might have been determined to have Andrea leave, but Linney knew that he wouldn't be deaf to what she had to say while she was there. _Boss, just get in here, we need you to be in here with us, part of this; united front and all that_.

"I want to start everything off with letting you know that Woodbury is not full of monsters," Andrea told them, clasping her hands together in front of herself. "There are families there. Children. Women. The elderly. The sick and the injured. It's not an army camp. It's a legitimate town with a fairly normal mix of people."

"I came from a fairly normal town," Maggie interjected, her tone harsh, as she sliced her hand through the air in front of herself, "And I'm sayin' right now, that I have never seen a town with a proper torture chamber or a gladiator ring! So don't you tell me that those people are clueless and innocent!" Andrea straightened up, a tight, argumentative expression on her face. She opened her mouth to reply, but Daryl leaned towards the blonde, his brow drawn down into a glare so deep that she took a step back, away from him.

"I was there. Those people were cheerin' for the fight. Those people were cheerin' for the chance to 'sic brothers on each other. Those people," he paused and pointed back at Linney, the muscles in his forearm so tight and angry, they were nearly vibrating, "They were cheerin' _for her blood_! So don't you stand there high and mighty, n' tell me they ain't monsters!" The room was quiet, Daryl's angry words hanging in the air. Linney swallowed and looked over at him, remembering that night and the helpless feeling she knew they all felt in the clutches of the Governor and his people.

He reached for her and clamped a hand on her arm, drawing her nearer to himself and holding her at his side. Andrea nodded, looking upset by his outburst, but as determined as ever. "Daryl, I know! Don't you think I know?" Andrea replied in upset, "But not everyone knew what he was planning on doing and not everyone is like the group you saw that night! I was there and I had no idea he was capable of that kind of sickness! I was fooled into thinking Woodbury was something it wasn't. I was lulled by the big walls and small army, just like most of the good people there!"

Andrea's blue-eyed gaze raked the crowd, begging them to listen. "Why are you telling us all this?" Sasha said in a quiet and firm voice, "Why does it matter? What do those people mean to us? Why the hell should we care whether or not they're good or bad? All I care about is whether or not those people are going to kill me, and how I can stop them. How I can stop that psychopath leading them."

"He is never going to stop coming after you, ever," Andrea replied, her voice flat, "There is a darkness in him that won't allow him to just let it go." Andrea took a step closer to Linney. "It's not safe for you here, you need to get away, you need to escape his reach." Linney felt her eyes nearly bug out of her head as everyone around began to grumble in discontent and disagreement.

"_THAT's_ your solution?" She cried, "Run? You want us to give up our home, the home we bled and died for, so that he and his fucking 'darkness' can continue on?" Andrea put a consoling hand on Linney's shoulder and Linney looked down at it until the blonde woman withdrew it.

"I figured you'd say that," Andrea replied quietly, "But your fight is with Phillip and his men, not the people of Woodbury." Glenn stepped forward, an uncharacteristic glare on his face. "Do you think the good people of Woodbury would extend the same consideration to us?" He snapped impatiently, "Do you think that after this Phillip guy smooth-talked them into believing we're the bad guys, that any one of them would pause in our defense?"

Andrea shook her head slowly. "No, they probably wouldn't, but you all are better than that." Her reply was firm but quiet and no one said anything. Linney heard Beth whisper something impatiently at Carl and she spun around to look at them. The girl met her hard gaze frankly and popped to her feet.

"I know you told me to let ya'll talk, but this is horseshit!" Linney's eyebrows popped up in surprise at Beth's outburst and she didn't make a move or a sound in protest when Beth stomped over to her side.

"Ya got a better plan there, Blondie?" Merle asked her sarcastically, and Beth shot him an imperious look. "I think it's obvious," the girl shot back, "We _ARE_ the better people, and we don't need to be killing women and children." Beth took a step towards Andrea. "So we need to kill the Governor and his army, all of them, instead."

Andrea seemed stunned, but everyone else was galvanized by Beth's outburst. "A night time assault is our best bet," Glenn said authoritatively and Sasha shot him an incredulous look. "Assault?" She asked, one eyebrow raising, "Exactly who do you think we are?" Glenn gave her a blank stare and Daryl shook his head, moving towards them.

"She's right, he's got dozens of people. Here though, it's just us, we can't pull a move like that now, 'specially not when he's got guys watching our every move," he explained in a serious voice and Glenn nodded dejectedly, stepping back to Maggie's side. She took his hand and gave him a small half-smile to comfort him. Linney let her eyes move lazily back and forth over the gathered group, listening to them bring up ideas and then shoot them down.

Andrea's face was slack with worry; it was obvious she was not hoping for this outcome. _She was actually hoping to save him, _Linney thought in disgusted surprise. She stared at Andrea until the woman brought her eyes up to meet Linney's gaze. Andrea shook her head slightly and took a light step through the group to Linney's side.

"Lin, no," Andrea said, "There has to be a way where no one else dies. Where Phillip is locked away, and no one else dies!" Linney said nothing and shook her head at the woman. "We come back to the same problem each time! He'll know we're coming! He's got this place surrounded!" Tyreese bellowed, his voice angry in a way that Linney found incongruous with his normally gentle demeanor. His words struck a chord though, and Linney found her mind beginning to whirl.

"That's it!" Linney cried, her whole body jolting with the realization of what they had to do. She was nearly panting with excitement as a smile grew on her face. There was a beat of silence and finally Merle waved an impatient hand at her. "Yeah, and?" He asked rudely. Linney smiled at him and took a step towards him.

"Don't you see? He'll know we're coming no matter what, so let's use that! Let's _tell_ him we're coming!" She looked around at the expectant faces before her and saw no one else being caught up in her emotion. "He'll kill us for sure! How the hell is that a good idea?" Sasha demanded and Daryl's eyes suddenly popped open wide and he took a slow step towards Linney.

"No," he murmured, meeting Linney's avid gaze, "Let 'im think we're beat, let 'im think he's got us right where he wants us." Linney nodded gratefully and looked intently at Sasha and then over to Merle. The look on his normal hard face told her that he understood.

"We go to him to offer peace, offer a truce. We go to him begging, on our hands and knees, begging to work this out," Linney continued and she could hear the intake of breath around her, as everyone realized the sense in what she was saying.

"He'd love that," Michonne spat out in a hard voice, "He'd love to think he had us cornered, that we were at his mercy." She turned to Linney and grinned, a large, rare, genuine smile, "We don't even need to bring a lot of people, just a handful of us. He'll show up with his main people, his lieutenants. Those are the men we want to take out along with him - leave no possible replacements." Merle grunted and Michonne waved a hand at him, asking, "Right?" Merle nodded.

"This would work, he would love it," Merle replied gruffly and Linney could feel her heartbeat picking up, thumping faster and faster in anticipation.

"No!" Andrea cried, her voice loud and angry, "This isn't how to fix this! You'd have to kill so many people, and these aren't amateurs, they'd kill some of you! It would only escalate until all-out war is declared!" Andrea spun to Merle, grabbing his arm in both of her hands. "Merle, please, you know I'm right - there are good people in Woodbury! No one else has to die! I - we - can save them all!"

Linney watched in surprise as Merle shot Andrea a sympathetic look and didn't immediately shake her off. "Why the hell did you even come here if you, if you weren't willing to play hardball?" Sasha spat, glaring at Andrea like she was an idiot. "I came to help!" Andrea cried.

"People are dying here! Haven't you noticed? I though these people here were your friends, and you want them to role over and keep taking it up the ass? Why should Woodbury get to stay safe and sound? Maybe the 'good' people there need to hit the goddamn road and run from _us_." Sasha was breathing heavily after her rant and it only took a few moments for a full blown argument to erupt, everyone trying to shout over the other.

Linney met Merle's eyes and grimaced. _Goddammit, these idiots are mucking it all up_, she thought in irritation. Behind them, she could hear Judith crying and Hershel shushing her as he walked her towards the cells, away from the yelling and the tension. She idly wondered what the old man's opinion on this plan might be, but decided not to ask.

"_Enough_!" Rick's voice echoed and bounced around the room and everyone flinched. The ring of iron authority was unmistakeable in his voice and Linney spun to stare over at him. He stood in the doorway from the cells, his face etched with angry lines, his hands planted squarely on his lean hips.

"We aren't ambushing him, we aren't killing him and his men, we aren't murderers. We don't have the numbers, the ammo, or the manpower." He strode further into the room, to Andrea's side, glaring hard at Daryl and Merle when neither man moved away from the centre of the group. After a moment, they both stepped back, each to one side of Linney and she watched as Rick shot Andrea a much softer look than he had when she first arrived.

"Enough of us have died and I appreciate what you're trying to do here - it just took me a bit to get that through my head. I'm sorry about earlier," his tones were placating, his face pleading, and Andrea gave him a relieved smile back. "Andrea, we've lost so much, including you, this place is all we have now," he said in an earnest voice, "So we can't leave, but I don't intend on going to war with Woodbury and risking everyone and everything."

Andrea heaved out a huge sigh of very obvious relief and fell against Rick, hugging him tightly. "Oh thank god, Rick, thank god," she murmured. He hugged her back and then stepped away, holding her shoulders.

"Linney had it half-right though, we need to meet him, _I_ need to meet him, to talk this out, man-to-man," Rick told her, his fingers flexing around her shoulders, "Andrea, do you think you can convince him to meet me, to at least give peace between our two groups a chance? I just need him to listen, just for a bit, maybe we can work out something, negotiate something, _anything_, so that we can stay here and out of each other's hair."

Andrea took in a deep breath, her eyes locked on Rick's, her entire face filled with heartbreaking hope. "I'll do everything I can," she promised. Linney and the rest of them watched stupidly as Rick led Andrea to a table and pulled out a map, marking a location on it, explaining to her that she had to have the Governor meet them there in two days time.

"What the actual fuck?" Linney hissed at Daryl under her breath, her face tight with disbelief, "He's just rolling over?" Daryl shot her a hard look and watched as Andrea accepted the map and smiled at Rick, leaning in to speak earnestly to him about how she was sure they would be able to find a way to keep everyone alive and safe.

Rick led Andrea towards the door and Linney twitched in surprise when Merle suddenly strode after them. "I'll walk her out," he said gruffly and Linney saw Andrea shoot Merle a slightly confused, but not unhappy, look. _What the hell is going on there?_ She thought briefly, before turning a glare on Rick.

He held his hands up, to stave off the tidal wave of objections he must have sensed were coming. He glanced over his shoulder and waited until the door to the courtyard slammed shut before turning back to them, an expectant look on his face.

"What. The. Fuck?!" Linney cried, shoving past Daryl and charging over to Rick, preparing to tear him a new asshole. Rick stopped her in her tracks when he started to laugh. She paused a step or two away from him and he laughed at her, before turning to everyone else and waving a hand through the air, his chuckles dying off.

"Sorry guys, but you played that perfectly," he told them. He put a hand on Linney's shoulder and led her back to the group. "We have two days people, we need a plan," he told them, and Linney watched as everyone's facial expressions went from anger and disbelief to dawning realization. "What do you mean?" Glenn asked slowly. Rick smirked at them and quirked an eyebrow up quickly as he looked around.

"In two days, we're going to meet the Governor," he began. He turned and looked down at Linney, and then up at Daryl, "And we're going to kill him."

***** If you read this, then you know I'm back from what feels like the longest hiatus ever. Sorry about that guys! **

**My personal Thangs and Stuff have evened out, though. Updates won't be the way they used to be, sadly, and I can't be writing like a maniac anymore :(**

**Once a week updates is going to be the new norm now. I'm thinking it will be Saturdays or Sundays. You guys were so good to me, all of you, and I feel ridiculously grateful that so many of you were concerned about me, and missed the story - thank you so so so much! *****


	144. Chapter 144

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"Blondie, you are one dumb bitch," Merle whispered heatedly, as they walked down the fenced-in staircase and into the courtyard, after he had lead Andrea out of C Block. She looked over at him in shocked irritation and tried to pull her arm from the tight grasp he had on it.

"Excuse me? _You're _calling me stupid?" She snapped back, leaning away from him and yanking on her arm. He nodded, his teeth clenching tightly together, as he continued to walk with her. She found herself being dragged along at this point and tried to dig her feet in to halt his momentum. "Don' make me pick yer ass up," he growled threateningly, and she huffed out a breath of irritation and let herself be dragged after him. He stopped by a cluster of filing cabinets and tossed her up against them, putting himself in front of her.

She stared up at him, her brow drawn down into a glare so dark that she could barely see. His face was tight and irritated and she waited, wanting him to explain his rude comment. Merle's hard eyes were locked on hers for a couple moments more and he finally shook his head and stepped back, a sneer pulling at his top lip.

"Look sweetheart, I'm guessin' that maybe yer new to his games, but comin' here is gonna getcha killed," he said in his rasping voice. Andrea stared at him, not certain how to respond. "I knew there was a risk, but I can play him. I _have_ been playing him, since that night!" She insisted, and he gave her a skeptical look that left no doubt as to what he thought about her abilities. Andrea crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Milton and I have been talking -" she began, and Merle stepped towards her so quickly, and so angrily, that she took an abrupt step away from him, colliding with the filing cabinet behind her with a loud thunk.

"Milton is a goddamn pussy! He's so far up the Gov's ass he can taste his dinner!" Merle cried in a disgusted voice, "Don't tell me yer so fuckin' stupid that ya trust a thing that comes outta his little puckered mouth?" He was standing right in front of her again, blocking her movements, and she realized with a sinking feeling that she was absurdly turned on by his tough-guy act. _Jesus, what is wrong with me?_

"Look! You don't know what you think you know! I don't know why you hate Milton, but he's working with me. He recognizes the threat that Phillip poses! He didn't realize how bad things could be, either, until that night with Daryl, you, and Linney!" Andrea was nearly shouting and she knew that her cheeks were probably flaming a bright pink from her anger, and also from her frustration with herself for enjoying Merle's intrusion of her personal space.

He rolled his eyes at her and turned away, stomping off a few steps before stomping back, this time not stopping as close as he had before. "Whatever, Blondie, but either way, that fucking psycho is gonna kill you the first chance he gets, if you go back," Merle told her. She raised an eyebrow at him again.

"Are you saying I should stay here? How does that help anyone?"

"It'd help ya not be dead," he answered her quickly, and Andrea ran a hand through her hair. They were both silent for a minute before she stepped towards him, placing a hand on his arm and making him look at her sharply. "Phillip thinks I'm some kind of bleeding-heart peace-maker," she told him. Merle grunted, looking down at her hand on his sleeve. She pulled her hand away slowly, assuming that, like Linney, he didn't appreciate being touched. She stepped past him, looking down towards the yard filled with walkers.

"I'm going to go back and cry on his shoulder, tell him that this group at the prison is a pathetic wreck, and let him know, wholeheartedly, that I was always planning on coming back," she paused and let out a harsh, dry laugh, "Hell, maybe I'll even throw the L-word out there and tell him I came back because he's just so damn important to me." Merle said nothing, and she turned back to him. He had a strange expression on his face that she just couldn't name and he finally shook his head and walked towards her. He stood next to her and turned a hard gaze out into the fields, too.

"That might just work, if ya can manage not to fuck it up," he murmured thoughtfully. She said nothing in return and all they could hear for a few minutes were the sounds of the dead. "After that, I'm going to beg him to negotiate. Do whatever I have to do to get him to meet with Rick and try to hammer out some kind of agreement, some kind of peace-treaty."

"Ya really are some kind of bleedin'-heart asshole," Merle replied without looking over. She chuckled wryly, before sobering up at her next words. "Nobody else has to die, Merle," she told him. He was silent for a moment and turned to her, his eyes narrowed and his gaze heated. "Everybody has to die some time," he said.

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"He's a lot fuckin' craftier than he looks," Daryl muttered, referring to Rick. Daryl was sitting next to Linney on the top step of the staircase that led in to D Block. She nodded absent-mindedly and glanced over her shoulder, over towards the entrance to C Block. Rick, the kids, and most of the others were inside, quietly plotting and planning. Linney knew that her and Daryl's roles would involve a lot more planning than what to pack with them and how to properly guard the prison. _Rick will pull us aside later._

An abnormally cool breeze gusted past them, refreshing and chilling them at the same time. Linney shivered a little and Daryl wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into his side and hummed her agreement with his statement about Rick. She was enjoying the way the heat his body gave off mixed with the warmth of the sun and the relief the breeze provided.

"Andrea couldn't be trusted not to blow it; he had to trick her," Maggie put in from her spot on the bottom step, next to Glenn. She gestured with her chin across the courtyard to where Andrea and Merle were standing, "Now she leaves happy and we get to kill the sick fuck," Maggie added. Glenn rubbed a hand across his face and nodded along with her statement.

All four of them turned and looked back towards Andrea and Merle. The two of them were standing next to the car that Rick was giving to Andrea. He had insisted that he couldn't let her make the dangerous trip back on foot, and was equipping her with the vehicle, some precious fuel, and even a small handgun. Linney didn't think that anyone was more surprised than Andrea, and she wondered what day-to-day life was really like in Woodbury, if a gesture of common decency was shocking to her. She knew Rick didn't do anything without meaning, though. Sending Andrea back in comfort and safety spoke to their request to meet for peace being genuine.

Merle and Andrea had been chatting quietly for a long while and Linney was again wondering what they could be talking about. She found herself secretly hoping that maybe Merle and Andrea had something more between them than just memories of Woodbury. "Quit playin' cupid," Daryl growled quietly into her hair and Linney turned to him, a half-guilty look on her face.

"Am I that transparent?" She asked quietly, and he smiled, squeezing his hand on her shoulder. "Merle doesn't need the distraction," he replied. Linney frowned at him, "Do I distract you?" He leaned away and his smile grew. She rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder before turning to Maggie.

"You two ok with holding down the fort?" Linney asked, looking between Maggie and Glenn. The two of them shared a look and then turned back to Linney, their faces serious and firm. "Let's be honest Lin," Glenn said, sighing wearily, "As much as I want to kill that fucker, I'm not ready for that kind of action yet, my ribs are still in a bad way." He paused for a moment and his features tightened into an expression of determination. "And Maggie isn't going anywhere without me," he added, almost under his breath.

Maggie shot Glenn a dirty look and got to her feet. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Glenn," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, "We both know that neither of us is going because Rick wants someone here to control the kids, keep an eye on the newbies, and make sure Merle and Michonne don't go anywhere." Linney took a quick look back at Daryl's face and he quirked an eyebrow up at her.

"He's not going to like being left behind," Linney murmured, her eyes drawn back to Merle, "I hope he understands that he's more valuable here."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"We're going to come armed for our own safety, in case he tries to pull something," Rick said, looking at Andrea expectantly, "You need to tell him that, so he doesn't think we have the intent to double cross him." Andrea nodded and Rick debated whether or not to deliver his next set of instructions to her. _Fuck it, she'll see the rationale behind it_.

"You can't mention Michonne or Merle," he told her, and she gave him a quizzical look. "What? Why? Why should that matter?" She responded, and Merle made an irritated noise in his throat. "Jesus, Blondie, I knew you was stupid, but come on!" He snarled at her. She looked over at the man and Rick hid his smile, for once not feeling the need to control Merle. _She needs to hear some harsh words, something has to break through her thick skull._

"He tried to kill me n' my whole family," Merle responded harshly, "Remember?" Andrea rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him. "He's not an idiot, he'll know that you and your family would have stayed together," she said. Merle shook his head at her response and took an aggressive step towards her.

"He wants me dead, if you tell 'im I'm here, or that Mutie is here, he's gonna head right over and blast the shit outta this place," Merle's jaw jutted forward defiantly, "I almost didn't make it here anyhow. If those two cry babies hadn't whined n' hollered at me 'til I wanted to knock 'em out, then I would be out there on my own." Linney huffed out an exasperated sounding breath from behind them and Rick stifled his amusement, certain that she probably looked ready to smack Merle.

"You saw me, Andrea, you saw what happened with him and I; he needs to think I'm dead and gone for this to work," Michonne put in, one dark eyebrow raising up expectantly. "Say nothing about either of us, and if he asks, say you never saw us here. It's simple." Michonne turned on her heel and walked away, having said her piece, and Andrea closed her eyes and pressed her lips together before nodding.

"Fine, I won't mention either of them," Andrea relented and Rick nodded in relief. "Anything else you don't want me to mention?" The sarcasm in her voice left no doubt about how she felt about these precautions. _She really thinks she'll be able to twist this and make him believe peace is an option._

"Andrea, come on, you know how uneven the odds are for us," Linney said, and this time Rick turned back to her. He didn't see an angry little face, like he expected. Despite her summer tan, Linney looked pale with worry, her eyes large and frightened in her face. "Andrea, you don't know what's it been like here, or what it was like through the winter," her voice caught on her emotion and a glance at Andrea showed that she was definitely recognizing Linney's feelings right now.

The girl took a step towards Andrea, her jaw trembling slightly with her effort to hold back her tears. "So many people have been lost, over and over again; we just can't win." Linney swallowed hard and looked down at her hands. "I couldn't help them, Andrea, no one could, and now that we're here, we just want the chance to pause. We need to mourn our losses, and try to grow strong again, try to be a family for each other." Rick watched in amazement as Linney's slim shoulders hunched down, under the weight of her grief.

"Rick's right, we can't lose anyone else, and the people left are so precious... we _need_ peace, we _need_ him to let us be, and that means we need every last point in our favor possible." Linney's hand came up to rest on Andrea's arm, and although Rick couldn't see Linney's face, the torment and sorrow he saw on Andrea's face was a good indication of how upset the girl must look.

"Please Andrea, help us? Please, help _me_ keep them safe, keep my family safe, and then after it's all done, please come home to us," Linney's voice broke on her last words and Andrea reached for her, clutching Linney tightly to her chest. Tears slipped down Andrea's face and dripped into Linney's hair.

"I will, I'm so sorry Lin, I will, and then I'll come home," Andrea's own voice was wavering and the two women stood in their tearful embrace a little longer. Rick looked around and saw Maggie's face buried into Glenn's shoulder, her shoulders shaking, as he held her. Daryl's face was strained and impassive, it looked like he was barely able to hang on. When Rick glanced at Merle, he had to shake his head; the man looked disgusted, not touched.

Rick eventually cleared his throat and Linney stepped back, clearing her own throat in embarrassment. "Be safe," she whispered to Andrea, before turning and running back to Daryl, hiding her face in his chest while she hugged him. Andrea's watery blue eyes met his and Rick nodded his head.

"Yes, be safe, and when this is all done, come home, your place is here, with us," he told her, "We're counting on you to get him there, to have him understand how broken we are, how much we just want peace, at any cost." Andrea's features tightened in determination and she reached for Rick, hugging him quickly.

She turned and climbed into the car, slamming the door shut behind her. Sitting behind the wheel, Andrea took a deep breath and then drove the car towards the gates. Rick glanced around and saw Linney still had her face tucked into Daryl's shirt. Daryl had his head hanging down, his features shadowed by his hair, and Maggie and Glenn were still wrapped around each other for comfort, with their backs to everyone. _I didn't realize how hard this was for everyone - am I that out of touch with my own people?_

Merle trotted to the gates and unlocked them, before bending to the car window and leaning in to say something quietly to Andrea. Rick wondered what it was before jumping a little when Andrea's sudden and surprised laugh echoed out of the car. When the car was driving down through the yard and the gates were locked again, Merle rejoined them and immediately put a hand on Linney's shoulder, trying to shake her off Daryl.

"That's enough now, ya little bullshitter," he snapped gruffly. Rick opened his mouth to tell the man to lay off, but snapped it shut again when it became obvious that Linney was laughing. She turned around and wiped the moisture off her face. She flashed Rick a little grin and then Maggie's giggles and Glenn's chuckles became apparent. Daryl's face finally relaxed into a broad smile and Rick suddenly realized that he was definitely out of the loop; they'd all been hiding their laughter this whole time.

"What the hell?" He asked them quietly, and Linney raised an eyebrow at him and then dipped into a little curtsey. "You're not the only one who can fool people, boss," she told him, her voice lilting in humor, "I'm the fucking master, remember?" Glenn and Maggie clapped a little for her and Merle shook his head, his gravelly laughter surprising all of them.

"You are such a little shit. I thought you done lost yer damn mind," he told the girl, and she smiled up at him. "Aw, you love it old man," she responded, and Merle shook his head and turned to walk back into C Block. Rick stepped towards her and she looked to him, the smile on her face growing uncertain. "I'm sorry Rick," she said softly, "I just realized how insensitive that might seem to you... I'm sorry. i just wanted to make every play we could, and Andrea's got a great big bleeding heart for the underdog."

Rick bent a little to put his face on her level and put a hand on her shoulder. He shook his head and finally felt a large smile growing on his own face. "You are definitely the master," he told her, and the beaming smile she gave him let him know that she was genuinely looking for his approval. They all turned and looked out at the field and the dirt road beyond; Andrea's car was long gone at this point.

"We've done all we can with Andrea, to lay the ground work," Rick said to her, and then looked up to Daryl, "The three of us got some planning to do." He turned to Maggie and Glenn. "Go get your dad and let's all meet inside." He turned to head over to D Block, intent on grabbing some gear stored inside.

"Why my dad?" Maggie called after him. Rick didn't turn around to answer, simply calling over his shoulder, "He's coming with us."

*****Damn, it feels good to be back guys!**


	145. Chapter 145

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

The smell was the worst part. Linney was fairly certain that if it weren't for the stink, she wouldn't have been too upset with her current situation. She glanced over at Daryl, barely visible in the dark, trudging along beside her, and wondered how he was faring.

The groan of a nearby walker drew her attention. She looked to her left to see the lumbering beast, who was missing an arm, that had flanked her on most of this godforsaken walk, was moving steadily away. _Must be drawn by something tasty and alive_, she thought with idle disgust. She watched the walker until it was out of sight and turned back to Daryl again. She saw he was also keeping an eye on their armless friend and he glanced down at her when he seemed sure the walker was showing no interest in them.

"Don't say nothin'," he whispered to her, his voice nearly a hiss. Linney nodded, not needing the reminder, and continued forward, her feet plodding along at an irregular and lopsided pace. Her back was aching terribly, and she knew that her affected shamble was causing her to cramp up a bit. _Shoulda done some yoga or something_, she mused, her inner voice laced with a dry humor. The thought of walker-style yoga played through her mind's eye and she had to stifle the urge to giggle. Daryl seemed to sense her mood and nudged her gently, trying to make it look like he had accidentally stumbled into her.

Linney got control of herself and turned her focus back to the road ahead. The two of them were in the middle of a loose pack of walkers, all ambling in their dead, groaning, fashion down the long road out of the prison. _Rick was right_, she thought, _no spy hiding in the woods would be dumb enough to get close to a pack of walkers._ Rick had asserted that the walkers were their best form of camouflage, and he'd been right, it seemed. Linney guessed that she and Daryl were blending in beautifully (_not a word I'd think to associate with my current state_), amongst the pack of walkers. No snipers had shot at them as they left the tombs and slowly made their way out the front of the prison. When they had walked past the abandoned laundry cart and the tank, with it's waterfall of truly dead walkers cascading down off the roof, Linney's heart had been beating so fast and so hard she felt certain that it would give them away.

But nothing happened. The walkers smelled what they were meant to smell, and the Governor's spies, hiding in the woods surrounding the prison, saw what they were meant to see: just two more gore-covered monsters shuffling along in a mindless way. Passing the open area out front of the prison was the hard part, and Rick had warned them both not to drop the act until they were all the way out of the prison grounds, perhaps even further. Daryl grunted now, and Linney slowly swung her head up to him, to see what he was grunting at. Several other walkers did, too, before they turned away disinterestedly, again. He cut his eyes down to her quickly and looked urgently up ahead.

Linney took the hint and looked in the direction his eyes were indicating. She could see a couple people up ahead and she almost stopped walking in complete shock. There were two big men at the side of the road ahead and under the faint light of the night sky, she could see that they were quietly and systematically killing walkers. It hadn't attracted a lot of attention from their local walker population, but she had to mentally pause and wonder if the two men had a death wish. One wrong move, one too-loud noise, and they would pull this loosely formed group of the dead into a hunger-crazed herd that would rip them apart in seconds. Daryl grunted again and began to awkwardly shamble into her side, urging her to move off the road and into the trees.

They had both really wanted to avoid the trees; it was easier to keep an eye on their walking companions on the road because the stars and moon provided enough weak light in the open space to aid them. The two men killing walkers with an almost lazy kind of efficiency threw a wrench into those plans. Not for the first time, Linney wished she and Daryl could communicate telepathically, so they could work out a plan. She assumed that his plan was to keep them from encountering the men up close. In such a situation, the men would either realize that she and Daryl were acting, or end up trying to kill them as the walkers they were supposed to be.

It was working, she realized, as her feet left the pavement and crunched into the dirt of the forest floor. The men never looked over at them, so their detour off the road must have looked natural. When they were in the woods, Daryl extended a hand out to her and clamped it onto her upper arm, steering her swiftly away from the road. She glanced back up at him and could barely make out his face in the shadowy blackness of the woods. She could tell when he was looking at her though, by the weird glint off his eyes that the minute light provided.

"Keep movin'," he whispered urgently, and she nodded slightly and kept moving forward, grateful for his hand on her arm when she stumbled and tripped over things she couldn't see. Gun fire suddenly erupted behind them and Daryl threw her to the ground, diving down on top of her. She huddled beneath him, surrounded by the stink of their disguises. Linney could hear yelling and more gun fire, and realized whatever game the men had been playing at, standing there and killing walkers that way, was likely backfiring on them. Resorting to the booming noise of gunfire was always a last resort these days. Linney felt slightly unnerved that the Gov's men were so reckless, so untrained, as to take that kind of risk. It didn't say much for the kind of men they might be, and she felt even more driven to stay out of their clutches.

"Idiots," Daryl breathed into her ear, disgust in his voice. They lay still as the gunfire went on and on. There were suddenly more voices and Daryl seemed to realize at the same time she did that the men on the road had back-up. "Shit," Linney cursed softly, knowing that the walkers with them, though dangerous in all situations, were the only thing keeping her and Daryl safe as they snuck from the prison. The two of them were without that cover now, since it sounded like the group of men back at the road were quickly mowing down the dead.

"We gotta go," Daryl said, climbing to his feet, but staying bent in a crouch. She stayed crouched too, one hand locked over the gun at her hip. They were both fully armed, but their weapons were carefully concealed beneath baggy clothing. Daryl didn't have his crossbow, and she knew he felt naked without it, but Rick had promised to bring it with him. Daryl grabbed her arm and they started running. His footfalls were nearly silent and she was desperately trying to remember everything he had ever taught her about moving silently in the woods.

It was dark and she was terrified and tired, but she somehow managed to keep up without making too much noise. At one point, a light blared obscenely bright off to their left, deeper in the woods. Again, she and Daryl dove for the ground and huddled there. The light raked back and forth a few times and she felt her breaths coming in sharper and more desperately. The Governor's men were out there, and there were obviously more of them surrounding the prison than they had known. She could hear them shouting at each other, their voices aggressive and firm, but not urgent. _I hope that means that they aren't looking for us, that they don't know about us_.

When the light flicked off in the distance, Daryl pinched her arm to signal her, and they were off and running again. She could hear Daryl's breaths now, harder and more coarse as he grew tired, and she knew her own lungs were wheezing in an alarming fashion. They paused a couple times, but otherwise their pace was relentless and Linney began to feel like their time in the woods was never going to end.

Daryl grabbed her arm and yanked her to a halt, flattening himself against a tree and swinging her up against himself. She pressed her cheek into his heaving chest as they both tried desperately to catch their breath in a quiet way. She knew without being told that he had stopped them because they were close to something dangerous, she just didn't know if it was walkers or people.

The loud, and alarmingly close-by, voices of men, just on the other side of the tree they were pressed against, answered the question for her. They were less than ten feet away and Linney tilted her head to look up at Daryl, praying he had an answer to this problem. She knew if they stepped out and tried to be walkers, the men would dispatch them as walkers, quickly and efficiently, and they would both die. She also knew that if they revealed themselves as people, it wouldn't take the Gov's men long to figure out what was going on and that would be bad for everyone in the prison. She could feel by the tenseness in Daryl's body that he was wracked with the same indecision she was.

The voices drew closer, and Linney realized that they had mere seconds before the men walked past their tree and they were spotted. Her only option was clear, at least to her, and as she stepped away from Daryl, his arms reached out to yank her back, to stop her. She ducked his arms and swiftly arranged herself, prepared for what came next.

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"This is the worst fucking idea I have ever heard," Maggie said, running both hands through her hair as she paced. Glenn and Merle, sitting on the bleachers in the courtyard, watched her without speaking. Maggie paused to look up at the sky, the glow of the moon and the stars providing her with little comfort.

"Aren't you worried?" She snapped at Merle, who just stared back at her, his face hard and flat. She waved a hand in the air, in the general direction of block C, where she knew that Rick and the others, her sister and father among them, were packing all the necessary gear and preparing things for the few days ahead. "So, he just decides to send the two of them off on some kind of twisted journey into the woods, and ya'll are ok with it? He's gonna take an old, disabled man out on the most important run anyone will ever take, and ya'll are ok with it?" Maggie was close to losing her patience.

Glenn was watching her carefully, like she was a caged lion, and she felt a flicker of guilt for yelling at him. _More like, yelling in his general direction, releasing some steam_, she thought. A part of her hoped he was able to see the distinction. But Merle... Maggie eyed him with irritation. _He should've stepped forward and said something, helped me put up a fight, helped think of a better solution than to dress the two of them up in walker guts and send them out on a two day hike_!

"We won't even know if they make it or not!" Maggie persisted, resuming her pacing, "Rick's so sure, but come on! We all know it is very nearly a suicide mission!" Maggie rubbed her face briefly and glanced up at Glenn to see that he had his lips pressed into a thin line of disagreement. "What?" She challenged him, eager for someone else to say something. Glenn shrugged and looked away. "Glenn, for gods sake, what?" Maggie pushed.

"Maggie, we know Lin's done this before," he began, clearly referring to a nighttime stroll in walker guts, "And it wouldn't surprise me if this came second nature to Daryl, so I'm not overly worried." Maggie gaped at him, not sure how to respond. She expected him to talk about Daryl and Linney's bravery or fighting skills, not their ability to blend in with walkers. Merle cleared his throat abruptly, in what might have been a laugh, and Maggie swung her glare to him. He sat up straight under her glower and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Look sweetheart, if there's one thing I've learned about that little shithead, it's that she's got more balls than any persons gotta right to," Merle drawled in a rocky voice, "An' Daryl's a Dixon; ain't nobody kills a Dixon, but a Dixon." Maggie blinked and, absurdly, felt herself relax under Merle's assertions. _Maybe he's right_, she thought, her mind reeling at the sudden direction she was taking from fury to calming down. _Linney should be dead like ten times over by now, Daryl too._ She pondered that for a moment or two before she felt her shoulders loosen and her posture sag slightly.

Maggie heard Glenn breath out in what might have been relief as she sank to the bleachers to sit between the two men. "This is terrible," Maggie murmured, settling her chin in her hands, "There are too many elements to this plan." Glenn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned her against his side. "It ain't a bad plan," Merle said suddenly, his own voice sounding surprised. Maggie looked over at him, noting the redneck's expression seemed at war with itself.

"Officer Friendly ain't real bright, but he's got this one alright, I think," Merle spoke grudgingly, as if this concession was costing him physically, "But, the two a them're gonna make it there by tomorrow mornin'. By the time yer daddy n' Deputy Dumbass get there, Daryl n' Linney'll have everythin' set up n' ready to go." Maggie looked away, out into the field, which was speckled with the dark shape of walkers.

Rick's plan had seemed so simple, he rattled it off to them easily and quickly enough. It had taken their little group a moment or two to absorb what he was saying. When they did, Maggie felt like she was going crazy, because no one else seemed to find it as impossibly stupid of a plan as she did. Linney and Daryl were going to arm themselves, heavily, very heavily, especially considering they were wearing it all, and not carrying any bags. Then they were going to disguise themselves as walkers in head-to-toe "gut-paint" as Carl had called it. When darkness fell, they were going to leave the tombs through the blown-out end and join the walking dead outside and lumber their way past the spies ringing the prison, out to the main road.

The two of them would head to the place Rick had told Andrea to send the Governor, the place where their group had spent their last night before finding the prison, the industrial complex, not too far away. They were to get the lay of the land, and then hide in the building that Rick had told them he was meeting their enemy inside. They were all certain that once the Governor knew where the place was, he wouldn't wait too long to send his own men in early to scope it out and lay booby-traps. Maggie knew that Rick was really counting on Linney and Daryl wiping out any traps and making sure that the balance was always in their favor.

Day after tomorrow, Rick and her father would leave the prison, assuming that, by then, word would have reached the spies that they were allowed to pass. The two of them would look far less threatening than if they'd gone with Linney and Daryl, or anyone else. _At least that's what Rick say_s, Maggie thought, unable to shake the feeling that her father's going was somehow like using the old man as bait.

Rick said the Governor would know before he and Hershel got there that it was just the two of them, and that he would hopefully be riding high on his ego. Maggie remembered her encounter with the man, and an oily feeling spread through her stomach, sickening her. _He will love having the upper hand._ She was sure of that. She only prayed that his desire to see his enemies humiliated and begging was stronger than his desire to see them dead, otherwise he might very well kill Rick and her father on sight. It was a risk Rick was willing to take, and Maggie hated him a little bit for willingly putting her father in such a situation. She had to concede that her father was 100% on board with the entire plan, which irked her; she knew he felt useless and was eager to prove his ability to help in almost any way he could.

The idea was for Linney to kill the Governor from wherever she was hidden in the building, while Daryl killed any of the men the Gov brought with him. Her father would also be heavily armed, and was a good shot, even sitting in a car, so they all felt certain that it would work.

Rick did not have a flare for the dramatic, and he had made that abundantly clear to Linney and Daryl.

"I don't care if he knows he's been tricked. I don't care if he ever knows he's lost. I don't care if you want him to realize who is killing him, for your own little moment of revenge." He had looked around at them all, his hard-eyed gaze landing on Linney and sticking. "Do you understand?" He had demanded, his voice frightening in it's intensity.

Rick had walked a little closer to the girl, bringing his face down to her level. Maggie had watched as Linney met his eyes, her friend's spine straightening in something like pride. Linney had swallowed hard, her eyes narrowing slightly, her jaw tightening, before answering in a voice absolutely devoid of feeling, "I don't care about what he feels in that moment, I only care that he dies."


	146. Chapter 146

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney! *****

Her face was flaming red. Even in the dark, she was absolutely certain the blush on her face was probably redder than a tomato. She could feel the fever-heat of her embarrassment spreading across her body as she quickly stepped around the tree, her tank top and bra hanging open. The cool night air hit patches of skin on her body that hadn't been naked outside in longer than she could remember. _If ever; have I ever been topless in the woods at night_? She'd done a lot of things in her life, but was fairly certain that flashing her boobs in the woods was never one of those things.

She had flipped a knife into her hand as she stepped away from Daryl, moving quickly to slice open her tank top and cut the center of her bra, leaving her short-sleeved, button-front, flannel shirt open over top. Her chest was fully exposed and on prominent display, and she felt foolish. She was certain that Daryl would have knocked her unconscious rather than let her do this, but he was on the other side of the tree and she knew he would follow her lead at this point, because to do otherwise risked their lives.

When she stepped around the tree, she immediately spoke to the group of four men standing there, their flashlights all aimed at their feet as they discussed regular patrol shifts.

"Hi," she said, her voice clear and hopeful, her accent twanging prettily, "Can ya'll help me? I lost my people n' don't know what to do." All the flashlights swung up to her simultaneously and Linney squinted against the glare. It was like staring into the center of the sun after their hours in the black of night.

"Wha the fuck?" One of the men said in stark wonder. She wondered briefly what she looked like to them, covered in blood and dirt, her boobs on display startlingly white against the filth covering the rest of her. Before a leer even had a chance to grow on any of their faces, Daryl swept in behind them and slit the throat of one of the men. The man made a gargling noise and began a slow, almost graceful looking, descent to the ground. Linney slid the knife she had tucked up against her wrist down into her waiting fingers and threw it at another man, the flashlights providing enough illumination to show her the way. Daryl used the bloodied knife in his hand to attack a third man, pulling him down to the ground as he stabbed the man in the temple.

The fourth man turned to Linney, clearly seeing her as the easy target. He stepped towards her and began to raise his gun. His face was still half-slack in surprise and she didn't pause, leaping at him, a second knife in her hand quicker than a blink. She didn't waste time throwing it, she just stabbed him through the eye. Her stomach heaved sickeningly when he was dead, as the enormity of the moment rolled over her like a wave. She left her knife sticking up perkily from the man's face and twisted herself off of him, vomiting violently off to the side.

The men were hardly likely to be wholly innocent, and they certainly weren't unarmed, but they were alive. _They had heartbeats_, Linney thought sickly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Daryl was moving around behind her, collecting her knives and turning off the flashlights. His hand on her arm jolted her back to reality and she forced herself to try and smother her feelings. He drew her up to her feet and held her at arms length for a moment.

"You ok?" He asked gruffly, brushing her hair back off her face, tucking it behind her ears. She nodded and realized that he might not be able to see her now that the flashlights were off. She looked up at the shadowed shape of his face. "I'm fine," she managed, stepping away and closing her shirt, buttoning it over the ruin of her bra and tank top. They started walking again, quietly, as before.

"You should've let me handle 'em," Daryl finally said, after they'd been walking for a few minutes, "Didn't need to do that, to show... you know..." His voice trailed off and Linney found it in herself to chuckle quietly. "It's not about my boobs," she replied, her voice a whisper in the dark, "Showing them was a little embarrassing, sure, but I have great boobs."

"Yeah, you do."

Linney smacked him lightly on the arm and shook her head. "They were _alive_ Daryl, and not even intent on killing us," her voice was firm now, her conviction that killing the living should never be easy, making her feel like she had to make him understand. "If we hadn't killed them, they would've killed us," he said in a quiet voice.

"I know that!" She snapped, smacking a hand over her mouth immediately afterwards when she realized how loud she'd said that. Daryl said nothing, and they walked quietly in the dark for a few moments more. "I know that," she finally said again, her voice appropriately quiet this time, "I know we had no choice, but I just think it shouldn't be easy, killing the living. It should never be easy, we should always feel like shit afterwards."

Daryl didn't reply and she couldn't think of what to say to make him say something in response. She was surprised when he stopped her and put a hand on her neck, drawing her in closer to him. His palm was flat against her throat and she knew he could feel her pulse bumping along against his hand. "This," he said quietly, his hand gently running along her throat before pressing against her pulse again, "This is the only thing that means a fucking thing to me."

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They reached the industrial park by mid-morning and he could tell that Linney was nearly dead on her feet. Her shamble had become less acted and more real. "There it is," she murmured, pointing at the warehouse in front of them. Daryl looked up at the huge, decrepit looking wooden building and nodded. Rick had described the building to them; it was only a couple warehouses down from the one they themselves had stayed in, before they found the prison.

"Let's get in there," Daryl said quietly, cutting his eyes around the grassy and overgrown industrial area and gesturing her to follow him. He took a circuitous route to the warehouse, sneaking around as if there were already a dozen or more people here. When they paused in the shadows of one of the buildings, he glanced down at Linney, her tired face looking up at him, her eyes steady despite her growing fatigue (not to mention the growing heat). He felt a flash of pride that she didn't ask what he was doing, that she instinctively knew when stealth was needed. She trusted him, trusted his decisions, and although he knew that Rick and the other's had been doing that very same thing for awhile, Linney's unwavering trust in him always gave him pause.

"Do I have something on my face?" She hissed at him, her gore-matted eyebrows drawing together in irritation. He shook his head at her and she smacked his shoulder. "Then why the hell are you just standing there staring at me? Get moving, Dixon." He could hear Merle in her voice and he grunted out a quiet laugh before leading them the last few feet into their target building. Once they walked through the door, it was immediately apparent that there were more than a few walkers in the building.

"We can't kill them. If he finds bodies, he'll know we came in advance," she whispered urgently, and he looked down to see that she was peering into the dim space around them with heavy concentration. "There," she finally said, pointing at a door in the distance, "Let's get them in there and shut the door." He buried his immediate desire to say no, to keep her from anything reckless. _Look what she just did in the woods - think you're past keeping her from following her mind_.

They slunk across the open space, into what turned out to be a stairwell. It lead to a partial second floor and he barely spared a glance around the room. It was big and empty and had a second staircase that lead outside. After securing that door, he jogged back to Linney and stood at the door with her. "How do you want to do this?" She asked him, and before he could answer she was already nodding at some internal plan of hers, "I can get them, lure them. I'm faster on my feet than you, I just need a clear path out of here. Maybe you can hang out up top and lend a hand if I need it?"

He reached for his crossbow, to readjust the strap while listening to her, and found nothing but his shirt over his shoulder. He remembered immediately that he'd left it at the prison. The reasoning being that no walker would keep a weapon that cumbersome neatly over it's shoulders for very long, and thus, he'd be less believable as a walker. Despite strong misgivings, he'd left it behind, knowing that it was stupid not to. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was still the wrong decision not to have it with him, though. _Thinkin' like that is definitely going to get you killed, it's a damn crossbow, let it go._

"Hey, Earth to Daryl," Linney said, waving a hand in front of his face. He snapped out of his little moment and met her anxious green eyes. "You alright? Where'd you go just then?" He shook his head and looked away. "Sounds fine, I'll wait up here, you pull 'em in here, make sure you holler if you need to," he told her in response. Linney pinned him under her gaze for a moment longer and he glared at her until her worry turned into irritation and she was glaring back at him. "Fine, whatever," she snapped, turning on her heel and marching back out into the warehouse open area.

He knew she'd be better off being out there pissed off, than being out there worried about his mental well-being, and he had to chalk all this over-thinking up to being exhausted. When she disappeared around a corner he heard her immediately start cussing at the dead and couldn't keep the smile from his face. _Like a damn trucker_, he thought in amusement, as she continued to mock and curse the walkers around her like they had personally offended her. He heard her footsteps coming and realized he'd lingered too long at the bottom of the stairs. Linney rounded a corner halfway across the room and he could see the glare on her face from where he stood.

"Run, you idiot! I told you to wait upstairs!" She called, and he lurched back a step when he saw just how successful she'd been. A dozen walkers were hurrying behind her, in their awful way, and he turned through the door and took the stairs two at a time until he reached the top. He heard her cursing as she thundered up the stairs and then turned to make sure all the walkers followed her. "I'm going out and around," he told her quickly, "Gonna close 'em in from behind." She nodded without looking over and he trotted away, to the other set of stairs that led down to the outside of the building.

He glanced back once to see her walking backwards from the group of the dead that was struggling up the stairs. He swallowed hard, fighting against the urge to charge in and rescue her. He wasn't a complete idiot, he knew by now when she needed it and when she didn't. _She don't need it right now, you damn fool_. He raced outside on that thought and quickly, but quietly, made his way back into the building, through the lower level. He lingered far back from the door Linney had led the walkers through, watching as the very last one went through the doorway at the bottom of the stairs. He jogged over quickly and shut the door behind it and then jammed a huge nearby metal pipe through the handle, holding the door closed.

Daryl wasted no time, racing back outside to the exit door for the other staircase and almost swayed on his feet in relief when Linney eased out the door and closed it tightly behind herself. She looked over at him and grinned. He took several large steps towards her and then swept her up in a crushing embrace. "Yay, we did it," she said in mock enthusiasm and he laughed a little before setting her down. "I didn't do a damn thing, you did it all," he replied reasonably, wanting her to take her credit where it was due.

"That's not true," she protested tiredly, trudging along next to him as they made their way back into the warehouse, "You closed the door behind them." He said nothing and waited for the lameness of her statement to sink in. She finally looked over at him, trying to suppress a smile. "Ok, that was stupid: Daryl Dixon, heroic shutter-of-doors," she said, giggling a little. He shook his head and looked away, fighting to keep a smile off his own face.

"They ain't gonna write any songs about it, that's for damn sure."

"I can probably make that happen, you know. Maybe you deserve a song."

"Not if ya know what's good for ya."

"When have I ever known what's good for me?"

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She couldn't shake the feeling that they were on vacation. Watching as Daryl struggled to force open the last large window on the side of the building, she smiled to herself. It was a definite measure of how far they'd come as people since the Turn, if she was thinking of an out-trip like this with him as a vacation.

After they'd circled the warehouse, inside, a couple of times, and felt satisfied that they had wrangled all the walkers upstairs, they had begun to arrange things to their liking. A small platform had a table and two chairs dragged onto it, because it was in a perfect location for the two leaders to sit and meet. Linney scaled the cluttered walls, climbing up into the rafters and had found a perch for herself that was perfect. She could lay flat, while remaining completely hidden from anyone below, and was able to arrange her weapons around herself for easy, Governor-killing, action.

When she swung down to the ground, she felt good, secure in their plans. Daryl had begun opening windows then, to release some of the stale air trapped inside, and also to allow them to cool off a little while the two of them waited.

While up in her perch, Linney had spotted another flat place in the rafters that would serve them well as a place to hang out until the next morning. It was a relatively hidden triangle-shaped loft space in a corner of the building with a lot of complicated beams, hoists, and machine-arms sticking out from the walls and ceiling at diverse angles. She thought that at one point it must have been a storage shelf for a big piece of machinery that would have been hoisted up and down from the pie-wedge-shaped space.

After crawling around up there for a moment or two, Linney discovered that she would be able to climb from it, over some rafters, directly to her own spot. When she pointed it out, Daryl stared at it thoughtfully and finally nodded. He showed her where he thought he'd be able to swing out one of the windows to his hiding spot outside, without being seen.

They were both pretty certain that the next morning, before Rick and Hershel arrived, that the Gov's men would begin to show up, to lie in wait. She and Daryl were going to have to hide like bunnies until the time for action came, to give the Gov's men the sense of over-confidence they needed to grow lazy and careless.

Linney sat on the edge of their perch and looked around at the dingy warehouse, thinking about the next day. The battered table with the two equally battered chairs tucked into either side of it, looked almost quaint in the bright summer sunshine that shone through the windows and through the open sections of roof that dotted the big structure. This time tomorrow, Rick and the Governor would be in this space together under the guise of peaceful negotiation.

"And then I'm going to kill him," Linney muttered, half to herself. She heard Daryl shift around behind her. "What's that?" He asked her, and she turned to look at him. He was laying stretched out on the perch, his hands tucked beneath his head. Linney smiled at him and scooted backwards, laying down next to him.

"I'm going to kill him," she said quietly, staring steadily into Daryl's blue eyes. He didn't move a muscle, and let his eyes roam over her face for a while. He finally met her gaze again and nodded. "Yeah, ya are," he told her. He reached an arm towards her and curled it around her shoulders, pulling her close against himself. "For what he did to Grey's people, for what he did to us all winter, for what he did to Maggie and Glenn. What he did to Michonne, to Oscar, to Allen, to Ty and Axel. The things he did to you and to Merle," she took a breath and shifted slightly to look at him again. Their faces were inches apart and she knew without continuing that he was absolutely on the same page as her. Neither of them said anything more on the subject.

"This is nice," Daryl said a few minutes later, after they had lay there next to each other in companionable, sleepy, silence for a bit. "What's nice?" She replied, tucking her head a little closer to his chest. She felt him breath in and out, heard and felt the regular thumping of his heart. He took in another contented breath. "Bein' alone like this, it's quiet, and for right now, it's safe. It's like a break from the usual shit," he explained. Linney chuckled quietly.

"I know it sounds weird," he began and Linney snuggled in closer, speaking into his shirt and interrupting him. "It's not," she said, "It's not weird, it's like a vacation, I was thinking." He laughed with her and hugged her tightly.

"We got terrible taste in vacation spots," Daryl said, his voice a pleasant grumble. "Would it sound really stupid if I said I didn't care where we were as long as I'm with you?" She asked him.

"Definitely stupid. Yer gettin' soft Lin, gonna have to leave ya for someone tougher," he mumbled, and she lightly elbowed him in the stomach. "You take that back Dixon," she warned him drowsily.

"Fine, fine," he finally said, sleepiness invading his voice. The warmth of the day, the dull light in the room, and the absolutely draining sense of fatigue in her very bones finally began to pull her down into a swimming kind of sleepiness. And just like that, both of them covered in a disgusting dried mess of walker guts, mere hours after killing a group of their enemies in the woods, while they lay in wait to kill even more, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.

It was the best sleep she had ever had.


	147. Chapter 147

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Allen had spent the past 24 hours being nervous. The blonde woman in the woods had given him good advice, and once the men on the walls of Woodbury were convinced that he wasn't a walker or a threat, he'd been immediately ushered into the Woodbury 'hospital'. Despite his protests that he needed to speak with the Governor immediately, the doctor had hooked him up to an IV and began to give him IV fluids and antibiotics.

A few hours later, he was clean, bathed, shaved, and dressed in fresh clothes. He'd had a square meal, a cold drink, a short, pleasant nap, and was now comfortably resting on the hospital bed, propped up on several blissfully comfortable pillows while he skimmed an old Reader's Digest under the delicious glow of a bedside lamp. Despite his worry about why the leader hadn't come to see him yet, he had to admit that Woodbury had the hospitality thing down to a successful science.

"How long were you out there?" A voice spoke from the door and Allen dropped the magazine, startled. "Jesus, you scared me," he managed, swallowing hard. The tall, pleasant-voiced man at the door shot him a rueful smile and gestured at the bed. "Feeling better?" He asked Allen, and Allen had to nod.

"The doctor's been kind, getting me all fixed up like this. I definitely appreciate it," Allen explained, pausing and rubbing at the unfamiliar smoothness of his face. "But I really need to speak to your Governor, I have some news for him. I need his help, too," Allen concluded, nodding a little to confirm to himself that he'd said what he needed to say. The man settled in a chair next to the bed and regarded Allen kindly.

"How long were you out there?" He asked again. _You gotta answer some questions first, man, so just do it!_ He chided himself internally. "A few days on my own, but before that I was with a group," Allen said. "Why would you leave the security of a group?" The man asked, genuinely surprised. Allen levelled a hard look at the man.

"I know you guys got it good here, so maybe it's hard for you to understand, but there are some crazy assholes out there. People who don't share what they got fairly, who expect you to lay down your life in return for being labored like a slave." Allen sat up straight, the fever of his hatred catching hold of him. "People who turn your own family against you, just for trying to take care of them!" The tall man nodded, and Allen felt a flush of relief that the stranger understood him.

"A man's got to take care of his own, at all costs, I know the importance of that as much as anyone these days," the stranger told him, and Allen nodded. "This group was lead by one guy, but there were a bunch of them that may have co-run the joint," Allen paused and laughed harshly, "Literally 'the joint', you know? Seeing how it was a beat-to-shit prison." Allen saw the light of interest in the stranger's eyes and he smiled savagely in return.

"My wife died and they turned my son against me, twisted his mind, made him hate me - took him from me! My son!" Allen cried angrily, one thin hand thumping against his chest for emphasis. "I know people like that, though, they're arrogant and aggressive. They think they're so fucking tough that no one can take them. They gather enemies like flies." The stranger was watching him carefully now and Allen felt compelled to continue.

"They hate your Governor, hate this town... hate it with a passion," Allen fervently explained, gesturing around himself, "I don't know what happened between them and here, but I know them well enough to know that those assholes probably deserve the attack they got. I know they'll use my boy as cannon fodder first chance they get, because they don't really care about anyone outside of their inner circle."

"So why are you here? Why not snatch your boy and run?" The stranger asked reasonably. Allen nodded; the question was to be expected. "My boy, he's not a child, he's nearly a man, and he's smitten with one of their girls, the way boys his age get. There's no way he'll leave her, leave them, to go with me, after they've poisoned his mind and thrown that little blonde whore at his feet to keep his attention." Allen swallowed hard and reached for his glass of water, drinking deep gulps to allow his mind to cool. He felt frenzied, nearly out of control, and he knew it was his worry for Ben, his fury with the injustices dished out upon himself, that drove him to that feeling.

"The enemy of your enemy is your friend, right?" Allen said carefully, and the broad smile that spread across the other man's face told him that he'd said the right thing. "You help me get my boy back, take those people down, and I'll tell the Governor anything he wants to know about them." The stranger got to his feet and smiled down at Allen, the effect of the smile made slightly eerie by the black eye patch he wore over one eye.

"You won't have to go far for that," the man said and Allen tilted his head questioningly. The man extended a hand, his handshake firm and dry. "My name's Phillip, the Governor's just a silly nickname, and I'd like to help you. Help you get your son back and right a few wrongs. People like the folks you're describing don't deserve to breathe the same air as you or I." Allen smiled, a big relaxed grin, as relief flooded his veins like a drug.

"Where do I start?" Allen asked eagerly, and the Governor laughed before taking a seat again and leaning forward, his elbows planted on his knees. "Tell me about their leader, tell me about the inner circle, but first, tell me, are Michonne and Merle there? Scary-ass ninja woman and a metal-armed redneck - they're hard to miss!" The Governor's voice was jovial, but his gaze was hard, and Allen nodded quickly. "They're there, alright."

"What about Merle's little girl? His daughter? Sister? Not sure what she is, but you'd know her for sure; just like her big buddy Merle in every way, though a damn sight prettier!" The Governor laughed and Allen joined him, nodding along like a puppet.

"That's Linney, and she's definitely there, happily reunited with her 'big buddy'," Allen answered. The Governor's jaw ticked a couple times and then he rested his chin on his steepled fingers and nodded thoughtfully before speaking again.

"Tell me everything."

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Andrea showered and carefully dried and styled her blonde curls, in the way that she knew Phillip loved. She dressed in something soft and form-fitting and stood in front of the mirror practicing her 'I-love-you-and-missed-you-so-much-please-forgive-me' faces. She had been back in Woodbury for a couple hours and had gone straight to her apartment to prepare herself. Feeling like she had her dewy-eyed expressions down pat, she made her way quickly to Phillip's apartment, knocking demurely on the door.

She heard the heavy tread of his footsteps coming towards the door and had to force herself to keep the sneer off her face. _Do it for them, girl, you need to keep them all safe_. Phillip pulled the door open and Andrea swallowed hard, looking up at him like a scared, shamed puppy. His face was unreadable, but he stepped back and let her walk inside. He crossed the room and sat in his armchair, under the two windows on the far side of the room.

Andrea dithered for a moment, knowing she had to show fear, guilt, and subservience. "I'm sorry, Phillip," she started softly, "I'm sorry I left the way I did." He said nothing, only watched her carefully. Andrea felt like a bug in a jar. "I had to see them, I couldn't believe that they could possibly be so close by without seeing them myself," she took a few steps closer to him, "I wanted to help. I wanted to prevent anyone from getting hurt or dying." She paused and felt her throat catch, genuine emotion trapping her words there.

"Phillip, it's awful over there. It's squalor. They are so ragged, and falling apart, I don't know how they haven't managed to fully collapse yet." Still he sat and watched her, not saying a word. "They wanted me to stay, to not come back," she said quietly. At this, Phillip sat up and leaned towards her, his expression curious.

"Why didn't you?" He asked her in a flat voice. She shook her head slightly and took a tentative step towards him. "That wasn't why I went there," she explained, "I went to tell them to back down, to calm down, to stop this madness." Andrea took another step towards him and sank to her knees in front of him. "I went because I love Woodbury and I can't stand to see this place at war, in turmoil. I couldn't bear the thought of anyone here getting hurt or killed." Andrea took a deep breath and forced a blush to her face.

"Those people are my past, and despite being left behind, I felt I owed it to them to ask for peace. If we can reach a peaceful place with them, then everyone I love would be safe." Andrea watched him, waiting to see if he'd take the bait. He got to his feet slowly, grasping her around the shoulders and drawing her up to stand before him.

"And who do you love?" He asked softly. Andrea swallowed hard and tried to look away, but his hand cupped her cheek and turned her back to face him. "I think you know the answer to that," she began, "I think you know who I wanted to keep safe the most, who I couldn't bear to leave... who I came back for." His hand tightened on her face and she struggled not to flinch.

He pulled her in for a kiss and she felt her body sag in relief against him. She let herself forget everything and fell into the moment, kissing him for all she was worth. "You risked a lot for peace with them," he finally said, when they pulled apart. "I had to beg them; they're so mistrusting. They're at the end of their ropes in terms of survival, but I managed it, Phillip, I managed it." He backed away from her, crossing the room to his small bar and pouring two drinks.

Andrea gratefully accepted the glass and drank the warm brown liquid inside, feeling her throat tingle all the way down. "What did you manage?" He asked her, watching her knock back the drink. She licked her lips and nodded, putting the cup down on a table and walking to him quickly. "They'll meet you. Rick, the leader, he'll meet you, to discuss the terms for peace."

Phillip stared at her for what felt like an eternity. "A face to face discussion with their leader?" He asked, his tone laced with incredulity. Andrea nodded. She pulled out a map and lay it on the dining room table, pointing at the place Rick had pointed out to her. "Here, day after tomorrow, midmorning, Rick will meet you to discuss terms." Phillip stared down at the spot on the map she had marked and his gaze was so intense she grew nervous.

"He can't think I'd be stupid enough to fall for this," Phillip finally said. Andrea shook her head. "No, no, he'll only go with one other person, to show good faith," she told him. His face turned to her, his one good eye locked on her. "Who? Michonne? Merle? Someone with a grudge?" He asked, his tone biting. Andrea shook her head again.

"Phillip, no, he's going with Hershel, an old man. A one-legged old man at that," she replied. His eyebrows shot up and she took a deep breath. "Phillip, you don't understand, so many of them have died in the past month, they are beyond grief and beyond tired, they just want time to lick their wounds and survive," she insisted, "Michonne and Merle aren't even there."

Phillip straightened up suddenly and turned from her, his shoulders hunched. She wondered if he was upset that he would miss his chance to kill the two of them, or if he was relieved. "You didn't see them? Or they aren't there at all?" He asked, without turning around.

"They aren't there! Michonne never made it back after that night here and Merle decided not to go back with Linney and his brother; too much bad blood between him and other members of the group," she was nervous that he wasn't turning around, worried that he could tell she was lying through her teeth. A few more tense seconds passed and he suddenly whirled around, a broad grin on his face, his tone jovial and light again.

"Andrea, I love you," he said unexpectedly, and she smiled a little confusedly at him. "I love that you are willing to fight for the people most important to you, that you would do anything, even risk danger, to keep your people safe." She nodded at him and he pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering in her hair.

"I will meet Rick, and I'll only bring Milton and Shumpert. I can show good faith too," Andrea nodded against his shoulder. He held her away for a moment, gazing at her face, before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "And you, I'll bring you, too. I couldn't have this meeting go the way I want it to without you there."

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Martinez felt like he was in hell. He was filthy, covered in his own blood, vomit, and urine. He was thirsty, too, thirstier than he'd been in his entire life. He knew the beatings that Merle, his brother, and their leader, had inflicted upon him were nothing compared to what the Governor would do to him once he found out how much Martinez had talked. He prayed that the next time he heard Merle's gravelly voice it would be followed by a gunshot, ending his misery.

There was a noise at the entrance and he flinched in a tired way, his whole body aching from the movement. He heard heavy footsteps and saw the beam of the flashlight cutting across the floor as his visitor drew near. The light was bright in the gloom of the dark cellblock.

"Tomorrow we're gonna meet the Gov," Merle's voice cut through the air and Martinez couldn't suppress his groan. "We're gonna tell 'im all about the things you've shared with us, my friend." Merle hunkered down outside the bars of Martinez's cell and placed the flashlight on the ground, the light illuminating the man's face in eerie shadows.

"I think ya know he ain't gonna be none too happy to hear that you been singin' like a bird in here," Merle rasped. Martinez didn't know if he felt like screaming or crying, so he simply pulled himself across the floor, away from Merle, to sag against the far wall. "Lucky for you, ya prob'ly ain't gonna live long enough to worry about it too much," the redneck hawked and spat through the bars, hitting Martinez's foot, where a couple toes were bent at hideous angles.

"Fuck you man, just do it then, I told you everything, didn't I? Just be a man and do it already," Martinez said, his voice tired and furious. Merle made a humming noise in agreement. "I'd like to, believe me. Ya told me what we wanted to know, gave us all ya had, and now I'm done with ya," Merle got to his feet and leaned a shoulder against the cell doors, "But Officer Friendly?" Merle made a whistling noise. "I tell ya man, that dude's got somethin' in him, somethin' nasty, somethin' mean. He thinks you wronged his family," Merle shook his head and Martinez remembered the cold fury in the sheriff's eyes.

"Maybe he don't know it yet, don't think any a them do, but Officer Friendly ain't so friendly. That man's a little fucked up - I seen it before n' it's written all over this guy," the redneck leaned against the cell doors again, the flashlight casting a terrifying glow into his hard blue eyes, "That man would tear you to shreds and smile doin' it, if he thought ya fucked with his family." Martinez found this far from comforting and hopelessness settled over him again.

Merle stood up straight. "Mostly, I like to avoid the crazy ones, ya know?" Merle scooped up the flashlight and took a few steps away, "But this one considers my family his family, n' I'm alright with a lil blood been spilt to keep my own alive."

Merle walked away, towards the door, leaving Martinez to ponder the threat within the prison, the blood-thirsty sheriff, and the threat outside the prison, the Gov, who'd be only too happy to kill him slow for betraying Woodbury. He vowed to himself that if the sheriff came back, he'd beg for death.

And if he got out of here... he pondered revenge for one sweet second and then shook his head. No, if he got out he'd run as fast and as far as he could, get the fuck out of the area and set himself up, away from this godforsaken place.

***** Yeah, cause no one fucks with Rick's people or he makes with the throat-chomping ;) *****


	148. Chapter 148

***** The continued favs and follows, not to mention reviews and PMs, from all you guys, are just fantastic! I look forward to checking my email every day, just to see the newest alerts - you're all shameless flatterers and I love it haha - you make this little writer's heart pitter-patter happily :) Enjoy! As per usual - I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It was unbearably warm. She hadn't noticed it as much the previous day, cuddled up with Daryl in their little loft hideaway, but today, laying tense and still in her hiding place, waiting for the Governor to show up, Linney felt like she was melting. She swiped her arm over her forehead, grimacing at the sweaty and damp feeling on her sleeve.

Rick was below her, pacing at one end of the table. He'd appeared nearly an hour beforehand, glancing around the room, trying to see her. Linney had been unable to suppress a chuckle when he wasn't able to spy her and he'd turned his head in her direction sharply. Rick had whistled softly, their old signal of "I'm over here" and Linney had immediately responded with "I'm on my way". His face softened then and he nodded in her general direction before beginning to pace.

When they had woken up that morning, it was not quite yet dawn. She and Daryl had slipped outside quietly and relieved themselves, before eating a granola bar each and taking small sips from the one bottle of water Daryl had concealed in a cargo pocket on his pants. After kissing her forehead, Daryl had melted into the semi-darkness, to hide, and Linney slunk back inside, swiftly accessing her hiding place.

The thick heat in the old wooden warehouse was nothing compared to the tension in the air. She felt like the Governor would certainly be able to feel it, and hoped that he would just chalk it up to Rick being nervous.

A car horn honked once outside, from Hershel, and Linney knew that the Governor had arrived. She hadn't heard anything before that, except for Rick's and Hershel's arrival, but she felt instinctively that the Governor's men had arrived that morning unseen, all the same. There were voices outside, and Linney thought she heard Hershel's startled voice say, "What are you doing here?" The door to the warehouse opened and heavy feet clomped into the building.

The Governor strode into view and Linney felt her spine stiffen. He was wearing an eyepatch, like a pirate, but the still and sinister air about the man did not make her feel like laughing at him. Her stomach rippled with an icy feeling, a feeling she was surprised to be having, considering her strategic upper-hand: fear. Even though she could shoot him at any moment, even though he didn't know she was there, waiting to kill him, Linney felt hideously afraid of the man. He was a monster, and it felt like her very bones were trying to warn her to flee.

She didn't move though, only watched as wary and tense introductions were made. She clenched her gun in her sweating hand and watched as both men lay their weapons on the table, signaling peace. It felt like there was a bee buzzing in her skull. She couldn't concentrate on their conversation. The enormity of her task, the importance of her success, were making her narrow everything down to simply keeping the Governor in her scope.

After a few minutes of tense discussion, which stretched on for what felt like forever, the Governor turned and called over his shoulder. "You can come in now!" Rick tensed and Linney shifted forward slightly, prepared to kill whoever she had to in order to keep Rick safe. He was taking a huge risk with this plot and Linney wasn't willing to let him get hurt; she'd throw herself out of her hiding place and take the brunt of violence herself, if she had to.

However, the person who entered wasn't an enemy. It was Andrea. The woman looked pleased and smiling, and Linney felt like her throat suddenly had a rock lodged in it. Andrea was not supposed to be here. Rick had made that clear. Yet here she stood. Following behind her was a large black man, she thought his name was Shumpert. Linney remembered him from her imprisonment in Woodbury. As the Governor smiled at Andrea and spoke to her like she was a welcome mediator, Shumpert had a gun at the back of Andrea's head.

It was clear the blonde woman had no idea that the man trailing her was holding a gun to her. But Rick could see. Linney could see. And suddenly it became crystal clear that the Governor had known all along that they had planned to kill him, that this was a trap. Whether she and Daryl were spotted in the woods, or he was following his intuition, he knew. Andrea being there, under threat of death, was a very clear signal that if anything happened to the Governor, they would lose their friend.

Rick was furious, and the Governor smiled at him pleasantly. Andrea was giving Rick a strange look, clearly confused and upset by the anger on his face, thinking it was directed at her. "Rick, I'm here to help," Andrea said in a firm and hopeful voice, "I'm here to make sure you two get everything out in the open."

"Get out," Rick said, his voice harsh and flat. Andrea gaped at him, her expression slowly turning to hurt. "I'm here to meet with the Governor, not with you," he told her in a sharp voice, "So get out." The Governor chuckled as if such rudeness was to be expected and Andrea shook her head in disgust. "Shumpert, you and Andrea wait outside please, while the two of us hammer this out," the Gov spoke calmly, and with authority, and the two left the warehouse. Andrea's face was angry and irritated at Rick's behavior and at the Governor's pleasant dismissal.

"Why did you even bring me with you if you weren't going to have me help?" She called from the doorway, out of Linney's line of sight, and the Governor laughed. Andrea slammed the door and Linney tried to control her thundering heart. It was obvious why he'd brought her and Rick glared at the man in fury.

"So now you know the terms of this meeting," the Governor said to Rick, "I'm certain you were hoping for something different. I'm certain some of your cronies are around here, hiding." The Governor tilted his head up and looked around the cluttered ceiling. For one terrible moment he was looking in her direction and it felt like he was staring directly into her eyes, but his gaze kept moving. "Merle's brother, perhaps? Some of your child soldiers? Linney?" The Governor smiled broadly, "Linney are you in here?" He called for her like she was a naughty child and Linney's heart skittered behind her ribs, as her mouth grew dry.

"What's the bottom line, then?" Rick finally asked, his voice strained with anger. The Governor chuckled and leaned back casually in his seat. He eyed Rick thoughtfully. "I only want a couple things," the Governor said calmly, one side of his mouth twisting up in a wry smile, "But I'm fairly certain that you won't give me one of them."

"And in exchange?" Rick asked, his entire lean frame tensed and ready to fight. The Governor leaned across the table. "I'll leave you alone. We'll keep to the borders you've proposed on this map," one of his fingers tapped the map that Rick had brought, a map that they had really considered nothing more than a prop when they'd drawn it up back at the prison. "You stay out of my way and I stay out of yours," the Governor told him, lifting his finger up in the air to indicate a point.

"But I want something from you," the Governor's voice was smooth and pleased. Rick shifted in his chair and reached up to the collar of his shirt, running his fingers underneath the edge, as if to smooth down an irritating piece of thread. He lifted the tag at the back of the collar out, letting it stick up and out of the shirt. Linney stared at the tag in open-mouthed shock. This was the signal, the signal they'd agreed upon, the signal that meant it was time to shoot. She thought of Andrea, thought of the gun even now being trained on the woman.

Linney felt her finger curl around the trigger.

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He could feel the tag tickling the back of his neck, poking up into his hair, which had grown longer than he normally kept it. He felt slightly guilty knowing that this meant Andrea's death as well as the Governor, but they were never going to get another chance at this. A part of him wanted to tuck that tag back in, to reign in his rage, to conclude this meeting, get back to the prison, and go back to the drawing board. There was a time when Andrea was one of them, and maybe she still was, at least to the others. Rick felt differently though. He knew on some level that an important part of himself died with Lori and he found that it was easier to sacrifice this woman's life than it should've been.

He placed his hands flat on the table, to keep them away from his collar, and the part of his mind that fought against selling Andrea out was beaten down and drowned out by his desire to see the man in front of him dead.

He waited, watching the Governor and not saying a word. The gun shot didn't come, though, and he wondered what was wrong with Linney. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and the Governor's smile grew. "Ready to hear my terms? Or are you still waiting for some kind of divine intervention?" The man's smugness infuriated Rick and he felt like screaming, at Linney, at the Governor, at Andrea for being here.

"Fine," he replied, his voice so choked with disappointment and rage he could barely speak. "I want Merle's little friend, Linney," the Governor said, "Deliver her to me in three days, right here, and we have ourselves a deal."

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She couldn't do it. Linney put the gun down and covered her mouth with her hand, the sick feeling in her stomach threatening to choke her. Her eyes welled with tears and she had to fight to control herself. It was obvious Rick was getting impatient, getting angry, and she felt like shit for disappointing him. She was very well aware that they were missing an opportunity here, that if any other people died at this man's hands, it would be her fault. But she couldn't do it. Not at the expense of another person. A person that, for better or worse, was one of them.

_We left her for dead once, without expending an ounce of energy into finding her, I can't do it again_. She was crying silently, trying not to sob, wrestling with so many conflicting emotions she could barely function. She thought of everyone back at the prison, people counting on her. Counting on this mission and on her, to keep them safe from a greater evil.

On the other side of the coin, she thought of Amy. It had been a year since the girl had died, and they hadn't had much time together, but the connection she had forged with the annoying girl was a lot deeper than she had ever thought. _I wouldn't be what I am now without her_, Linney thought, _I can't kill her sister_.

The Governor seemed to know that Rick was waiting for something and Linney squeezed her eyes tightly together, wringing out the tears that clouded her vision. _Rick, please forgive me_, she thought in desperation, noting the tense statue her leader and friend had become.

"Ready to hear my terms? Or are you still waiting for some kind of divine intervention?" The Governor was dripping with smugness and Linney clenched her teeth hard. His behavior was definitely rubbing salt in the wounds, but still she didn't reach for her gun.

"Fine," Rick replied, the word escaping past his clenched teeth with difficulty. "I want Merle's little friend, Linney," the Governor said immediately, "Deliver her to me in three days, right here, and we have ourselves a deal." Linney felt like an electric shock tore through her body. _Me? What the fuck?_

"What?" Rick asked, his tone light and nearly breathless with surprise. The Governor flickered up an eyebrow at him, a smile playing on his lips. "She was a real special little lady, and I think that her company would be an awfully fair trade," the Governor replied, his tone pleasant and reasonable, "She and I could have a good time together."

She watched Rick's jaw come unhinged, his brow drawing down into a dark expression. Linney thought for a second that he might agree, angry as he must be with her. Rick launched to his feet and slammed his fists down on the table.

"I should gut you like a fucking animal for saying that to me," Rick snarled, spittle spraying from his teeth, "If that's the price of peace then I'm declaring war right fucking now." The Governor chuckled and Rick leaned closer to him.

"You. Will. Never. Touch. Her," Rick stated, his words falling like rocks, his tone reverberating through the room. Linney felt immeasurable relief and not a little bit of shame for even entertaining the idea that Rick might hand her over. _You're a piece of shit for thinking so little of him_. The Governor surprised her by laughing harder. He waved a hand at Rick.

"Oh calm down, my friend!" He exclaimed happily, "That's why this is called a negotiation! So we can negotiate!" The muscles in Rick's jaw were twitching as he sat down, lowering himself in a manner that said he was still coiled to spring.

"The girl is off the table, so to speak," the Governor said conversationally, and Rick sneered at him, his face furious and flushed. Linney watched in trepidation, torn between being pleased with such fierce devotion, and utter terror at how much of a weak spot Rick was showing in his armor. A man like the Governor loved to inflict wounds in his enemies' most tender spots, and Rick had just put his out in the open.

"Well then, moving from pleasure to something altogether different: I want Michonne," the Governor said, his tone moving from light to dark swiftly. Rick blinked in surprise and stared at the man across from him for a moment. Linney wasn't sure what to think. What was Michonne to them? She had worked hard to ingratiate herself and was proving to be not only useful, but loyal and selfless. Linney's stomach flip-flopped sickeningly again and she knew in her heart that whatever sick games the Governor would have had in store for herself, they would be nothing compared to the horror he would unleash upon Michonne.

"She's not even with us," Rick said slowly, "She left that night, after we got our people." The Governor glared hard at him and got to his feet. "Bullshit," he said, the one word laced with so much menace that Linney and Rick both froze still.

"I know she's with you, and she and I have a score to settle," the Governor gathered his weapons from the table and secured them around his waist. "Three days, Rick. You bring her here in three days or the deal is off. I'll wipe you and your group off the map, and I won't be kind about it." He turned on Rick and strode from the room, his boot-heels slamming against the wood floors with a kind of harsh finality. Rick didn't move, he sat still as they both listened to the Governor barking orders at his men.

The sound of vehicles starting up and driving away filled her ears and Linney buried her face in her arms and felt all of the tension of the past hour whoosh out of her all at once. She let it go and cried into her arms.

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When the sound of the Governor and his people leaving had faded away into nothing, Rick still sat frozen. He could hear the faint noise of Linney crying, muffled and pathetic, but still he couldn't move. A door at the back end of the warehouse slammed open, smashing into the wall, and he heard Daryl's voice call for them.

"Lin! Lin! Rick?" Daryl ran up to the platform and paused, his features tight and upset. "Where is she?" He barked, looking around worriedly. Rick didn't even spare him a glance and Daryl charged over to the wall, pausing beneath a mess of clutter that hung from the ceiling in layers. "Linney!" He yelled, and Rick heard a loud sniffle and then the heavy sound of Daryl letting out his breath. There was a scrambling noise and then a thud as Linney climbed out of her hiding place.

Rick got to his feet then, gathering his weapons and re-holstering them slowly. When he turned around to look back at them, Daryl had Linney clutched to his chest. She had her face buried in his filthy shirt and was still crying. Her muffled sobs of "I'm sorry, I couldn't do it, I couldn't do it, I'm sorry," pulled at something inside Rick, but he was feeling too much to react. Anger, disappointment, fear, worry, confusion, even more disappointment - he was pulled back and forth violently inside by the mess of emotions.

Daryl looked furious and bewildered at the same time, one of his hands holding the back of Linney's head, as if he was afraid she would try to flee. "What the hell happened?" He snapped in irritation. Linney struggled back from Daryl, her face smeared with dirt, sweat, tears, and walker blood. She turned to Rick with watering eyes, her mouth pulled down miserably.

"Rick, I'm sorry!" She cried. Rick couldn't look at her, he didn't even know what to say. _Tell her she doesn't need to be sorry? That it's not her job to take care of everything? That I was wrong to put her in this position? That I'm pissed off with her all the same?_ She took a step towards him, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm. "Rick, please, say something? I'm sorry, I couldn't do it... Andrea was here!" Linney was nearly shrieking. She gripped his arm tighter and he looked down at her small dirty hand on his forearm.

"Rick, I couldn't let her die! Amy was... I... I couldn't let Andrea die! We have to think of something else!" She cried, and he finally lifted his eyes to hers. "Please Rick, say you forgive me? Say it's ok? Please!" She was begging him now, and he was torn between wanting to sweep her into a hug and telling her everything was alright, or shoving her into Dixon and telling her to fuck off, that she'd ruined everything. She didn't kill the man and now he was faced with a horrible decision.

He glared at her and pulled his arm away. "You don't say a goddamn word about any of this until I tell you, understand?" His voice came out like a thunderclap and Linney flinched like he'd hit her. She nodded slowly, and Daryl reached for her arm, pulling her back towards himself. Rick glared up at the man and saw the confusion and anger on Dixon's face. "The both of you keep your fucking mouths shut until I can talk about this."

He turned and strode outside, to the waiting car, trying not to listen as Linney started crying again.

***** I was honestly stuck on this plot point for like a week, and then it came to me all at once and I wrote like a mad-woman - I hope you like it! *****


	149. Chapter 149

***** I don't usually recommend a song to listen to while reading, but I recently found a song and was like, wow, those lyrics are so Linney and her place in this crazy world - so if you wanna listen to what I listened to while writing this chapter: "My Silver Lining" by First Aid Kit... Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

The car ride back to the prison was agony. Hershel drove them, his face set into hard lines of unhappiness. Rick was in the passenger seat, looking straight ahead, his face completely devoid of feeling. Linney sat next to Daryl in the backseat of the sedan they rode in, but away from him. Once the initial rush of feeling had left her, she no longer wanted comfort.

Her legs were curled up on the seat next to her and she rested against the door, staring out the window at the landscape that flew by. She didn't cry, but internally, she was screaming, she was breaking shit, and she was generally having a bit of a break down. On the outside though, she knew that she looked pretty well contained. She could feel Daryl's eyes on her, and without looking over she knew he was concerned and angry.

The fact that this sordid tale with the Governor was going to continue, moving on to yet another nightmare scenario, made her want to pull her hair out. _Why didn't I just kill him? Why didn't I just take the fucking shot?_ Her internal answer to those questions was immediate: _Andrea_. Pulling the trigger meant killing her, too. Linney shook her head as she mulled this over. _I couldn't have her blood on my hands. Not Andrea's_.

There was a slight touch on her leg and Linney finally looked over. Daryl was peering at her with narrowed eyes and she couldn't muster up a smile for him. She simply met his eyes for a moment and then turned back to the window. _What if someone else dies? Carl? Beth? Maggie? Glenn?_ Linney bit her lip. She knew she could never live with herself if her moment of sentimental weakness led to the death of someone she truly loved. She shifted minutely, pushing a finger up into the mat of her filthy hair and scratching her scalp, where the dried walker blood was itching her terribly.

_What was I just saying to Daryl, though? Killing the living should never be easy! Never!_ And this wasn't just some random living person - this was Andrea, someone she had fought next to, spilled blood with, grieved with, and eventually, grieved for. _No, no, it was the right choice, it has to be the right choice._

The tires moved from pavement to gravel, and Linney looked out the front to see they were winding through trees, along the road that led to the prison. She put her feet down and patted her arms along herself to make sure her weapons were ready, in case they needed to fight to get into the courtyard. Hershel made his way slowly through the downed gates and then drove swiftly through the yard to the closed gate of the courtyard. As Merle and Glenn slid the gates open, Rick turned back to her, his face steady and blank.

"Remember what I said," he warned her, his gaze darting over to Daryl. Daryl grunted once and Linney nodded, opening her mouth to say she would too, but Rick put a hand in the air, signaling her to stop. "Save it; not now, Linney," he told her, turning back to the front. She heard the gate clang shut behind them and Hershel turned the car off. Rick's brusque tone left her feeling stung and embarrassed. Everyone climbed from the car, except for her. She sat frozen, terrified at the notion of facing everyone, of facing their disappointment. She wondered if she could just wait in the car for awhile, to calm her mind.

Merle decided for her, though, ripping her door open and clamping a hand on her arm, pulling her out roughly. "He ain't dead," Merle said gruffly, staring down at her with frank disbelief. Linney shook her head. "Anyone wanna tell me why that fucker ain't dead?" He snapped, not looking away from her. She clenched her teeth together, Rick's warning in her mind.

"We'll discuss it later," Rick said in hard voice. Merle looked away from her, over to Rick, and then back down to her. His brow drew down and he glared at her. "What the fuck happened?" He demanded.

"Leave it," Daryl said, coming up to his side. Daryl reached for her, to put his hand on her shoulder, and she pulled from Merle's grasp, ducking under his arm and dodging his hand when he tried to grab her. "Linney!" He growled after her, but she didn't listen, she just sprinted towards C Block without saying a word. She could hear Daryl behind her, when he spoke to Merle, and it made her heart sink.

"Not now Merle, things are fucked up bad."

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When Linney walked into the eating area, everyone lurched to their feet, their breaths coming in sharply as they prepared to barrage her with questions. Beth later reflected that it was amazing that all of them seemed to recognize that something was deeply wrong, the second they saw Linney, and their mouths all snapped shut quickly. Beth had never seen Linney look this way.

Not that she hadn't seen her covered in walker blood before, not that, just the look on her face. Her eyes were wide and blank, her face tight as her jaw clenched hard, and her shoulders were hunched as if she was expecting to receive a blow. "Linney?" Carl asked, stepping towards her. Linney didn't spare him a glance as she moved quickly through the room, right into the cell block. Carl looked over his shoulder to Beth, the hurt in his eyes evident. Beth swallowed and shrugged, and turned to Ben, who was sitting next to her at the table.

"I'll be right back," she told him softly, and he nodded understandingly. Beth got to her feet at the same time Maggie did and the two of them, with Carl, jogged into the cell block. They caught sight of Linney heading into her room and the three of them tromped up the stairs after her. "Lin?" Maggie called, concern in her voice, "Lin, what happened?" Maggie reached the door to Linney's room first and stopped quickly, turning back to Beth and Carl, halting them before they reached the threshold.

"Carl, go back downstairs," Maggie said quietly. His brow twitched and he drew himself up, squaring his shoulders. "Linney is my family, and she needs me," he insisted, his jaw jutting out stubbornly. "She's gettin' changed right now and is gonna take a bath - trust me, she don't need you yet, sweetie." Carl grimaced and turned on his heel, rocketing down the stairs quickly. He stopped at the bottom and turned to look back up at them.

"Call me later, right?" He said, his face worried and tense. Maggie and Beth nodded at the same time and he ran back into the eating area. Maggie turned to Beth and bit her lip. "Ready?" Beth nodded, determined to be one of the people to offer comfort to Linney. Her friend was always running around trying to help everyone else, she wanted very badly to be there for Linney now.

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She'd heard them outside her door. It wasn't like it was a real door, with just a sheet hanging over the bars. Even knowing that interruption was imminent, Linney had stepped into her room and immediately began pulling off her clothing. Her weapons were ripped off and then her filthy button-front shirt. She pulled it off so quickly and carelessly that one of the buttons got stuck in the horrifically tangled mat of her hair. The shirt hung like a tail from the clump of hair, brushing her mid back, and she left it, barely even aware it was there.

The ruined tank top and bra were shrugged to the floor, followed by her belt. Linney stripped her pants down over her legs and heaved a sad and watery sigh when she realized that the legs wouldn't come off over her boots. She took two clumsy steps back to the bed and sat down, the pants folded down over top her boots, her socks sagging on her calves on top of them. Sitting topless, with a shirt in her hair, pants puddled around her feet, wearing just her underwear, Linney slumped on the bed and stared at her hands.

Maggie pushed into the room and moved hesitantly towards Linney. "Lin? What's goin' on?" Her friend drawled carefully. Beth slid in behind her sister, closing the door and moving to the metal stool attached to the table by the entrance. Linney glanced up at Maggie and blinked a couple times. "I'm a big fucking idiot," she replied, her voice flat. Maggie stared at her, clearly struggling with what to say next.

"You'll never be able to go clean up like this," Maggie finally said, sinking to her knees in front of Linney. She pulled Linney's pants back up to her knees and briskly began untying one of Linney's boots. "You know, Lin, you're not responsible for the world," Maggie told her, in a calm and even voice. Linney stared at the top of Maggie's head, trying to drag herself out of the pit of self-pity and self-doubt she'd dug for herself enough to answer coherently.

Maggie's deft fingers yanked one boot off and she began to scoot down the sock beneath it. "I know what Rick's plan was and what Daryl's plan was, hell, even what my dad's plan was, but it sort of seemed like you were just along for the ride because ya felt ya ought to be." Maggie patted Linney's bare foot and reached for the other foot incased in it's boot. "But, I mean, killin' the number one bad guy is a lot of pressure for one person," Maggie seemed to be speaking to the knot on Linney's boot.

Linney glanced up and saw Beth staring at her with wide blue eyes. The blonde girl's expression was limpid with sympathy and kindness. Linney felt like she should tell Beth to quit mooning at her like that, but couldn't find the energy. She felt the pressure on her foot from Maggie digging at the knot. "Damn this stupid thing," Maggie muttered, before letting out a satisfied hiss when she finally fumbled it open.

"So, if you weren't able to do it, it's not your fault," Maggie said, her voice matter-of-fact and completely calm. She glanced up at Linney, her eyes honest, her gaze straight-forward. "I can't talk about it," Linney muttered, "Not until Rick -" Maggie held a hand up, cutting her off.

"Then don't say a thing, Lin," Maggie reassured her, "It doesn't take a genius to see what went wrong." Maggie had the boot and sock off at this point and tugged Linney's pants off, casting them blindly behind herself. Maggie popped to her feet and rifled through the piles of stuff on the top bunk, coming down with a blanket. She placed the blanket on the bed and reached out her hands to Linney. Linney stared at the hands for a moment, before she put her own in Maggie's grasp.

She was pulled to her feet and Maggie took the blanket and wrapped it around Linney's shoulders, pausing to carefully extract the shirt that was still tangled in her hair. She pushed Linney gently back to the mattress and turned to the messy pile of gear that Linney and Daryl had stacked in one corner of the room. "Jesus, Linney, this mess must drive Daryl crazy," she murmured. Linney felt one side of her mouth lift in a bit of a smile. The mess definitely did bug him, he of the organized truck and tidy tent, but given their recent misadventures, he'd never once nagged her about it.

"He just picks it up everyday," Linney said in a quiet voice, completing her thoughts aloud. Maggie and Beth both turned to her and Linney shrugged before her tiny smile fell from her face and she felt her mouth wobble. "And I fuck it up. Every. Single. Time!" Linney put her face in hands and started to cry in earnest. She felt a weight on the bed next to her and someone put a firm arm around her. Linney looked up, expecting to see Maggie beside her, but it was Beth. Beth with her skinny arm wrapped tightly around Linney's shoulders, her face determined and somehow mature.

Linney realized in that moment that Beth was really more of a friend, not a child that she was stuck caring for. "Linney," Beth said in a strong voice, "You do not fuck everything up. Maybe cleaning isn't your thing? Maybe you try to clean too much and sometimes it's time to let other people do some cleaning so you don't gotta do it all alone? Everyone is bound to make mistakes if all they do is clean all the time." Linney knew that they weren't speaking about scrubbing and folding. She nodded and Beth smiled sweetly.

"He's bad and he's got to die," Beth said quietly, resting her head against Linney's. They both watched as Maggie gathered up Linney's hairbrush, soap and shampoo, tucking them into a towel that had been slung over the table. "We'll kill him eventually, don't you worry about that," Beth said calmly, "This was just our first try." Linney couldn't help but chuckle a little. She sat up and leaned away from Beth.

"Rick is mad at me," she told her friends in a flat voice. Maggie sat on the stool, the towel bundle on her lap, and waved a hand in the air. "Oh, whatever, he can just get over it," she insisted, "No one can say you didn't try - risking your damn lives to stroll through a dark forest with a bunch of walkers, and you think you didn't try hard enough?"

Maggie paused and met Linney's eyes, "Screw that." Beth got to her feet and nodded at Linney. "Yeah, screw that," Beth repeated, her tone defiant. Linney shook her head and laughed, not sure how these two had managed to switch her mood around so well, when she'd been so determined to just wallow.

She scratched at her arm, and then at her hair and really paused to take in the fact that she was beyond filthy. "I need to get clean, this is nasty," Linney said, picking at a glob of something awful on her forehead. Beth laughed and so did Maggie, each of them reaching a hand out to Linney. Together they pulled her to her feet.

"Let's go get you set to rights, then," Maggie said reasonably.

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"Knew I shoulda gone with ya," Merle said roughly. Daryl glanced over at his brother and shrugged. "Naw man, it wouldn'a made any difference," he told his older brother, "Don't think even you woulda wanted to see Andrea get her brains blown out." Merle grimaced and looked away, taking a big puff on the stale cigarette he'd lit a few seconds before. The two of them had helped unload the vehicle and, upon hearing from a terse Carl that Linney was not to be disturbed, the two of them had made their way down to the far guard tower.

They were both leaning against the railing surrounding the upper level and watching the trees. Daryl wondered if the Governor's men were gone, called back from the front by their leader. He wasn't sure if that was how the Governor worked, but wasn't especially eager to get back out into the trees to check it out. "Still," Merle said, "Don't think she should've gone with you." Daryl took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ya might be right," he grumbled. Merle nodded once in return and looked away. "Officer Friendly's really got some swing with her, though, hey? Gettin' her all fucked up n' bawlin' like that?" He asked, his harsh voice rasping out in an irritated way.

"Rick's just disappointed," Daryl replied, sticking up for Rick despite his own irritation with the man at the moment. Merle didn't drop it though. "Treats her like his precious lil girl, but then sends 'er out covered in guts to kill people in the woods," Merle growled, flicking his smoke over the railing and down into the yard. They both watched as the still-lit butt landed on a walker's shoulder, smoldering away at the bare skin there.

"Gives her the shittiest jobs, puts it all on 'er like that, then gets pissy when things go south," Merle continued, his eyes locked on the walker receiving a bad burn, "What the fuck does he expect? Damn girl can't do everythin', right?" Daryl grunted in response and nodded, and then shrugged. He was torn between defending Rick and standing up for Linney.

"Lin ain't no kid, Merle, she's done some shit, you know? Always chompin' to do more; no one's forcin' her," Daryl spoke slowly, his voice low, "Try n' leave her out n' then find yourself getting torn to shreds by her damn mouth." Merle chuckled and looked up at the sky, his laugh running out long and slow. "Yeah, she does that," he muttered in agreement.

"If Rick hadn't of made her part of the plan, she'd of stole off after us the second your back was turned," Daryl explained. Merle took a step away from the railing, sitting in a chair that had been placed outside for guard watches. He rubbed his face and nodded. "Don't make a difference," Merle offered and Daryl turned to him, his eyebrows knitting together briefly. Merle bit his bottom lip in a brief sneer before continuing.

"He still don't get to make her feel like shit."

"Yeah, man, I hear ya," Daryl agreed, "That's your job."

He just managed to duck Merle's half-hearted fist as he turned to leave and go find Linney.


	150. Chapter 150

***** I listened to "Mess is Mine" by Vance Joy for all the Daryl and Linney scenes in this chapter... I'm liking this sharing music thing haha (oh god, I'm going to turn into one of those people... actually no, I probably won't... I listen to Let It Go way too much for that... and there's my darkest secret haha, let the mocking commence)... Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney! *****

Being clean made a big difference. Linney was sitting in a pair of mens boxers and a clean t-shirt, on her bed, running a hand over her damp hair. Parts of her scalp still stung from where Beth had nearly torn her hair out trying to brush smooth the snarled mat the walker blood had created. Maggie had held Linney's hands in her own to prevent her from smacking her sister until the brushing was done.

Now, she was pleased to be clean. She'd heard Daryl grumbling something to Carl as he made his way to the bathroom to wash up, almost a half hour before and was expecting him to show up any minute. "Look, little man, don't make me kick your ass," she heard Daryl say now, to Carl. She got to her feet and padded to her closed door, pushing it open a little bit to hear what was going on.

"Linney needs to be alone, and if you and my dad are just going to be mean to her, then I think you better just stay the hell away from her," Carl replied stubbornly. Linney had to smile at his fiercely loyal little heart and put the back of her hand to her mouth to cover it. "That's my room, too," Daryl said, almost petulantly.

"Y'know, right now, I think it's Linney's room," Carl said in an angry voice. Daryl grunted. "Guess I know who gets ya in the divorce," he grumbled. Linney laughed at that, a loud guffaw that gave away her position. "Lin?" Carl called up to her.

She sighed and stepped through the door, walking the couple of steps down to the perch and leaning over the edge to talk to them. Carl was bodily blocking Daryl's access to the stairs. Daryl had wet hair and was wearing clean clothes. Linney assumed he'd just gone into their store room for the clothes. _Rick won't like the unnecessary drain on the clothes_, Linney thought gloomily, remembering the way clothes had been counted and parceled out to make sure they all had enough to last as long as possible.

"Thanks buddy, but he can come up now, I'm ready for company," Linney said. Carl nodded curtly and gave Daryl a good dose of stink eye before stepping out of his way. Daryl shot an equal measure of stink back at Carl and climbed the stairs to where Linney stood. He stared down at her and she stared back up at him. They stood and stared at each other for a good long while before Daryl began to look uncomfortable. "Is it really ok if I come up for a bit?" He asked her, uncertainty creeping into his tone.

Linney nodded and turned away, climbing the stairs ahead of him, up to the second floor. She walked wordlessly into their room and sat cross legged on the bed. He paused at the door and stared at her for a few moments. She couldn't see his expression because the light from behind him threw his face into shadow. "You look nice," he said to her, and she blinked stupidly at him.

"I'm wearing mens underwear," she replied in a flat voice. He shrugged and walked into the room, closing the door behind himself. Almost on auto-pilot, he knelt on the ground next to their pile of gear cluttering the corner of the room and began to straighten it out, as he had many times before. Linney watched him tidy things up in the weird way he had - meticulous and almost ploddingly, like he didn't want to, but couldn't stop himself.

While she watched him, she realized that she wasn't mad at him, hadn't been mad at him at any point, and shouldn't be letting him think she was. Her eyes stayed locked on him as his large hands deftly folded a pair of her pants and stacked them on the little bookshelf that was next to their bed, his back to her.

He wasn't prepared when she launched herself off the bed and onto his back, hugging him from behind, slung over him. She buried her face in his neck and clutched him tightly. He'd dropped the shirt he'd been folding and braced himself against the floor when she nearly barreled him straight into the wall. He didn't say anything, though. His hands came up and he put one on the side of her head and the other he reached around to grip her waist.

After a few moments, she let him go and slid around him to sit on his lap and hug him properly. "I'm sorry," he told her, and she pulled back and glared at him. "Why? Did you tell the Governor to bring Andrea?" She snapped impatiently at him. He returned the glare and rolled his eyes at her, pushing her off his lap and shooing her out of the way.

"Yeah, ok, I get it," he muttered. She stepped back and sat on the bed again, letting him finish his tidying up. "Beth says this was only our first try and we'll just try again," she told him, twisting a hank of her hair up the side of her face, and pulling it up over her upper lip, like a mustache, before dropping it. Daryl grunted.

"I fuckin' hope so," he replied gruffly. When he'd tidied everything up, he kicked his shoes off and lay on the bed next to her. Linney remained seated, staring down at him. "It just seems like it was a lot of work, only for me to fucking botch it at the last second, you know?" She said quietly.

"You didn't botch a goddamn thing," he answered quickly. She met his eyes and looked away, growing upset again. "Rick certainly thinks so," she responded. Daryl glared at her and shook his head. "No he doesn't," he said. Linney rubbed her face roughly with both hands and then let out a loud breath. "Did you hear the things the Governor said to him?" She asked him. He shook his head. "Wasn't in there with ya," his tone was growing suspicious and Linney swallowed.

"Then I definitely can't tell you," she said, "Rick needs to mull it over and share what he needs to share when it's time." Daryl raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged. "Look I _was_ in there, so obviously I know what that asshole said to Rick." Linney straightened up and stilled her features, her eyes narrowing slightly, before continuing. "But you hear me when I tell you this: I wouldn't want to be in Rick's shoes for any reason right now," she explained. Daryl still looked unconvinced.

"And he wouldn't be in that position if I'd just taken the shot," Linney muttered. Daryl sat up quickly and grabbed her shoulders. "Lin, if ya had, that big guy would've shot Andrea on the spot, then Hershel, the he'd of stormed inside, with all the guys they had hidden around, and killed Rick, maybe you too," Daryl told her, his voice harsh and rough. Linney still felt her mouth pulled down in a frown and he leaned forward and pressed a firm kiss to her downturned lips.

He pulled back and stared at her critically. "That normally works," he mumbled, almost embarrassed, and Linney gave him a confused look. He leaned forward and kissed her again and she shoved him back. "You can't kiss this one better," she told him crankily. He harrumphed in a grumbling way and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Look, you were in a shit position, Rick's knows it, so quit taking all the blame," Daryl told her in an irritated voice. Linney leapt to her feet and glared at him. "It's not like I _want_ all the blame!" She cried, and he got to his feet too. "Sure you do, just like ya want all the hard work. Just like ya gotta be the one to fix everything, and save everyone - it ain't just about you! Me n' Rick get blame, and me n' Rick got as much on the line as you do - so share it around some!" He was angry and she gaped, wide-eyed, at him.

Linney stopped staring at him and looked around the room, almost a little wildly. _Is that true? Am I glutton for punishment? Jesus, if I'd let them help a little... no, that's hogging the blame again... fuck, why am I bad at everything?_

"I'm sorry then, for... taking all the blame?" She finally said, the words turning into a question because she wasn't sure if she was answering correctly. Daryl shook his head and laughed a little. "Close enough," he grumbled, before his arm lashed out and grabbed her. He yanked her against his chest, planting his mouth on hers and pulled her down into bed with him.

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"We-ll, if it ain't the local law!" Merle drawled in a hard, mocking voice. Rick turned from the gun cache he had been sorting through and glared at the man. Merle seemed completely unconcerned that Rick had dozens of weapon on hand, and strolled over with an expression like a mocking thundercloud, filled with dark amusement. "You n' I need to have some words," he said roughly, coming to a halt a few feet away.

"No, trust me, we definitely don't," Rick replied, his voice nearly bored. Merle flickered an eyebrow up and took a step back, to lean against the wall. He propped a foot up on the wall and crossed his arms over chest. "Then ya'll can just keep yer fuckin' mouth shut n' I'll do all the talkin'," Merle said, his rasping tone making it clear that he was not going to be put off.

Rick smothered the immediate sigh of irritation that longed to escape, and shrugged, turning back to the heap of guns and ammo. "Get to it then, I've got shit to do," Rick growled over his shoulder. He could hear Merle let out a dry chuckle and Rick heard the familiar clicking noise of a lighter being flicked, followed by the dry smell of cigarette smoke.

"Think ya know why I might want to be havin' a conversation with you," Merle began, inhaling the smoke past his words, "Think ya know that I might wonder what the fucks goin' on in that psycho head a yers, blamin' a kid like that." Rick felt his fingers clench hard around the box of bullets in his hand. "We all had jobs to do, Dixon, not that I think you'd understand that," Rick said, his voice angry. Merle surprised him by laughing, the sound cynical and dry in the tomb-like quiet of D-Block.

"Christ, yer petty, ain'tcha?" Merle said, his voice amused. Rick turned to look at him, his jaw a hard line, one of his eyebrows cocked up in disbelief that he was being called petty by Merle Dixon of all people. "Look, _Officer_, let me tell ya somethin', a little somethin' 'bout the Gov, 'bout why he's so damn successful," Merle stated, spreading his hands in front of himself, a little snaking cloud of cigarette smoke following his movements.

Rick cleared his throat and looked away, prepared to tell Merle to go fuck himself, to go to hell, but an image of Linney's crushed expression this morning, and furthermore, Carl's absolute fury with him for being such a dick to her, filled his mind. He shook his head and took a deep breath, deciding that maybe he would hear the redneck out, maybe he'd eat a little humble pie for behaving inappropriately.

"Havin' a plan is good, but really, any little puke walkin' around can have a plan, it don't mean shit," Merle began, tossing his smoke to the ground and grinding it out under his boot heel, "N' I'll give ya this: you folks here are fucking inventive, even if ya are next to fuckin' useless!" Rick put his hands on his hips and glared at Merle, wondering if he'd eaten that humble pie a little too quickly, if Merle just intended to insult him.

"Here's what the Gov does differently," Merle explained, his face drawing down into a serious expression, "He goes out with five plans in place. Not one, cause one will almost always fail." Rick's mind stilled, realizing slowly that this might actually be real advice. "Not just two plans, because honestly, most people are fuckin' dumb n' they'll prob'ly fuck that one up, too," Merle stood up straight and took a step towards Rick, his features like granite.

"The third plan is usually a decoy, they know it won't work, but it puts on a nice lil show. The fourth one is the plan that'll usually be successful, n' the fifth one is the back-up, the oh-shit plan, in case everythin' ends up goin' sideways," Merle paused and Rick let his words whirl through his own brain. It angered him that there was so much sense in them. "I'm guessin' ya'll can see that yer mistake here was puttin' all the heavy liftin' on my brother n' the girl, n' not havin' a back-up," Merle's voice continued, and Rick was dimly aware that the man was somehow managing to keep any smugness from his voice.

"I ain't gonna tell ya all the things that went wrong n' how they're all yer fault (even though they are). I'm just sayin', the Gov only fails when he acts without thinkin', when he acts just to follow his mood," Merle stepped closer, getting in Rick's personal space, "He thinks it all through, every possible outcome n' he's got lotsa people doin' lotsa different stuff, to make sure he wins - he ain't a loser, not like you folks here, you been losin' so hard for so long, that ya'll can't even think of how to begin winnin'."

"Get to the point, Dixon," Rick managed, trying hard to keep his tone from sounding shocked at this overflow of information from a man who hated to share. Merle rolled his eyes and waved a hand in the air like he was stupid. "So, mopin' around 'cause yer lil plan failed, is just fucking stupid," Merle spoke in a hard voice again and his features hardened as well, "N', sure as shit, blamin' Linney fer everythin' is a dumb-shit thing to do." Rick looked away; the man was right about that.

"Ya'll is lucky that she's here, that Daryl is here, n' ya fuckin' know it. Ya might not be thinkin' it, but ya'll is lucky I'm here, too, though I ain't here for anyone but the two a them," Merle was nearly snarling now, "Make it right with her, so I don't gotta look at that fuckin' pathetic face she gets when ya hurt her damn pussy feelings, anymore." Rick blinked at the man, his jaw tightening. His dislike of Merle made him want to argue, but he knew every single thing the man was saying was true and he couldn't say a thing in response. He managed a terse nod and Merle returned it.

Dixon turned and began to saunter from the room, pausing at the door to speak over his shoulder. "Oh, one last thing," Merle said, his dry voice like granite, "The Gov used me to do a lot of his dirty work. Not kids, not girls, not pansy-ass boot-lickers, me. Keep it in mind, Officer." The door slammed shut behind him and Rick swallowed hard. _The Gov used me to do a lot of his dirty work_, Rick replayed Merle's words in head, and a sudden lightness spread through his chest. _I might have a job for you, afterall, Dixon_.

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Linney and Daryl lay snuggled together for a while after their chat, and she was pleased to feel her mind clearing more and more. His arms tightened around her for a moment, before he got up and climbed from the bed. She watched him get his boots on and toss on a clean undershirt, enjoying the free show.

"Linney," he growled in a low voice, his blue eyes cutting back to her. She grinned at him, and he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'm leavin', ya perv, got shit to do," he muttered. Linney nodded and let her eyes trail appreciatively over him, from the bottom of his boots to the top of his shaggy hair. She was giggling by the time she was done, unable to hide her glee over how much this had to be bugging him. When she dropped her gaze back to his eyes, a smile on her lips and a chuckle in her throat, she found him staring at her, a small wry smile on his own face.

"Seriously, girl, somethin's broke in yer head," he mumbled, bending swiftly to plant a rough kiss on the top her head, and leaving the room. Linney grabbed her jeans then and changed from the boxers into her only slightly filthy pants. She slid on clean socks, and her boots and grabbed her one remaining bra from her shelf and pulled it on under the tank top she was wearing. _We need to go on a run for some stuff_, she thought resignedly, thinking of the possibility that the Governor's men may still be ringing the prison. _Not to mention the yard full of walkers._

She grabbed her brush and tore it through her hair again, grumbling to herself as it snagged on some knots created by Daryl. She swung her heavy hair up into a ponytail and pulled her weapons back on. Suitably armored, she decided that _now_ she could go out and talk to people, possibly even Rick. At the very least, she wanted to find Asskicker and give her a squeeze; the baby was like a chubby stressball.

"Linney?" Rick's voice outside her cell made her jump and she walked warily to the door. She pulled it open and he stood on the other side, not looking guilty, but at least looking sorry and determined. "Yes?" She responded carefully, not meeting his eyes, and feeling terrible all over again, despite the talk-down she had with the Greene sisters and then again with Daryl.

"I need to explain myself," he said in hard voice. Linney pressed her lips tightly together and crossed her arms over her chest. She considered him for a moment and then nodded her head back inside her room. "Ok," she answered. She stepped inside and sat on her bed, and waved a hand at the metal stool. Rick sat down and braced his elbows against his knees. He looked up at her and she saw immediately, in the expression of his eyes, that he wasn't angry with her, and that he was worried and ashamed.

He opened his mouth to talk but Linney got to her feet, impulsively, impatient to end the tension between them. She stepped over to him, grabbing him in a hug.

"Apology accepted," she murmured, feeling his arms come up tentatively to envelope her in a hug as well. She could hear laughter rumbling lightly through his chest, and then the deeper sound of his voice, when he said, "Well, that was easy."


	151. Chapter 151

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

"You do realize we have to actually talk about this some more, right?" Rick asked her, his face growing serious. Linney took a step back to her bed and sat, one eyebrow quirking up, her arms crossing over her chest.

"You say that like I'm the one that's about to get chewed out," she replied wryly. Rick had the good sense to look away, and Linney settled herself a little more comfortably. "I'd definitely rather do anything _but_ talk about this," she started, and Rick's sharp eyes darted back to hers, "But I need you to understand what happened, and why." Rick nodded and Linney leaned forward bracing her elbows on her knees.

"You couldn't risk killing Andrea," he told her quietly and Linney nodded, then paused and shrugged. "There are a lot of reasons why I may not have done it, but yes, the biggest is Andrea, although I'd have made the same decision for anyone in our group, past and present," she explained and then swallowed hard, looking away from him for a moment, "Well almost anyone, there was definitely one exception." Rick nodded and rubbed a hand across his stubbled chin. _Ah, Shane, still leaving a lasting mark on our collective psyche's, I see._

Linney cleared her throat, "Rick, for better or worse, Andrea is one of us, and I'm not the only one who feels that way. On top of that, we owe her one, to be honest." Rick made a face like he didn't agree and Linney's hand moved quickly to grab his wrist where it rested on his knee. She gripped him tightly and shook, to drive her point home. "She was one of us; she trusted us, had fought, bled, sacrificed, and mourned with us," she paused and squeezed tighter, "And we abandoned her quickly, easily, with no fight, no argument, no effort. We didn't even think twice before selling her down the river like it meant nothing."

"Lin, we barely got out with our lives, not to mention we were all definitely in extreme shock," Rick said defensively and Linney shrugged while shaking her head. "So? Those aren't excuses! You've told us how important it is for us to stick together, so we don't pull apart? But we let a piece of ourselves fall away without even trying to reach a hand out to stop it," her voice was vehement and Rick pulled his wrist from her tightening grasp, sitting up straight.

"It took me a really long time to understand what a bad thing we did to Andrea. Once I did, I was honestly horrified that, as a group, everyone felt more guilt about leaving Merle behind, then they did Andrea! Think about it Rick! How many conversations, both as a group, privately, or in ya'll's heads, went on over how guilty everyone felt about leaving Merle on that fucking roof?!" Linney bounced to her feet and began pacing, her mind and body both revving up with the conviction of what she was saying.

"And you guys didn't even like Merle! But, most of us sure as hell liked Andrea, or at least felt bound to her because _she was one of us_," her voice was sharp and Rick cleared his throat. "We _had_ to feel worse about Merle, because we saw you and Daryl every day; two living reminders that we'd carelessly caused hurt and pain!" Rick exclaimed, and Linney shot him a disparaging look.

"Get real, Rick," she shot back, "You can't honestly be telling me that simply because Andrea was alone in this world, that she wasn't worthy of some care? So, what? If you don't have anybody, you're not worth anything? You're not worth caring about? You're not worth saving?"

"Linney, that's not fair," Rick began, his face twisting uncomfortably. Linney shook her head and held a hand up to stop him. "What about Carol? She's alone, would you be ok with leaving her behind now? Are you telling me that if anything happens you, it's ok for _anybody_ to think for even a second that it's ok to leave Carl and Judith behind?" Her voice was angry, but she stopped abruptly when Rick shot to his feet, his face angry now, too.

"You're twisting my words, twisting the scenario -" he spat out, and Linney put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Rick, you know what I'm saying: no one would ever leave Carol behind, or leave the kids behind. Doing that would make us the worst of the worst." Rick's jaw tightened and he looked away, sitting down again. Linney followed suit, slowly lowering herself to sit on the bed.

"So can't you see just how tremendously shitty we were to Andrea?" She asked softly, watching as Rick hung his head and nodded. "I owed her Rick, we all did, and if not shooting the Governor meant saving Andrea, then I'm not going to regret it," she finished and gave a shaky little sigh, her adrenaline whooshing from her body again.

"I understand, Lin," Rick said in a quiet, rumbling voice. He looked up at her, his eyes locking onto hers. "I really do. I reacted badly, and harshly, and you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry," he said. Linney gave him a small, sad, smile. "What are you going to do?" She asked him softly, after a few moments of silence, referring to the Governor's ultimatum. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, rubbing a hand over his face.

"What can I do?" He asked her, pressing his fingers to his forehead. Linney swallowed and looked away, not certain she was at all qualified to give him advice on this. She watched her leader, her friend, struggle with the weight of the decision and just shook her head. "I don't know, boss," she answered him carefully, "Maybe you need to talk to a couple other people about this: Hershel, Daryl, you know?"

Rick rubbed his head while he nodded and finally shot her a wry smile. "I am sorry, you know," he told her and she nodded, getting to her feet and walking out of the cell, Rick on her heels. "I know you are, and it's good now," she told him. She reached for her cell door and shut it, the slam of it echoing loudly around the cell block.

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Daryl was perched on the edge of the D Block stairwell, Glenn leaning against the wall near him. "Think he's gonna tell us what happened?" Glenn asked, for the fourth time in ten minutes. Daryl turned slowly and shot a squinted glare at his companion. "Told ya the first hundred times I don't fuckin' know, so quit askin'!" He growled, and Glenn stood up and took a step closer to him, not exactly the reaction he'd been hoping for.

"Maggie thinks the Gov said something terrible to Rick, maybe a really horrific threat, and Rick doesn't know how to break it to us," Glenn said in a low voice, his face tightening in concern. Daryl wanted to be gruff and irritated, but he found himself surprised with the force of how much he didn't want Glenn and Maggie, or anyone here, to be fearful. "I don't know, man," Daryl murmured, looking away. Glenn was silent for a moment until he sat down next to Daryl.

"Maybe you and I need to go kill him," Glenn finally said, his voice matter-of-fact. Daryl looked over at Glenn in surprise, but the younger man didn't turn to him, just continued to stare out blankly at the courtyard. "We could leave at night, just the two of us, get to Woodbury, sneak in, find him, and kill him," Glenn spoke calmly, but with a sense of conviction that both galvanized Daryl and made him want to shout at Glenn that his idea was stupid and dangerous.

"No," was all he responded with. Glenn let out a long, noisy breath and got to his feet. He strode a few paces away and then paused, turning back to glare at Daryl. "Maybe it isn't your call," Glenn said simply. Daryl leveled a hard look at him and opened his mouth to respond, when the C Block door banged open across the courtyard. Rick strode out and Daryl got to his feet. He walked towards Rick, pausing at Glenn's side. He put a hand on the other man's arm and squeezed.

"Don't do nothin', wait to see what's what, first," he warned in a low voice. Glenn's jaw clenched and he jerked his arm away from Daryl. Daryl was tensed to grab Glenn again, but the young man finally nodded before walking swiftly back to C Block. He nodded at Rick on the way by and stomped inside. Daryl watched him go, shaking his head a little, wishing he could've grabbed Glenn and shook him until his teeth rattled. Killing the Gov wasn't a game, and he knew, that despite his obvious progression from plucky kid to hardened survivor, Glenn wasn't up to the task.

Daryl watched Rick approach him and his mind flashed to Linney and how dejected she'd been today, how sickened with helplessness he'd felt when she had sobbed in defeated frustration back at the warehouse. He glared hard at Rick and the man sensed the waves of anger and disapproval, because he stopped a few feet away and looked hesitant and regretful.

"I apologized," Rick began, meeting Daryl's eyes. Daryl felt his jaw tick, it was clenched so hard. Rick rubbed a hand over his mouth and then put it on his hip. He raised an eyebrow at Daryl and gave him a wry smile. "She accepted it, if that makes it any better," Rick continued, "We had a good talk, about Andrea." Daryl relaxed a little, and grunted "Good," in return.

They stood quietly for a moment before Rick turned to the fences that separated them from the walker-filled yard. He waved at Daryl to join him, as he walked down to a filing cabinet wall at the fence line. Casting a quick look around first, Daryl headed down to the fence. When he got there, he turned to Rick and waved a hand at him tersely.

"It's time to tell me what he said," Daryl said in a gravelly voice, his tone brooking no argument. Rick nodded. "He offered me peace, he offered me a deal for peace," Rick said immediately. Daryl swallowed hard, a surge of foolish hope coursing through his body. Rick cleared his throat and continued. "His first offer was absolute peace in exchange for Linney," Rick muttered in a tone heavy with disgust. Daryl felt like a bolt of lightening shot up his spine, bringing him to absolute, white-hot, furious attention. He shot a nearly insane look of rage at Rick before turning on his heel and immediately heading to the gate that led to the yard.

"Daryl!" Rick yelled in frustration, "Where the hell are you going?" Daryl paused at the lock on the gate and glared over at Rick like he hated him. "I'm going to fucking kill him! Right fucking now!" He snarled. Rick jogged after him, grabbing Daryl's arm. Daryl rounded on him and Rick let go immediately, putting both hands in the air. "For fuck's sake Daryl," Rick said in an irritated voice, "That was the first offer, and it was obviously turned down! Settle down!"

Daryl paused, and reason flooded his mind again. He felt slightly embarrassed by his reaction. Of course Rick wouldn't trade Linney like a piece of meat. He glanced up at Rick, slightly sheepish, and Rick twisted his mouth to one side, looking insulted. "You people seem to not think very much of me," Rick spat at him, "I would never trade her life like that. Ever." Daryl nodded and made his way back to the filing cabinets, Rick right behind him. They both sat on the ground, leaning against the cabinet fronts, arms loosely looped around the edge of the pulled up knees.

"I need you talk me out of the second offer, though," Rick said in a quiet voice. Daryl looked over at him sharply, an eyebrow shooting up in curiosity. "Michonne," Rick told him, and Daryl felt a ripple of unease run through him this time. _Michonne... shit, what is she to us?_ He thought worriedly. _I think she might be one of us now... but still..._

"See? You're thinking about it! Right? I can tell!" Rick seemed to feel somewhat relieved. "'Course I'm thinkin' about it, I ain't stupid, how can I not think about it?" Daryl shot back. They paused and Daryl ran a hand through his hair roughly. "Fuck, would we tell her? Or just like, what? Fuckin' kidnap her? A woman?" Daryl's questions were awkward and uncomfortable. Rick shifted a little, obvious discomfort in his movements.

"I've got Carl, Judith, and even Beth to think about," Rick said quietly, naming off the "children" of their group, "Linney, Maggie, Carol, they're women too, and if they aren't killed, god knows what that fucking psycho would do to them." Daryl looked over at him. "He'll do the same to Michonne, ya know he will," Daryl said in a quiet rumble. Rick closed his eyes and nodded. Daryl leaned his head back with a thunk against the filing cabinets.

"What would you be willing to do to keep the people you love safe?" Rick asked Daryl softly, after several long moments of silence. Daryl clenched his teeth against his immediate response, which was of course, anything. He'd do anything at all to keep Linney safe. To protect the kids. Keep his brother safe. He couldn't say it though, because the thinking and the actually doing are always two separate animals. Right now, thinking hard about the actual logistics of dragging Michonne off unwillingly to the Governor to be tortured to death, was grating hard against his conscience.

"Rick... I'm sorry man, I understand if ya go ahead with this, but it's your call, I ain't havin' a hand in it, I just can't..." Daryl trailed off, surprised and relieved by his own words. Rick nodded, his face regretful. Daryl felt sick for Rick, at the decision pressing down on him. Rick took a deep breath, climbing to his feet and taking a step away. Without turning around, he spoke. "If I asked your brother to..." he trailed off. Daryl took a deep breath and pressed both hands against his skull for a moment, wanting to scream at Rick to stay the hell away from Merle with his tainted and evil requests. Daryl's mind flashed to Linney, to little Asskicker, to Carl and Beth, and the urge to scream died in his throat.

"Whatever," he managed to choke out. Rick nodded, and headed towards C Block. Daryl watched him walk inside and pressed his forehead into his knees for a few minutes. The sound of the wind mingled with the sounds of the dead and he tried to force himself to relax.

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Rick found Merle in his cell, stretched out on his bed, staring at the top of the bunk above him. "What?" Merle snapped, not looking towards the door. Rick took a step inside, uninvited, and sat at the metal table there. "I need you to do something," Rick began. Merle's hard eyes turned to latch onto his and Rick fought the wave of misgiving inside himself, before plunging ahead with his request.

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Beth stood frozen in the cell between Linney's and Merle's cells. She had a pillow gripped in her arms as she listened to what Rick was proposing to Merle next door. Ben was like a statue in front of her, both hands clenched on the book shelf next to the bed. He had decided he wanted to move into C Block today, to be with everyone else, and, Beth suspected, to be closer to her. She knew her dad was already watching the situation with the two of them unfold, like a hawk. So she suggested this cell. Even her dad couldn't argue that nothing out of sorts would go on with the Dixons and Linney right next door.

They hadn't told anyone yet, which was why Beth felt so certain that Rick didn't know they were here, and that they could hear everything. She felt sickened. She heard Rick's reasons for handing over Michonne, and she could understand the appeal, but Michonne was of them, as far as Beth was concerned. _What if he'd asked for Maggie? Or Carol? Or me?_ She thought, concern and indignation mingled together. Ben stood up straight, releasing the stranglehold he'd had on the shelf. He turned to her, his dark eyes wide and worried. She saw he was about to speak and dropped the pillow in her arms, so she could launch herself at him and slap a hand over his mouth.

She shot him a warning look, ordering him with her eyes not to speak. She wasn't sure why, but she was absolutely certain that she couldn't have Rick knowing they'd heard his offer and Merle's answer. She silently thanked god that they'd draped the sheet curtain over the cell door first, when she saw Rick's shadow stalk by the other side of the door.

When his footsteps had faded away, Beth finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Ben and saw a fine sheen of sweat across his brown. Reaching up tentatively, she used the tail of her shirt to mop his face.

"Beth..." he started quietly, and Beth hushed him. "No Ben," she replied quickly, her voice a wisp in the suddenly stifling heat of the small cell, "Don't say anything. To anyone. I need to think about what to do." Ben nodded and Beth turned back to the door, stepping towards it, bending to grab the pillow she'd dropped. "Let's finish getting you moved in."


	152. Chapter 152

***** We're getting close, people, closer and closer to answering the question that's been on your minds for a good long while: What happens to Merle? Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It was a cozy night. They were all clustered through the open space in front of the cells in Block C. Linney had helped Sasha move her and Tyreese's things into Block C that evening, after seeing that Ben had moved in earlier. "This is better," Sasha had huffed, as she held up a corner of the mattress on Ty's bed. Linney had bent quickly to the mattress' edge and tucked the sheet under the bottom of the it, before the two of them moved to another corner of the bed to repeat the process.

She had to admire their work. The two cells on the other side of her and Daryl were now clean and tidy, neatly full of Ty and Sasha's gear, the beds clean and smooth. Maggie spoke from the doorway, where she'd been carefully tying a sheet up like a curtain. "Damn straight it is," she said, a laugh in her voice, "No reason for us to be all spread out like that." Maggie took a step back to admire her work and then turned her pretty smile on the other two women. "Ya'll are our family now."

Sasha smiled, tentative at first, but Linney could see the satisfaction and burning hope beneath it. Sasha definitely wanted to be part of the family. Linney briefly put her arm around Sasha's shoulders and gave her a little hug, before moving past Maggie and going out to the little walkway on the second floor. She could hear Axel and Hershel downstairs, chatting quietly about the weather, and the likelihood that the heat would cause some smell problems inside the prison, and out. Linney leaned against the railing, and stared down at the people below. After a moment, Sasha and Maggie joined her, one on either side of her.

Axel and Hershel were sitting on the floor outside Axel's cell, which was now next to Hershel's. Axel's injury was still healing, and Linney suspected it would be a good long time until he was back on his feet, so moving him closer to their resident doctor had been something everyone quickly agreed upon.

Tyreese was limping around gamely a day or two after the prison attack, but Axel had nearly died. The pale blonde man was even paler now, and he'd definitely lost some weight. It was weight he could barely afford to lose. Linney swallowed and looked away; it could have been worse, the man could be dead.

Carol made her way over to them, a drink in each hand, and sat on Axel's other side. She handed one juice box to Hershel, and the other to Axel, and joined their conversation. Linney watched Carol and Axel, watched the way they looked at each other, and she had to wonder. Maggie elbowed her lightly, an impish smile on her face. "What do you think?" She asked Linney in a soft voice, nodding towards the two of them below. Linney smiled back and then shrugged.

"I think it's good, for both of them," Maggie answered her own question, "Axel wouldn't hurt a fly, and Carol could use the companionship." Sasha chuckled quietly and Linney glanced over to her briefly. Her eyes caught on Beth and Ben, sitting with Little Asskicker's car seat, leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. "What do _you_ think?" Linney teased Maggie, elbowing her friend as she nodded at the young couple. Ben was holding Beth's hand lightly, and looked perfectly content, although Linney's smile faded somewhat when she saw the troubled look on Beth's face. _Something's up_, she thought distractedly, making a mental note to corner Beth later.

Maggie harrumphed beside her, tossing her dark hair a little. "I don't think a damn thing, Miss Linney," Maggie responded, "That boy doesn't know what the hell he's getting into with Bethy, she's not exactly warm and cuddly anymore." Maggie turned to Linney, her lips pursed in a wry way, "Not after what you've turned her into." Sasha laughed again, and clapped a hand on Linney's shoulder, before moving past the two girls, to the stairs. Linney gave Maggie the finger, and watched as Tyreese limped into the room, and Sasha moved to him immediately, hugging her older brother and gesturing upstairs, telling him about their new rooms.

"Lin," Maggie finally said quietly, after they'd watched Michonne and Carl enter the room, chatting amiably, Rick trailing after them, his face completely blank. "What?" Linney replied, watching as Daryl and Merle emerged from Merle's room at the other end of the second floor. Daryl shot her a squinted look before going down the stairs. Merle smirked at her and she rolled her eyes, watching the Dixons join the group below.

Linney remembered Maggie and turned to the girl. Maggie was obviously struggling with something, even in the darkness that the encroaching nightfall washed across the cell block, Linney could tell her friend was troubled. "Maggie? What?" She asked again. Maggie took Linney's arm and drew her away from the railing, towards Linney's cell. They sat on the floor, facing each other, and Linney raised her eyebrows at Maggie. "Are you gonna talk or just stare at me?" She snapped, mildly impatient.

Maggie leaned towards her. "Lin, what happened? I said I didn't want to know until Rick told us, but something tells me he isn't going to, otherwise he'd of done it already," Maggie told her in a hushed voice. Linney licked her lips and shook her head. "No, Maggie, no, I can't, I promised," she responded. Maggie grabbed her arms tightly, and pulled Linney towards her harshly. Linney jerked, not used to such treatment or behavior from her friend.

"Glenn is goin' on about killin' the Governor on his own," Maggie hissed in a voice that was barely her own, "He's not far from going off on his own, and getting his fool ass killed in the doing." Linney pulled away and shot Maggie a dirty look. "Then you need to have this talk with Rick, and tell Glenn to cool his goddamn heels. Stuff is going on and if he heads off on some kind of idiot hero mission, he's going to ruin everything," Linney's voice was it's own hiss and Maggie looked furious, before closing her eyes tightly.

She watched her friend struggle with different emotions before her eyes opened again, and a cooler, calmer Maggie looked back at her. "I'm sorry," Maggie said, "That was stupid and bitchy. I'm just so frustrated!" Linney nodded sympathetically, reaching out to pat Maggie's knee. They sat in companionable silence for a bit before they heard Glenn's voice calling for Maggie from the top of the stairs. Maggie gave Linney a small smile before getting to her feet and heading over to Glenn. The two of them disappeared down the stairs. Linney leaned against the cool wall, enjoying the cold cement pressing against her relatively sweaty back. She listened to the sound of everyone chatting below, their shadows dancing on the walls, cast by the few candles they had lit down there.

Briefly, she considered going down to be with everyone, but found herself unwilling to move. The turmoil of the past couple days left her feeling slightly drained, and she was enjoying the cool, dark, solitude of the second floor just now. Someone began to play a guitar and she wondered who it was. Tipping her head back to rest against the wall, Linney closed her eyes and allowed every part of herself to soak in the music.

"Linney?" A tentative voice broke through her quiet moment, and Linney opened her eyes, peering through the gloom, to spy a slim, pony-tailed figure at the top of the stairs. "Over here, Beth," she said softly. Beth padded over to her and sat down, right against Linney's side.

"I heard Rick today," Beth began immediately, her voice a whisper in Linney's hair, "He plans on trading Michonne for peace." Linney swallowed; she'd worried he'd do this... she'd hoped he'd do this... Beth kept going and Linney refocused on the girl's words when she heard Merle's name. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down," Linney ordered, shifting to look at Beth. "What about Merle?" She hissed incredulously. Beth's eyes were shining dimly in the darkness and Linney felt a sudden fear blossom in her chest.

"Rick asked Merle to do it. He asked Merle to get Michonne to the Governor's meeting place, one way or another," Beth told her. Linney grabbed Beth's hand so suddenly that Beth flinched. Linney was lost to her sudden worry. "What did he say? What did Merle say?" Linney cried softly, her tone strangled. Beth pryed her hand out of Linney's talon-like grip, holding Linney's hand in both of hers.

"He said a bunch of stuff about how he gets the dirty work, the work we're all too high and mighty to do," Beth told her. Linney stared dumbly at Beth. "That doesn't answer my question," she responded weakly. Beth grasped her hand tighter, sympathy and worry on her features.

"He said he would do it."

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Merle found Linney sitting in the hallway outside his cell. "What's up sweetheart? Why the long face?" He asked her, his gruff voice echoing. Linney looked up at him, her large eyes dark and accusing in the moonlight shining in through the big cellblock windows. She got to her feet and stood before him, staring hard at him without answering. "Did I fucking stutter?" He wondered aloud, and Linney's jaw clenched together. She jabbed him in the chest with a finger, hard enough to hurt, and he swung his hand down, gripping her small hand tightly and pulling it away from his shirt.

"What the fuck, kid? What crawled up yer butt n' died?" He groused. Linney jerked her hand away and marched a few paces down the hall, before spinning on her heel and charging towards him.

"Anything you wanna tell me?" She growled intensely, her glare fixed on his face. Merle raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if she knew. _That's stupid, Officer Friendly wants to keep her and everyone else outta this_. "Not a damn thing, sweetheart," he answered placidly. Her face went through a quick series of emotions, none of them pleased. She pressed her face into her hands briefly and then turned a much calmer face to him.

"Ok, fine," she replied softly. She turned around and walked into her room, shutting the door softly behind herself. Merle watched her go, feeling like he was missing something, but not interested enough to go after her and insist that she explain herself. He shook his head at her behavior and went into his room.

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Over the course of the next couple of days, Merle caught Linney staring at him, watchfully, accusingly. The little blonde kid, the doc's girl, watched him constantly as well, with something like hate on her little face. He didn't like the feeling they both gave him. The cop watched him a lot too, as did Daryl, and he wondered, more than once, if his guilty conscience was making him see things.

He made overtures to Michonne that were apologetic and mendacious, trying to get her to see that he was a different person here. The two of them worked together, clearing the tombs, sealing the far end of it as best as they could, as the others took on other varied tasks, cleaning, organizing, and fortifying the prison around themselves.

Michonne never seemed to enjoy being near him, and he could understand why, but he knew it was necessary to endure her glares and distrustful silences. He needed her to get comfortable around him, to hate him, but not fear his motives, for his plan to work.

When Rick had asked him to deliver her to the Gov, he'd felt nothing but black bile hatred for the other man. This was the shittiest of the shittiest jobs, something you would only ask of someone that you thought was nothing more than a murderous monster. He assumed that this group only thought of the Gov that way, but apparently a lot of them felt the same about him. He scoffed at the notion that this hurt his feelings; he didn't give two shits about what these people thought.

Of course, he knew exactly what lay in store for Michonne. He'd seen it before, and had no doubt that the Gov would be up to the same tricks this time around. He felt bad about it, sure, but when he thought about Daryl and Linney, he knew this was the only way to ensure their safety. He felt certain that the Gov would try and double-cross them - kill whoever came with Michonne, so to his mind, it was probably a blessing that Linney and Daryl weren't having any part of this.

He knew the Gov's tricks though, and felt fairly certain he could get the woman there, leave her tied up with a bow, and get the hell out of there before the Gov caught him. And if things didn't go down that way, well, at least he could die knowing that he'd kept his family safe.

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On the day of the delivery, Linney disappeared. Daryl and Rick didn't notice it at first, but when they did, the first thing they did was go to Maggie, who told them that Linney had been pissed off and upset all morning. "She told me she was going get away from everyone today," Maggie told Daryl, her tone accusing, "Said she couldn't stand to look at anyone today." Her tone made it clear that she thought Daryl and Rick were to blame, and in thinking about it, Daryl guessed she was right.

Linney knew about the Michonne deal, obviously, he figured that at some point, she'd gotten the truth out of Merle. As Rick left to go talk to Hershel, Daryl sat in the eating area, Little Asskicker in his arms. He felt wrong about the deal. He was certain that it was the most immoral thing they could possibly do, but had zero intention of telling Rick that. The man was struggling with the decision enough himself.

The prison seemed empty that morning: Linney was in hiding, the kids had disappeared - up to god knew what, Merle and Michonne were gone, and Rick was probably pouring his heart out to Hershel. Daryl sighed and looked down at the little bundle in his arms. The baby was a couple weeks old now and starting to flesh out into a pretty, chubby infant.

"Daryl, where's your brother?" Rick asked him, as he strode back into the room. Daryl looked up and knew immediately that Rick had changed his mind. He shot to his feet, baby in his arms, and stepped towards the man. "He's gone man, long gone," Daryl said, his voice gruff and worried. Rick grimaced and gripped his face in one dirty hand.

"We can't do this, we have to stop him," Rick said hurriedly, and Daryl sagged with relief. "Take the kid," he ordered the sheriff, pushing Asskicker into Rick's arms. "You'll never catch him, but I might," Daryl stated. He turned to leave the room, to grab his gear and chase after the pair that were on their way to the Governor. He only prayed he'd catch them on time.

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Beth had never felt more sure of a decision in her entire life. Carl strode along next to her, sheriff's hat on his head, gun gripped tightly in his hand. On her other side, Ben was carrying a huge rifle and looked determined, if frightened. Beth patted her hands reassuringly against the knives at her waist and glanced around. The roads around the prison were barren and deserted, frightening in their desolation.

"If Linney could do it, I can," Beth muttered to herself. "What?" Carl asked her softly, without looking over. Beth glanced over at him, squinting a little in the sunshine. "I was just thinking that if Linney could head out here all on her own, we can too," she told him. Ben grunted, and she looked over at him. He shot her a incredulous look.

"Not one of us is Linney material," he told her seriously. Carl scoffed and they both turned to look at the boy. "Shows how much you know, Ben," Carl said in a near-sneer. Beth couldn't stop her eyes from rolling at Carl's persistent rudeness to Ben. "Carl," she admonished quietly, but the boy shook his head at her.

"Linney trained us both, I think together we're just as good as her," he told her impatiently. Beth blinked at him before shooting an arm out to yank Carl away from the rotted figure that suddenly blundered out from the trees next to him. "Watch out!" She cried, pushing Carl to the ground behind herself. She heaved a knife at the creature, only to hear Carl's startled cry behind her as more walkers emerged from the trees around them.

"Shit!" Yelled Ben, as he raised his weapon. They all began to shoot and stab wildly, and it became apparent to Beth that they weren't going to end this threat standing here fighting. "Run! We have to run!" She screamed at the other two. Both boys nodded and they took flight, sprinting as only the young and frightened can. As they raced down the road, the growing flock of walkers behind them charged after them eagerly.

"We just have to outrun them!" She called to her companions, internally praying that none of them tripped. They'd left the prison to follow after Linney, only about 30 minutes after her. Beth knew if they could reach Linney, they'd be able to figure something out. Better yet, if they could reach Linney after Linney had reached Merle and Michonne, they'd be safe.


	153. Chapter 153

***** In honor of Season 5 starting up (thank god - longest 7 months EVER) - here's the Merle chapter. Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Twice, she was certain he'd spotted her. But each time, she'd managed to throw herself behind some cover. Linney kept Merle and Michonne in her sights as best she could, determined to protect Merle from the Governor, but unwilling to let him see her, knowing he'd flip his lid and probably lock her up somewhere so she couldn't interfere.

She could hear the two of them talking as they walked, but wasn't sure what they were saying. She was intensely curious about they might be saying to each other. She found herself completely amazed by Michonne. The woman was cool as a cucumber. Linney knew if she was in the same boat, she'd fight and kick and scream, never giving up on escape. But Michonne plodded along next to Merle calmly, her tone level, her features even.

Linney lost them for a few minutes when they reached a stretch of highway passing through a nearby small town. She trotted down a couple different streets, unsure which one they may have gone down. Her breath came in near pants as she worried that they were gone, that they'd somehow managed to evade her. Not for the first time, she wished for Daryl, who would've followed them like a bloodhound.

When she heard the sound of screaming, she knew they'd hit trouble. Linney ran, her feet thumping against the cement as she followed the sounds of Michonne yelling and Merle cursing. When things grew quiet, she ran faster, assuming the worst. A motel came into view in front of her, and she had to heave herself to the ground quickly to hide out of view. She knocked her breath out of her lungs and scraped her elbows, but managed to stay silent.

There were dead walkers everywhere and Linney watched in dismay as Merle bundled a bound Michonne into a car. It was obvious they were both out of breath from the fight and she figured that Merle had given up on the idea of them walking and still making the meeting on time.

Linney lay in a ditch and watched them drive away, only climbing out and chasing after them when it was too late. She knew she'd never catch them now and her heart thudded dully with despair. She swiveled her head around and around, determined to find a way to follow them, to try and match their speed. Her eyes landed on a bicycle, leaning casually up against a mailbox on the lawn of a nearby house, and she trotted over to it, quickly lowering the seat and then climbing on.

She peddled down the street as fast as she could. Linney thanked god she knew where to go, and mentally overlaid her map of the area on top of where she was and where she needed to go. She was fairly certain that if she took a couple sidestreets, and then cut through a hiking path in the woods, she might make it to the meet-site just a few minutes after them.

The muscles in her legs burned as she frantically moved the bike forward. Linney fervently prayed she'd be on time, that she'd be able to help Merle, keep him safe. She was absolutely certain that the Gov had no intention of behaving honorably, and would kill anyone who came to deliver Michonne. She wondered at Rick's idiocy, sending Merle of all people to do this job. Not only did the Gov want Merle's blood, almost as much as Michonne's, but Merle was harboring a massive grudge against their enemy. Linney doubted he'd be able to refrain from doing something reckless and stupid, as a means to strike back at the Gov and his men.

As the neighborhoods flew past her, Linney thanked god that she'd come alone. Worrying about anyone but Merle would be too much work, even for her. Her breath and her thoughts chugged along rhythmically as she raced ahead.

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The bike slammed to a stop hard when Linney cranked backwards on the foot brakes. Michonne stood and stared at her a few paces away. Linney had assumed the woman was a walker as she pedaled closer and closer, only realizing it was Michonne when she had nearly gone past her. Linney flung the bike to the ground and charged the woman, catching her completely off guard. Tackling Michonne to the ground, Linney began yelling.

"Where is he! What did you do to him! Where! Tell me!" She had thrown herself at Michonne hard enough that they both slammed to the ground and rolled several times down a slight hill. Linney could only assume that Michonne, walking alone, back in the general direction of the prison, had killed Merle for her freedom. Linney was punching her, feeling her face grow red and angry as she connected solidly with Michonne's jaw, chest, and cheekbone.

With a vicious growl, Michonne flipped Linney over, pinning her to the ground. Her grasp on Linney's wrists as she clamped them down to the grass was painful. Her face was dripping sweat and blood, and the patter of it on Linney's face and neck was making her feel sick. Michonne said nothing, only glared down at Linney, who began to cry. She was exhausted, her calf muscles burning from her frantic peddling, and now, she was certain that Merle had to be dead, and his killer was pinning her down with little effort.

"Where? Where is he? Please," Linney's voice faded out as she sucked in a breath, a new kind of pain, sorrow, burning through her body, "Just tell me, where is he? We promised, we all promised, we'd never let the other turn..." Linney squeezed her eyes shut, realizing that she would have to find Merle and put him down, no matter how much it hurt. Michonne released her roughly, climbing off her and getting to her feet. She glared down at Linney and shook her head, her lips pursed in irritation.

"He's not dead," Michonne finally said. Linney sat up slowly, keeping her eyes trained on the woman. "What?" Linney asked, her voice a rasp. Michonne rolled her eyes and took another step back from Linney. "He let me go, he's gonna go deal with the Governor on his own, he said, for you and Daryl," Michonne's voice was flat and resentful, but it was evident she thought Merle was crazy.

"He's alive?" Linney gasped, clambering to her feet quickly. Michonne touched her cheekbone, which was swelling from the wallop Linney had delivered. She nodded and then turned from Linney, beginning to walk away. Linney ran to her bike and hopped on it. She heard Michonne stop and trot over to her. A strong hand looped down and grabbed the bike, halting Linney from going anywhere.

"You can't be thinking to go to him, not even you, in your stupid, blind, dedication to that asshole, can be thinking to run straight into the damn fire," Michonne said in disbelief, her tone sharp. Linney looked up at her and started to say something nasty, but stopped. She peeled Michonne's hands off the handlebars and met her dark, angry eyes.

"He's my family," was all she could manage. Michonne stared at her and then put her hands in the air and backed away. "Fine," she replied. Linney nodded at her and peddled forward, leaving Michonne standing in the middle of the road, watching as she raced away to catch up to Merle.

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As he shot at the men outside the warehouse, Merle was lost in his thoughts, in his memories, in his rage. He kept seeing Daryl, as the runty little kid he'd been, all shabby clothes and scabbed knees, running to Merle for protection, from neighborhood bullies, and the bully that lived under their roof. He grit his teeth against the burn of the memory, the memory of his failure, at not keeping Daryl safe when he should have. The only person in the whole world who thought Merle was worth a damn thing had been his kid brother, and he'd high-tailed it out of there as fast as he could, leaving Daryl to bear the full brunt of everything.

And Linney. Merle growled quietly and shot at a man trying to fend off two of the walkers Merle had drawn to the meeting place. That goddamn stupid girl, with her big eyes, and her hard shell. Damn Kevin for ever being his friend, damn him for making his daughter important to a man who didn't like having people count on him. He'd failed the girl so many times he'd lost count, he had no idea why she even cared anymore, he surely didn't deserve it. He'd chosen drugs over family and tossed her to the monsters, both of the living and the dead variety.

Monsters. A tall man caught his eye and Merle saw the Governor emerge from behind a truck, taking aim and shooting at the walkers swarming outside, as he yelled orders to his men. Merle brought the gun up, intent on killing the man, but paused, gritting his teeth against the urge. The man deserved die a much slower, much more painful death than a gunshot to the head. Merle aimed for the Gov's stomach, but his bullet caught the idiot who blundered into view and went down screaming. The Gov's eyes darted around, and Merle knew he had only minutes before they realized that some of the gun shots couldn't possibly be coming from their own guns.

He didn't have long to worry though, because at that moment, as they so often did, a walker staggered out of the shadows behind him and Merle barely had time to turn and try to hold the undead fucker off. He swung at it, with the butt of the gun in his hand, but it kept coming. They danced around silently, and Merle cursed himself for not thinking to clear the warehouse before he holed up inside it. They tripped over some debris at their feet and Merle was tossed against the wall next to the door that led out to the fracas outside. He knew he only had to shove the damn thing away from himself, but knew that meant shoving it out the door, and likely drawing attention to himself.

He glared at the creature, his hard blue eyes meeting it's vacant, hungry one and his muscles curled in anticipation. He said a silent goodbye to his family.

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Beth thought her lungs were going to explode in her chest. She could see Carl flagging beside her and knew that none of them had much longer; they were going to stop running soon and then the pack of beasts behind them would be on them. "Look!" Carl wheezed, pointing ahead of them. She looked ahead and saw the warehouses where they had stayed, long ago. There were walkers everywhere, but trucks, men fighting, too. She knew the men weren't their friends, but didn't care. She ran as quickly as she could, Ben and Carl following her.

As they ran through the piles of equipment and silos all around them, her eyes caught on a bicycle tossed in the grass, near a building across the clearing where the men and walkers were grappling. She had a crazy thought that a walker had ridden it and then refocused on the task at hand. Instead of heading directly into the group of men screaming and shooting, they veered off at the last second and tumbled through the door of a smaller, wooden building.

Carl slammed the door behind them, and she realized Ben wasn't with them. She reached for the doorknob, to rip it open and scream for Ben, but there was a mighty thudding against the other side, and she realized the pack of walkers were on the other side. "Beth no!" Carl cried, his face pale with exertion. She backed him away from the door, knowing there was no hope for Ben if he was out there. Carl tugged her arm insistently and they moved as quickly as they could manage through the darkened building. Carl tripped over a chair, and Beth caught his arm. The chair crashed into something and the sound of glass and bits of metal shattering everywhere filled the air.

_Well, if there was any doubt about where we were, there isn't anymore_, Beth thought tiredly. She heard shouts outside and the growls of walkers. It took her a moment to understand that some of the shouting was close, too close. "Carl, there's people inside," she hissed in fright. Carl swallowed reflexively and Beth suddenly wished with everything she had that they had just stayed at the prison.

Carl pulled her arm so hard she thought it would dislocate, but when she whirled to him to yell, she realized he was yanking her towards some shelves. "Up, Beth, up!" He whispered urgently, "We need to get up and hide!" Beth looked up wildly and realized that this old, wooden building, crammed full of random industrial detritus made for excellent hiding places, if you were small and agile enough to climb to them. Carl scaled the wall like a monkey and Beth followed quickly afterwards, thinking oddly of Linney, and some old advice she'd given them once, long ago, while they were camped in a random rotting house over the winter.

She'd been teaching them survival techniques, for every situation, and it had been a joke to Beth at the time, but now, she could only be grateful. "When in doubt, go for higher ground," Linney had told them seriously, her hard green eyes moving from Carl's face to Beth's, "Walkers don't climb and people are stupid, they never look up." Now, Beth climbed for all she was worth. She and Carl found a small perch, hidden above and behind pieces of equipment.

As they hunched together, she could hear the sounds of people thumping around beneath them. "I'm tellin' ya, Shump, I heard somethin' in here," a man's voice said angrily. A deeper voice, "Shump" Beth assumed, answered, "Probably just more of those fuckin' biters."

"No man, it was somethin' else, do ya see a biter? Don'tcha think if one was here it'd be on us already?"

The deep voice retorted quickly, "We found that damn kid, Gov's got 'im outside, maybe it was him." Beth looked to Carl and she felt something tighten in her chest. _Oh god, poor Ben_. The men stomped around for a few more minutes and then left. Carl made to move, but Beth held him in place. "No Carl," she whispered, "We can't help Ben, we're both out of ammo and I'm out of knives." Carl nodded and didn't resist. The gun shots outside were dwindling, and soon it was silent. There were loud voices, and Beth thought she heard a man yell, "No, please! Not my boy!"

Carl's grip on her hand was panicky and tight and Beth closed her eyes, wondering what kind of hell she'd led them into. There was a gunshot, and then a long, loud, pained scream, which Beth knew was Ben. "I'm sorry, Beth," Carl whispered sadly. She turned to him and saw tears streaking his face in the gloom of their hiding place. She clenched her jaw and looked away. Carl had been childishly jealous of Ben, but it was clear that the thought of his death still hit the boy hard. _Ben was ours, he was one of us_.

Another gunshot sounded, but it was away from the main group gathered outside, Beth thought it was maybe a couple buildings away. She heard a loud shriek again, from this new direction, and it was distinctly a woman's scream. Carl began to twitch in anger and fear. "That was Linney, I just know it was!" He cried, and Beth had to clamp her arms around him to keep him in place. He began to fight her, as she held him from going to help whoever had screamed (Beth refused to think it was Linney). "Carl, even if it is, we can't help her! We can't! We'll just die!" She hissed at him. Carl fought harder and Beth fought the urge to smack him.

"I have to help her! I have to!" He nearly yelled and Beth slapped him, hard, straight across the face. He glared at her dazedly and then his features cleared and he started to cry. "All we can do," Beth whispered, trying to calm him, "Is stay here and wait until it's safe, Linney wouldn't want you charging off recklessly."

They were quiet for several minutes, listening to the quiet all around them, as it became clear that the group outside was preparing to leave, and then Carl finally spoke, "If that wasn't her, if she is alive, she'd gonna kill us for running after her. This is pretty reckless, you know." Beth shook her head and gave him a grim, stiff smile; Linney was certain to beat their asses if they ever made it home.

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The stupid bastard shot her. Linney gripped her calf, where the bullet had grazed her, leaving a burning, bleeding streak through her jeans and the meaty part of her lower leg. She grunted when the bandage, ripped from a strip of shirt, was tied tightly over the wound.

She wanted to scream and lose her mind, but knew now wasn't the time. Now was the time to run, to get away and try to salvage what she had left. She had seen the walker on Merle, pinning him to the door. She had watched him grapple with it, as she fought her way through the junk in the warehouse towards him. Tripping as she ran, she couldn't even yell to warn him, to let him know she was there, that she was coming to help; she couldn't risk drawing the men or the walkers outside.

A knife in her fingers, Linney had felt like everything around her slowed down to a single pinpoint of vision. Merle's muscles were bunched as he prepared to shove and roll the walker off himself, and she could tell that would bring them both careening through the door, right into the sights of the Governor, and knew that meant his death.

She didn't think she could get a clear shot with her knife. She was too far away, too tired, and too emotionally ripped to shreds to do it properly. But she took the shot anyways, her own desperate prayers tearing through her mind. His fate was sealed, and it seemed that only one poorly thrown weapon had even a sliver of a chance to veer him off that deadly course. She had closed her eyes, childishly, after the knife left her hand. The memory of that hopeless shot, her despairing thoughts, the vision of one of the most important people in the world to her, facing his doom, would haunt her until the day she died.

A rough hand gripped her arm and yanked her to her feet now, pulling her from the bleak memory. Pain shot through her leg. She cursed and fought to pull her arm from the tight hold.

"Get movin', ya whiney little shithead," the yanker said. She glared a black glare at him. "You fucking shot me, you stupid asshole, maybe a little gentleness is due?" She snapped. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Hey! Don't roll your eyes at me!" She cried angrily, "I killed that walker, didn't I? You're alive aren't you? You didn't need to shoot me!"

"Look sweetheart, I didn't know it was you, and I already told ya: don't no one sneak up on ole Merle and walk away," Merle retorted, leading her out of the warehouse, and away from the carnage.


	154. Chapter 154

***** Um, so, _holy shit_ guys, tonight's episode was _insane! _I'm so super pumped right now, I thought I'd put up another chapter just 'cause... Carol, geez, what a fricking_ bad ass! _The pace of this episode was phenomenal and made up for so much of the slowness in the last season... And, you guys know I'm not a Caryl shipper per se, but honestly, my heart just exploded into tiny pieces of squee with the reunion... Anyhow, onto the story goodness!Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

When Michonne recognized the figure heading towards her, she didn't know if she should be worried about being tackled again, irritated that yet another person was worried about Merle, or amused.

"Where is he?" Daryl demanded, when he was a few paces away. His face was locked down tightly, fury and concern warring in his narrowed eyes. Michonne gently rubbed her face and shrugged. "You all have got to be the stupidest family I've ever met," she told him bitingly. He blinked in confusion. "What?" He responded quickly, "Where is my brother!"

Michonne stalked closer to him and jabbed him in the shoulder with a stiff finger. "I already told that little girl that he let me go, took off on his own, planning to take down the Governor by himself," she told him in a low, angry voice. Daryl blinked in confusion again and moved away a few paces, before stepping back to her. "Little girl?" He finally asked and Michonne smirked. "You didn't know she came out after him?" She asked him, her tone condescending, but worry unfurling slowly in her gut. He shook his head and cursed.

"God-fucking-dammit, Linney," he hissed to himself, shoving past her. Michonne watched him go and then jogged after him. She walked beside him silently for a moment, fighting herself internally. _That crazy fuck tried to kill you, TWICE_, she thought irritatedly, _I know you aren't thinking of going to help him!_ She glanced over at Daryl, at the tight, clenched line of his jaw, and his narrowed eyes which betrayed his true feelings. Michonne softened, seeing utter terror in his blue-eyed gaze. She straightened her spine.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered to herself and Daryl glanced over at her. "What?" He asked her, his tone curt. She shrugged and reached a hand up to her katana, pulling it loose. She held it in her hand, by her side, feeling stronger as soon as the hilt was in her gloved palm. "I'm as stupid as you all," she replied, shaking her head. "Ain't askin' ya to come with me," he grumbled, swinging his cross bow to hold against his chest.

"Not doin' this for your sorry ass brother, or even you, so don't flatter yourself," she said condescendingly, "I like that stupid little girl." Daryl grunted in reply and she couldn't tell if it was in agreement, or if he was laughing. She glanced over at him again and saw the tense set of his neck and jaw. Definitely not laughter.

Hesitantly, she rested a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer a modicum of comfort to the surly, worried man. "Think they're both pretty hard to kill," she reassured him. He shrugged her hand off his shoulder. They were silent for a few minutes as they trudged along the side of the road. "Thought she was pissed and sulking," he told her, breaking into the silence, his voice gruff and rasping, "Never thought she'd follow him."

"Then you're definitely as stupid as the rest of them."

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They didn't get far when they left the warehouse. Linney could barely walk, and Merle quickly led her into what amounted to little more than a shed. "We'll stay here for a bit," he told her, "Wait til those assholes clear out and see if I can get that car back." Linney nodded, peering down in the gloom of the shed to see that the bandage on her leg was nearly soaked through with blood. Merle crouched next to her and clamped his hand over the wound, holding it tightly.

"Need to get it to quit bleedin'," he murmured gruffly. Linney nodded and tried to ignore what felt like a second heartbeat in her leg, beating a steady rhythm of pain and blood. Every few minutes, Merle would stretch away from her, keeping his one hand locked around her wounded calf. He would peer through the cracks of the shed and grumble to himself when he saw that some of the enemy were still out there, putting down their own dead that had risen again.

"Don't suppose you see the Gov, hey?" She whispered to him, after the fourth time he'd looked. Merle peered at her, his eyebrows knit together, and he shook his head. "We ain't that lucky, sweetheart," he replied, his tone angry. He continued to glare at her and she weakly smacked his arm. "You don't get to be pissed at me," she warned him in a low voice, "I saved your fucking life, you ingrate." Merle smacked his lips and turned away from her.

"That's the second time you botched killing the Gov, you know," he told her matter-of-factly. Linney felt her stomach drop out and she pressed her lips together. "I woulda killed 'im," Merle continued, his voice a low-pitched rumble, "Even if that fucking biter had tossed me outside, I woulda killed 'im, even if it was the last thing I did."

"And then they would have killed you," she shot back, her own glare growing on her face. Merle shrugged and looked away. "Worth it," he muttered and she made a disgruntled noise in the back of her throat. "Even if that sick fuck was dead, they would've killed you ugly, killed you slow, made you beg for mercy; people like that don't just stop 'cause their leader is dead, they just keep on going 'cause it's all they know to do," she explained in a hiss. Merle settled himself onto the ground, moving out of his crouch to sit next to her more comfortably.

"I wouldn't have begged, I ain't never gonna beg," he answered in a crusty, defiant voice. Linney shrugged and looked away. "I'm glad you aren't dead," she told him simply, trying to ignore the pounding headache she felt building behind her temples. Glancing down at her leg, Merle's big hand tight over top of her calf, she saw that blood was still leaking out between his fingers. She idly wondered if it was possible to bleed out from a leg wound, and then wondered how much of a 'graze' it actually was. That much blood made her think that maybe the bullet had actually torn the meaty part of her leg apart, taking out a chunk, instead of just carving a divot along the surface.

"It's worse than it looks, isn't it?" She asked him quietly. Merle grunted and she felt his hand tighten. "It's nothin', quite yer bitchin'," he responded carelessly. Linney felt a cold weakness in her stomach, aware that Merle was worried and trying to hide it. He peeked outside again and suddenly launched to his feet. "They're gone," he told her. His eyes moved down to the bloody wreck of her leg and he ripped his overshirt off, leaving him in a sleeveless undershirt. He threw the shirt at her.

"Fold that up, thick and even, need to wrap yer scrawny chicken leg up a little better, so ya'll can move," he ordered her. He watched her as she weakly folded the shirt until it was a long rectangle. "Wrap yer leg, good n' tight," he told her, "Shoulda done this from the beginning." She looked up at the regret in his voice and he shook his head. "Yer goddamn pussy whinin' distracted me," he said, his voice blaming her, "Go on, bandage that thing." Linney rolled her eyes and tightly wound the make-shift bandage over top of the flimsy, blood-soaked one already on her leg. She managed to tie it fairly tightly, and the second she was done, Merle hauled her to her feet.

He pushed the door open quickly and led her out, not commenting on how heavily she was leaning on him. "I don't feel right," she managed, feel a wave of cold dizziness sweep over her, head to toe. Merle looked down at her pale face and she saw the brief flash of concern before he buried it beneath irritation. "Shut up, ain't nothin' we can do now," he snapped. Linney sighed as Merle led them back to the warehouse they'd slunk out of earlier. They crept silently and carefully around the building, and Merle stood straighter when he peered into the clearing.

"They're gone," he whispered, his voice heavy with relief, which struck Linney as odd. Merle never felt relieved, because she was certain he never felt much worry. He brought her around the corner of the warehouse with him and Linney couldn't suppress a gasp at the sheer quantity of dead. There were easily three dozen downed walkers across the clearing, and roughly a dozen freshly-dead men; the Governor's dead. When she saw a familiar corpse laying out on the ground, bleeding from a terrible wound to it's stomach, Linney stopped.

Merle looked down at her, and then followed her wide-eyed stare. The dead man on the ground, and the live man, crouched next to the corpse, openly mourning, were a sight that Linney was having trouble processing. "How did Ben get here? How did Allen get here?" She hissed in confusion. Merle said nothing and didn't protest when Linney pulled away from him and moved towards the pair, limping heavily.

"Ben?" She asked, and the boy turned to look at her, his face pale, dirty, bloody, beaten, and streaked with tears. "What happened? How? Why are you here? What happened?!" He swallowed hard and scooted back from his father's disemboweled corpse. "I... he was with them, with those men," Ben stammered, his voice confused and bewildered.

"What the hell ya doin' here boy?" Merle snapped, moving to Linney's side when she swayed on her feet. His arm slipped around her shoulder blades and under her armpit, holding her up. Ben swallowed and gestured weakly at Linney. "We came for you, to help you, to save you," Ben said sadly, his eyes wandering back to his father's dead face, a face which seemed twisted in agony, even in death.

"We?" Linney whispered, knowing exactly who it had to be. Ben nodded. "We got surrounded, chased by walkers, a huge crowd," he whispered in sorrow, hanging his head. Linney saw Allen's hand twitch and glanced up at Merle. His hard blue eyes locked on hers and she nodded towards the dead man.

"Move," Merle ordered Ben, releasing Linney and shoving Ben out of the way. Without hesitation, he slammed the blade on his metal arm down through Allen's forehead, just as his milky, dead eyes flickered open. Ben made a strangled noise in his throat and Linney reached her hand out towards him. Ben stared at it and then moved to her side, gripping her hand tightly, fresh tears streaking down his face. Merle was wiping the blade on Allen's shirt and turned to Ben. "Don't just stand there, ya fuckin' idiot, tell us where those little shits are," Merle demanded.

Linney felt panic and worry blossoming in her chest, terror for Beth and Carl trying to burn through her woozy, weakened mind. Ben released Linney's hand and she stood swaying slightly, staring at him in dumb, animal, fear. "We got separated, they just disappeared and then the guys here had me, and they were beating on me, and my dad, my dad..." Ben's voice trailed off as he looked sadly down at Allen, "My dad was screaming at them to stop, and then the Governor called him a traitor and gutted him!"

"Carl?" She whispered mournfully, and Ben shook his head, "I don't think they made it, they never came out, I never saw them after, they must've... they had to've been...". Linney didn't hear anything more because it was more than her wounded, in shock self could take. She felt her eyes flutter and then began a slow descent to the earth, thankfully falling into a shadowed place in her mind before she fell in a dead faint to the blood-soaked ground around them.

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Daryl moved hesitantly into the wooden building he and Linney had been in, just a few days before. Michonne was right on his heels, like a silent shadow. He signaled in one direction and she swept past him carefully. He moved in the opposite direction, his mind roiling with worry. They'd arrived only to find the aftermath of a huge skirmish. When they found Allen, dead, gutted, and then stabbed through the forehead, he didn't know what to think. They searched the warehouse across from the wooden one and found only a dead walker, with a knife through it's temple.

Daryl had stood in the dim, stinking place, staring down at that knife for a long moment, before stooping and ripping it free. He couldn't be absolutely certain, but he thought it was one of hers. About ten feet from the dead walker, which had been slumped in front of the door, Michonne had found a pool of fresh blood, definitely from a living human. It was the bootprint in the blood that really worried him; he would recognize that pattern anywhere.

"She was here," he had murmured, touching the bloody print reverently. Michonne had put a hand to his back briefly. "Doesn't mean it's her blood, doesn't mean anything," she said flatly. He had looked up at her, from his crouch next to the blood and glared at her. She looked away then, and they had quickly searched the rest of the building, before moving to the wooden one.

It was quiet in here, and he was beginning to think the worst, when he heard a noise. It was so slight he couldn't be sure he'd actually heard it, but he thought it sounded like a hissed whisper. He took a risk. "Linney?" He called in a whisper, the worry in his voice so heavy it surprised him. He heard a gasp from up above, from the place where Linney had lain in wait for the Governor before, and for a moment thought he might pass out from the relief that coursed through his body.

"Daryl?" It was a familiar little voice, and in the next moment first Carl, and then Beth, dropped down from the ceiling, landing in ungainly thuds in front of him. "What the hell are you doing here?" He snarled at them, grabbing Carl's skinny shoulder and hauling the kid to his feet roughly. Carl opened his mouth once or twice, like a fish gulping for air, and Beth swept in front of him, slapping Daryl's hand off the boy.

"We came to help, we followed Linney, to help her," she snapped, glaring at him, even as her jaw trembled. "Where the hell is she?" He bellowed, his patience snapping. The blonde girl took a startled step back from him, knocking into Carl. "We never, we couldn't... she wasn't here! We had to hide!" Beth cried vehemently. Michonne charged over to them then and stopped stock still when she saw the kids.

"Unfuckingbelievable," she muttered, glaring at the kids, "What are you even _doing_ here?!" Carl swallowed and stepped towards them, the sheriff's hat tipping backwards on his head. "We came, with Ben, to find Linney, but then there were all these walkers and we had to run, and they chased us! And then Ben got separated and we had to hide in here because I tripped on a chair, and then they must've killed Ben and then I heard another shot and heard Linney scream -" Carl's rambling flow of words was halted when Daryl's arm shot out and grabbed the boy's arm, jerking Carl towards himself.

"What? You heard her get shot? When? Where?" He growled. This time Michonne cooly pried his hand off the boy and Carl, swallowing thickly, stepped closer to Daryl, staring up at him sorrowfully. "We heard a shot and a scream, from over there," the boy pointed towards the warehouse Daryl had just come from, "Then nothing. We had to stay here, we had to hide. There were too many of them, we have no weapons left, we had to hide!"

Daryl turned away from the kids and charged out the door. He heard the thumping of their footsteps as they rushed after him. "_Linney_!" He yelled, his voice choking on the last syllable. He looked over at the crowd of walkers laying in dead piles in the clearing. He jogged over and began to examine each one, praying fervently that none of them were her. "_Linney_!" He yelled again, turning around and sweeping his cry in a circle around them.

"She's not here, neither is Merle," Michonne said quietly, from his side. Daryl looked over at her, trying to hide the agony of fear he was drowning in, but not succeeding. Her face briefly sank in sympathy before jerking back to alertness. She swiveled around and pointed. "You've drawn more," she hissed, pointing at the handful of dead coming staggering down the road towards them. "It's time to go," she ordered him, turning and waving the kids over. Both of them had been staring down in horror at Allen.

"Ben's not here," Beth whispered, shock in her voice, "Maybe it wasn't him they killed?" No one answered her hopeful question and she swallowed hard. "It's time to go," Michonne repeated. Daryl glared at her. "That bastard has her, he's got to, I'm going to get her back, Merle too," Daryl told her stubbornly. "We all will, you know we will, everyone will go, and we'll get them back," Michonne responded in a hard voice, "But first we get these kids back to the prison, we gather more weapons, more people to fight, then we go after her."

Daryl wavered, desperate to just run, all the way to Woodbury, but after looking down at Carl and Beth, Linney's little asskickers, he nodded in agreement. "We run," he told them, watching as Carl and Beth drooped a little at the order. They all set off in a jog, heading back towards the prison. Every footfall felt like an accusation, like even his own boots were tromping out their anger at him. He felt like he was going in the wrong direction, that he should be going after her immediately, that each second she was with the Governor, was a second longer of the abuse and torture the monster was sure to hand out to her.

_I'll kill him._


	155. Chapter 155

***** Always remember how much I appreciate every last one of you guys: readers, reviewers, followers, favoriters - you all rock! I felt like posting again because I've got some spare time this weekend and managed to write a little more than normal (it's a long weekend up here), so... Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Merle kept calling her name, the whole time he drove. "Slap her a little, ya fucking idiot," he snapped at Ben. The kid nodded stupidly and patted at Linney's pale face. She was laying across the large backseat of the old sedan they were in, Ben sitting at her feet. Merle had ordered him to prop the injured leg up, to rest on the kid's shoulder, to try and halt the bleeding.

"Slap her!" He yelled at Ben, the violent fierceness in his voice booming through the car. The kid leapt in his seat, his face sweating heavily as he let go a mighty slap across Linney's face. She groaned and open her eyes into slits. Below the green of her eyes, the skin was violet, bruised looking from fatigue and sickness. "Linney?" Merle growled from the front seat, his eyes darting to the rear view mirror, "Goddammit sweetheart, it was just a little shot in the leg, don't you fucking pussy-out and die on me!" She turned her head a little and brought a hand to her face.

"That hurt," she managed, looking accusingly at Ben. The boy licked his lips and pointed at Merle. "He made me!" He cried defensively. Merle grunted a chuckle and Linney managed a weak smile. "Of course he did," she responded wryly, her voice so quiet they could barely hear it, "Good... bedside... manner..." she said between deep, slow breaths. Her eyes flickered and Ben shook her shoulder, casting terrified looks up to Merle, not wanting to get yelled at again.

"Linney! Linney! No sleeping!" Ben cried, as he shook her roughly. He turned to Merle, meeting his eyes in the mirror. "She's in shock, Merle," the boy informed him, and Merle made a disgusted noise. "Of course she is, you stupid shit, jus' keep 'er awake, or I'll give you a fuckin' reckoning!" Merle's voice was deep and threatening and Ben went back to Linney, smacking her and pinching her, trying to keep her lucid.

"I swear to god, Ben, I'm gonna hand you your ass on a fucking platter for this," she muttered, twisting her head from side to side restlessly on the car seat. Merle grunted, his chest feeling momentarily lighter. Each time she blacked out he felt his heart stutter, quietly panic-stricken that this time she wouldn't come around again. He'd seen people in shock go south faster than he thought possible, and she was injured, had bled heavily, and gotten god-knows-what into the wound on top of the shock.

When the prison appeared before them, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hurled the car through the downed gates, slamming on the brakes by the gate that led into the courtyard. He saw the little chinaman and his girlfriend pop-up from behind some barriers, binoculars to their eyes. When they recognized Merle, they raced for the gates and pulled them open, sliding them home quickly once he'd driven through.

Merle threw himself from the car and ripped the back door on the car open. He could hear exclamations of surprise from the girl behind him and he said nothing to them, just bent inside and, with Ben's help, got Linney into his arms. When he stood up with her, her head lolled backwards and Maggie let out a little breathy scream of horror.

"Linney! No! What happened?! Ben?!" Merle charged past them, barking over his shoulder, "Get yer dad, girl, get the Sheriff, do it! Do it now!" He was secretly relieved when the girl simply nodded and sprinted past him, running up the stairs into Block C, screaming for her father. The chinaman was at his elbow, yammering on a mile a minute, asking a thousand questions. "Not now!" Merle snarled. The boy shut up and Ben, trailing behind them called to Glenn.

"I'll tell you, Glenn." Merle felt relief when they fell back to talk. Maggie had worked fast, because Rick and Hershel met him at the door, hurrying along next to him. Hershel took one look at Linney's face, and then down at her bloodied leg, and ordered Carol and Sasha to start grabbing his medical gear. When they reached the cell block, Merle growled at Rick, when the man tried to relieve him of Linney.

"Don't fucking touch her," he snapped at the sheriff. Rick backed off, worry on his face, his forehead bunched together. Merle lay her gently on the old man's bed and backed out of the room immediately. He couldn't watch her anymore, he couldn't watch her slip away any further, so he gestured to Rick.

"You'll wanna know what happened," Merle grumbled, and Rick nodded dumbly, his eyes drawn back to Linney. "Come outside, that other boy, he knows some, and I know some, and I'm thinkin' you know some. Let's fucking put it together and figure out what the hell happened."

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Beth was certain she couldn't move another step, and already Daryl had Carl up in a piggy-back. The boy had started to move slower and slower, his shorter legs tripping frequently as they all trotted along through the dwindling light of the day. Daryl had barely halted a moment, shifting the crossbow to his chest and swinging Carl up roughly onto his back. The boy snatched the hat off his head and held it in one hand, the other arm looped around Daryl's shoulder. He rested his head against the shoulder and Beth felt a twinge of guilt; she never should have allowed Carl to come with them, she never should have told Ben.

She blamed herself, for being headstrong and stubborn. Ben's insistence that none of them were Linney material was ringing through her head now. He was right, of course, not one of them was up for the task today, and instead of helping, they were likely putting Linney in grave danger by making her would-be saviors escort them back to the prison.

Michonne wrapped an arm around Beth and urged her forward when she tripped. "Come on," the woman's voice was gentle in the growing darkness, and Beth looked up at her wearily. She opened her mouth to say something, to apologize, but Michonne only shook her head. "Not now," she advised. Beth pressed her lips together and sniffed, trying to hold back the upset she was feeling. Daryl stopped abruptly then, and slid Carl to the ground.

"Gotta run now, little man," he told the boy gruffly, shaking his arms out and arching his back. Carl nodded dumbly and they continued on, all of their paces slower than before. Beth tripped and sprawled to the pavement, a moment or two later, skinning her elbows and chin roughly. The cry she let out, had Daryl spinning to her instantly. He urged her up, looking at her intensely. "You ok?" He asked in a low rumble. She licked her lips and dabbed her shaky fingers at her chin, wide-eyed when she saw blood and dirt mingled on the fingertips.

"I'm fine," she told him. Daryl nodded and urged her forward. They all stopped short when they heard a rumble in the distance. "Car," Michonne hissed to Daryl. He nodded and shoved Beth and Carl towards a car parked at the side of the road. "Get down," he told them, "Hide." They both went meekly, despite wanting to help; Beth figured they 'helped' all they could today, already.

"The Governor?" Michonne asked Daryl, as they crouched by the front of the car. He looked at her and Beth saw him shake his head. "Could be," he responded, "Could be us, too." Neither of them said anything, and Beth realized they meant to risk flagging down the enemy. "You should hide, they'd know ya right away," Daryl grumbled to Michonne. The woman eyed him and then glanced back at Beth and Carl, both of them flat on the ground on the other side of the car, hidden from view of the road.

"Someone's gotta get 'em home if this goes bad," Daryl reasoned gruffly. Michonne huffed out a breath and pulled a gun from the back of her pants. Weapon in hand, she moved next to Beth, laying herself out so she could shoot at anyone in the car if needed. Beth watched Daryl in wide-eyed fear, as he got to his feet and moved closer to the center of the road. She could see dim lights moving towards them now, and tried to make herself smaller, to hide Carl behind her body.

She could just see Daryl waving his hands around above his head and braced herself for gunfire, praying the occupants of the car didn't kill him.

"Daryl!" A shout in the car made Beth's entire body loosen in relief. It was Glenn's voice and she popped to her feet immediately, ignoring Michonne's hiss of disapproval. She raced around their hiding place to see the green SUV from the prison. Behind the wheel was Rick, in the passenger seat Glenn, in the backseat, Tyreese. Glenn exploded out the door and ran for Beth, catching her up in a hug. "Jesus Christ, Beth," he muttered, gripping her in an almost panicky embrace. He stepped back and held her shoulders tightly, "We all worried, we thought you were dead! Ben said -"

Beth cut him off, her eyes bugging open in surprise. "Ben's alive?!" She squeaked, relief and happiness in her voice. Glenn chuckled and nodded, leading her to the car, where she sank into the backseat in relief. "_Carl_!" Rick cried, the guttural tone in his voice dragging the boy's name out. "Hey dad," the boy replied casually. Beth watched Rick snatch Carl to his chest and nearly crush him in a hug.

Michonne climbed into the trunk, Glenn following her, and Rick finally released his son, shoving him into the backseat next to Beth. "We are gonna have a talk about this, boy," Rick growled, his relief swiftly replaced with anger. Beth and Carl sighed simultaneously; they expected nothing less. Tyreese climbed in after them, a grin stretching his face as he smiled at the two of them. "You two got a lot of people worried as shit," he told them.

Carl nodded and stared down at his hands. "We got Linney hurt, got her taken by the Governor," he said, his voice husky with grief and worry. Tyreese chuckled and they both looked up at the big man, surprise on their faces. "She's not dead, or taken, she's at the prison," the big man reassured them. Beth felt dizzy. Ben was alive and Linney was safe. She felt like she could die happy at that moment.

"She got shot," Glenn added from the trunk space, and Beth twisted to look at him. "What? By who!" Carl cried, his voice angry. Glenn smirked and rolled his eyes. "She snuck up on Merle and he shot her in the leg," he told them. "I'll kill him!" Carl nearly shouted. "You'll shut up," Daryl snapped from the front seat, collapsing into the passenger seat in complete, deflated exhaustion. Rick started the car and turned them around.

"She caught up to Merle, saves his life she claims, but he shot her cause she snuck up on him," Rick explained, his voice steady, "She lost a lot of blood, went into shock we think, she's doing pretty rough right now, but Hershel says she'll be fine after some rest and healing." Daryl kept alternating between tensing up and then sagging into the seat, which Beth might have found funny under other circumstances. "Merle says they had to hide and wait for the Governor's men to leave, and they found Ben, with Allen," Rick continued and everyone in the car made little noises of shock, "Allen left us and went to Governor, 'cause he was with them when they went to the meeting place. Ben says the Governor shot his father in the gut, then cut it open to ensure it was... messy."

Beth ground the heels of her hands into her eyes, feeling immeasurably sad for Ben. Rick wasn't done, though, "Merle and Linney found him right before Allen turned and Merle put him down." Sounds of unhappiness rustled through the crammed-full car. "Ben told them that the two of you were dead," Rick said, his voice thick with the memory of the pain that must have caused him, upon it's retelling, "Then Linney passed out and Merle got them back to the prison."

"I'm glad you're not dead," Beth heard Glenn tell Michonne, and the woman grunted in laughter. "Yeah, me too," she responded drily. "Merle took a bunch of the Governor's men down," Rick said in a lower voice, to Daryl. Beth heard the younger Dixon grunt in response and then the rest of the car ride passed in silence, all of them longing for the prison. For home.

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She kept fading in and out, which was likely a good thing, as Hershel worked over her leg. She was given drugs, sweet, pleasant, happy-time drugs, and after a while, not a damn thing mattered to her anymore. Gentle hands cleaned her up, changing her clothes into soft, comfortable things. A sweet voice murmured to her that she was ok, she was safe, and they were all very happy. She blinked and peered out through blurred vision to see all kinds of different people: Merle, Daryl, Maggie, Hershel, Beth.

At one point, a hand stroked down her cheek and she cracked an eye open and saw her father, sitting next to the bed, his face healthy and slender, as it had been when she was very, very young. "Daddy?" She asked him, her voice small and disbelieving. Her father's face was sad then, incredibly so, and he shook his head a little. He stroked her hair and finally smiled at her, a smile she only ever got to see in her dreams anymore. Her chest hitched a little as she let out a small sobbing breath and reached a hand out to touch his face.

As soon as her finger connected with his chin, and she felt the scratchiness there, her father was gone, and it was Rick sitting there, smiling at her sadly. "Rick?" She murmured, confused and sad that her father was gone. He nodded and she pulled her hand back, woozy and embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she told him quietly. He shook his head and put a hand on her forehead, her cheek, and the side of neck, checking for a fever, she knew.

"Don't be," he told her, and winked at her as he got to his feet, "Hershel's got you on some pretty interesting pain killers." He left the room, taking the lantern with him, and Linney lay in the dark, looking around the cell as her mind wandered a little. She realized she must still be in Hershel's room and thought that she should probably get up, but the thought was gone as quickly as it came. It seemed like she blinked and suddenly the room was sunny, and she was lucid now. Her leg throbbed dully, as did her back, and her head, but she didn't feel that dangerous swimming wooziness anymore, nor the pleasant floaty-glow of last night.

This time when she moved to sit up, she was able to, slowly. "What're ya doin'?" A cranky voice sounded from the floor next to the bed, and Daryl sat up from a make-shift bed there. "Where's Merle?" She immediately asked him, and Daryl made a face. "That's what ya ask?" He answered, his voice mildly hurt. She gave him a smile and reached for him, and he gingerly raised himself to the edge of the bed, sitting carefully next to her. She pulled herself as much into his arms as she could and took a deep breath, resting her head against his chest.

"He's fine, he's here, so's the kids, and Michonne," he told her, his voice rumbling in his chest against her ear. Linney nodded and Daryl stroked her hair. "You're a damn fool," he told her gently. She didn't say anything, because she was pretty sure he was right. His hand kept moving over her hair. "Thank you," he said gruffly. Linney leaned away and looked up at him. "What?" She asked, looking between his intense eyes. "Merle'd be dead," he answered, and Linney realized that this was his way of acknowledging that saving Merle made up for everything else that had happened.

"I didn't do it for you," she answered him frankly, and he nodded. "I know, and I don't care; thank you just the same," he said. Linney pursed her lips up at him, making over-done kissing noises and he finally cracked a grin, bending to her face and planting his lips against hers. Just when she began to think that maybe _Daryl_ was the best medicine, there was a sound of someone clearing their throat at the door.

"Pardon me," Hershel said in his gentle drawl, "But I need to get a look at that leg, and you need to go get her some breakfast and water." Daryl nodded and kissed her forehead quickly, before getting up and leaving the room. The absence of his presence at her side, left her feeling petulant and must have shown on her face because Hershel laughed at her and then lowered himself into a chair near the bottom of the bed. He reached for her legs, which she shifted as best she could in his direction.

"You look just like Maggie when you make that face," he told her, carefully peeling back her bandage. Linney rolled her eyes and thought that maybe there were one too many father-figures here with her.


	156. Chapter 156

***** Surprise! Midweek update! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Daryl had spent the night on the floor below Linney's sick bed, wracked with horrible dreams. He dreamed that he'd arrived at that meeting place and found Linney dead, Merle dead, both of them turned, both of them hungry for his flesh. Over and over, throughout the night, he killed them in his dreams, and watched the light go out behind their strange undead eyes. When he finally awoke, to the sun shining through the sheet-curtain on the cell door, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and stared up at the ceiling.

_She's alive, they both are, it's fine_, he tried to reassure himself. He sat up and looked over at Linney, sleeping, mouth open, a light snore in the back of her throat, her hair a wild, dark, snarl across the pillow around her head. He had to smile, just had to, she was alive, she'd saved Merle from doing something monumentally stupid, and above all, she was his. He reached a hand out, gently touching her cheek, and then lay back down when she stirred. He didn't want her to wake up, he wanted her to sleep and rest and get well.

The night before, when she'd been flying high as a goddamn kite, she had smiled goofily at him, crooning over and over how much she "loooved" him, how he was just the "cutest", how much she loved his "little butt", and she had ineffectually pawed at him, until he had to grab her hands and hold them in his own. When he left her alone, letting Maggie, Beth, Carol, and Carl, take turns sitting with her, he had been compelled to constantly come back and check on her. He was very well aware of just how badly the day could have gone.

Except for blind, stupid, luck he might have arrived at the meeting place and found all of them, Linney, Merle, and all three kids, dead. The thought left his mouth dry and his heart pounding.

On one of his passes by the room she lay in, he found the curtains drawn and the door shut, a change that worried him. He charged over and reached for the curtain, his hand closing around the end of it. He heard Merle's voice then, low and rusty sounding, and he paused, releasing the curtain. His brother was talking to her, and that was all, and although he felt like he was spying on something private, bald curiosity kept him from walking away.

He peeked through the edge of the curtain and saw Merle in the chair next to the bed, holding one of Linney's hands in his own. His brother's face was downturned, his features in shadow, but his body language was easy to read. He looked like a man who was praying. Linney was sleeping, a little restlessly, but sleeping, and he could hear Merle apologizing. As he listened, for many minutes, he heard his brother apologize for leaving her and Daryl, for the CDC, for Shane, for the farm, for the long winter, for the Governor; Merle apologized for not being what he thought he should have been, for not being there with them.

Daryl leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. His brother explained to the sleeping girl, about what a piece of shit older brother and protector he'd been to Daryl, how he was going to fix that, make up for it, if it took every day of the rest of his life. When his brother had finished pouring his concrete heart out, Daryl beat a hasty retreat, down the cell block and to the stairs, turning so it looked like he was just coming down them when Merle emerged from the cell and looked around, almost guiltily.

"Hey little brother, what's goin' on?" He drawled easily, when he saw Daryl. Daryl shrugged non-chalantly. He knew, despite the small soft moment he'd eavesdropped on, that Merle would beat the everlasting fuck out of him if he knew his little brother heard his words. "She sleepin'?" Daryl asked, nodding towards the cell Linney was in. Merle nodded and walked away, heading towards the kitchen.

Now, he listened as Linney woke up, and by her shuffling movements he knew she was trying to get up. There was a lot ahead of them today - they had to discuss the possible next moves of a vengeful Governor, they had to plan their future.

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Milton had tried to stop her. Andrea listened to him, but then gave him a hug and left. When the Governor and his men had burst through the gates of Woodbury, full of rage and covered in blood, Andrea had immediately thrown on her coat, found Milton, and told him she was leaving, and that he should come with her. He wouldn't, or course, and this didn't surprise her; Milton was loyal to the town of Woodbury, to a fault.

She had slid quietly down the back alleys, avoiding everyone, until she found a spot on the fence, near the woods, that she was able to squeeze through. She ran like a scared deer, with only a pocket knife to kill any walkers she came across. On foot, avoiding visibility, she knew that it would take her much longer to reach the prison than normal, that she would have to hole up somewhere for the night. Visions of the warm welcome she would receive at the prison, the smiling faces of the people she loved most, drove her forward.

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"He's comin'," Merle said seriously, "N' it ain't gonna be like last time. He's comin' n' he's gonna blow this place into a crater in the ground." Rick clenched his jaw and turned to Sasha, when the woman spoke, "Isn't that overreacting a little bit?"

Merle snorted and stared at Sasha like she was daft. "I know you were here the last time he came to visit, and that was just him ringing the doorbell," Merle stated, "He's pissed now and he won't spare a bit a mercy, for any a ya." Rick stepped forward, holding a hand up to stall anymore back and forth; he didn't need to hear Merle's doomsday warnings, he believed every word the man said.

"We need to decide," Rick said, looking around the room, meeting everyone's eyes in turn. He had them all gathered into the eating area, even Linney. "It's not up to me, not anymore. This is about every single one of us together and apart." He caught Linney's gaze, from her spot by a table, her leg propped up on Carl's lap. She nodded at him, encouragingly. He thought back to the moment last night, where, in her drug-addled state, she had thought he was her father. He often found himself wishing he was, wishing that Judith could grow up to be a lot like the brave girl who had become nearly as important to him as Carl and the baby.

Bolstered, he looked back at the rest of them. "We can stay and we can fight, or we can go, but no matter what we do, we do it together," his voice stayed firm, and he knew the sincerity of his words was showing in his eyes. Even Merle, that incredible bastard, looked puffed up and determined. The moment was short though, because everyone began talking all at once.

"We need to go, find another place, another prison even," Carol said, Judith cradled in her arms. Beth was vehemently shaking her head in disagreement.

"Why? This is our home! We took it! We lost people for it!" Linney cried and Axel turned to her saying, "That's just more reason to go, this place is cursed!"

"I say we go," Hershel said and now Sasha was immediately shaking her head in disagreement. "We should stay," Maggie and Glenn spoke at the same. "I vote we go, this place is no longer safe, we can't even go outside without fear of being killed," Tyreese put in. Daryl and Merle didn't comment, and Rick stared hard at each of them in turn. He figured that they would do whatever the majority decided, but Daryl surprised him by waiting for a lull in the conversation, to step forward, towards Rick.

"I say we leave, pack our shit up, get the kids away, and then take that bastard and his asshole army out. We don't gotta be as big as they are, we just gotta be smarter," Daryl told them all, his face hard, his voice its normal hard tone. There was a rumble through the room and Rick felt his chest lightening. "If we do this, we do it as a whole," Rick decided, looking around at everyone, "Let's take a vote. Hands up if you're in."

Linney, Beth, Carl, Ben, Glenn, Sasha, Michonne, and Maggie put their hands up immediately. A few beats passed and then Carol and Axel each slowly raised their hands, with Tyreese following suit after meeting his sister's intense dark eyes for a moment. Merle chuckled gruffly and raised his hand, making a joke of it. Daryl looked at Rick, smirking, and put his own hand up. Rick put his up as well. Only Hershel abstained.

"I don't agree with this," Hershel said calmly, his voice gentle, "But I won't stand against you. I just can't in good conscience put my vote behind this when I think we should go." The old man stood up, swinging his crutches under his armpits in a practiced movement. "No offense to you, Daryl," he said to the younger Dixon, giving him a small smile, "But I think the safest thing is for us to leave this prison, leave this area, perhaps even leave this state. Try and look for a better life elsewhere."

There was silence for a few moments and Rick nodded a couple times. "Alright then," he said, turning to the table where Linney, Carl, Beth, Sasha, and Ben sat. "Carl, I want you, Beth, and Ben to go to the infirmary, find the other set of crutches you said you saw in there, Linney's gonna need them." The three of them looked at each other briefly and got to their feet, Carl carefully lifting Linney's leg up to stand. Sasha smiled at him and slid over on the bench seat, lowering Linney's injured leg into her own lap.

"Carol, I need you to start packing, get Sasha, Maggie, and Axel to help," Carol nodded at Rick's words, and he continued," Take it all, pack it up well, we need it look like we're gone for good, but we also have to plan to be gone for good, in case this doesn't go the way we want."

"Me n' Daryl're gonna head down to that back parking lot, see if we can get a few more cars, gonna need more than just that piece of shit SUV and that truck ya'll got here," Merle put in. Daryl nodded along with his brother's words, and Rick felt a surge of gratitude for the help.

"Linney," he said, turning to the girl, and her large eyes swung to his. He couldn't keep the small frown from his face as took in her pale skin, and the dark circles under her eyes, circles that weren't there before her injury. He sighed when he saw the stubborn set to her jaw, already tightening as she prepared to argue with being treated like an invalid.

"You're to rest and get well," he ordered, his tone brooking no argument, "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you: we need you well, and we need you well soon, so rest now, and help later, when we need it most." Linney heaved a great, put upon sigh and nodded, making Sasha chuckle next to her, as she patted Linney's boot a couple times.

"Michonne, I need you, Tyreese and Glenn to head into the tombs. Use your imaginations, create some "hiding" spots for us, each big enough for one person. Block some exits, make it a labyrinth that we can trap them in and attack them from. I'll be down to help in a little while," Rick told them, "I want that bastard and his people to go down there and get lost, get scared, get turned around." Rick got to his feet and felt his brow pull into a glare.

"And then I want them to die down there."

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Rick led her to her temporary room, Hershel's room, and Linney eased down into the bed. Her leg was throbbing in earnest now, sweat breaking out on her forehead as she tried to ignore the pain. "Tell me," Rick murmured, bending to help her ease the leg up onto the pillow. "You gonna play the hero forever or are you gonna just ask for some pain killers?" Linney grunted at him and then gasped when she moved to shift her butt and her leg slid off the pillow and into the wall.

"_Motherfucker_!" She yelped and Rick put her leg back up quickly, reaching behind himself, to the table, where Hershel had left a bottle of pills. He snagged a bottle of water and shook out two pills. Linney sneered at them and shook her head. She hated pills, hated drugs, and wanted to avoid them at all costs. "Linney," Rick said, his voice low, his blue eyes on her face, "Taking these doesn't make you like him."

She jerked away from him and he just stared at her. Sighing a little, she finally took the pills, washing them down quickly with a mouthful of water, opening her mouth wide and hanging her tongue out after to show Rick her empty mouth. "Seeee?" She asked him, trying to make him smile. He rolled his eyes and rewarded her with a tiny smile. "Don't get up, Hershel will be nearby, with Judith, so if you need something, holler," he told her, staring at her hard until she nodded.

He left the room then, sliding the door part way closed, and Linney lay back against the pillows with a huff. She thought about their new plan, Daryl's idea to defeat their enemy, and she worried. Throwing an arm over her eyes, to cut the brightness of the sun leaking in, Linney wondered if this was foolish, if all of it was foolish, if maybe Axel was right and this place was cursed. Her mind travelled back to Lori and T-Dog, not gone for very long at all, and was suddenly struck with a strong pang to see them both again. Smiling to herself, Linney thought about the big man, and his sense of humor, his joy over the small things, playing "I miss" with him. And Lori, her friend, everyone's mother, the way she would scold and nag, and then laugh behind her hand at something silly Carl said, or something stupid Glenn did.

Linney turned her head to the wall and banished the thought of leaving them, leaving their little graves. Even Ben's mom was out there. She knew then that despite her worry, this was home and they were tied to this place. _For better or for worse. _

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Andrea moved through the woods like the hounds of hell were on her trail. He'd almost had her, there in that meadow. If not for the fact that she miraculously reached the edge of the field, and stumbled into the tree line, he would have run her down, or worse, grabbed her and dragged her back to Woodbury. At this point, she had no doubt at all about what that would mean for her, their past history would mean nothing to him, she knew, and somewhere, deep inside, that hurt.

When the tree line thinned a bit and she saw the prison fences rising up in the distance, she paused, smiling stupidly and heaving a huge breath of relief. _Not much further now, just push a little more._ She took a couple steps closer, wanting to break into a run. She never got a chance to though, because a huge body suddenly tackled her to the ground, a hand closing over her mouth tightly, as her captor dragged her deeper into the trees. She fought, kicking and twisting, trying to get away.

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They'd managed to get another SUV, a small sedan, and another pick-up truck, before Daryl determined they'd grabbed enough. Merle was happy to stop and he leaned against the wall near Block D, lighting up a smoke. Daryl stood near him, looking antsy, and Merle glared at him. "What the fucks up yer ass?" He snapped. Daryl looked over at him and glared right back. "What? Like this asshole comin' to attack ain't enough? I can't be fucking upset about that?" Daryl barked at him, his tone harsh.

Merle chuckled and swung a hand towards C Block. "Fer fucks sake, baby bro, just go in n' sit with her, ya know ya wanna," Merle told him. Daryl shot him a steady look and then finally shrugged, like it didn't matter to him either way. "Fine, whatever," Daryl replied, stepping away a few steps and then turning and trotting back to their block. Merle chuckled again and shook his head. _That boy's got it bad,_ he thought sardonically.

"Merle!" Someone shouted from down near the fences and Merle groaned, wondering what Deputy Dumbass had in mind for him now. "What?" He responded, his tone foul tempered. Rick drew closer, a swagger in his step, his hand hovering near his gun, as it always did. "I need you to get down to the guard tower, keep a look out. We need to have eyes on the road at all times," the sheriff told him. He saw the sense in that, but had a better suggestion, which he wasted no time in putting before their fearless leader.

"Was thinkin' I'd do a round, about this whole place, see if he's got anyone out there, take them out," Merle told him, holding Rick's hard gaze, "Less you want me to keep them? Like Martinez?" As he knew he would, Rick looked around to make sure no one heard them. He turned a glare on Merle and snapped, "Don't say that out loud, no one needs to hear his name, no one needs to know he's here."

Merle chuckled and tossed his smoke to the ground, grinding it out enthusiastically. "Don't know how long ya can keep 'im a secret, Officer, those damn nosy kids are gonna go explorin' some time and find our guest," Merle said snidely. Rick's face froze for a moment, and Merle shook his head, surprised the man hadn't already thought of that outcome. Either Merle or Rick went daily, bringing food, water, and threats to Martinez, though they didn't bother with any more beatings. Any information the man had at this point was useless, and they just wanted to keep him quiet and for him to stay suffering.

"If you go out and you find anyone, you just take them out, you hear?" Rick retorted and Merle nodded, putting his hands in the air. "You got it compadre," he replied, swaggering away towards the fence line. As he finally made his way into the trees, he was pleased to be away again. Yesterday had been an unmitigated disaster, but he had liked escaping the walls of this place, the darkness, the bleakness. _Needs a good coat of paint_, he thought humorously. He heard a twig snap and immediately dropped into a crouch. Listening hard, he knew that someone was close by; he just didn't know if they were alive or dead.

Moving stealthily through the trees, he kept his attention focused, his senses sharp, pausing when he came to a thick line of shrubby trees. There was someone on the other side, and he knew they were alive, by the way they were breathing, the way their feet moved as they took a hesitant step closer to the edge of the tree line surrounding the prison. Without waiting another second, and without thought about what came next, he dove through the leafy branches and tackled the person to the ground, locking them tight to his side, and clenching a hand over their mouth so they couldn't alert any companions.

When he looked down at his catch, he realized that it was a woman, a blonde woman, and then realized who it was.

"Fuck me… Andrea?"


	157. Chapter 157

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

If it had been anyone else, any other person in the group, Andrea would have thrown herself at them and hugged them with gleeful appreciation. Instead it was Merle Dixon. Her prison greeter, her knight in shining armor, was Merle Dixon, with pit stains on his sleeveless shirt and a leering grin that seemed to have permanent real estate on his face.

"Don't know if ya forgot, Blondie, but we're at war over here – so, I'm thinkin' that sneakin' around in the woods ain't such a smart idea," Merle drawled, yanking her to her feet and immediately dragging her back towards the prison, his hand like a vice on her upper arm. Andrea huffed out an indignant breath and ignored the screaming pain in her hips and legs.

"I didn't forget, Dixon, now get your hand off my arm," she snapped, yanking her arm ineffectually, trying to pull it from his iron grip. Merle chuckled and she realized he was taking the long way around, to the other side of the prison. "Why aren't we just going to one of the front fences?" She asked, looking over her shoulder longingly. There was a locked gate that led to the dog run surrounding the prison, right next to the downed large gate by the guard tower entrance. They'd have to kill a couple walkers, but they'd be inside the prison sooner.

"I got a job to do here, sweetheart, looks like ya forgot again already: _we are at war_," he said in an impatient tone, "Need to make sure the Gov don't got any of his buddies in the trees, planning some kind of sneak attack."

Andrea shook her head, trying to keep the exhaustion from her voice, "No, he's not going to do that, he came back yesterday, with fewer men, and all of them covered in blood – Milton told me they had gone to get Michonne, for a trade that Phillip had no intention of honoring…" she let her voice trail off suggestively, hoping Merle would fill her in. He did, in a few short sentences, and Andrea nodded along, wondering how many horseshoes these people seemed to have stuffed up their asses.

"My question though, is why the hell're you here? Why ain't ya over there playin' double agent no more?" Merle asked her after a moment of silence during which Merle finally lead them from the woods and to the prison. He walked up to a small, obscure side door, hidden behind a bunch of rubble. He withdrew a key and unlocked the padlock on the door, stuffing Andrea in ahead of him. "It was time to leave," Andrea explained, standing in a dark echoing hallway while she waited for Merle to close and lock the door behind him.

"Phillip was unstable, dangerous, and it was obvious that he saw me as an enemy – we both know what he can do to an enemy," Andrea kept talking as they walked down the hall, her hand on Merle's shoulder so she didn't lose him in the darkness that he seemed to know his way around in.

"Girl, you are _damn_ lucky he didn't catch ya, it woulda gone bad for ya, he woulda done things…" Merle trailed off, leading Andrea down a staircase, through an office, and up a set of stairs that seemed to be a back passageway. She had no idea where they were in the prison, or how this could possibly connect to anything, but she found that she trusted Merle. He might be a crass idiot, but he moved confidently, with a surety that reassured her; Merle Dixon was not about to get lost anywhere.

"Milton's still there," Andrea said regretfully, her stomach clenching at the thought of the meek and mild-mannered Milton being left at the mercy of a Governor who would blame him for Andrea's running away. "I should have forced him to come with me," she told Merle, speaking to his back since he wouldn't turn around as he marched her through hallway after hallway, "He's a good man, a loyal man, and he would've fit in here, done a lot for them here."

Merle grunted; Andrea didn't expect much more concern from him, because she knew he hated Milton, thought of the small pale man as a waste of skin, but Andrea saw his value. She examined the broad set of Merle's shoulders as they went down yet another small staircase, and decided that she saw the value in them both.

Merle stopped in front a sliding, barred door, and Andrea peered around him and realized that were at a far door to the cell block she had already been in. "So, we came a back way?" Andrea asked casually, as Merle pulled a ring of keys and unlocked the door. He grunted and shoved the door open, pushing Andrea through it. She stepped inside and listened as he closed and locked the door.

To her eyes, this place looked dingy and drab. She remembered it being somewhat homier the last time she was here, with personal items, and curtains, baby things, and boxes of food. Now it just looked barren. She turned questioning eyes to Merle and saw him standing by the door, watching her look around. "What happened? Where is everything?" She asked him and he ran his tongue over his teeth, making a popping noise when he was done.

"We're leavin', packin' it up n' gettin' the kids out, gonna stage a good old fashioned am-bush for your ex-boyfriend, down in the tombs," Merle drawled. Andrea nodded. It made sense; the Governor was definitely coming for them, and he would definitely kill anyone he found. "Andrea?" She heard a voice say wonderingly from behind herself. She turned around to see Linney, her hair a rat's nest, her skin as pale as milk, her leg heavily bandaged as she leaned on a set of crutches just inside a cell door.

"Andrea!" Linney cried, swinging herself forward quickly. She looked incredibly unstable on the crutches, so Andrea hurried to her side, stopping her from going too far. Linney hurled the crutches to the ground and hugged Andrea tightly. Slightly taken aback by such physical exuberance from the girl who didn't usually enjoy being touched, Andrea held her out at arm's length a moment. Linney's eyes were extra wide, her pupils huge, and her gaze glassy.

"Linney, are you… are you high?" She asked carefully. Linney ducked her head, a goofy grin on her face as she started laughing, her giggles almost hysterical. She abruptly stopped laughing when Merle spoke from back by the door, where he was still standing. "Alright, alright, that's it ya little shithead, ya heard Officer Friendly, I know ya did: get yer ass back in bed," he barked. Andrea could hear his footfalls as he began to walk over to them, and Linney giggled quietly, meeting Andrea's startled blue eyes. The girl started singing the Jaws theme under her breath as Merle made his way over to them.

Without a pause, Merle pushed Andrea away and scooped Linney up and carried her back into the cell. Andrea waved a little dazedly at the girl who was smiling and waving exuberantly over Merle's shoulder. After a moment or two, Merle emerged, wiping at his face in disgust. It only took her a moment to surmise that Linney had probably delivered a sloppy kiss to his cheek.

"Why is she high?" Andrea asked, watching as Merle bent to the crutches and laid them just inside the door of the cell. He smirked at her, "She's a fuckin' lightweight, hardly ever took a single pill in her damn life, not even for a headache – so now when the doc loads her up with the good stuff, she goes fuckin' crazy," Merle explained in a gruff voice. He gestured towards the kitchen. "Let's go find Rick," he said. Andrea nodded and then walked a couple paces towards the kitchen with him.

"What's wrong with her leg?" Andrea finally asked, just before they walked through the door into the large eating area. Merle looked over his shoulder and smirked before answering, "I shot her."

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There was a lot of debate about whether they should spend the night at the prison, or if they should just get the hell out of there as soon as possible. It was Andrea who tipped the balance, though. She had stood before everyone in the yard, and told them about the Governor pursuing her, and how, quite likely, he had followed her all the way to the prison. They all seemed to agree that only Merle snatching her from the forest had saved her from him.

They'd all been startled and amazed when Merle led her into the kitchen. After a pause of several stunned seconds, Carol and Maggie had run forward, enveloping Andrea in hugs. Even Rick gave her a smile of appreciation. Daryl, at the time, thought of her like a lucky cat, one with nine lives and a determination to use up every last one of them.

Daryl rubbed his chin and nodded as Andrea explained some of the armaments that Woodbury had, the small army the Gov had amassed from the townsfolk. "He won't waste time," Andrea warned them, a hand on her hip, "He didn't catch me, and now he'll be pissed." Michonne nodded, from her place next to Andrea. He'd never seen the woman so content and pleased as when she realized that Andrea had come to them permanently, had literally dropped everything and fled to the prison, to be with them.

"Then we need to split up," Rick said. There were some murmurs, but Rick ignored it, "Hershel, you'll leave, with Judith and the kids, Axel and Linney too, neither one of them is in any shape to fight," he spoke calmly, but with authority, "Carol, you and Andrea will go with them, to protect them." Rick's eyes met Daryl's and he had to suppress his immediate desire to bite Rick's head off. He knew his place was here, joining in the fight, protecting their turf, helping his friends, but the thought of leaving Linney alone with kids and an old man to watch over her, made him sick.

"Everyone else, with me, we'll spend the night taking watches. If the Gov doesn't come tonight, he'll likely strike tomorrow," Rick turned to Merle, cocking his head to the side, "Sound about right, Dixon?" Merle grunted and nodded, and then did something that made everyone nervous: he looked over towards the dark border of the tree line, the slightest bit of apprehension on his face. "Need to get this plan in motion, Sheriff, worried we may have waited too long, already," Merle said, his voice rasping.

Things moved fast then, the group leaving loaded into the two SUV's they were taking: Hershel, Linney, Judith, and Ben in one car, Carl, Beth, Andrea, and Carol in the other. Daryl pressed a kiss against the side of Linney's head through the open car window, watching her tired eyes roll over to look at his. She was flat out refusing to take more pain meds now and he knew her leg was killing her. "I'll see you soon," he told her, and she smiled wanly at him. "Take care of Merle, he's too stupid to do anything on his own," she replied. He chuckled and kissed her again. "Be safe and take care of little Asskicker."

He stepped back and stood by his brother, watching everyone else load up and say their goodbyes. The gates were opened and the two trucks drove out. They were told to head away from the prison completely. The only person who knew where they were going was Rick, in case anyone got captured and tortured to reveal the whereabouts of the most vulnerable in their group. Rick turned back to them and waved everyone inside, saying,

"Let's set up the first watch positions people, and make sure everything is ready to go."

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To say she felt wrong about leaving the prison was an understatement. She twisted uncomfortably in her spot next to Judith's car seat, to try and stare out the window, but found the sight of the prison shrinking in the distance disturbing, so she whipped back around to the front seat.

"Where are we headed, Hershel?" Linney asked their driver. Hershel smiled into the rearview mirror. "We're not going far," Hershel said, "Remember the daycare you went to, before Judy was born?" Linney nodded and smiled a little. She had gone with Daryl, Maggie and Glenn, and it seemed like forever ago – they had told Rick where it was, in case he ever wanted to go back and get more baby stuff. He'd clearly remembered. She stayed quiet as they drove, feeling worn out and sore. She never thought a flesh wound on her leg could make her entire body hurt.

When Hershel had changed the bandage before they left, she'd gotten a good look at the wound. It was currently swollen, flaming red, gory, fleshy, bloody and mostly gaping open, with nasty bruising all around it. Hershel had tried to stitch it up, but the bullet had torn out a big chunk and he told her it wouldn't be wise to stitch the whole thing together, they'd have to let a lot of it heal from the bottom up, filling itself in. It meant a longer recovery time, and a lot more pain, but it also meant, in the long run, that her leg might look a little more normal once it was healed.

She wouldn't take any more pain meds, after the ones she had taken this morning wore off, she was done with them – the feeling they gave her was awful; Linney couldn't abide that kind of loss of control any longer. So, after speaking with Hershel and determining that she wouldn't make the wound worse by avoiding pain killers, so long as she continued to take the antibiotics that were staving off infection, she decided to just deal with the pain, no matter what.

When they arrived at the daycare, she directed Hershel to pull the vehicle around the back, out of view of the street, and Andrea's vehicle followed suit. It didn't take long for everyone to get inside, with their gear for the night. Linney's mind was casting itself out towards the prison, and she wished to god she could be there with them, helping them, standing with Daryl, Merle and her friends. Shifting in discomfort on the recliner that Andrea and Ben had helped her into, Linney grimaced at her leg. _I would be next to useless._

She watched Beth set up a camp stove in the living room/play room area they had decided would be home for the night. Expertly, the girl got water boiling, mixing up formula for Judith and whipping together the plain, basic ingredients required to make dinner. Glancing over, she saw Carl and Ben crisscrossing each other's paths as they patrolled in opposite directions around and around inside the house. Carol sat with the baby and Hershel was looking at Axel's healing chest wound. Linney sighed a little. Being grouped up with the very young, the very old, and the very injured, stung a little bit. A firecracker of pain shooting up leg reminded her why she was there and she leaned her head back against the recliner, gritting her teeth against the feeling.

"I wish you'd just take something for that," Andrea said, sitting on a nearby coffee table and nodding at Linney's leg. "And I wish I had a tank, but you don't hear me harping on people about it," Linney snarked back in response. Instead of getting angry, Andrea smirked and laughed quietly. "Glad to see you've still got a firm handle on your mature temper," she responded. Linney scowled and then laughed a little. "My leg hurts," she agreed, but then she held up a hand to stave off any further comment, "But I'm not taking anything else for it, so just quit nagging about it. I don't do well with narcotics, in case you've forgotten."

She and Andrea both started laughing, helpless giggles, as they remembered the sleeping pills, from way back in the beginning, a time that seemed so long ago it almost wasn't real to them. "Yeah, I understand, it just doesn't seem comfortable, and honestly Linney, you're not exactly a social delight when you're _not_ in pain. Linney with an owie is a whole different kind of jerk," Andrea spoke matter-of-factly, and Linney was suddenly, extremely happy the woman was there with them, safe and out of the Governor's clutches. Andrea had her quirks, and she and Linney had a history marbled with disagreement and fighting, but having her there felt _right._ She also couldn't deny that some part of her was curious to see if Andrea and Merle made something of each other. Linney knew it would please her to no end to see Merle with a partner, especially one like Andrea who had the balls to keep him in his place.

Of course, that all hinged on this ending well. On the group back at the prison besting the enemy, and staying one step ahead of him, out of his reach. It depended on them winning, and this little group in hiding also making it back without incident. It was too much to think about, the pressing worry making Linney's head swim.

"I'm going to try and sleep," Linney said, and Andrea nodded, getting to her feet and walking away. Closing her eyes and reclining the chair further back, Linney tried to force from her mind her burning worry over Daryl, and the burning pain in her leg. _We'll make it home eventually, I know we will._


	158. Chapter 158

***** Hey guys - I've had a couple requests for more Daryl/Linney time and I just wanted to let you know that it's coming, soon-ish! I've written a couple chapters ahead, and we're super close to wrapping up Season 3 - I PROMISE that some nice relaxing fluff is coming, I just had to plow through the heavy stuff first, so by chapter 161, there'll be some fluffy time between our favorite grimy, killer, power couple, I miss it too! **

**Also, thank you SomeRandyLurker for your wonderful, flattering review! I couldn't PM you because you are a guest, but I really wanted to thank you all the same! Reviews aren't coming in as fast and furious as they used to (which I get, with a story this long we're all like some kind of old married couple, where even without the words, I know you all still dig me), so each one I do get, especially lovely thoughtful ones like yours, remind me of how damn lucky I am to have such a great group of people reading my work! Long authors note - sorry! On to the good stuff!**

**:) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

_She wasn't in the recliner anymore; she awoke in a room she hardly recognized. Gazing around at the homey décor, the fresh, clean bedding, the old lace curtains billowing gently at the window, Linney realized she was back in the small room at Hershel's farm, the one she had spent so much time in with Daryl, both of them healing from various hurts. She sat up and swung out of bed, wincing as she realized her leg hurt. Looking down in shock, Linney saw the bandages on her leg, thick, white, and disproportionate. It took her several moments to realize she was dreaming, and that her leg injury had managed to follow her into the dream, both in feeling and visually. _

_Linney climbed from bed, pleased to find that she was able to walk steadily, despite the injury. _Where is Daryl? _She thought, remembering this place and remembering that he usually came into the room to see her shortly after she woke up, if he hadn't already been in the room with her. She smiled to herself, thinking that this lovely memory of a dream would make an ideal setting for alone time. She opened the door and walked into the hall, listening to the noises in the kitchen. She slammed to a stop, her feet refusing to move when she heard Lori talking in there._

_Linney broke into a run and raced for the kitchen, stopping short when she finally saw Lori, standing whole and happy in the kitchen, her arms extended towards Linney welcomingly. "Lori!" She cried, launching herself at her friend, holding her in a tight hug. Lori chuckled and patted her back. "Everything is fine now Linney, we're all ok," Lori soothed her. The hug felt like it went on and on, and Linney felt a deep sense of calm settle over her. "Go say hello," Lori told her, suddenly standing at the stove on the other side of the room. Linney blinked in surprise that they were no longer hugging, but barely remembered this was probably a dream. _Would it be so bad if it wasn't?

_Linney smiled happily as she wandered through the rest of the house, seeing all of her old friends scattered around. Jimmy and Patricia waved pleasantly to her from the porch swing and Jacqui and Jim were unloading a truck crammed full of fresh groceries, but smiles on their faces when they saw her._

_T-Dog appeared from behind Dale's RV and ran over to her, sweeping her up in a hug, swinging Linney around while his laugh bellowed out. When she had her feet again, she could see Dale exiting the RV, leading Sophia over to her. Linney stood stock still at seeing the little girl, alive and well. Sophia smiled shyly and Linney hugged her tightly._

"_I miss my mommy," Sophia whispered, and Linney felt the first flutter of unease. "Where is she, sweetheart?" Linney asked, leaning away from Sophia's skinny shoulders. "She can't come here," Sophia whispered heartbreakingly. Dale reached down and clamped a hand over Sophia's shoulder._

"_That's enough of that Sophia," he told her firmly, and the little girl straightened, shooting Linney a sympathetic smile before she ran away, graceful in a way that she had never been in life. Linney watched as Sophia entered the barn in the distance and turned to Dale, concerned. "Dale, she shouldn't go in the barn," she said worriedly, "There are walkers in there." Dale shook his head sadly and turned to follow after Sophia. "Not anymore," he replied over his shoulder, "There's nothing here but us." _

_Movement caught her eye and she glanced past Dale's retreating figure to see Oscar leading Shane in chains towards the barn. Linney's smile grew at the frustrated look on Shane's face and the pleased smile on Oscar's. The large ex-prisoner waved pleasantly at her and she couldn't resist waving back, though she felt an urge to give Shane the finger that she managed to hold inside._

_Linney watched them go, and then turned to a gentle pressure on her shoulder. Amy stood there and Linney felt like she might cry but smiled happily instead. Amy's hand touched her face lightly, her pretty blue eyes sad. "Linney," her dead friend asked, "Why are you here?" _

"_I don't know why," Linney said, looking around in wonder as everyone in the house grouped together, walking down the broad front steps of the farm house, chatting amiably and laughing amongst themselves as they headed to the barn._

_Her blonde friend was the only one who seemed unhappy. "Linney, you shouldn't be here," Amy told her, more insistently, "This place isn't for you." Linney hugged her friend and smiled into Amy's neck. "But you're here; can't I stay a little longer?" Linney asked, and Amy shook her head slowly, taking Linney's hand and beginning to walk her towards the barn slowly. _

"_Once we get here, we can never go back, no one can," Amy explained. Linney looked over and Amy's skin seemed to flicker, like she was losing reception. Linney caught glimpses of the mangled, bloody corpse they had buried at the quarry over a year ago. A feeling of foreboding started to grow in the pit of her stomach._

"_Amy, what's happening? Is this heaven?" Linney pressed, halting her forward motion. Amy turned to her, her eyes sad. "There isn't any heaven Linney, there's only before and after," Amy told her, releasing Linney's hand._

"_Wait! Amy! I have more to ask you!" Linney called, but Amy only blew her a kiss and walked into the barn. "Linney," a deep voice came from behind her, and she turned, to find her father standing a few feet away. He looked the way he had the day before he died. "Dad?" She whispered, "You're here too?"_

_She took a quick step to him, desperate to touch him, but he held a hand up, keeping her away. "No, baby girl, no," he said, his voice a warning, "If you come to me, that's the end, I'll pull you in there and you'll never leave."_

_Linney halted and looked around. "Dad? Am I dying? Is that what this is?" She asked him fearfully. He shook his head, "No, you're alive. You just needed to see, needed to know: sometimes the things you think you need, the places, the people you think you need, will only pull you down." _

"_I don't get it," she told him, shaking her head slowly. He smiled at her and reached for her face, stopping inches away. "When the time comes, you have to run, you have to stop fighting and run, or you'll be here, forever," he warned her. Linney took a step back. "Do you mean we need to leave the prison?" She asked him, and he shrugged. "I don't know," he replied, "But you have to be able to run, we're all here, don't stay for the dead, just to die yourself. Don't stay for the living, just to join the dead."_

_He walked past her, towards the door of the barn, pausing at the threshold. She noticed in horror that the part of his body touched by the darkness inside the barn was skeletal and rotted. "You have to leave them and run, when it's time," he warned her again. Linney bit her lip against her instant denial; even in a dream, she would never leave her family. "I love you, Dad, I always did, and I miss you," she told him instead. He smiled at her and nodded, stepping back into the darkness, turning into a living nightmare as he did. _

"_I know," he said._

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Linney woke with a groggy start, feeling like she'd been drop-kicked in the face overnight. Her mouth was crammed full of a cottony feeling, unpleasant and sour on her tongue. Her eyes felt gritty and sore, and her neck was cramped from sleeping in a recliner, instead of a bed. Her dream sat like a heavy weight on her brain, and she wasn't able to puzzle out the meaning.

"Guess what I found?" Axel's voice came from the daycare's kitchen and Linney turned to look over at him. He was brandishing a box of something while he talked in a too-loud voice to Andrea. The blonde woman ineffectually tried to shush him and he shook the box. "Lady, don't you get it? This is _instant coffee_. D'ya know when the last time I had some of this was?" Axel persisted and Andrea rolled her eyes, moving to fill their kettle. Linney struggled upright and eased to her feet, wincing at the dull pain throbbing up through her injured leg.

Linney looked around, seeing Beth, Carol, and Judith all sleeping on a little bed on the floor. Carl was sleeping heavily, leaned up against the front door. She heard a creaking on the floor and looked towards the sound, seeing Hershel swing his way into the room. "You should be resting," he told her gently. She shrugged and gestured towards the kitchen. "I should be back at the prison, but instead I'm here and so I want to have some coffee and find whatever passes for a bathroom, before this stupid recliner cripples me," her reply was less gentle, but Hershel only smiled.

"I can see there's no talking you out of it, I only ask that you be careful," he told her, resting a hand heavily on her shoulder. Linney nodded, a smile pulling at her lips, and headed towards the kitchen.

Everyone woke up bit by bit and they ate and packed their gear up, ready to leave at a moment's notice. Linney didn't think it was likely they were going to be returning to the prison today, but she didn't say anything to dissuade them. She noticed Beth and Carol gathering things up from the large house: rugs, pillows, quilts, curtains, towels and other little household items. She knew they were gathering things for the prison and felt warmed by everyone's certainty that they would be going back, that they would be turning the prison into their permanent home.

"Carl," Linney called the boy from his perch by the window, and he trotted over to her quickly, "I want to go upstairs, look around, see if there's some good stuff to snag." He gave her a smile and helped her lean on his shoulder. They made it to the stairs and Linney moved from Carl, to the railing, limping and hopping her way up. They reached the top and Carl made a noise of protest, a small one. Linney looked over at him and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Shouldn't we check the rooms?" He asked nervously, and Linney shook her head. "When we were first here, we cleared the whole house," she explained. Carl pressed his lips together and twisted his mouth to the side. "But that was a month ago, at least, what if there's something here?" He asked, and Linney sighed.

"Fine," she said, drawing the word out with impatience, "Go get Ben and sweep the rooms." She leaned heavily against the wall and waved at him. "Go now though, I don't want to stand here forever," she ordered him, gesturing at her leg. Carl nodded and trotted down the stairs and Linney smirked, sighing a little at how easy it was to slip the watch of a kid. _If only Daryl was that easy to fool, _she thought in amusement. She moved to the nearest door and pulled it open, pleased to find a bedroom. It was plain to her that this place had been a full daycare on the first floor, but that people had obviously lived there as well.

She walked into the room, looking around in pleasure. The room was remarkably well kept. She ran a finger over the lamp sitting on the night table, surprised not to find a speck of dust on it. Sweeping the room with her eyes, Linney saw the neatly made bed, and two dressers, with a pretty braided rug on the floor, and that was it. It was a simple, clean, and fairly barren room. Linney sat on the bed, taking a heavy breath when her weight came off her sore leg.

Rubbing gently at the thick bandaging on the wound, Linney put her attention towards the closet at the far side of the room. She wondered if the dressers and the closet would bear some clothing that might fit her, comfortable, clean, and not prison-issued, preferably. As she waited for Carl and Ben to come upstairs, daydreaming of cotton t-shirts and soft sweatpants, Linney lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

So she was completely unprepared to defend herself when the closet door exploded open and a figure darted out, throwing itself on top of Linney, while they both shrieked.

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If he had to be honest with himself, he really didn't think that they were going to be able to do much to prevent the loss of the prison. He just hoped they could at least put up a good fight and maybe not die before they had to retreat. Rick went back to setting up the blind he intended to lay behind with some rifles and ammo, on the roof of Block C. Merle had shown him how to get up here, taking a labyrinthine route to find the one solitary stairwell that led to the roof.

He still wasn't certain how the one armed man got to be so comfortable in this prison. _My prison, _Rick thought, a little childishly. He found it first after all, but he just hadn't found the time to explore it like Merle apparently had. Rick shook his head and lay the final piece of debris.

"How's it looking?" He called down softly to Tyreese, who was hunched with binoculars near the fence to the yard, watching the road and the woods carefully. The big man gave him a thumbs up and Rick knew that would have to do. Looking across the courtyard, he saw Daryl completing his own hiding spot, on top of Block D. His crossbow and a huge stack of bolts were next to him. They were risking the loss of all the bolts on this venture, items that were no longer very easy to find, all because every single person there knew that Daryl rarely, if ever, missed his target. Especially a target as large as a slow moving human.

Daryl nodded at him and Rick returned the nod. He got more comfortable, pulling over a rifle and using the scope as binoculars. As he scanned the road, he felt himself growing surprisingly calm; he was ready, and down below, they were making preparations in the tombs.

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Maggie and Michonne had managed to lure in a handful walkers, through the recently closed off entrance to the tombs, and Merle watched as they finally got the monsters into a dank cell. He waved at Sasha, who had stood near them, gun in hand, ready to shoot any walker that fell out of line during the process.

"Go find the rest of it," he ordered her. Sasha looked to Michonne, who looked up and nodded in agreement, before heading off down a dark hallway, to find the rest of the 'goodies' they had prepared last night to adorn the tombs. Merle watched a moment longer, as the two women started to fuss with wire, talking quietly to each other about tension and angles, and then he left as well.

When he stepped back out into Block C, into the eating area, he came upon Glenn, still seated there, making Molotov Cocktails. "Almost done?" He asked gruffly, eyeing up the group of completed weapons. Glenn nodded brusquely, not looking over. Merle watched him for a few more minutes, leaning casually against the wall while he did.

"You got a problem?" Glenn suddenly snapped at him, putting the bottle he was working with down with a thunk. Merle felt his eyebrows twitch. "What the hell ya talkin' about?" He responded. Glenn got to his feet, his pale face drawn into a glare. "It's occurred to me; while I sit here preparing to probably die today, that none of this would be happening right now, if it weren't for you. None of it," Glenn said angrily.

Merle stood up straight and took a step closer, but Glenn didn't back down. "All I can think, while I'm sitting here trying to create ways to blow people up, is that we'd still be safe here, if you hadn't been such a fucking psycho that day," Glenn's voice was hard, and he took another step towards Merle. "The Governor wouldn't know we were here, we wouldn't have half of our people hiding somewhere out there, basically unprotected! I wouldn't be worried about Maggie being hurt, or all of us losing our home or worse, if you weren't such a crazy asshole!" Glenn was nearly shouting now, his face no longer pale, but red with anger. Merle felt his own face tightening in anger, but still said nothing. A part of his mind knew that every word the kid was saying was true.

"And Maggie wouldn't have… I mean, he wouldn't have… the worst thing! All I can think about, when I hear her crying at night, crying about what that asshole did, is that it's _all your fault_!" Glenn was right up in front of him now, glaring, and teeth bared angrily. "That's on you! All on you! You're the goddamn monster here! You're the one who stepped in and ruined our fucking lives!" Glenn yelled. Merle's hand shot out and shoved Glenn back a pace.

"Get the hell out of my face, kid," he snarled in response. Glenn's face went livid and he dove at Merle, punching him in the face. Merle had been expecting it, wanted to let the stupid boy get it out of his system, knowing he'd been hiding these thoughts and feelings, knowing he'd been trying to ignore them. The punch still hurt, though, and Merle took a moment to admire the scrappy kid before Glenn walloped him again.

Merle snarled and touched his face, touched his split lip, and shoved Glenn back. "Back the fuck off, chinaman, don't make me hurt you," Merle snarled. Glenn was sneering in rage and pointed at his face. "You already have!" He snapped, gesturing at the cuts and bruises still healing on his own face. "These are your fault!" Merle made a face and looked away. "I didn't hit you," he responded, his voice a low growl, "I couldn't stop them other two, and you should've just –"

"What! I should've what!? Told the Governor and his men where everyone was? Given away the prison with no warning to anyone here about what was coming?" Glenn was furious and now Merle was too.

"You should've just brought me here! Right at the start, ya dumb shit! 'Stead of tryin'a dodge me! They're my family!" Merle's response was heated and angry, but Glenn seemed unfazed. "You're pretty fucking stupid Merle, if even you can't figure out why I couldn't trust you – I know you remember the roof, what you did, what you said – how in the fuck was I supposed to trust you?" Glenn growled and Merle watched him carefully, knowing the boy was worked up enough to shoot him, if he got a weapon in his hands.

"Because of you… Maggie… god, what he did to her, what he tried to do to her… that's on _YOU," _Glenn yelled, stomping towards Merle, his features twisted. Merle spoke without thinking, his voice angry, loud and intense, "Don't ya think I fuckin' know that? Don't ya think I regret that? Don't ya think I want to kill that fucker for what he done to that little girl?"

Glenn stopped his approach, his features loosening a tiny bit. Merle thought about Maggie, a tough girl, a nice girl, so close in age to Linney, to the age his own daughter had been, and he felt sick and guilty all over again. _I never wanted that to happen; god I'm fucking stupid._

"He's got to pay, he's gonna pay, for a long list of things, n' that's right up at the top," Merle snarled, taking a step closer to Glenn. "I ain't never gonna apologize to ya for what happened to you, they're my family and you kept me from 'em – that won't ever fly," his voice got low, deep with regret, "But that girl a yours, she didn't deserve that, n' that's on me, that'll always be on me, even if I kill the Gov a hundred times, it won't be enough." He stopped, both of them breathing heavily. Glenn was watching him carefully.

"Then at least we agree on something," Glenn replied, turning away suddenly and walking towards his little bombs again, "Killing him a hundred times won't be enough."


	159. Chapter 159

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

The traps were laid, and they barely had a moment to lose. The ground began to rumble with the approach of several large vehicles and Daryl got himself comfortable behind his blind, knowing that the Gov and his people were finally approaching. He glanced over at Block C, unable to see Rick. He knew the plan though, they had discussed it, and he wasn't going to panic now.

He stayed silent and still, watching the large trucks roll in, crunching over their downed gate. He watched as they blew up the top half of the furthest guard tower, thanking god they had decided against stationing anyone there. The Governor and his people had big guns and lots of them, and they wasted no time mowing down the walkers wandering in the yard. _Doin' us a favor, _he thought, the slightest bit of amusement tinging his thoughts.

He growled a little, under his breath, when they drove through the gate into the courtyard, ripping it off the fencing. He and Rick had discussed damage, and had discussed how much they could handle, and losing another gate, while unwelcome, and a huge pain in the ass, wasn't the end of the world. Daryl forced himself not to bring the crossbow up, not to start taking people out. He counted the numbers of the Woodbury group as best as he could, coming up with at least 30 people. Daryl scowled as they exited the vehicles and slowly, weapons drawn, and made their way towards the cell blocks.

As expected, they went into C Block first, which was obviously the better cleaned up of the two immediate cell blocks. Daryl grimaced as they used a truck to rip the gate off the fenced-in stairwell, and then grew tense, watching them all file inside. They left a couple men outside, to guard their vehicles, but Daryl noticed that the men grew noticeably calm over the course of a couple minutes; they thought this place was abandoned.

Time stretched out forever and he began to wonder what was going on inside, when he heard the distant sounds of screams. He smiled, bringing his bow up, taking aim on the guards left outside. _ Not so calm now, are ya? _He thought, getting the worried and startled men in his sights. He heard a gunshot and one of the men dropped liked a sack of rocks, his head obliterated. With that signal from Rick, Daryl loosed his first bolt. As the guards died, quickly and quietly, he heard the commotion from inside, from the tombs, and grinned.

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Glenn was the first to act, throwing a flash bang into the back of the Woodbury group, who were crowded into the tombs. It went off with a calamitous bang and even he flinched, from his hiding place. The Gov's people were stunned and screaming, and Glenn quickly lit a rag hanging out of one the Molotov's he'd made and threw it into the crowd. The explosion was large and flaming, the heat growing intense. He could hear people yelling, the Governor bellowing orders at them all, and Glenn smirked to himself.

The crowd in the tombs were tripping all over each other, knocking people down, a few of them badly burned or outright on fire, and he heard a loud squealing noise over top of their howls and screams, the sound of a cell door being pulled open slowly. The noise grew to a fever pitch then, as the walkers Michonne and Maggie had lured in were released and immediately lumbered over towards all the noise and milling bodies. He barely had time to hope that Maggie and Michonne had gotten away after their work, before he was lighting another rag.

He threw it and then squirmed backwards, further into the utility room he was laying in the doorway of. Glenn retreated quickly, taking the route Merle had pointed out for him, leaving the screaming people and growling dead behind him.

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Sasha knew their moment was now. People began stumbling and fumbling out from the entrance to the tombs into the eating area, smoke, soot, and blood on them and all around them. She glanced over at her brother, hidden next to her on the landing leading from the catwalk. Tyreese didn't look happy, and she knew his aversion to violence was making him sick. _I can be vicious enough for both of us,_ she thought grimly. She dragged over another flash bang and tossed it into the crowd clambering for escape. The explosion evoked more screams, more confusion, and more panic.

She swallowed hard against a strange feeling bubbling in her chest, something akin to guilt, and drew her gun. The people below were screeching, some of them trying to shoot at the walkers, so when she began to take careful, targeted, shots, they didn't notice. She dropped three people before Tyreese put a hand over top of her weapon and begged her with his eyes to stop. She could tell that he wanted her to stop killing, that he didn't think she needed to aid these people along the way to their own destruction, and after a moment of internal struggle, she nodded, lowering the weapon.

When the last of the people made their way out of the eating area, screaming at what they found outside in the courtyard, and screaming at what awaited them, Sasha got to her feet and raced down the stairs. She dashed across the living space and up the steps to the door that led outside and slammed it shut, locking it immediately.

She heard gunshots in the tombs and knew that Maggie and Michonne were taking care of what was left in there. _Let's hope Rick and them can take care of what's outside._

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Rick knew that the people leaving the prison were now in terror for their lives. He tried to imagine what this must seem like to them, and knew that they must think this dank, dark, echoing place was like something from a nightmare. It appeared abandoned, but the building itself seemed ready to attack them. He carefully shot at the people below as they battled the few walkers in their midst, and the walkers that had been drawn up to the courtyard.

He saw the Governor just as the man seemed to realize they were under attack from the roof tops. "Shoot them!" The man yelled, gesturing wildly at Rick and Daryl's blinds, as he ducked behind the cover of a truck, out of Rick's aim. A couple people listened, spinning and opening fire. Rick crawled out of the line of fire and hoped Daryl was retreating too; they'd discussed this eventuality and had determined that falling back was their only choice if they were being fired on.

"What are you doing? _Get back here!_" The Governor roared in rage, as the sound of vehicles starting up hit their ears. Rick smiled to himself, smiled that Governor had surrounded himself with people who were essentially cowards, people who were certainly not prepared to die for him. As Rick retreated at a low run towards the stairwell he thought, it's_ up to Merle now._

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Merle hunched in the trees, well camouflaged and in his element. The noises coming from the prison were like music to his ears. He watched as the vehicles that had so confidently smashed their way into the prison, drove out recklessly now, smashing into each in their haste to get away. He used binoculars to scan the vehicles heading his way, and decided that the big truck, with the huge gun on the back, was one they definitely needed to keep.

Bringing his gun up, Merle took careful aim and blew out the front tire, and then shot the man standing in the truck bed. The driver leapt from the vehicle, but before Merle could shoot him, another huge army style truck barreled into the man, running him over. Merle shook his head and let the huge truck go, shooting at the next couple trucks, wounding the people cowering in the truck beds, blowing out windows. The trucks and vans continued to careen down the road and he let them go. He wasn't sure which one the Governor was in, and he was fairly certain that at this point the Governor knew they were absolutely under attack. The man would be hiding, ducking down in one of the trucks, trying not to be a target for what must have seemed like dozens of snipers.

He stayed hunched in the tree, knowing that he would need to remain here for some time, watching the road for any return attacks. He thought that it was unlikely, but was slowly learning prudence, and decided to hold his position, just to be safe.

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Rick wiped his forehead, swiping sweat from his brow, as he rested his arms. After the retreat of the Gov's group, he and Daryl had hurried down to the cell blocks, shooting any of the Woodbury dead in their heads, not wanting a horde of walkers on their hands. He leaned into the tombs and whistled, and heard Maggie's familiar whistle in return.

"Is it clear?" He yelled to her, and waited until she responded. "Yes! We did it!" Maggie cried happily. She, Michonne, and Glenn came stumbling out from the darkness then, squinting against the bright light in the eating area.

"We need to get the courtyard gate back up," Rick instructed them, receiving nods in reply. Outside, Sasha and Tyreese were busily shooting the dead and taking out any approaching walkers. The seven of them got the somewhat bent and damaged gates up and lashed into place, before they immediately headed out into the yard, killing any walkers left.

They made it to the downed gate leading out to the road, and worked swiftly to get the next gate up, secure from walkers, but by no means secure from another vehicle. Once done, they all moved into the guard tower next to the gate and slumped into the cool darkness, to catch their breaths. "Are we done?" Glenn asked wearily, looking around at them and finally settling his exhausted gaze on Rick. Rick shook his head.

"I wish we were, but no," he responded, "They got away, but we need to finish the job, we need to kill that man." Maggie was nodding emphatically and Rick couldn't keep a tiny smile from playing across his lips.

"Merle, Daryl, Tyreese, Michonne and I are going to head after them, follow them back to Woodbury. They won't be expecting us to retaliate so quickly, and we need to end the threat now," Rick told them. He noticed Sasha's face twist, as if she had something she wanted to say, but she must have decided against it, as she simply leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Glenn," Rick said firmly, "You three stay here, start putting it back to rights, if you can." Glenn made a face, but nodded. Rick got to his feet and stretched his back. "The sooner we get the bodies out of here and re-secure the prison, the sooner everyone can come back home," he continued. There was no argument to that and he watched everyone perk up a little at the notion of being safe again, having their home secure again, having their family back again.

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Linney struggled against the girl on top of her, finally giving up on the notion of pushing this stranger off of herself and settling for punching. She tightened her fist and connectedly solidly with a jaw. The girl yelped and Linney closed in with her other fist, connected with the side of her attackers head.

"Get the fuck _off me_," she snarled and the girl did, backing away quickly. Linney sat up; shaking her hands against the sting of the punches she had just thrown and pulled a gun, aiming at the girl. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your fucking head off," she snarled, every bit as angry as she sounded. A thousand thoughts were racing through Linney's head: what had the girl planned to do to her, how long had she been in here, had they all slept last night, vulnerable, with this stranger in the house?

The door flew open so hard that it rebounded off the wall behind it and Carol charged into the room, Andrea and Carl on her heels. All three had guns drawn. "Linney!" Carol cried, rushing to her, "What happened?" They all seemed to notice the stranger cowering on the other side of the room at the same time, and all three swung their weapons in her direction.

"Please!" The girl pleaded with them, "Please don't shoot me! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt her!" Carol and Andrea lowered their weapons, purposefully moving to put themselves between the stranger and Linney. Carl was the only one with the gun still trained on her, his face dark and angry. Linney struggled to her feet and hopped towards the door, feeling more secure standing up, but still needing the support of the door frame.

"Who are you?" Carol snapped, the frown on her face not friendly. Carol glanced to Andrea. "Is she from Woodbury? Do you recognize her?" She asked. Andrea was staring hard at the new person and slowly shook her head. "No," she finally answered, her tone decisive, "I've never seen her before."

"My name is Sheena, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean –," Sheena's apology was cut off when Carol moved over to her, grabbing Sheena's shoulder and hauling her to her feet. When she was standing, Linney realized that she wasn't a girl. She was as tall as Carol, willowy thin, but with a wiry look to herself. Carol spun the woman around, up against the wall and nodded her head at Andrea.

"Check her," Carol ordered sternly. Andrea moved over cautiously, and with obvious distaste on her face, frisked Sheena, coming away with nothing more vicious than a Swiss Army Knife. Sheena was spun around, hauled to the bed, and shoved down. Carol and Andrea stood, identical expressions of unhappiness on their faces, staring down at her.

"You need to explain yourself," Andrea said, "Now." Sheena nodded and bit her lip. Linney glanced over at Carl and noticed his gun was still drawn. She pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows at him, nodding her head to indicate he could put the gun down. Carl glared at her and shook his head. "Not a fucking chance, Linney," he muttered. Linney's face twisted in irritation at his cussing, and he rolled his eyes at her before focusing on Sheena again.

"I was here, living here, when you pulled up yesterday!" Sheena said, her voice tight with anxiety. "I would've come down stairs, but I was scared, there were so many of you!" Carol glanced back at Linney, and they held each other's gaze for a moment. Carol's composure was reassuring, but Linney was starting to get worried. _Not another stray,_ she thought, Merle's voice in her mind. "I haven't eaten in a few days, and I'm thirsty," Sheena explained, waving a tired hand back towards the closet she had been hidden in, "I panicked when your friend walked in here, I knew she'd for sure find me. Then I noticed she was injured, and seemed tired, so I thought I could steal a gun or something, use it to get out and away from you!"

Linney listened, part of her wanting to feel sympathy for the woman, the other part wanting her to just disappear. Carol though, seemed uncomfortable with how much they were terrifying Sheena, especially after hearing the woman hadn't had anything to eat or drink in days. Andrea and Carol led Linney into the hallway, while Carl remained behind, silently training his weapon on the thin woman.

"We need to feed her," Andrea said immediately, "Give her some water; maybe have Hershel take a look to see if she's injured." Linney shook her head while Carol contemplated the thought.

"No," Linney said immediately, "I want her gone, I want her gone now. She said she was just trying to get away, so let's get her the fuck out of here. I don't want her near Judith, or Beth, or Hershel, I want her gone." Andrea made a face at her. "That's cruel," Andrea told her, "The least we could do is show some decency."

Linney made an incredulous face at her. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She hissed in response, waving an irate hand back at the bedroom, "We already did the decent thing: we didn't fucking kill her immediately. She's goddamn lucky it was us and not just about any other group left in the world that found her. She gets to leave with her life." Andrea made a face and opened her mouth to argue, when they heard Beth calling nervously from downstairs.

"Someone wanna tell us what's goin' on?" She asked carefully, from the bottom of the staircase. Andrea held Linney's eyes and then glanced over to Carol. "I'm sorry, Linney, but you're wrong with this one, hon," Carol murmured apologetically before nodding her agreement to Andrea and edging down the stairs. Linney watched her go and scowled, irritated that no one was listening to her.

Andrea walked away, back into the bedroom and Linney heard her speaking to Sheena. Spikes of pain were shooting up her leg, from where the bandage had been knocked by Sheena's lunge and she edged back towards the bedroom, leaning against the door frame again. Andrea was explaining to Sheena that they weren't going to hurt her, but that they were going to help her. Linney looked over at Carl and his hard eyes latched onto hers. _ Glad someone's on their game besides me, _she thought, before narrowing her eyes and gazing back at Sheena.


	160. Chapter 160

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

It shouldn't have irritated her that Sheena was lovely. It made no sense to her, and as much as Linney tried to argue the thought out of her own head, she couldn't. Andrea and Carol had helped Sheena get cleaned up, even helping her with a half-wash of her hair (_stupid waste of water, who needs clean hair. She attacked me and now it's a fucking day spa?)_. In clean clothes, with clean skin, and clean hair, Sheena was definitely a lovely woman.

Hershel had warmed to her at once, and after checking her over declared her healthy and unhurt, if a little malnourished and certainly dehydrated. Linney watched as Sheena drank the bottle of water Carol brought her and nibbled away at the food that a smiling Beth had delivered to the woman's seat in the living room. Sheena's hair lay in a curly tangle over her shoulders and down her back, its color a brilliant, deep, auburn. Grudgingly, Linney admitted the woman's hair was… _lovely, ugh._ Sheena's eyes were slightly slanted at the corners, making her look a little like a grey eyed cat.

"I had a group. I was with them for such a long time," Sheena explained, after she had finished her food, "Our last place, a school, was overrun, and we had to leave, on foot." Carol murmured sympathetically and Andrea, seated next to Sheena on the couch, picked up the woman's slim, pale hand and patted it. "We lost so many people along the way," Sheena's voice lowered sadly, and she brushed at her watering eyes with her free hand. "By the time we reached this place, there were only three of us left."

Linney was seated in the recliner again, her legged propped up on the pillow that Hershel had sternly told her to use. She had moved around far too much on the leg during the day, and Hershel was not happy to see so much seepage on her bandages. As he cleaned and changed the gauze, his face had been tight with disapproval and Linney struggled to keep from sticking her tongue out at him. _Like it's my goddamn fault that Red over there attacked me._

"We ran out of food, and this place was so stripped of goods that there was nothing to scavenge," Sheena continued, her voice soft and musical, "Jon and Herbert left me here, told me it was safer for me to wait while they looked for food." Beth made an unhappy noise in the back of her throat and put a hand to her chest when Sheena uttered, "I think they saw me as a burden. I think they left me on purpose."

Linney felt little sympathy and again questioned why she disliked the pale, slender woman so much. She thought maybe it was because Sheena seemed soft, inexperienced, innocent and pure in a world that forced everyone else into a dirty, grimy existence. She imagined that Sheena likely was the one that cooked food, or did the laundry, or comforted the children, never touching a gun or killing a single walker. _Amy was like that, Carol at first too, Beth certainly was when you first met her – you don't hate them, never did._

"I felt certain I would just die here," Sheena told them. Linney rolled her eyes and waved a hand at Sheena, the gesture catching everyone's attention. "Why not leave and go _look_ for food?" She asked, refraining from adding "_you moron",_ at the end of her statement. Andrea made a face at her and Carol shook her head in disappointment. "Not everyone is like you, Linney, show a little compassion!" Carol scolded her, and Linney pressed her lips together. She didn't like being scolded, especially when she thought her question was simply plain logic. Everyone else seemed wrapped up in Sheena's tale of woe, their eyes limpid with sympathy and Linney was forced to wonder if they'd all lost their minds.

Sheena continued on, but Linney refused to listen to _how scared_ she was when saw a huge group descending on her. Glancing over at Carl, she saw that while he looked less angry, he was still clearly unhappy with the woman's presence. She was dying to ask him what it was about Sheena that he didn't like, but knew it would be irresponsible of her to encourage any anti-social behavior in the kid. As it was, he barely got along with new people. Linney turned her head and saw Sheena looking at her. The woman smiled at her, a smile that seemed perfectly kind and _lovely_, but Linney's lips barely twitched in response, unable to muster up a smile for her. Looking away again, Linney let her vision settle blankly on the wall past where Ben and Beth were sitting with Judith. _I just want to get back home, get back to Daryl._

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Merle and Michonne confirmed that the body strapped to the chair in the dirty little room was that of Milton. "Andrea, ain't gonna be happy, she liked the little nerd," Merle said gruffly, stepping forward to quickly stab Milton in the head. Walker Milton had been snapping and growling at them from his chair for the entire time they were in the room, and Rick felt his posture stiffen with discomfort. Milton had quite obviously been tortured quite horribly before being killed, or left to die and Turn.

Rick had been in this dungeon-like section of Woodbury before, the night he'd come to rescue Maggie and Glenn. He'd hated it then and hated it more now. This part of Woodbury disgusted him.

After finding the carnage on the road, near dusk, and the lone survivor, a slightly shell-shocked woman named Karen, Rick felt certain they weren't going to find the Governor, especially when Karen said he'd driven off with his lieutenant, Shumpert. They pushed onto Woodbury though, regardless. Karen had been extremely worried, about the fifteen children, women, and elderly people that had been left behind in Woodbury. Unsure about what they were going to find when they arrived, Rick had ordered them all to proceed silently and carefully.

When they found a ghost town and the small group of remaining citizens bunking down in the library, Rick was now positive they wouldn't catch the Governor. As the blood-lust he'd been feeling for the man drained away, it was replaced with sadness and pity for the group they'd found. The fifteen left behind were obviously considered too weak to assist in the attack on the prison, and Rick found it disturbing that they'd been left behind with no protection, no weapons, nothing. _What kind of leader leaves the most vulnerable of his people behind like this?_

The people there knew Merle, and they knew Karen, and Rick had been utterly gobsmacked when he saw the way people perked up at Merle's presence. Several of the smaller children ran for the rough redneck, clutching his legs happily, and Rick had to remind himself that Merle had been considered their leader's right-hand man for many long months; it made sense that they would be happy to see him coming to their rescue.

So, after loading them all in a school bus, Rick had asked Karen and Tyreese to grab as many near-by supplies as they could, while he, Daryl, Merle, and Michonne searched the buildings. They wanted to see if they could find any of the enemy hiding out there. Merle had reluctantly mentioned Milton to Rick, saying that Andrea would never let up if they didn't at least try to find the man. When they did, Rick knew it was time to leave.

Daryl seemed extra anxious on the walk back to the bus and Rick finally couldn't take it anymore. "Something the matter?" He asked quietly. Daryl glanced over at him, his face tight and his eyes narrowed. "No," he replied shortly. Rick couldn't help a quick smile over at the man and then he gestured towards the skyline, where the sun was starting to rise after their long, creepy night in Woodbury.

"Thinkin' we should go round everyone up where I have them hiding," Rick said casually. Daryl glanced sharply at him and then nodded equally as casually, like it didn't really matter to him. "Sounds like a good idea, I guess," Daryl responded. Rick smirked and they all loaded the bus and left Woodbury behind them.

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Everyone woke early the next morning, wondering if they were going to be contacted and told to head back to the prison today. Again they packed everything up, and Linney began making her way around and around the first floor, trying to get practice in on the crutches, desperate to be quick and stable on them. She told herself it had nothing to do with her unreasonable dislike of Sheena, but she had to admit to herself, that she certainly felt less irritated not being trapped in the same room as the woman. Sheena seemed to be fitting in quite well. After chatting late into the night with Andrea, Carol, Hershel, and Axel, Sheena revealed several things about herself. She was 30 years old, had been married before the Turn (her husband died in the first couple days of the outbreak), and was from just outside Atlanta. She had been a dog groomer before all of this, which everyone had chuckled at.

"Not much use for such a skill now," Sheena had said lightly, laughing delicately. Linney, feigning sleep across the room, chomped down on the inside of her cheek, to keep the irritated look from her face. She listened as Carol and Axel described their group's current situation, what the other members of their group were like, and why they were camped out at this daycare right now. Sheena was suitably pleased to hear they had a safe place to live and many strong, capable protectors in their group.

"What a wonderful thing to be able to sleep at night, locked up snug and safe!" Sheena had marveled, and at that, Linney had to turn her head to face away from them. _Who actually says snug like that?_ She thought in irritation. Axel began describing the people in their group, and Linney grimaced when Sheena said, "Those Dixon brothers sound like a sight! How nice it must be to have men like that around to protect you!" Linney almost sat up and shouted at the red head that the Dixons were hers, Daryl especially. She stopped herself though, knowing that would look distinctly awful of her.

"You oughta see that gal over there, though! She's a friggin bad ass!" Axel boasted, and Linney smothered a smile at his assertions. Sheena didn't say much, only hummed in response. It struck Linney then that Sheena didn't like her either. "Badass?" Andrea remarked, "Axel, you have no idea, that girl is like a born and bred killer! I remember when I first met her…" Linney started to fall asleep as Andrea retold the story of her meeting Linney, and at the familiar cadence of the woman's voice she felt lulled into her sleep.

And now this morning, Linney heard Sheena giggling with Beth over something Asskicker did, and wanted to just march out the front door and break something. Instead, Linney strolled over to a window and leaned on the ledge, watching the empty street. She sat there for nearly 20 minutes before a large bus suddenly came lumbering out of nowhere. Linney was stunned for half a second, but gathered her wits and started whistling quietly and frantically back into the living room.

Instantly, everyone fell into action, except Andrea and Sheena, neither of whom was familiar with their signals. Andrea caught on quickly enough though, and stationed herself at a window, weapons drawn. Hershel took Judith and Axel into the kitchen, and hid with them in the pantry near the back door, prepared to leave if any of them gave the signal. Beth and Ben clattered up the stairs, to find positions at the windows up there.

Carl crouched by the door and Carol came to Linney's side. Sheena was huddled behind a couch, and Linney could see her shaking head to toe in fear, from her spot on the other side of the house. Looking back out the window, they all had another tense, fearful minute as the bus just sat there. They couldn't quite see in the windows, but what they could see was the vague outline of many people inside it. _Oh god, please, please, please, don't be bad, _Linney thought in a panic, wondering if this meant Rick had been captured and tortured.

When the bus door swung open and Rick stepped out cautiously, she could hear the collective whoosh of breath let out by everyone. Merle stepped out on his heels, followed by Michonne, and then Daryl. Carol squeezed her knee and grinned when Linney looked over. "Looks like it's time to go home!" Carol said happily. Linney started to get to her feet as Carl yanked the door open.

"Dad!" He cried softly, rushing to Rick, nearly knocking the sheriff off his feet with the force of his hug. The next few minutes were busy and confusing, and Linney finally made it out on her crutches, intent on getting to Daryl. She was stopped by Rick, who released Carl and turned to her, pulling her in for a strong hug. She was smiling when he stepped back, putting his hand to her head. "Glad you're doing good," he told her in a low voice. She moved to swing her crutches past him, and was stopped short by Michonne, who clasped her shoulder and gave her a quick tight smile.

"How's the leg?" The woman asked her, and Linney shrugged. "Still got a hole in it, so, you know, it's been better," Linney said, a slight laugh in her voice. Michonne's full lips pulled up in a dry smile and Linney moved on. She heaved a huge irritated sigh when Merle stopped her.

"How's that chicken leg, sweetheart?" He said brashly and Linney swallowed her impatience with some effort. "Fine," she replied, looking past him to where Daryl was leaning smugly against the side of the bus. She realized by the look on his face that he found her inability to get to him as quickly as she would have liked extremely amusing, and had no intention of making it any easier for her. Merle pulled her into a quick hug, which surprised her. He pushed her away just as quickly and growled at her to quit being so grabby. Linney glared at him, but said nothing, simply moving past him.

She was almost there, almost to the damn Promised Land, when Daryl's eyebrows drew together in surprise. "Who the hell is that?" He snapped, pointing past her. _Goddammit, Sheena, you stupid bitch,_ Linney thought in instant frustration. Carol began to explain, and they all gathered closer to the newcomer. Daryl seemed so curious and dumbfounded by the whole thing that he only managed a quick, one-armed, hug for Linney before heading closer to where Sheena was standing, surrounded by the group.

Linney leaned against the bus, irritated beyond words as Sheena looked around at them all. The woman screamed vulnerability, looking slender, pale, and defenseless, and Linney could see that this appealed to them all, for whatever reason. Muttering angrily to herself, she tucked the crutches under her arms and headed back inside the daycare, through the house, out the back door, and into the SUV she'd arrived in, deciding to wait for Daryl to come to her.

He didn't though, and after a long while, everyone started loading up the SUV's and they left, Hershel, Ben, and Beth in the SUV with Linney, Axel and Carol in the other. "Everyone else wanted to ride in the bus," Beth explained, her large blue eyes starry in surprise, "Can you believe they beat him? And rescued all those people? Isn't that amazin'?" Linney pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows, nodding a little.

She thought of Sheena holding court in the bus, entrancing every one with her pretty hair, pretty complexion and soft voice, as she told her story of being a damsel in distress. She couldn't help the little twinge of jealousy that shot through her, when she thought about Daryl listening to her, all but ignoring Linney as he drank in the sight of this new person, this new woman. _You're not that girl, _she told herself, _he's yours, and he knows it, and he'd never…_ Linney's thoughts stopped abruptly, feeling ridiculous.

She chalked it all up to being injured, tired, and in pain, especially after the eventful week they'd all had. _Sheena will become old news and that's that._

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Daryl realized halfway through the bus ride home that Linney wasn't there, and felt a twinge of guilt that he'd let her slip away from him like that. He turned back, to where Rick and Merle were chatting with that new woman, Sheena. Daryl watched her animated face with his typical narrow-eyed gaze and noticed that she repeatedly looked over at him. He managed a tiny smile for her, wanting to at least put a little energy into being friendly. He really just wanted to get back to the prison, and into bed, Linney next to him. He was exhausted beyond words.

Sheena was explaining why she had been hiding in the closet, and how she had leapt out at Linney, in the lame hope of taking a weapon off the girl. He immediately perked up. "Didn't notice the damn bandage on her leg?" He asked gruffly, and the woman turned her startled grey eyes to him. "Well, yes, but I just thought that I'd be able to take a weapon off her easier if she was injured," Sheena explained.

"Did ya hurt her?" He growled, his tone not friendly. Sheena cringed a little and leaned away from him, making him feel instantly bad. "Not much, I don't think," Sheena murmured, "I feel terrible about it, I'm not a violent person, and she's so young…" Sheena trailed off and Daryl snapped irritably, "She ain't that young." Sheena shrugged one shoulder and turned back to Rick, asking him a question about the prison, if they'd truly have enough room for her. Daryl sank back into his own thoughts again, feeling a bit like a cranky old man for snapping at this defenseless woman, thinking that Linney would likely smack him for such rudeness.

Sheena brushed some hair back off her face, her eyes darting over to Daryl again and he looked away quickly. She was definitely pretty, but as he stared out at the road rushing past them, he found the image of grey eyes in a pale face being replaced by a mental image of Linney, wide green eyes watching him, a lopsided smile pulling at her lips. He smiled to himself, mentally comparing the wispy thinness of Sheena to Linney's lithe frame, curved exactly where it needed to be, her limbs strong and shapely. He figured a woman like Sheena might snap in half in his arms, whereas Linney seemed built as a perfect fit for himself. He shook himself a little, realizing he wasn't far from embarrassing himself in a bus full of people, if he continued down that mental path for much longer.

_We need to get home, _he thought, _need to be alone with my girl._


	161. Chapter 161

***** Holy crap on a cracker guys, we've made it through Season 3! What a trip, hey? Now, I'm going to roll around in the time gap between seasons 3 and 4. I love writing without having to follow any kind of other plotline, so this should be fun! We all know what prison life was like at the end of Season 3 and then what it looked like at the beginning of Season 4, so I want to take us through how that came about. I've discussed this at length with a fellow TWD obsessed friend, and we both agree that there was likely about 10-11 months in between, if we go off of Judith's aging and the weather (Season 3 ends with it looking like autumn – and season 4 picks up in the mid-to-late-summer, it looks like). **

**It's also nice to write about this time period because it gives Season 5 time to get rolling – I want to see what the writers do with everyone, so I can properly set up some long term plans for my guys (nomadic life vs settled life). Of course I know exactly what happens in the comics, so I have a pretty good idea of what I hope they do (and PRAY they **_**do not**__** do**_**) – but some of it will break every last goddamn one of your feels, so I refuse to spoil it for any of you.**

**Sorry for the long Author's Note, I just wanted to give you all a little status update - ****I'll shut up now! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Glenn, Maggie, and Sasha all stood shoulder to shoulder, hidden behind a cluster of tall, metal filing cabinets, and stared out at the small smoldering pile of corpses at the far end of the yard. They had spent nearly the entire time Rick and the crew was gone, gathering up bodies in and around Block C and the tombs. Carrying them all proved to be completely out of the question after the first hour. Glenn told them then that if they all kept barfing the way they were, they'd never have enough energy to finish the task.

So they found the rolling platform that was normally used to move furniture around, loading it up with corpses. That sped up the process considerably. Rick hadn't told them how to deal with the bodies in any special way, so Glenn and the girls pushed the cart carefully across the large expanse of the yard, to the area they had chosen weeks ago as the spot to burn bodies. After the hot, stinking job of unloading and burning the bodies was done, they ran back to the courtyard, leaving the cart next to the burning body pile.

The yard was cleared, but Glenn still felt uncomfortable out there, after so long not being able to use the space due to walkers, and of course, human threats. "They'll be home soon, right?" Maggie asked, tilting her hip against the filing cabinet to her right, dropping her head to rest on it as well. Sasha shrugged and eased herself carefully to the ground, resting against the cabinets. "I hope so, because I'm too tired to do this shit by ourselves for much longer," she griped. Maggie chuckled drily and closed her eyes.

Glenn stared at her face, beautiful even though it was filthy, covered in soot, dirt, and blood. She opened her eyes and caught him staring and smiled at him, making his heart stutter for a moment. He moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close.

"We need to get to work again, guys," Maggie finally spoke aloud and Glenn heaved a deep sigh. She gestured around the courtyard. "We should gather up fallen weapons, maybe clean up the bullets and stuff, you know?" She explained to them and Sasha nodded, climbing to her feet creakily. Glenn nodded at Maggie and then gestured at Block C. "We should do the same thing in the tombs," he offered. "And the kitchen," Sasha tacked on.

Glenn gave them a grim smile. "Do we wanna do it together or just split it up? Either way, it's a shit ton of work." They all groaned and decided to just split it up. The girls went inside, Sasha to the tombs with a few lanterns for light, and Maggie into the kitchen and cell block.

As he piled weapons of all shapes, sizes, and descriptions into a rolling laundry cart, Glenn thought about what came next. Their time here had yet to be simple and idyllic, with the focus on establishing a home. They'd been fighting against something every single day here. _Maybe with the Governor dead we can start to worry about food, walker protection and drapes on the windows, _he thought to himself.

As he started to use the giant push-broom to gather up bullets and other random debris, Glenn daydreamed, thinking of their injured people healing, their food stores growing, the huge yard being used in a sustainable way, Judy growing up, his marrying Maggie someday, maybe even having kids of their own. He paused, staring down at the pile of junk he'd pushed together so far. _If we've truly killed that guy, we can have all of that. _He looked around, at the mess and clutter of the courtyard and dreamed of better times, as he bent back to his work.

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Rick was relieved; pleased to see the gates still up, even happier to see that the courtyard was more or less put to rights. The bus pulled in and he stood at the front, speaking to everyone.

"I know it's been a long night and a long morning," he said, his tone firm, but not unpleasant, "But we weren't prepared for visitors, and have the mess the Governor made left to deal with; I don't how fit it is here for new people." There were some murmurs near the back of the bus and he nodded his head, as if he agreed with them all. "If you can all just wait here for a few more minutes, I'm going to get my people moving, get a safe place set up for you to sleep and stay." The murmurs were happier now, and he glanced down at Merle, Daryl, Michonne, Andrea, and Carl.

"Michonne," he said quietly, and her dark eyes locked onto his, "Stay here and keep everyone calm and on the bus." She grimaced but nodded. Rick heard Glenn knocking at the door to the bus and waved his hand at everyone else. "Let's get out there and make some plans, explain to the others what needs to happen," he told the rest of them. They filed off the bus and there were a few minutes of hectic chattering, exclamations and explanations. Finally Rick held his hand up for quiet.

"Hershel, please take Judy, Linney, and Axel back into their rooms, get them resting," Rick instructed, and Hershel nodded. Linney scowled angrily, but Merle dipped to her side and whispered something obviously threatening in her ear and she glared at him before spinning on her crutches and hobbling inside immediately. After a moment, Hershel followed, Axel at his side with Judy's carrier in his hands.

"Ben, Sasha, Tyreese," he spoke, turning to look over to where Sasha had run to hug first her brother in greeting and then Ben, and the three of them stood close together. "Unload the vehicles, try and get everything squared away." They turned and started immediately, without comment, and he felt momentarily pleased.

"Carl, you and Beth head into D Block quickly. Make sure it's clear and secure. Check every cell and make sure there are mattresses in there," he watched his son bob his head quickly and shoot a pleased smile over to Beth, who grinned back at him before running over to D Block.

"Andrea, Carol, Maggie, Glenn – there are 16 new people in there," he waved a hand back at the bus, "None of them have slept all night, they're tired and scared and I want them resting in their cells as soon as possible. I want you to gather up bedding for each one of them and start bringing it into Block D, I'll let them choose their cells in there and you can drop it off." The four of them were off quickly and Rick sighed a little, looking at the Dixons. "We need to lock both ends of C Block, just until we know who we're dealing with," he murmured to the pair, who nodded, identical narrow-eyed expressions on their faces. Rick felt an absurd urge to laugh at their sameness, but managed to smother the dangerous tendency. "I hate to lock them in, but I want to make sure their only way out of D Block for now leads into the tombs, straight to the washroom, and nowhere else," he explained himself, and Merle grunted.

"You may not trust 'em, but I know those folks, n' they're a buncha old geezers, babies, n' pregnant women, I wouldn't worry," he said in a strange rasp. Rick blinked and realized that Merle was trying to be comforting. He nodded, taking Merle's words seriously, surprising himself with the frequency with which he was trusting in the redneck's opinion and advice, lately. "All the same, let's get the tombs and the cells locked up, and I'll get these folks led inside," Rick replied.

Turning back to the bus, he saw Sheena watching them from her window. He followed her gaze and saw that she appeared to be watching Daryl specifically. Rick felt his mouth twitch and seriously wondered if he should warn her against any ideas in the man's direction, knowing that Linney would not be kind or shy about making Sheena regret her choices. When she realized he was looking at her, Sheena turned to him and smiled shyly, ducking her head a little as she looked down at her hands. _She certainly is pretty,_ he thought to himself, surprised that he was able to recognize that anymore. Michonne stomped down the steps then, an irritated smirk on her face.

"Can we wrap this up? I'm not a babysitter," she griped. Rick nodded and clapped a hand to her shoulder, realizing that no matter how pretty and delicate Sheena was, they needed women like Michonne in this world more.

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Linney lay back in her bed, which had no blankets or pillows on it, and sighed heavily. Her head felt cluttered with everything that had gone on the past few days. Their cell block was pretty quiet for now, and she was grateful for that. Hershel had urged her to sleep downstairs, but she had stubbornly refused and struggled her way up the stairs, back to her and Daryl's room. She'd carefully removed her weapons, her boots, her belt, and pants, with the one leg cut short to accommodate the bandages. She lay on the bed, in just her underwear, long tank top, and socks, and draped an arm over her eyes.

_Fifteen new people, Jesus,_ she thought, worriedly. Hershel had said in the car that most of them were the very old, the very young, or the very vulnerable, and she had nodded, but internally pulled at her hair. _Fifteen new strangers with mouths and stomachs that need filling, _she thought. They were going to all need to sit down and discuss this kind of thing. It wouldn't just be Rick taking care of them, they were all going to have to work harder to take care of the new people, to feed, protect and provide for them.

Linney rubbed her hand over her face and realized that although Rick was their uncontested leader, choices like this really should have been run by the rest of them first. _Maybe we could have voted,_ she thought idly, having a hard time imagining such a strange concept in their ragtag group. _Ugh, sounds like politics to me, maybe not, then. _And Sheena, she was going to be next to useless, Linney could tell.

Taking in kids and pregnant ladies was one thing. Kids deserved the protection of those around them, and they were too young to help themselves. Carl had proven how useful they could be with the proper instruction, though, so she figured whatever investment and work went into taking care of extra kids, would pay off down the line when the kids grew up and turned into caregivers themselves.

Pregnant women weren't pregnant forever. They'd have babies and then be back to normal shortly thereafter, able to cook, clean, go on runs; help protect the prison and those inside it. Linney scratched her side and had to concede that even the elderly had their uses. They'd lived long lives, seen and done a lot of things, things that didn't always involve the technologies everyone else was pining over the loss of now. _They might know about gardening, getting some basic, old-fashioned plumbing or electricity set-up, _Linney thought eagerly.

A vision of red hair filled her mind and she grimaced, her lips curling in distaste. _Stupid Sheena, _she thought childishly, _can't shoot, can't hunt, can't fight; in short, totally fucking useless._ Linney was restless, her leg aching pretty badly again, so she shifted to her side, trying to rest it in a different way. _We need a screening process for the able bodied adults we come across, no more useless strays like her._

Linney thought about the things that made a person useful these days. Ability to ably kill a walker was obviously at the top of the list. She thought about things like ability to go on runs, or being in shape and able to run, and figured that those things all tied back into being able to kill walkers. If you couldn't kill walkers you died, simple as that.

_Ok so: can you kill walkers? _She thought, staring at the wall next to the bed. _No, that's stupid, anyone can lie about that._ Linney huffed out a breath and sat up, bending to the floor for her pants. She snagged them in her fingers and rumpled them in to a ball, hoping to prop her leg up a little.

_How many walkers have you killed? That's a better question. _The thought came to her suddenly as she was trying to rearrange her leg on the tiny pants-pillow, and she grinned, pleased with herself. She lay back and thought that just one question was a pretty shitty screening process.

_We don't want any psychos, either, _she thought with a grimace, hoping that despite her irritating qualities, Sheena wasn't crazy. _I can handle stupid, just not crazy. Crazy gets you killed, _she thought, her mind drifting back to Shane. _No, worse than that, crazy just plain kills._ Linney's leg was becoming unbearable, so she gave up trying to get comfortable and grabbed her pants, carefully hauling them up over her thighs and hips. She attached her belt and her fingers paused on the clasp. _We've all killed though, and I don't think we're all crazy,_ she thought worriedly. Linney limped to the door and thought about all the people she'd killed, all the living, breathing people.

_No group in its right mind would hear my number and want me around; I'm like a goddamn serial killer,_ Linney though ruefully, easing herself carefully down the stairs. She paused on the small perch between the top and bottom floor and nodded to herself. _Everyone here's got a pretty high number, though, _Linney mused, trailing her hand back and forth along a small section of railing, _and no one's crazy, no one's evil._ Again her mind flashed to Shane, to the Governor, to the men in the bar they'd met long ago.

_So, yeah, we need to know that you've killed people, 'cause sometimes you just have to, it can be a strength in the right situation. _Linney made her way carefully down the next set of stairs and breathed a sigh of relief once she was on the main floor again. She reached for her crutches, which she'd left leaned up against the bottom of the stairs. Tucking them under her arm, Linney thought,_ How many walkers have you killed? How many people have you killed? _She swung herself to Hershel's cell and smiled at the older man, who was resting and reading his bible, Judith sleeping in her carrier on the floor. Linney leaned against the wall and stared at Judith, calmed just by the sight of the sleeping infant's face.

_How many people have you killed? _She thought again. _And why?_

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He and his brother made short work of securing Block D, and Daryl only wasted a couple minutes, watching as Rick and Michonne herded the people from the bus into it. Merle went inside the cell block with them, after a couple of the kids had waved happily at him, and Daryl shook his head at his brother's retreating back, wondering what had happened to the man, to cause such a change in his behavior.

He made his way into their own cell block, nodding at some of his group, all busily unpacking and reorganizing everything. Sasha halted him before he could go very far. "All your bags are at the bottom of the stairs," she told him, "Along with some of the extras that Carol grabbed for your cell from the house they were in." Sasha raised an eyebrow at him and smirked a little. "She called them 'comfort items', and said you and Linney needed to be comfortable," Sasha added. Daryl blinked at her, wondering what the hell was wrong with Carol, talking like that to other people, and he nodded. He made a couple trips from the bottom of the stairs, up to their room, trying not to wake Linney up.

When he was done, he sat on the chair in their room, looking around at all the clutter. Linney was lying in the bed, her leg propped up on a pillow, but with no covers on. She wasn't wearing pants and he worried about someone traipsing into the room (_these people got no sense of privacy)_ and seeing her that way, so he fished out a sheet and lay it out carefully over her lower half.

She stirred then, turning her head to smile at him. "Hey," she said quietly and he smiled back at her, just plain happy to see her. He kicked some stuff out of the way and sat next to the bed, on the floor. She took a deep breath and struggled to sit up a little bit and he immediately turned and grabbed their two pillows, leaning over her to tuck them behind her head. She kissed his neck when he bent close and he grunted, looking down at her.

"Hi," she said again, and he leaned closer, kissing her properly. "I missed you," she muttered against his mouth. He smirked and ran a hand down her face. "What, kids n' the old man ain't good enough company?" He asked her, and she made a face, reaching a hand up at the same time and brushing his hair back off his face. "Your hair is getting too long," she told him, ignoring his question. Daryl rolled his eyes and leaned away from her.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," he responded. Linney chuckled and waved a hand at him. "Fine, fine, let it grow out, eventually we can braid each other's hair and talk about boys all night long," she joked, her lips twisting mischievously. He resisted the urge to go down the teasing road with her and instead leaned forward, resting his head on her chest. She stilled and gently put both hands on his head, and he stayed that way for a long time, listening to her heart beat and her stomach gurgle.

He was beginning to think that he had never been quite so content and at peace when she spoke again. "What do you think of Sheena?" She asked him carefully, something in her voice making him sit up and look at her. She was trying really hard to keep her face straight and normal-looking, but he knew there was something in her tone he needed to be wary of.

"Don't know a thing about her," he grumbled, "'Cept she needs to eat a damn sandwich." Linney grinned at him, a huge, pleased smile and sat up quickly, almost falling off the bed as she lunged at him, capturing his face in her small hands and pressing her lips to his. Her kisses were eager and he chuckled a little to himself.

_Don't know what that's all about, but I guess that was the right answer._


	162. Chapter 162

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Linney hobbled across their cell and sat on the small chair by the door, easing her leg out of Daryl's way. "Just spread it on top of the sheets," she instructed him, waving her hand at the patchwork quilt in his hands. He looked down at the homey fabric and rolled his eyes, shaking the quilt into the air and watching as it settled over their existing bedding.

"It's rumpled," Linney observed, pointing to parts of the blanket that weren't hanging or lying smoothly. He turned to her, still bent at the waist over their bed and raised an eyebrow at her. "Not a fuckin' maid," he grumbled. Linney made a face at him. "Then get out of the way and I'll fix it," she told him in an impatient tone, moving to get to her feet. Daryl straightened and moved to her, pressing down on her shoulders so she couldn't get up.

"Like hell you will, you're supposed to be resting," he snapped, holding a warning finger in front of her face. Linney smirked at him and leaned forward, putting her mouth over the tip of his finger, sucking lightly. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes and licked lightly at the finger in her mouth. He had a pained expression on his face and pulled his hand back, slowly.

"That ain't what I meant by restin'," he muttered, turning away from her and spreading the blanket out flat. Linney chuckled lightly and leaned back on the little metal chair, resting her back against the wall behind her. "That's what you get for misbehaving," she told him smartly and he grumbled something, but didn't turn around. She watched his large calloused hands work over the bedding, straightening it out smoothly, pushing their growing collection of pillows to the top of the bed.

"You're good at this," she commented and he snorted, turning to her with a small smile on his face. "I know what you're doin'," he growled at her, "Tryin'a get me all riled up." He leaned closer to her, bracing a hand on either side of the wall by her head. His breath was warm on her mouth and her chin and she smiled slowly at him. "Is it working?" She asked in a low, breathy voice. His breathing was heavier for a moment as he regarded her. She could see the little flecks of gold and grey in the blue of his eyes from this close; see where a couple of his eyelashes were tangled together. She resisted the urge to lick him.

_Girl, you know you got it bad when you're thinking about licking his eyelashes, _she thought to herself. Daryl leaned in the last inch and planted a kiss between her eyes before standing up straight and thrusting his arms beneath her shoulders and under her knees. He scooped her up and her stomach pulsed with excitement. _Yaaayy, sex! _She thought in triumph and smiled up at him promisingly. He raised an eyebrow at her and lowered her into bed, caging her in with his big arms on either side of her shoulders.

She was almost panting at this point, and put her hands to his collar, pawing at the shirt there, tugging to have him pull it up. He put a hand over hers and she met his eyes. He smirked at her and pushed her hands away. He got to his feet quickly and grinned at her. "Don't know what you think that was, but we got some shit to rearrange in here," he told her in a smug voice. Linney pressed her lips together, supremely frustrated with him.

"Now who's riled up?" He asked her and she glared at him, tossing a pillow at his head. He caught it easily and bent to her bare feet, helping her lift her injured leg onto the pillow. "Don't play those games with me, woman," he told her, bent over her feet, "I never lose." She contemplated just tearing her clothes off, but when he straightened, she saw that there were some serious thoughts backing his little game.

"When Hershel says you need to take it easy, you listen to 'im," he told her, his tone not as teasing. Linney groaned and threw her arm over her eyes. "You'll be the death of me, Dixon," she muttered. He chuckled and gestured towards the pile of bags and random bit and pieces from the daycare that Carol had decided would be theirs.

"What next?" He asked and she pointed at the rug. It was a pretty little rag rug, big enough to cover the whole area next to the bed. "I don't want cold feet come winter," she told him and he nodded. He started to put everything onto the top bunk and table, getting it out of the way so he could lay the rug down. "Just gonna warm them on me, anyhow," he told her, shooting her a little smile. Linney laughed, thinking of how delightfully warm he always was in the colder weather.

"It's not my fault you steal all the heat in the universe," she accused him. Daryl shook his head and began to unroll the rug. "You love it," he responded quietly, tugging at the corners of the rug by his feet, trying to get it to lay the way he wanted. "I love a lot of things," she told him, "But I absolutely _adore_ warming my cold feet on your warm belly."

"Admit it, you're only stickin' around me for the warmth," he said, his voice low and teasing. Linney laughed helplessly, pleased beyond measure to be having a simple, fun, conversation with him in the privacy of their own room. She raised her hands next to her shoulders, in surrender. "You got me," she said, trying to make her voice sound serious, "If you got cold, it would all be over; I'd have to divorce you."

She laughed at her own joke and then realized he wasn't. The look on his face was pensive and she tightened her stomach, trying not to roll her eyes. He shifted the rug minutely once more and then stayed kneeled at the bottom of the rug, by the door and didn't look up. "Jesus, alright," she said impatiently, "Out with it, Dixon, what did I say that you misread, misunderstood, or took too seriously?" He looked up at her and shook his head. He climbed to his feet and reached above her, to the top bunk. He pulled down some simple curtains and looked at her nervously.

"I heard Glenn sayin' something," he told her, his voice so hesitant that she sat up a little straighter. Daryl turned and dumped the curtains on the table. "What?" She asked softly. He reached above the bed again and retrieved a plastic bag that was filled with big circular curtain rings. Linney had a moment to be impressed with Carol's industry and determination to turn this place into a home, before she locked back onto Daryl.

"He's got a ring, gonna propose to Maggie," he told her, his voice halting and hoarse. Linney blinked in surprise, not expecting this tangent. "Seriously?" She asked, her voice incredulous. He nodded and Linney shook her head. "Well, that's dumb," she replied. Daryl's whole body seemed to twitch in surprise and she made a face. "What?" She demanded.

Daryl sat down on the rug and pulled the curtains back down to the ground, fishing out a hook from the bag and fitting it through the eyelet holes in the curtain fabric. "Thought you'd like that idea, he's your friend," Daryl muttered. Linney shrugged and then realized he wasn't looking at her, all his attention fixed on feeding the loops through the grommets.

She stared at the top of his head and wondered how to proceed. She thought the institution of marriage was a fairly weak one back in the old world, but doubly so now. Linney realized she had no idea what Daryl thought about marriage and knew she could potentially be wading into troubled waters.

"I just think it's unnecessary," she told him carefully, her eyes trying to drink in even the slightest reaction from him, "What's the point anymore? We all know they're together, and that they're pretty obviously crazy about one another." Daryl said nothing and continued with his task. Linney sniffed a little and looked down at her leg. She stared at the bandaging around her calf and focused on how to explain her feelings on this topic. "Like, it wouldn't be legal, it wouldn't be religious, and it wouldn't be to prove a point or cover a pregnancy, so why bother?" She asked him without looking over. She heard a tinkling noise as he got to his feet, curtain in hand. Linney finally looked over at him then. "Maybe he just wants to," he muttered, turning to the cell door and reaching for the very top rung of the door.

Linney watched him silently for a moment, wishing she had never said the word 'divorce' and put him on this path. "All he's doing is making it even more serious," she told him, "He's just saying to everyone that they're super together now. But we already knew that, saying it front of people doesn't make it more real." Daryl didn't respond and the cell was filled with all the things he wasn't saying, leaving Linney feeling absurdly guilty.

"You've said yourself that having people you care about just means you have more to lose," she told him, her tone mildly desperate. He shrugged and continued to snap the little rings to the bar along the door. "Don't you think its tempting fate to stand in front of your group and loudly declare that you love this other person so much that you're willing to drag everyone through an extinct ceremony for a dead institution? That's like daring the world to try and take this person away from you," Linney persisted.

Daryl finished snapping the curtain up and took a couple steps back to admire it. Linney smiled, it certainly brightened the room up. The curtains themselves were a thick material, beige in color, with green and brown stitches in the shape of leaves all over it. If you ignored the big orange stain on the top corner of one side of the curtain, it was perfect. Linney mentally thanked Carol for choosing such an apt item for their room.

Daryl moved back to the chair and sat down, examining his fingernails. "So you think that we can't get too happy in case shit gets taken away?" He asked her, not looking up. Linney pressed her lips together, unhappy with the turn their time together was taking. "That's not what I'm saying," she told him; "I'm saying I love you, why the hell do I need ring from you to know you love me back?" He looked up at her then, his eyes narrowed, his face hard and impassive. She searched his expression, desperate to know what he was thinking.

"Don't you think it's the slightest bit silly to be saying 'I Daryl take thee Linney', when we're surrounded by reanimated corpses that want to eat us alive? While we live in a half-blown up, abandoned, prison? While we wait for a psychotic pirate to show up and kill us in our sleep?" She put the questions to him as frankly as possible and after a long tense moment, he finally nodded, meeting her eyes and shooting her the smallest of smiles.

"You're right, we got bigger fish to fry," he told her, and she felt a heady whoosh of relief rush through her. He got to his feet and yanked down a bag, her bag, and knelt down next to their little bookshelf that doubled as a dresser and general storage for them. She watched him pull out her handfuls of belongings, things that had been rammed willy nilly into the bag to begin with. He began to refold her clothes.

It occurred to her, as she watched him, that maybe he didn't share her dislike for marriage, that, in fact, the angry, crusty, impenetrable Daryl Dixon might think it was a pretty ok idea. She felt bad then, but not enough to change her opinion. She hadn't told him that in almost all the cases of marriage she'd been witness to throughout her life, it usually didn't end well. Death, sickness, hatred, abuse, addiction, fighting, insanity – this is what her life had taught her marriage meant. She thought about the good she had with him, the unending series of moments that made her heart want to burst in her chest because she was so content. She worried the mere declaration of being married would cause some kind of psychological shift in their behaviors, shifts so small they wouldn't even realize they were occurring, and that would be the death knell of their pleasant union.

_Not a fucking chance, _she thought grimly, watching Daryl flatten her now empty bag and push it under the bed. _His feelings can be hurt, he'll get over it._ She reached a hand out and touched the side of his face. He closed his eyes briefly and swallowed, leaning into her touch. _I'm not losing this._

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After their disastrous descent into the topic of marriage, they kept things light, and for that Linney was grateful. Daryl had unpacked all their bags, put everything away, and set up the lantern for the top of the bookshelf and another for their little table. When it was all set to rights, he'd slipped out, saying he was going to grab them some food and drink. Linney looked around at the concrete walls after he left and wondered if they'd be able to attach stuff to them. The walls now looked all the more grim and forbidding with the stark contrast of the rest of their little room, now more comfortable and colorful than it had ever been before.

She knew that Carol and the others had grabbed a lot of stuff and idly wondered what the other cells were shaping into. _I'll have to check them out tomorrow; I'm likely to be tackled if I try to leave the room today._ Daryl returned shortly thereafter and brandished a couple plates of food.

"Squirrel," he told her and she nodded. She sat up straight, leaning back against the wall and Daryl joined her, settling himself gingerly next to her, trying not to jostle her leg. They dug into the warm plates of food: squirrel, rice and beans. "Looks pretty great in here," she said quietly, in between mouthfuls of food. He grunted and continued to shovel his food in his mouth. When they were done, he put the plates on the floor and pulled two cans of soda from the cargo pockets on his pants.

The distinct snapping sound of the cans opening cracked into the air and Linney took a big gulp of the sugary drink, keeping her eyes on him. He kept looking over at her and she raised an eyebrow at him. "So, are we going to have any sex today at all?" She asked him baldly, and he choked and sputtered a little bit on his mouthful of drink.

"Your leg," he began, but Linney shook her head, leaning to the side and putting the can on the ground next to the bed. She reached down and pulled her shirt up and over her head, heaving it across the room. He didn't move, just watched her, the can of soda sitting close to his mouth. She arched her back and reached behind herself, unclasping her bra. She flicked it away, following the path of the shirt, and her hands rested on the waistband of her pants.

"Don't leave me hanging here," she told him, her voice throaty with sudden anticipation. He put the can down and just watched her. Shrugging, she undid the button on the pants, sliding the zipper down. She moved carefully, raising her hips and butt from the bed, getting her pants off and down over her leg. Her underwear followed moments later and she laid herself down, bowing away from him, her body fully naked and on display for him, as she curved around the top of the mattress. He got up and stepped away then. Daryl squeezed his eyes shut and she saw his hands fisting at his sides.

"Hershel said…" he started and Linney tsked at him. "Don't talk about him. I'm not saying we need to get acrobatic, but I want you," she told him softly. She slid a hand over her own belly, reaching between her legs, to the dark patch of hair there, and further, until her mildly chilly fingers were touching her warmest place. She sucked in a breath, turned on by the act, and the notion that he wasn't involved, yet. His eyes popped open and he took in a ragged breath, his mouth falling open a little. "Don't you want me?" She asked, her voice slightly tremulous at what her fingers were doing. She felt wanton, and wanted him more than ever. She wanted to erase the past week, erase the negative and rush in something good, and sweet, and strong.

"Linney," he breathed, watching her. She closed her eyes and her hips bent upwards slightly, her eyebrows coming together as a tingling wave made her sigh softly. She heard jingling and slitted her eyes open to see him removing his clothes, slowly, as if he was in a trance. All his focus was on her. His breathing was heavy and he moved closer in just his boxers, the front of them strained and tight over his arousal. He moved dazedly and removed them, kicking them behind himself.

She kept her fingers moving and his eyes trailed from her face, to her chest, down to her thighs, watching as she touched herself. He reached a hand out and clamped it around her wrist. Her fingers halted and he drew her hand away from herself, bending and kissing her fingers lightly. She felt her stomach leaping, the muscles of her thighs twitching in anticipation. He shifted and slid onto the bed, holding himself over her carefully.

He leaned to one side and brought a hand up, spreading his fingers over her breast, gently and firmly assuming control. His fingers kneaded at her, rolling her flesh, before drifting down to where just moments before her own hand had been. He made a sound when he touched her. She was ready, beyond ready, and hoped he wouldn't wait much longer; she felt a physical ache at the absence of him inside of her, when she wanted it so badly.

"Gently," he muttered, his voice so low and deep that it was barely a word. His knee nudged carefully at her leg and she widened her thighs a little, mindful of her sore leg. He carefully hiked up her good leg, hooking her knee over his elbow, his other hand still gently working at her.

"Please," she breathed, her plea barely audible. He heard it, his eyes closing for a moment before he moved closer and she felt him, poised to enter her warmth, hesitating. "It's ok," she assured him softly. His eyes moved to hers and she smiled at him, lifting her hips towards him, feeling him slide in easily the first little bit. "Gently," he repeated, and she nodded as he lowered himself over her and filled her completely.

_*** Thought I'd end on a frisky note, but a soft note, not rough and tumble like they usually are… after all, even Linney and Daryl deserve a little bit of, ahem, sensual activity ***_


	163. Chapter 163

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Emerging from their cell the next morning, Linney blinked hard and squinted at the bright sunlight streaming in through the large windows. She and Daryl had spent all yesterday afternoon, evening, and night together in their cell, sequestered away from the rest of the group. It had felt wonderful; secluded, private, intimate. This morning though, Linney knew that any leniency Rick had extended, allowing them their time alone, would certainly come to an end.

"Gimme your arm," Daryl grumbled at her, standing a couple steps down from her on the short staircase that led from the second floor to the perch. He had an arm extended out towards her, and waggled his fingers at her expectantly. For about two seconds, she contemplated being stubborn and refusing assistance. Then, she caught a glimpse of his left bicep, tilted a little more into the streaming sunlight than his other arm, making his normally tan skin glow nearly golden, and she felt woozy with pleasure.

Swallowing hard, she grasped the railing tightly in one hand and slid the crutches out from under her armpits, leaning them against the upper railing. She put her hand into Daryl's calloused grip and he closed his fingers around her own, firm but gentle. He pulled her lightly towards him and let her push down on his hand, using it for balance and support. He wrapped an arm around her back, helping her stay steady, and Linney slid her grip on the railing down, taking her first hopping steps down the stairs.

Daryl was completely focused on her movements, on her speed and balance, all in a clinical fashion, she knew. Linney on the other hand was almost entirely mentally absent, relishing the closeness, his warmth, his smell, the low rough sounds his voice made as he mumbled instruction and encouragement at her. At the bottom of the stairs she cleared her throat and looked up at him when he removed his grip and said, "Hang on to the rail, gonna grab the crutches." Linney nodded dumbly and he gave her a puzzled look before climbing the stairs in his easy, agile manner. Her eyes were locked onto the way his backside moved in his jeans, the way the brief glimpse of his shoulder blades at the sleeves of his shirt, flexed and pulsed as he used his hands to clutch lightly at the railing.

Shaking her head a little, Linney looked away, pulling in breaths through her nose and out through her mouth. He never failed to do this to her, and she found that she was usually more attuned to his physical attributes directly _after_ sex, almost like the glow of pleasure allowed her to block everything else and happily obsess over every single thing about him. It seemed like the real world was rushing in around her now - now that she was no longer thinking about pinning him down and doing things to him.

Hershel was in his cell behind her, chatting with someone in his soothingly twangy voice. She could hear Judith making small bird noises in her cell, and Carl chuckling at whatever it was that the infant was doing. Andrea's voice was echoing from the kitchen, instructional in tone, and Linney guessed that some of the newbies were likely in there with her. "Here," she heard from behind her, and Daryl was there, poking at the undersides of her arms with the crutches. She obligingly lifted her arms and leaned her weight on them, steadying herself. She thought the crutches were horribly cumbersome and was fairly certain that in a pinch she was going to be killed because they weren't meant for speed. The instantaneous relief on her leg though, made her keep her mouth shut. It was like heaven to feel the pressure come off the wound.

She glanced up at him when she was situated and shot him a huge smile, loaded with relief and pleasure at the release of her weight off of the leg. The simple pleasure of the pain going away, and the wonderful climb down the stairs (_not to mention the sex this morning, don't forget the sex)_ was heady. Daryl's entire demeanor changed after seeing the smile, his eyes narrowing and drinking in her expression. He almost startled her right off the crutches when he suddenly dove in, hands on each side of her face, his mouth urgent and warm as he bent to kiss her. She laughed a little against his mouth and he pulled back, kissing her lips quickly, then her forehead, before stepping away and pointing at Hershel's room. "Alright, get on in there and let 'im change the bandages," he ordered her gruffly, the tiniest of smirks pulling at his lips. She shook her head slowly at him and smirked back. He held her gaze for a moment longer and then turned on his heel and sauntered away in that way he had.

She _knew_ he was doing it on purpose, for her, and she laughed. "Hussy!" She called after him, and he flipped her the bird without turning around as he disappeared into the kitchen. Just then a head popped out of Hershel's room, and Linney's mood withered and died instantly. "Good morning, Linney!" Sheena greeted her pleasantly, a pretty, gentle smile growing on her face. Linney managed a sour smile back and lingered by the stairs, waiting for Sheena to go away. Sheena's smile grew and she tilted her head back towards Hershel's room.

"Hershel's keeping me around for all the medical stuff he does for the next little while," Sheena explained, "I have an itsy bitsy bit of first aid training from before, so we're going to grow it, so there's even more back up here!" Sheena sounded downright thrilled, and Linney felt like she had eaten something foul that was resting in her throat unpleasantly. She cleared her throat again, the sound ungainly and unladylike, and called out, "Hershel?" She was mildly embarrassed with how strangled and garbled her voice sounded.

He stepped past Sheena in the doorway, tucking the curtain out of the way. "Good, Linney, you're here," he said, moving towards her on his own crutches. Her mouth twitched into an approximation of a smile and she tilted her head towards Sheena. "You're training her?" She asked, trying hard not to make it sound like an accusation. He smiled at her and nodded, looking pleased. "She helped me with a few small injuries some people sustained the other day, and she and Carol both helped with examinations of the pregnant women from Woodbury," he explained. He smiled and shook his head slightly, "I have to admit, it's wonderful to have the help." Linney nodded and her face fell, knowing she couldn't very well insist that he do it all alone now, if he was admitting he needed help.

He pointed with a crutch back into the cell, indicating she should enter. Taking a deep breath, Linney moved towards the door and inside. She leaned one crutch against the bed, avoiding Sheena's gaze, and grasped the top bunk's frame in one hand. Sheena took both crutches and moved them out of the way, before leaning towards Linney to help her. Linney shook her head, her eyebrows drawing together a little. "I've got it," she said harshly. Sheena pressed her lips together, her eyes going wide, and nodded, putting her hands in the air. "Of course you do," Sheena said encouragingly, her tone lilting kindly.

Burning with shame, knowing she looked like a child now, Linney awkwardly lowered herself down to the bed and scooted into position. Hershel sat on the metal stool by the door, his expression curious as he took in Linney's reactions to Sheena. "May I?" Sheena asked her, sweetly, gesturing at Linney's legs. Linney resisted rolling her eyes and nodded. She crouched and lifted both of Linney's legs up onto the bed, carefully lowering them onto the mattress. As she was pulling away, Sheena's arm pressed right against the center of the bandage, hard, and Linney hissed in a cry at the contact. "Fuck!" She snarled at Sheena, making the red head stumble a step or two back.

"Oh my, Linney! I'm so sorry! It was an accident!" Sheena cried, her eyes widening in alarm and her hands fluttering in the air. "Oh god, I'm so sorry, I'm so clumsy!" Hershel interrupted her and he reached for one of Sheena's hands and began to reassure her it was just an accident, and no one blamed her and everything was fine. While he was speaking to her, he reached down to pick up his kit near his feet and Sheena looked away from Hershel, to Linney. The woman's face, now unseen by anyone but Linney, was completely devoid of any emotion whatsoever and Linney flinched so hard her shoulder smacked into the bed frame behind her with a clang.

Hershel's head came up quickly and Sheena's face melted into one of burning embarrassment and contriteness. Linney felt her heart galloping along like a scared rabbit. She had spent over a year in this new, terrifying world, and she had never seen anything that disturbed her as badly as the cold, empty look on Sheena's face a moment before. _My god, it's like she has no soul._ Linney swallowed and gritted her teeth, knowing that at this moment, it would be better to just get through this without saying anything, and vowed to hold her reactions in.

With Hershel coaching her on, Sheena unwrapped Linney's bandages and cleaned and redressed the wound. Her movements were gentle, smart, and efficient, and although she was still badly shaken, Linney had to admit that Sheena's care of her wound was less painful than Hershel's. The old vet, for his part, looked pleased as punch. When her leg was rewrapped, Hershel smiled at her, his eyes hopeful, and though Linney knew he was talking to her, asking her questions about how it was and looking for her to give a seal of approval and encouragement to Sheena, Linney couldn't reply. Sheena was cleaning everything up and, with Hershel's back to her; Sheena again had zero expression on her face, while her eyes remained locked to Linney's.

Unable to stay a moment longer, Linney climbed to her feet, clumsily grabbed her crutches and left the room, smashing one crutch against the door so hard that the clanking noise echoed throughout the cell block. Like she'd seen a ghost, Linney raced away, into the kitchen, towards other people. Sheena's voice trailed out of Hershel's cell, after her, "I'm sorry Hershel, I think she doesn't trust me and it's my own fault for being so clumsy!"

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Andrea was sitting in the kitchen with Merle, each of them drinking a mug of tea. Merle had been up for a few hours already by the time she had lead the Woodbury people in here for breakfast and a tour of their supplies and facilities. She remembered he had once been in the military, and wondered if his early mornings were a throwback to that, or if he just enjoyed the mornings now that he was clean. Either way, when he had walked into the kitchen and right up to the stove, she had been unable to keep a smug little grin off her face, from where she stood leaned against the small table that served as a counter.

"I happen to know that you've already had your allotted cup of tea for the day," she said, smiling at him over the lip of her own steaming mug, referring to Rick's recent ruling on careful rationing, now that they had so many mouths to feed. Merle shot her an incredulous look and smirked when he saw she was teasing.

"Oh ho Blondie, don't tease ole Merle," he said in his rasping voice. He leaned right up in front of her, his body and face inches away from hers, his arm reaching behind her. "Dunno what I'm liable to do if ya rile me up," he continued, in a throaty growl. Andrea found she no longer had a voice and made a noise between a soft gurgle and a croak. Merle smiled at her, his grin cocky and confident, and then the hand that had moved behind her back suddenly reappeared, a mug slung casually over his fingers.

"Jus' need my cup," he told her, moving away, back to the stove. When he had his back to her she had blinked hard and let out a shaky, silent breath. _I must be going crazy, _she thought to herself, desperation in the tone of her inner voice, _there is no effing way I'm attracted to Merle Dixon. He's just a posturing, overbearing…_ her voice faded away when he turned around and moved to sit down at the nearest table with his mug of steaming tea. She stayed at the counter and he finally looked up towards her.

"Why the hell are ya jus' standin' around like that?" He snapped at her impatiently. Andrea huffed out an irritated breath at his rudeness and harsh behavior and managed to convince herself that she had misread Merle a few moments before; he wasn't going for seductive or attractive, he was just being a threatening ass. She moved away from the counter to sit at the table with him. They were both silent as they drank and she looked over at him every now and then, disconcerted to find that he was watching her, unabashedly and without any attempt to cover it up.

"What?" She finally asked him, her eyebrows moving up expectantly. Merle smirked again, the expression on his face turning into the one he'd had when he'd reached for his cup behind her. He opened his mouth to respond when a huge metal clanging noise made both of their heads jerk towards the kitchen door. Linney came clumsily galloping in on her crutches and both of them lurched to their feet at the expression on her face. She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Linney?" Andrea asked, putting down her mug and heading towards the girl. Linney blinked rapidly a few times and her expression cleared, became less fearful and more normal. "What the hell happened?" Merle demanded. Linney lifted her injured leg a little bit. "Just got the bandages changed, it hurt, it always does," she said. Merle glanced back at Andrea and she could almost hear him thinking "_liar"_.

"You sure?" He asked Linney and she nodded, swallowing. "I'm actually just starving, what'd you make me for breakfast this morning Dixon?" Her tone slid into the normal smartassery that she and Merle seemed to converse best in. It worked, too, Andrea noticed as Merle stepped into the banter easily. She watched the two of them, watched Merle snap back at her about not lifting a damn finger for her even if he was paid to, even as he gathered together breakfast and tea for her.

Andrea knew it was a cover. She knew Linney was still shaking off whatever had freaked her out, and Merle was acting like he believed her. She decided that she would get Merle gone and then help Linney out, get her to open up. _It won't be easy, but anything that freaks that girl out must be bad, so we need to deal with it._

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"So, what _really_ happened this morning?" Andrea asked her casually, from her spot across the table. Linney swallowed the mouthful of oatmeal she'd just shoveled into her mouth and stared at Andrea. She really didn't know how to answer, and, if she was being honest with herself, really didn't want to answer. She knew Andrea wanted to forge a new friendship with Linney, gloss over the things that had happened in their shared past. Linney shook her head minutely and stuck a second spoonful in her mouth, rudely ignoring Andrea's query.

"I know that wasn't about the bandages," Andrea said, her tone earnest and slightly pushy. Linney looked up again and carefully took in Andrea's blue eyes and eager face. She was happy Andrea was back with them, for better or for worse Andrea was one of them and was where she belonged, but Linney didn't forget what happened with Shane. Or the Governor… _And Sheena, don't forget that Andrea glommed onto Sheena faster than anyone – you can't trust that she won't say anything._ Linney wasn't certain what was going on with Sheena, what kind of problems they were now going to face with a brand new psycho in their midst. Linney knew that she couldn't risk playing her cards too early, not until she knew what she was dealing with. She knew there was only one way to put Andrea off the scent.

"Why in the fuck would I want to talk to you about anything?" Linney muttered, pushing her spoon back into her half-eaten bowl of oatmeal. Andrea sat back quickly in her seat, her face flickering from shock, to hurt, to anger, in quick succession. Linney felt momentarily bad, but bit back the urge to soften the blow. She felt instinctively that Andrea was absolutely not the person to discuss her worries with, and the woman was like a dog after a bone if she thought there was something she could meddle in.

Linney got awkwardly to her feet. When the crutches were under her arms, she swung a few feet away from the table. "I'm glad you're back, but maybe keep your nose out of my business," Linney snapped, watching as Andrea's face tightened with irritation. "Well, nice to see some things never change," Andrea said, her tone heavy with scorn. The blonde climbed to her feet and strode over to Linney, pointing a finger at her.

"I'm trying really hard to forget the things that happened, and to make up for the things I did," Andrea told her, "You need to grow up and stop treating everybody like an enemy, especially the people who have given up a lot for you." Linney blinked several times and then found her glare, directly it at Andrea angrily. "You're right, some things don't change: you're still a bitch," Linney tossed it out, hoping that it would be the final nail in the coffin and Andrea would drop her question and forget that she'd ever been concerned.

Spinning on her heels, Andrea stomped away. _That went well, _Linney thought, watching the blonde storm off and feeling guilty for being unnecessarily mean and harsh.


	164. Chapter 164

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Andrea was mad. She hated feeling guilty and she hated feeling left out, and she wondered, despite her warm welcome back into the fold, if everyone felt the way Linney did. She stomped away from the girl, towards her room, dropping down onto her bed in a huff. _I was only trying to help_, she thought in a mental whine, _what do I have to do to prove to these people once and for all that I'm on their side?_

She flopped back down onto the bed and stared up at the underside of the top bunk. The metal frame encasing the mattress above her was in a crisscross pattern, rusted in some spots, the orangey color leaking onto the dingy fabric of the lumpy bed. She lifted her foot up and toed at the pattern, rubbing idly at the stained spots with the tips of her shoe. It was impossible to look around the dank grey room without thinking fondly about her apartment in Woodbury.

_I had a bed, with a soft set of sheets, a warm duvet, four pillows - four!_ She thought sadly, thumping her head back down onto the two slender pillows below her. Her space in Woodbury had been small, but clean, bright, cheery, and above all, blissfully normal. She knew Phillip was a lot of terrible things, but he'd done one thing right when he'd decided that they needed to make things comfortable and familiar in their town. He had understood that they needed to make everything feel like the way things used to be, in order to have everyone settled and willing to contribute.

_And now what do I have?_ She mused, casting her gaze critically around the room. She had a bunk bed, with a sheet and an ugly flannel blanket. She had a small metal table bolted to the wall, with a similarly attached metal stool next to it. She had a tiny scarred bookcase that housed her new 'belongings'. Rick and Carol had carefully rationed out clothing to her, personal hygiene products, bedding, and a towel. She had nothing of her own, all her things were likely still sitting in that apartment in Woodbury.

_Everyone here would be so much happier in Woodbury,_ she thought to herself, _Phillip is gone now, the threat is gone. _She sat up as the idea clearly formed in her mind. _We should go back, take the town for ourselves. _Her mind whirled suddenly, with thoughts of refortifying and securing the abandoned town, of making it their own. _Surely Rick would see the reason in that? _At that thought, Andrea leapt to her feet, swiftly leaving the dingy room behind her, racing down the stairs, through the empty kitchen, and out into the courtyard, determined to find Rick. Determined to make him listen.

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Linney found Maggie first, when she first exited the fenced in stairwell leading from C Block. Maggie was heading across the courtyard, from D Block, towards the yard when Linney called out, "Maggie!" Her friend turned to her quickly, her shiny brown hair whipping against her face. "Linney! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" She called back in reply.

Maggie jogged over to her and put a hand on Linney's shoulder, smiling warmly. "I was beginning to wonder if the two of you were ever gonna come outta there!" Maggie teased her. Linney made a face at her friend, and nodded with her chin towards the other cell block. "Knew there were things to be done, people to meet," Linney said, her tone not overly enthusiastic. Maggie nodded and put a hand on Linney's back, urging her to head towards D Block.

"Glenn, Rick, Daryl, and Sasha are down by the front gates," Maggie explained quietly, "Merle and the new people are all in the other block." Linney moved carefully along next to her friend, pleased that things seemed to be moving along at a fairly calm pace around their home. "Rick's gonna want to talk to you, he wants to have a bunch of us sit down, discuss some stuff," Maggie continued. Linney grunted in acknowledgement.

"How are they?" Linney asked, her tone hesitant, "What are they like?" Maggie stopped walking and put a hand on Linney's shoulder, halting her as well. "I know that voice," Maggie said, her tone firm, "These all seem like nice folks, Lin, normal people." Linney's eyebrows quirked together. "What in the hell is 'normal' now, exactly?" She asked Maggie.

Maggie took a deep breath and nodded a little bit. "I don't know…" Maggie's voice trailed off for a moment before she finished, "Not like us." Maggie's eyes held Linney's and she knew that her friend was looking for understanding. "Ok," Linney began, "So, it's a bunch of old people, kids, and preggos?" Maggie chuckled and then shrugged a shoulder.

"You could say that," Maggie said, looking down at her fingernails, picking at the dirt crammed underneath them, "There are 10 elderly people, two pregnant women, and three kids." Linney felt her lips twitch a little bit, not really sure how she felt about that information. "How old is elderly?" She finally asked. Maggie shrugged again. "I didn't go around askin' them how old they were, Lin, but they all look older than Dad," Maggie finally answered.

"How old are the kids?" Linney asked. "There's a little girl, maybe 8? A little boy, about 6 I think, and a toddler, not sure how old he is," Maggie told her. Linney realized they weren't dealing with kids like Carl or Beth; these were _little_ kids, not soon-to-be warriors. "The pregnant women?" She asked, after deciding there was nothing productive she could say about the kids. "What about them?" Maggie asked, her face clouding over slightly. Linney felt certain that Maggie was thinking of Lori, would always think of Lori whenever anyone talked about pregnancy for the rest of her life.

"One's only about 4 months along, the other's as big as a house, gotta be 7 months along," Maggie explained, turning away from Linney and walking again towards D Block. Linney watched her walk away and then asked, "Wasn't there another lady? Besides Sheena?" Maggie stopped, one foot on the bottom step of the small staircase leading up to D Block, and turned back to Linney.

"Her name is Karen, and she seems ok," Maggie answered hesitantly. Linney felt her eyebrows quirk a little and made her way over to Maggie as quickly as she could. "What? Tell me?" Linney asked, knowing there had to be a story behind Maggie's hesitancy. Maggie smirked and rolled her eyes a little bit. "She's kind of a bitch," Maggie said in a quiet voice. Linney felt a huge smile pulling at her mouth and nodded a little.

"That doesn't seem fair," she said in reply, "We've already got Andrea!" Maggie dissolved into giggles at Linney's jab and they both stood snickering for a moment. _God I needed this, need to forget about that stupid psycho,_ she thought. The further she was from the Sheena incident, the more able she was to try and reason it out. _Woman's a useless bitch, was probably trying to purposefully fuck with me._

"Who's got me?" They heard from behind them, and both girls spun to see Andrea making her way towards them from the C Block stairwell. Linney's smile fell immediately and she scowled at Andrea, trying to force it out harder than needed. "Eavesdropping is rude, you know," she commented lazily, her scowl turning into a mean smile. Andrea's whole face seemed to pull into a hurt pout and again Linney felt the internal twitch of guilt. She wanted Andrea to never ask about this morning again, and felt that since she'd been such a bitch to Andrea to throw her off topic, she had to keep it up.

"Talking about other people behind their backs is actually the rude part," Andrea shot back, standing up straighter. Linney stared blankly at her and then turned back to Maggie. "Let's go inside," Linney said, deciding to ignore Andrea. Maggie looked over Andrea's shoulder, a little confusion on her face, but nodded when she met Linney's eyes.

They were almost to the door, Maggie's hand actually on the handle, when Andrea's voice stopped them again. "Where's Rick? I need to talk to him about something," Andrea called out. Maggie paused and turned to the woman, though Linney didn't. She just wanted this Andrea encounter to be over, so she could stop feeling conflicted about it.

"He's down at the front gate, he's pretty busy," Maggie answered, "If I were you, I'd just wait until lunch, talk to him then." Andrea must have nodded, because Maggie gave her a tight little smile and then pulled the door open to D Block and ushered Linney inside. They made their way slowly through the big empty eating area in this cell block, completely devoid of any cooking utensils. "Gonna tell me what that's all about?" Maggie asked her quietly. Linney looked over at her briefly and then back ahead of herself.

"Things are always going to be weird with her and me," Linney replied. Maggie stopped again and Linney couldn't hold back her groan. "You seemed pretty happy to have her back a couple days ago," Maggie said, her face skeptical. Linney pulled in a big breath. "That's cause she belongs with us, but that doesn't mean she's my favorite person, not after Sha – him," Linney winced a little, surprised with herself for having a hard time just saying the man's name.

Maggie understood though, it seemed, and just nodded. They walked into the cell block and Linney drank in the strange and somewhat bewildering sight of all the people, the noise, the clutter. It was so strange. Everyone came over and it was a hard few minutes for Linney, awkwardness heavy in her chest. She was surprised again to find herself feeling out of sorts with meeting so many new people. They all introduced themselves and she pretty much immediately forgot all their names.

"What happened to your leg?" A little voice asked her. Linney swung around, to look at the speaker and couldn't stop the brief grimace that flashed across her face. The little girl standing there was likely the ugliest child she'd ever seen. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to answer with, 'What happened to your face?" The kid had a huge scar that started at her hairline and moved straight down her face, through an eye, down her cheek and then through both her lips, disappearing at the bottom of her chin.

_That's a goddamn knife scar_, Linney thought sickly. The girl had tanned skin, from being a kid outdoors in the sun in a safe little town, Linney assumed, but the scar was an angry red and pink puckered flaw. Linney licked her lips and nodded at the girl. "I got shot," she answered simply. The girl's one remaining dark brown eye frankly assessed Linney's face and she felt uncomfortable, certain the kid was able to see what she was thinking.

"My name is Molly," the girl said and Linney nodded. They stared at each other for a few more long seconds, during which, Linney decided that Molly had likely not been a pretty girl before the scar either. Her eyes were very wide set, her face very flat, her features heavy and too mature somehow for an 8 year olds face. "That's my brother, Matty," Molly said, pointing to the little boy who was hiding inside their cell like a scared bunny. Linney glanced up quickly and caught a glimpse of a curly brown head, before he ducked away behind the curtain on the door.

"Matty and Molly, hey?" Linney asked, "Does your momma like m's?" Molly stared at her, not smiling the way Linney knew that Carl would have when she'd first met him. "My mom's dead, my dad too," Molly answered. _Well, that's just wonderful,_ Linney thought, feeling like a bag of shit. "Sorry, kid," she said, a little gruffly, not certain how to erase such a bad first impression. Molly shrugged. "We live with Nina now, she's not our real mom, but she's better than nothing," the little girl said and Linney went through the list of names and faces she'd just been introduced to. She felt fairly certain that Nina was the very pregnant lady. "I guess so," Linney replied lamely, looking over her shoulder for Maggie to save her from this nearly unbearable encounter. Linney knew she usually did well with kids, but Molly was something else, too smart for her own good. _She's a hell of a lot like I was_, she thought, remembering all the times people had told her she was too grumpy, too surly, too sullen.

"What's going on over here?" Linney turned to the new voice and saw the pretty dark haired woman that Maggie had pointed out as being Karen. "Oh hi, Karen right?" Linney asked, smiling a little in relief, pleased to be ending her chat with Molly. The woman didn't crack a smile, only bent to Molly's height and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Is everything ok, sweetheart?" She asked Molly. Molly nodded and pulled back from Karen's hand sharply. "Goodbye Linney," the kid said, turning away and heading into her cell. Linney blinked at the abrupt departure and met Karen's eyes. "She's been through a lot, you shouldn't upset her," Karen said, surprising Linney.

"What? I didn't say anything!" Linney protested, her voice rising a little in irritation. Karen pursed her lips a little bit. "Molly doesn't need strangers staring at her like she's some kind of freak show, pestering her with questions about her parents," Karen continued, "You don't know her, and I'd appreciate if you'd keep away from her if you can't act appropriately."

Linney understood being protective, but it sort of felt like Karen was peeing on her territory. Either way, it rubbed Linney the wrong way, and after Sheena's soulless weirdness, everything with Andrea, and the throb in her leg, Linney decided to pee a little on her own territory.

"Whoa, back the fuck off, lady," Linney snapped, her face falling into a distinctly unfriendly expression, "You don't even know me, and that kid talked to _me_, I didn't approach her. So keep your fucking lectures to yourself." She swung forward, deciding her social call on D Block didn't need to include Karen any longer. Karen's face was distinctly unhappy, and Linney shot her a 'don't fuck with me' look, before moving by her, heading towards the far end of D Block, where she could see Merle and a couple of the elderly people talking.

"Oh, and Karen?" Linney asked her, pausing and looking over shoulder, knowing her own facial scars were visible as she turned, "It was _so_ nice to meet you." _Yay, another person who hates me._

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Merle watched Linney approaching, knowing without hearing what was said that she and Karen had just had words_._ He smirked a little, eyeing up Linney's lopsided and uncoordinated movements as she skirted past the people separating her from him. Her face was tight, her smile so stretched and false it was nearly a snarl, and he knew that the soft people of Woodbury found her mildly frightening and perplexing.

"Makin' friends there, sweetheart?" He greeted her snidely and was rewarded with a dark look. Linney readjusted her grip on the crutches and he couldn't stop himself from looking down at her leg, at the thick swath of bandages there. He felt the familiar ripple of guilt knowing it was his own damn fault that she was hurt and uncomfortable, that her leg was going to be an ugly scarred mess once it healed.

"Quit staring at it, you big dumb hick," she hissed at him, and he heard the slight intake of surprised breath from the two older men he had been chatting with. Merle just chuckled and waved a hand at her while meeting the eyes of Jasper and Wally, men he knew from his long winter in Woodbury.

"This sweet little darling is Linney," he said in gruff amusement, watching both men struggle to hide small smiles. He turned to Linney, intending to introduce the two men, but she had already shifted herself on the crutches, extending a hand to them.

"Jasper," the taller of the two said, his wispy gray hear bobbing a little around his otherwise bald head. Linney released his hand and looked over at Wally, a man who had somehow managed to maintain his large, round beer belly this far into the apocalypse. "Walter," he introduced himself, giving Linney a big gummy smile, "But a pretty little lady like you should call me Wally." Linney surprised him by giggling a little, her face relaxing into a genuine smile.

"You don't get out much, do you?" She said in response to his calling her a 'lady'. Both men laughed and Merle chuckled quietly. _Still manages to surprise ya, even after all this time_, he thought, watching and only half-listening as she engaged in small talk with them. He widened his eyes and made a grunting noise when Linney waved a hand in his face. He glared at her.

"Get yer hand outta my face," he snapped at her and she rolled her eyes. "Then pay attention, jeez," she shot back. They glared at each other for a few moments and she finally smirked a little. "I was just asking what you three were chatting about while I was enjoying Karen's social charms?" She told him, a question in her voice. He glanced across the room, to where Karen was standing, having a tense conversation with Maggie. _Hershel's girl looks pissed,_ he thought to himself, thinking it was amazing how negative and irritable these Woodbury people were making Rick's group look in comparison.

"We were just talkin' about how to lock these old farts in their cells at night," Merle replied easily. Jasper and Wally laughed. Linney was struck absolutely dumb and blinked stupidly a few times before swinging wide eyes over to the old men. Jasper smiled a little and waved a hand at himself.

"I may look like a dandy bite," he told her, his voice pleasant, "But I'm not as young as I used to be. 85 if I'm a day!" Linney didn't nod, just looked over to Wally, obviously wanting clarification.

"It only makes sense, any of us is liable to go in our sleep, and we don't want these babies or their little mothers dying because of us," Wally said plainly. Linney swallowed and looked over to Merle. "So… so… you're gonna lock them in at night?" She asked, her voice tight and strange, "Lock them in every night?"

"And let 'em out in the mornin'," Merle responded calmly, "If any of 'em turn in the night then they'll be locked in and easy to deal with, don't haveta worry about comin' in here and findin' a bloodbath." Linney looked queasy but finally nodded a little at the older men.

"Are you alright with this?" She asked them faintly, her eyes searching their faces. Both men nodded and Jasper laid a large wrinkled hand on her shoulder, pretending not to notice when she stepped away from his unfamiliar touch almost immediately.

"It was our idea," he reassured her. Linney slowly began to move away from them, towards the back door out of D Block. Merle knew her leg was hurting her, and knew that door would only dump her out into the dog run, further from rest. He made no move to stop her though, realizing by the way her breaths were coming a little shorter and the pale cast to her face that she was seeking immediate escape from an undesirable situation.

"World ain't what it used to be," he murmured to her gruffly. She paused and looked over her shoulder at him, her face forced into a stiffly placid expression. "No," she answered, her voice barely a thread, "It's not anymore, is it?"


	165. Chapter 165

***** I'm in a great mood right now and couldn't resist another update... Also you guys are all wonderful and I'm beyond grateful for all the reads, reviews, favs, and follows! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Rick groaned internally when he saw Andrea striding towards them, making her way across the yard purposefully. He recognized that look, that walk, and not just on her. It seemed to him that anytime a woman headed towards him looking like that, he was about to get an earful.

"Fuck does she want?" Daryl grumbled next to him. Rick looked over, meeting the man's narrowed eyes and shrugging. "We're about to find out," he said wryly in reply. Daryl grunted and readjusted his grip on his crossbow, his gaze watching the blonde approach them.

"Rick," Andrea called out, "I need to talk to you!" Rick nodded and gestured over his shoulder to where Sasha and Glenn were hovered over a large note pad that the two of them had been sketching and planning in all morning. "We're in the middle of something here," he told her, "Let's talk about this a little later –"

"No, now," she interrupted, crossing her arms underneath her breasts, coming to a stop in front of him. Rick glanced at Daryl and the other man raised his eyebrows a little before turning on his heel and abruptly walking away. _Traitor,_ he thought, a little childishly, not pleased that Daryl had left him to Andrea's devices this way.

Andrea's eyes never left Rick's face and he finally sighed and waved a hand at her. "Go on," he told her, "What's the problem?" She huffed a little at his mildly impatient tone, and he couldn't help but wonder what had gotten her into such a huff since breakfast.

"We need to move back to Woodbury," she said, with no preamble, startling him. "Excuse me?" He asked, completely dumbfounded. She waved a hand towards the gates. "It's just sitting there, fortified, empty, full of supplies," she rationalized, "We need to go back there and claim it." Rick put a hand over his eyes for a minute, trying to give himself a moment to formulate a somewhat civilized answer.

"You're kidding, right?" He asked her and she made an impatient face. "Why would I be kidding, Rick?" She shot back, a blonde eyebrow flickering up. "Why _should _we stay here a minute longer than we have to? Woodbury has everything we need, and is more like a real home than this place," she explained, some heat in her tone. Rick's eyes were drawn past her, to the small graveyard in the distance, to the little cross that marked the spot where his heart was buried in the dirt.

His eyes turned back to her face, and he knew they were sharp and angry. "This is our home," he replied simply, trying hard not to let his anger seep into his voice, "We aren't going anywhere." Andrea ran a hand through the tangled thicket of blonde curls that hung over her shoulder and gestured with the other hand out around her.

"This place is not a home," she said frankly, "Anything we do in this place is not living, it's just surviving."

"That's good enough for me, good enough for the rest of us," he replied immediately, his own tone a little more heated now, "We've finally won the right to breathe easy, to settle in, to make it ours in every way." He stepped a little closer to her, leaning towards her and adding, "We're not leaving."

"Rick, there is nothing good here for us!" She exclaimed, stepping back and pacing a little. "Concrete? Bars? Fences? Tombs?" Her tone was mocking and she pointed a finger at him, before continuing, "You want these things for your children?" Rick's need to glare finally won out and he did, not liking her insinuation that he might be harming his children in any way.

"You think a torture chamber is better? Aquariums full of heads? _Screamer Pits?_" He shot back, watching as she wilted a little under his words. "I don't care how many goddamn picnics and barbeques you had there, that place is a nightmare – just some pretty walls surrounding a whole pile of nightmares – I am _never_ bringing my children there!"

Andrea's jaw clenched and she looked away. "What would Lori think?" She asked quietly, not looking back, not realizing the effect her name had him, "She'd hate it Rick, she wouldn't –" Andrea was cut off when Rick lunged for her, grabbing her shoulders in his hands tightly and shaking her.

"You don't know _shit_ about her!" He snarled loudly, shaking her again, "Don't fucking _ever _say her name again!" Andrea smacked at his hands and when he heard Glenn's shocked voice behind him, felt multiple hands and arms wrapping around his shoulders, arms, and chest. "Rick! Stop it, man! Stop!" Glenn cried in a shocked and worried voice. Andrea wrenched away and Rick felt instantly ashamed, calming down almost immediately at the look of wary fear on the woman's face.

_Jesus Christ, what's wrong with me? Going after a woman?_

"Calm down, Rick!" Sasha cried from behind him and he turned his head to see her worried and disapproving eyes on him. He turned back to Andrea, who was looking hurt and angry at the same time. "You've changed," she accused him in a shaking but still harsh voice, "I don't know you anymore. I don't know this man anymore." He took a couple steadying breaths and Glenn released him, moving to stand a little between him and Andrea.

"Get away from me," he told Andrea, his voice stripped of angry, but full of raw pain, "If you want Woodbury so badly, then go back, but you stay the hell away from me." He turned his back on all three of them and took a small step away from them. Pausing, he then spun back around, making Glenn jump directly between him and Andrea again.

"You're right, you _don't_ know me anymore," Rick told her before walking towards the graveyard, his head hanging down, a hand on his face.

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"What're you doin' all the way out here?" Daryl snapped at her, jerking to a halt in surprise when he rounded the corner of the far guard tower and saw her heading down the dog run, away from D Block. She smiled at him and stopped her fitful journey down the gravel walkway. "Hi to you, too," she replied in a smart ass tone.

He walked up straight in front of her and looked down at her, his face unhappy. "You're supposed to be restin'," he replied. She shrugged a little and winced when she shifted her weight onto her bad leg without thinking. Daryl moved quickly, scooping her up off the ground into his arms. Her crutches fell to the ground and he freed a hand to unlock the door on the guard tower, walking into the rubble-filled room at the bottom of the tower. He sat her down on a desk and disappeared outside, reappearing with her crutches. She watched him lean them against the wall next to the door. The door itself he left hanging open, letting the sunshine from outside cut a swath of clear yellow light through the somewhat gloomy tower base.

He pulled a chair over and sat in it, right in front of her, lifting her bad leg up and onto his lap so it wasn't hanging down. Linney looked around the destroyed space. The Governor had blown the top of this top to bits and the top of the stairwell was blown off, leaving a huge skylight of sorts in its place. There was debris and ruin all around them, but she didn't think it was so bad. Mostly because Daryl had taken her hands into his and was gently rubbing at the space between her thumbs and pointer fingers, where her palms, muscles, and skin ached the most from the pressure of the crutches.

They were both silent for a few minutes, while Linney soaked up the blessed rest of being off of her leg, and the firm, warm feeling of his fingers kneading at her hands. "You should've just stayed in the room with me and done this all day," she murmured quietly. He grunted a little in response but didn't reply.

"Merle's locking those old people into their cells at night," she commented aloud, her tone making it clear that she was still unsettled by this. He paused for a moment, his fingers halting, before he kept going, moving onto her wrists. "Makes sense," he replied in a low, rough voice. She stared at the top of his head, where he was bent over her hands, concentrating on her wrists. "That doesn't strike you as mean?" She asked him softly, her insides feeling shriveled at the harshness of it.

"Be meaner to take a risk with the kid's lives, those women," he answered her. Linney said nothing and looked around the room for a moment. "I don't ever want to get to that point," she said in a near-whisper, thinking of how lonely and hopeless it would be, locked up like an animal through no fault of your own, segregated from the group in such a way because they feared you. He released her hands then and looked up at her, his glare heated.

"I want ya to," he said gruffly, his jaw locked tightly. She considered him for a moment, wondering what he meant. "Means ya lived a good long life," he told her, running the back of a finger down her arm. She was absolutely frozen for a minute, thinking about that, thinking about being old and alone. Her age hit her like a slap in the face. She realized, with something that felt like panic, that if she got old, Daryl would be dead, likely long before her, at the very least due to natural causes alone. Her eyes suddenly felt swimmy with tears, as she considered that scenario.

_Daryl getting old, weak, and fragile, while I'm still able bodied, _she thought in terror. _Would we have to sleep separately?_ She knew the answer to that. Of course they would, because he would insist on it. _If he died, could I kill him the second time? _She looked down at his face, at the concern she saw growing on his expression. Linney took in a tight breath, trying not to cry.

"Jesus, what?" He said, pulling the chair closer, his face worried. "Is it your leg?" He asked, his hands gripping her knee firmly. She shook her head and tried to banish the thoughts from her head. It seemed that once the idea was there, it was viciously refusing to leave, torturing her. It reminded of her of the long, tearful nights she'd had as a small child, terrorized with images of her daddy dying too and leaving her utterly alone.

Unable to stop herself, she brought her hands to her face and started crying into them, loud, gusty sobs. She was alone in her grief for only a moment before she felt his arms around her, pulling her down, into his lap, mindful of her leg while he curled her against his chest. He didn't ask again what was wrong, just let her cry.

When she gained some control of herself she tentatively met his gaze, somewhat ashamed. The blue of his eyes almost set her off again but he drew his eyebrows together in a glare. "Is this about the old folks?" He asked quietly and she leaned her head against his chest, avoiding his eyes and hiding her face. She finally nodded.

"You're thinkin' about me," he said next, his voice even and calm. She nodded against his shirt. He put a hand to her face. "That's fuckin' morbid," he told her, "Need to lighten up a bit, Lin." She chuckled a little at the advice and leaned away from him, meeting his eyes again.

"I couldn't do it," she told him, "Lock you up like that, be away from you." He shrugged. "Ain't gonna be your call," he answered simply. She glared at him then. "Says you," she shot back, leaning further from him, "You'll be an old geezer; I'll just keep you tied up in my bed." He raised his eyebrows at her, his eyes alight with interest.

"Could do that now, ya know," he murmured, leaning towards her. She held a hand up, placing it flat against his chest. "Can you be serious?" She snapped and he shrugged. "Am bein' serious," he growled, "Anytime ya like, we can find some rope." She laughed then, realizing that he wasn't going to go down the path of what-ifs with her, that he wasn't going to dwell. He swept a hand up to the back of her head, holding her in place while he leaned closer, bringing their lips together.

His mouth was hot, his tongue even more so, and he gripped her tightly, his kisses growing hungrier. She lost herself to the moment, deciding to take a page from his book. _It's a long way off, and we might die tomorrow; sounds like it's a worry for another day._

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Andrea was livid now. She stomped away from Rick, shaken and disturbed by their encounter. Rick was definitely not the man she used to know, he was unhinged, desperately so, hiding it all beneath a shining veneer of leadership. _Phillip was like that,_ she thought, _such a good leader, but so damaged, so dark inside._ Andrea had to wonder just how badly Lori's death was hitting the man.

_Shaking me like a misbehaving child, that was uncalled for._ She stomped across the yard, into the courtyard, nearly storming right into Michonne, who appeared silently from one of the doors that she knew led down to the tombs. "What's the matter?" Michonne asked sharply, her eyes moving past Andrea to scan the area behind and around them. Andrea shrugged a little, a little put out that Michonne, the person she was closest to here, couldn't seem to distinguish between being upset and being in danger.

"Nothing's wrong, calm down," she snapped, unable to keep the irritation from her voice; she wanted Michonne to be a girlfriend like she used to have, someone who could tell it was a two bottles of red kind of night. Not someone who assumed every slight bump in the night was a horde of walkers or a madman out to get them.

Michonne turned keen eyes to Andrea, her dark direct gaze boring into Andrea's light blue ones. "You're upset," Michonne said shortly. Andrea rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm upset," she replied, "Rick's blind to everything and won't listen to reason!"

"What do you mean?" Michonne asked calmly, leading her further back into the courtyard, around the corner into the smaller side yard next to D Block. Andrea led out a dramatic sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. "I just suggested that, now that's its empty, we retake Woodbury –" Andrea was cut off when Michonne barked out a loud, obnoxious laugh.

"Are you crazy?" She asked Andrea, her tone filled with hard amusement. Andrea's face crunched together angrily, not liking that her supposed closest friend was laughing at her. "Well, why not? It's safe, full of supplies, big walls, the perfect place to rebuild civilization!" Andrea exclaimed indignantly. Michonne stopped laughing, her face falling into disbelief.

"You are crazy – you know we have no idea whether or not he's dead, right? That town is _his,_" Michonne spat out, "Why the hell would want to live in his leavings, in that cursed, evil place?" Andrea gaped at Michonne in surprise. "Cursed and evil?" She asked in surprise. Michonne's eyebrows drew together in something like anger.

"Got some good memories there, do you?" Her friend said harshly, "Want to go back where you had your cushy life? Maybe see about running the place for real this time?" Michonne took a step closer, leaning in, her expression furious. "Gonna use those torture rooms? Gonna use the pits? The arenas? You're as bad as he was if you can't see why going back to Woodbury is the worst of all bad ideas." Michonne's angry words hung in the air for a moment before she turned on her heel and stalked away.

Andrea stayed leaned against the wall, stunned, and felt a moment of doubt. _Am I wrong? Is it wrong to want to go back there?_ She thought of Daryl, Linney, Maggie, and Glenn, of what they had suffered there. Merle too, if she was being honest with herself. Michonne had never been happy or restful there. She thought about Rick, storming in there to save his group from the tortuous grip Phillip had on them at the time. Her mind went back to all the citizens of Woodbury who were all currently rotting out on the roads leading back to the town, gunned down by the leader they trusted. Milton. _Oh god, Milton._ Merle had reluctantly told her what had happened to her jumpy friend.

For a moment, in the empty little concrete yard, Andrea wept for what was lost in Woodbury. She thought about heading back into Block C, to lie in her bed and really wallow, but decided she didn't want to have to deal with facing anyone quite yet. Her mind was in a snarl, torn between her conviction that the physical town of Woodbury couldn't be anything but salvation, and her growing surety that Phillip had caused far more pain and terror then she would ever know.

She looked further down the yard, to a taller brick building. There was an A spray-painted neatly on the outside. _Cell block A,_ she thought, deciding she needed to distract herself and would go poke around, to kill time and recuperate her disheveled emotions. She carefully climbed the stairs and wandered into the building, moving through several empty hallways, knife in hand, in case there were any walkers around.

When she finally found a large metal door she stopped and stared at the metal name plate stamped into the wall next to it. _Death Row_. Curiosity overcame her then; she'd never thought she'd ever see a death row in real life. Pulling the door open, she was greeted with a wall of stink so heavy she almost puked. The sounds of walkers were everywhere and she nearly darted back out the door, until she realized that they were all locked up, every one of them.

_They were left in here,_ she realized, deciding that it was somehow fitting that the worst criminals were left to die on death row, apocalypse or not. She wandered around, morbidly fascinated with the place, until she saw him. Huddled, filthy, thin, battered, bleeding… but alive.

"Martinez?"


	166. Chapter 166

***** Happy Walking Dead Day! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

He wasn't even sure how it was possible. How Andrea could possibly be here, walking around like she was on some kind of museum tour, thoughtfully taking in her surroundings. "How?" He managed to choke out, feeling his eyes flood with shameful tears of relief. "How are you here?" He croaked again, reaching a hand out towards her, before it hurt too much and he lowered his arm with a pathetic thump.

Andrea looked like she was gulping mouthfuls of air, like she couldn't figure out how to form words anymore. "This… this doesn't make sense," she finally said, her voice faint with shock, as her eyes roved all over him, "Martinez, what are you doing here? What happened?"

He coughed a little, dragging himself into a seated position, and stared at her, knowing he didn't have to draw deep to look weak and vulnerable. The truth was, he was feeling better than he had since this nightmare all began, since they first began working him over. He knew it had to be at least a week since the two of them had come in for anything more than just dropping off food or water. He'd been able to recover a little bit in that time, get a little of himself back.

"Andrea, please help me, _please,_" he begged her, letting the tears fall from his bruised and bloodshot eyes. She stepped back, as if to go look for help and then stopped, the confusion on her face palpable. "Why are you here? Tell me what happened!" She cried in worried tones. He licked his cracked and scabbed lips and nodded at her.

"I will, I will, please, I'll tell you anything if you just let me out, let me go!" He whined, his voice so pathetic that she winced. Andrea crouched on the other side of the door, gripping the bars tightly in both hands. "It's not like that, I don't want information that way, I just want to know how you got here," she explained softly, as if to comfort him. He nodded eagerly, playing up the part of a badly tortured and mistreated prisoner, one who was now willing to do anything to avoid pain.

He knew by the hunch of her shoulders that she hated making him be that prisoner for any moment longer, but he also knew that nobody lived this long anymore without at least showing a little restraint and caution.

"When we attacked the prison, after that night with Merle and his brother and that girl, I was grabbed, from out in the woods. Grabbed by that guy, the one with the crossbow," Martinez explained, his voice cracking. Andrea pressed her lips together and nodded before muttering, "Daryl." He nodded like he'd agree to anything.

"Yeah, probably, but he brought me here, they locked me up, they beat the shit out of me, cut me, broke things, it was…" he hung his head like he didn't have the strength to finish. He could hear her making soft dismayed noises and looked up at her. "They wanted to know about Woodbury, its defenses, about the Gov, his plans," he hurried on to tell her, "But I only knew so much – you know that! You know he didn't tell us anything ahead of time! Just what he wanted at that moment!"

Andrea's mouth was pulled down into a frown and her brow was furrowed with intense upset. He decided to push it a little more. _She's almost on your side now, just a little more._ He remembered the Gov's assessment of Andrea's bleeding heart, her desire to protect the little guy, to be the hero. "I ran out of stuff to tell them, and then it wasn't enough, the two of them, they just kept it up," he murmured, his voice pained and shaking, "I begged them, I told them everything I could, I couldn't stop myself, even though I knew it was a betrayal – I couldn't stop myself!"

Andrea popped to her feet, nodding quickly and swallowing hard. "Who did it?" She asked quietly, her voice nearly devoid of emotion. He grimaced and closed his eyes, as if even speaking of his tormentors was too much for him. "At first it was that guy, you said his name was Daryl, with Merle, and another guy, some fucking crazy ass sheriff," he started, watching as her face drooped a little, "Then when I had nothing more to tell them, the Daryl guy left, Merle said he didn't have the stomach for it. Just Merle and the sheriff then."

Andrea held a hand to her mouth, looking queasy, and he had to wonder how she knew the sheriff, because it was evident the news of this Daryl guy and the sheriff's involvement was sickening her. "I'll be right back, I'm getting you out of here, I'll take care of you, I promise," she assured him, her words rushing out in a flow of anger. He knew the anger wasn't directed at him and breathed a heady sigh of relief. He decided to lay it on a little more thickly. "Thank god, thank god, thank you for saving me, thank you," he moaned, his voice dripping with gratitude and raw emotion. Andrea's eyes welled up as she nodded at him.

She walked away quickly, back to the entrance, and he knew she was going to get him out of here, or die trying, that's just the way she was. _Stubborn as a mule_, he thought, remembering the Gov's assessment of her, _doesn't see the forest for the trees._ He had no idea what would happen next, what he should do if she managed to get him out of here, but he decided it ultimately didn't matter. Freedom was the only thing that mattered to him anymore.

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By the time he reached C Block, he was feeling drained. Worrying about Linney was getting to him. Her emotional display today had nearly torn him half, and he'd used every bit of convincing energy to hide from her the fact that her worries were also his worries. _Doesn't she know I can't stop thinking about leaving her behind?_ He worried constantly about what would happen if he died on her, either turning and killing her while she snuggled up to him at night, or leaving her to wander alone.

He shook his head a little and looked down at her, plodding along determinedly next to him, a deep groove in her forehead between her eyebrows. A look he was familiar with. He watched her sneer a little when her leg knocked lightly against a crutch, cursing under her breath. He realized she was threatening her own leg, threatening to tear it off if it couldn't _get it under control you goddamn piece of shit_. He had stopped walking, absorbed in watching her struggle, but hiding it. Watching her, knowing she was hurt, but pig-headedly forcing her way through it.

_Maybe I got this all wrong,_ he thought suddenly, seeing her toss her head a little, almost defiantly, as she eased down the steps into the eating area. _Maybe she'd stab the fuck out of me if I turned. _She paused at the bottom of the stairs and smiled over her shoulder at him, the groove coming back after a moment, in impatience now.

"Not all of us have two good legs, you know," she snapped, widening her eyes at him like he was simple. He smirked and shook his head, striding over to her easily. He helped ease her down to a table, where she indicated she wanted to rest for a moment before heading to their room. After she nodded at him, indicating that she was fine, he wandered over to the food, looking for lunch. Rick wanted to strictly ration, and he knew they were only a matter of days from someone being appointed the food guard – someone to protect their food, but also to dole it out.

_Definitely sounds like a job for someone else,_ he thought idly, imagining himself in a chef's hat and white apron for a half second. He shook his head, and got some water to boiling, pulling out two packages of ramen noodles for himself and Linney.

"Hey buddy," he heard Linney greet someone from behind himself and didn't turn. That tone of voice meant it could only be one person. _Carl_. "Boy, you hungry?" He called over his shoulder. "Yeah, sure thanks," Carl called back. He added some more water to the kettle, pulled out more soup and another bowl and dug through the giant tub of juice boxes they had.

"Are you making soup?" Beth popped up next to him and he stepped back a little, making a face at her. "What's it look like to you?" He answered rudely. She smiled with one side of her mouth, as if he'd answered pleasantly. "Can you put some on for me, Ben, and Daddy?" She asked sweetly, her eyes huge as saucers as she smiled up at him hopefully. He rolled his eyes, but grunted his assent. Deciding he needed to put the second kettle on, he grabbed noodle bags and bowls, dumping it all on the little counter.

"You're doing it wrong!" He heard Linney shriek laughingly, and he turned around to see her nearly doubled over as Ben was tottering around the kitchen on her crutches, Beth clinging to his back like a monkey. The crutches were far too short for him, because they were lowered for someone Linney's height. The boy looked ridiculous, but everyone, even Hershel, was laughing a little. Daryl noticed that Michonne and Tyreese had joined them and sighed heavily when the woman looked over at him and raised an eyebrow as she nodded towards the stove with the boiling water on it, her hand gesturing quickly between herself and Ty.

He rolled his eyes and shot her a nasty look before turning and adding a pot of water to the second camp stove they had. A whole herd of people came in then and he nearly kicked the table with the two camping stoves on it over. _No way in hell I'm cookin' for all these damn people._ Carol strolled in last, behind all the Woodbury people and caught his eye. She must have realized instantly what was going on because she started laughing and walked over to him quickly.

"Go sit with them, I'll take care of this," she told him, trying to push the laugh from her voice, he knew. He was so relieved to be off kitchen duty that he just nodded gratefully and headed back over to the tables. Linney was saving the seat next to herself for him, but before he could lower himself into the seat, he heard Merle call his name from the door. He looked up and saw Merle and Rick standing in the open doorway to the courtyard, each of them with intense, dark looks on their faces.

Linney stiffened next to him and he thought for an instant she was mad that he was going to talk to Merle and Rick. He followed her gaze though and it wasn't locked on him, it was trained on Sheena, who had just walked into the kitchen from the cells, Judith in her arms. "I gotta go, Merle and Rick –" he didn't finish though because he knew she wasn't listening. She turned to Carl, on her other side, and hissed something in his ear, and the boy was up and out of his seat like she'd stabbed him in the ass. He walked over to Sheena and gave her a tight, fake smile, and took his sister from the woman, returning to his seat with the baby.

Daryl stood a step back, watching for a moment, wondering what that was all about. He shook his head when the two of them put their dark heads together and began to talk in urgent heated whispers. He didn't know what Carl and Linney were going on about, but he thought it fairly obvious it was about Sheena. He opened his mouth, about to ask what, when Rick hissed his name. "Daryl, _now," _Rick said, almost angry.

Shaking his head, deciding the Carl-Linney-Sheena puzzle would have to wait until later; he walked over to Rick and Merle and followed them outside. Standing in the bright sunshine in the middle of the courtyard, Rick turned a furious, worried glare on him. Daryl took an involuntary step back – the mixture of emotions didn't sit right with him, and his stomach tensed, suddenly terrified about what the man might tell him.

"What? For fuck's sake, jus' tell me!" He finally snarled at Rick and his brother, unable to stand the tension.

"It's Martinez," Merle rasped, waving a head in the general direction of A Block. Daryl felt a cold, oily feeling slinking down his spine and glared harder at the two of them. He finally noticed that Merle was dirty, disheveled, and had a bandage on the back of his head.

"He's escaped," Rick added, "And we have no idea where he is."

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Andrea's heart had beat so hard while listening to Martinez, she was actually concerned about some kind of heart attack. _Is that possible? Could I give myself a heart attack just out of anger and fear? _Slipping back into C Block, her pulse had hammered up against her skin violently, at her neck, her wrists, in her skull, in her chest and stomach. She knew now that Rick had changed so far beyond the man she'd thought he was that it sickened her.

She reached her cell and grabbed her backpack, before slipping out into the hall and easing up the stairs. She moved into Merle's cell, and stole a pair of pants, socks, a t-shirt, and a button fronted prison shirt, for Martinez. The poor man's clothes were filthy, tattered and not good for anything, and she wanted to get him as comfortable as possible. Merle had no spare shoes, so she moved into Ben's cell next door and took the spare pair of sneakers she saw there, hoping that they'd fit Martinez.

She would have raided the huge cache of supplies downstairs, but Rick had them on strict lock-down. _And he thinks Phillip was a monster! Phillip gave people open access to the necessities of life!_ In Ben's room she found a knife in a sheath and tucked that in her bag, also taking a full bottle of water. Daryl and Linney's room was weapon-free, and she had a mental of image of Linney, hurt and on crutches, but still lashed with knives and a gun. _Does she know? Does she know what those three did?_ She paused, not feeling particularly charitable about the girl after their encounter this morning, but came to the conclusion that bloody torture seemed like the kind of thing those three would definitely want to shield her from.

There was a great deal of first aid stuff in Linney's room, though, so Andrea took it all, knowing it was for Linney's leg, but aware that it was likely back-up stuff in case she needed it in the middle of the night or something. She found a machete tucked under the mattress in Maggie and Glenn's room, and then slunk quickly into the kitchen, relieved that the people who were clearly still in some of the rooms back there hadn't caught her.

She stuffed some food into the bag, some more water, and then grabbed a pack of matches sitting on one of the shelves, tucking that in too. _This should help, now I just need keys,_ she thought to herself, uncertain about what she could do to get some. Everyone in Rick's group, including Merle, had keys, except for herself of course. _Because they don't trust me, stupid assholes,_ Andrea thought, hefting her bag of stolen goods over her shoulder as she snuck quickly into the courtyard, darting around the building, towards A Block. She stowed the bag behind a desk leaning up against the wall and then headed back towards D Block.

She had only one move. Only one way to get the keys, and as much as she hated the idea of involving herself with yet another torturing monster, she knew Merle was her only shot. She found him inside, talking with Maggie, Karen, and a couple of the older men. She waved at him and he locked his eyes on hers. Gesturing with her chin, she indicated that she'd like him to follow her. After saying something to the people he was with he did. "This'd better be important, don't nobody call me over like a dog," he grumbled. She gave him a small smile and had him follow her right into the tombs. Rick had recently declared certain sections of the tombs safe, after they'd specifically cleared some areas for the Governor's attack.

She beckoned him into a small office; one located at the end of the main hallway of tombs cells. This office had a window in it and the space was lit up. Merle was glaring at her, mild confusion and amusement mingled together on his face.

"Gonna tell me what yer up to, Blondie?" He growled at her, watching as she shut the door to the office, leaning her back against it. Andrea met his eyes and realized that she didn't hate him. She thought after what Martinez told her, that she would, but for whatever reason, her gut was telling her Merle had his reasons. She knew that didn't mean she could stand by and leave Martinez to more torture and death, but it did mean she couldn't tar Merle with the same brush as the Governor. _Save that for Rick, he's the leader; Merle is just a henchman, again._

Andrea swallowed and then shot Merle a coy smile. In one swift movement, she grasped the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, standing in her bra. Merle didn't look surprised, she imagined that was a fairly rare emotion for him to express, but his face tightened, his eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched, along with his one fist. She used her toes to pry the shoes off her feet, shimmying out of her pants quickly right afterwards. Standing in her underwear she finally met Merle's eyes again.

His breathing was deeper, heavier, but he was still just staring at her, no, more like glaring at her. She didn't step towards him, just reached up behind herself and unsnapped her bra, letting it flutter to the ground. She thought she'd feel shame, embarrassment over such a wanton, deceitful display, but instead her heart was now hammering away in excitement, and something else, something she hadn't felt in a long time. _What's the word for this feeling? End of the world horny? Blind lust? Something, it's something. _

She opened her mouth, about to say something, to tease him, to ask why he hadn't moved yet, when he did move. He charged across the room and shoved her into the wall, spinning her around roughly and pressing her front against the paneling. He was breathing heavily in her ear, and she kept waiting for him to say something.

Instead he brought his hand around to her front, wedging it in between her body and the wall, shoving up to her breasts roughly, caressing, squeezing, and pinching. He grunted in her ear and she almost came right then, surprising herself when her knees weakened, and eliciting a brief dark chuckle from Merle. He was pressed right up behind her and she could feel the entire firm, broad, length of his body along almost every part of herself.

His knee came up abruptly, parting her thighs, holding her up and pinning her to the wall at the same time. His hand slid down to her hip, and she cried out in shock when he grabbed at a handful of her underwear and tore them off her. She turned her head then, trying to catch a glimpse of his face, but he put his head to her neck and began to suck, lick, and bite her there. Heat bloomed along her throat and up her face into her hair and she began to make small breathy noises. His hand had found her at this point with his thick fingers, the ends of them so calloused she could feel it, even down there.

She was completely walled in, his arms and body blocking the light, the air, any chance of getting away. She was lost though, at this moment, she absolutely didn't care about why she'd come here in the first place, didn't care what this meant, didn't care what he did. She wanted him, all of him, immediately, and let go of any attempt to control the situation anymore.

His fingers continued to work at her, eliciting a mixture of throaty groans and soft cries from her. When he pulled away his hand, wet with her arousal, she moaned in disagreement. He chuckled against her neck and she shuddered. His hand found one of hers and pulled it down to replace what he had just been doing. His fingers moved with hers until she understood he meant for her to keep touching herself. His hand moved away, trailing up and over her ass, sliding down the cheeks, and she stiffened a little, not certain, before his hands worked at something away from her body.

She heard the familiar sound of a belt buckle jingling and a zipper coming down and shivered again, pressing her bottom back into him, suddenly eager beyond thought. "No," he finally spoke, the word low and rasped. His breath was hot on her neck and she wanted to scream at him to just _fuck me right now – FUCK ME!_ Instead his other arm, the one with the metal contraption on it, suddenly slammed into the wall next them. She flinched and looked over and realized when he twisted the arm one way and it clicked, that he was lodging the blade in the wall and had unlocked it from the metal portion.

It was absurd, but the procedure struck her as somehow romantic. _As romantic as Merle Dixon gets; he took his knife off for me._ The metal arm was suddenly behind her, forcing her legs apart and quickly, _oh god so quickly_, he pushed himself into her. She was hot and wet and more than ready, and he hissed through his teeth in rough satisfaction at the tight fit he found there.

She put her hands up against the wall, to brace herself, and his metal arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. His other hand travelled, up and down her body, gripping, squeezing, rubbing, pinching, and driving her over the edge. Her time with Phillip was nothing like this; that had been making love, being romanced. This was literally being fucked up against the wall. The difference was deeply satisfying and Andrea lost track of thought and time as he gripped her breast tightly and drove into her.

He was panting heavily against her neck, his grunts and growls making her literally too weak at the knees to stand. It didn't matter. He held her up, held her against him, and continued his onslaught. Andrea came, almost shattered into nothing when she did, and then came again, right on the heels of the first one. Merle finally made a noise, a guttural yell, as he pinned her to the wall and came, his hips moving in hard, jerking thrusts as he finished.

They stood in place, incapable of movement for a few moments, before he stepped away and immediately starting putting himself to rights. She leaned weakly against the wall, and then slid down it, her bare ass hitting cold concrete, as she tried to call her brain back. This had not gone the way she'd thought it would. _It was better_, an eager little voice inside told her. She had thought he'd see her naked and she could take a little control. He'd been really drunk the last time they'd fucked, and that was so different, they were both different; it was a lifetime ago. Now Merle was definitely in control.

She reached weakly for her clothes and was surprised when he wordlessly handed her handfuls of them, then reaching above her huddled form and yanking the knife from the wall. She got dressed and climbed to her feet, finally looking up at him, to where he was now sitting on the desk, smoking a cigarette.

"Well," she started, her voice a little shaky, and then didn't continue when he put his hand up, signaling her to stop. "Don't," he told her, his voice low and rough, "Don't fuck it all up by sayin' shit." She nodded a little and couldn't stop a smile from spreading over her face. He watched her carefully then got up and headed towards the door, the cigarette still hanging from his lips.

"People're gonna be lookin' for me, gotta get back," he told her easily, and shot her a cocky half smile. She smirked back and then suddenly the world rushed in around her. She remembered why she'd been in here with him in the first place. What she needed to do. What Merle had done to Martinez.

He turned his back on her and reached for the handle on the door. He didn't see the heavy telephone she had reached back and grabbed off the desk, didn't know it was in her hands until it connected heavily with the back of his head and he slumped to the floor, out cold.

Andrea dropped the phone like it was on fire and bent to him, grabbing his keys from his pockets and stepping over him. She swallowed hard at what she had just done, but forced her spine to straighten and walked out, closing the door behind herself.


	167. Chapter 167

***** Sorry for the long break everyone! It's that holiday time of year and I'm being worked into the ground at my job, so no personal time – wheee! Anyhow, less me, more story! Enjoy! And as always, I OWN NOTHING – except Linney*****

It took Linney until lunch was over, for her to realize that Daryl was gone. Carl seemed to realize his dad was also gone around the same time. He stood, Judith in his arms and looked around the room at the few remaining people still lounging and eating, most of whom where slowly climbing to their feet and trailing outside.

"Was he in here at all?" He asked Linney, finally turning his gaze to her. Linney shrugged a little and caught Beth's eye from across the room, just before the girl disappeared outside.

"Hey, Greene!" She called, and Beth smiled a little and trotted over. "Didn't anyone ever teach you it's rude to shout at people like they're a dog or somethin'?" Beth responded, leaning a slim hip against the table. Linney smirked at her and shook her head.

"Nope," she said, eliciting another small smile from Beth. "Have you seen my dad?" Carl asked, handing over Judith when Beth waggled her fingers at him. Beth didn't look up from the baby's face as she answered.

"I heard Michonne saying that he and the Dixons had some stuff to take care of in the woods," Beth's voice was sing songy, since she was answering Carl but talking at Judith. Linney grunted irritably and got to her feet, managing to swing the crutches up fairly easily.

"I can't believe he didn't tell me," she muttered, tucking each crutch into her armpit.

"Who didn't tell you?" A voice spoke from the doorway and they all turned to see Sheena, leaning against the metal door frame that led outside. Linney was immediately on edge, her eyes narrowed as she raked her gaze over Sheena's calm face and casual demeanor.

"Why are you eavesdropping?" Linney asked, rudely. She heard Beth's small intake of breath at the rudeness and Linney waved a hand at the girl. "Beth, take Judy outside please," she ordered quietly.

Sensing something in Linney's voice, Beth nodded and left. "Carl, you too," Linney murmured, "Sheena and I need to talk, woman to woman." Carl looked around at the now-empty room and shook his head.

"No," he answered firmly. Linney immediately regretted talking to him over lunch, telling him she didn't trust Sheena, that something was seriously wrong with the woman, and above all, to keep Judy away from her.

"Carl," she said warningly, and Sheena laughed. "I'm a little confused," Sheena said sincerely, stepping towards them and perching on the edge of the table across from theirs, "Are you both mad at me? Have I said something wrong?"

Linney's brow tightened. "You know exactly why I'm not feeling so great about you," Linney answered evenly, "You know how you acted, and you did it on purpose." Sheena didn't respond, only smiled a small smile and rolled her eyes like Linney was being incorrigible. It inflamed Linney.

"You think we haven't dealt with fucking psychos before?" Linney snapped, her tone darkening, "You think we don't know, that _I_ don't know, how to handle people like you?"

"People like me?" Sheena asked calmly, "And what exactly am I, Linney?" Carl glared at the woman at Linney's side.

"There's something wrong about you, since right from the start," he told the woman. Sheena's calm façade dropped instantly and her face took on a dark, frozen quality.

"What would you know about wrong, little boy," Sheena hissed. Linney and Carl recoiled at the tone before Linney swung a step towards the woman. "Don't you talk to him like that, you crazy bitch," Linney said, "I think it's about time that you tell me what the fuck is going on here – what you're really after."

Sheena said nothing, just continued to eye Linney levelly. Linney rolled her eyes this time and waved a hand at Sheena. "Look, we both know you're not here for the charm," Linney told the red head, "You're after something, so what is it?" Sheena smirked and shook her head.

"It would have been so much better to let this just play out," Sheena told her, "I had some pretty big plans for this place, for your man, for you." Sheena shrugged like her big plans didn't matter and Carl reached for his gun. Sheena was fast though, so fast, and pulled her own weapon, aiming it directly at Carl's head.

"So now, Linney," Sheena said calmly, "You're going to take off all your weapons and do what I say, because I won't hesitate to kill him." Linney glared at her, hard, measuring the determination in Sheena's narrowed eyes. Sheena took a small step closer, and Linney and Carl both tensed.

All three of them flinched when the door leading to the courtyard creaked. Linney heard Merle's elderly friend, Wally, speak from behind them, having just walked in on the scene.

"What the hell is going on in here?" He asked loudly, his voice deep and raspy. Linney opened her mouth to speak, to urge him to run, to go and tell the others, but Sheena moved first.

The gun was swiftly trained on Wally and the trigger pulled before either Linney or Carl could make a move. The wet, meaty sound of Wally's head being torn by a bullet met Linney's ears, and Carl let out a strangled sound next to her. Sheena turned the gun back on Carl, her face fierce, at the same time that Wally's body thumped heavily to the ground.

"More will come, and each will meet the same," she told Linney easily, "Now take off your weapons. The three of us are going to go have a nice chat." Linney glanced over at Carl, at his strained face, trying to be brave. His youth gave him away though and she saw the fear beneath the cracks in his expression.

Linney reached for the buckle on her holster.

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"Where are we going to go?" Martinez asked her, his tone weary and fearful. Andrea gripped the steering wheel a little tighter in her hands and shook her head. "I don't know yet, just let me think," she urged him, "Rest a bit, and let me take care of this." She glanced over quickly and saw how truly worried the battered man was. Her heart softened at the look on his face.

"I promise I'll keep you safe," she told him honestly, "I got you out of there didn't I?" He nodded the slightest bit. Staring straight ahead again, Andrea gestured at the road in front of them. "I'll find a safe place, where we can stop and really take care of you, I'll figure it out. Just trust me."

"I will," Martinez said quietly, "I do. Thank you." Andrea reached a hand over and patted his arm. After a few moments she heard his breathing deepen and knew he was finally resting. She drove without thinking, in the car she had liberated from the back half of the prison.

After knocking Merle out, the very first thing she did was free Martinez and help him out into the woods. She hid him under a rock outcropping in the ravine and left him with a gun, never once thinking that he would harm her. She knew that even with a weapon, he needed her to get away.

"I'll get a car, leave it on the road, and come get you," she'd reassured him, "It won't take long and they won't be looking for us for a while." Martinez had seemed nervous, but content with her explanation, and Andrea had felt a strange combination of gut-wrenching guilt over knocking out Merle, and breathless fear that they might be caught.

As she had trudged through the heat of the late summer day, her mind had gone back to Merle, again and again. After this afternoon, she truly felt something in regards to him. She didn't know what it was, but she was certain he felt it too. _Not anymore he won't,_ she'd thought dismally. She knew together they'd likely tear each other apart, but felt instinctively that it would be worth the ride.

She'd found a vehicle at the edge of the lot and managed to hot wire it, thanking Michonne silently for teaching her how during their long winter. Michonne was someone else that she felt a hot sting over. This act of freeing Martinez, while well meant, would likely have her branded a traitor, and she felt certain that return to the prison was not likely an option for her, ever again.

_You saved a man's life,_ she thought now, squeezing the steering wheel spastically in her hands. _He was certain to die terribly and you spared another human being a grisly, undeserved death._ A quick glance over at Martinez let her see that his breathing was actually quite labored. She knew he needed rest, painkillers, first aid at the very least. She had nothing that could really do that for him with her.

_It's not like I can go back and ask Hershel for help,_ she thought darkly, _and there's definitely no hospital kicking around anywhere that's still remotely functional._ She mulled over her non-existent options a little longer, knowing that she didn't have much time, that Martinez likely didn't have much time.

It came to her so suddenly that she stopped the car in the middle of the road. Martinez woke with a start at the rough stop. "What?" He asked, his voice loud and terrified, "What's going on? Did they find us?"

Andrea turned in her seat and put her hands on his arms, giving him a soft, comforting squeeze. "No, no, it's fine, we're good," she told him, her eyes alight with hope, "I just realized where we can go, where I can take care of you."

He stared at her blankly for a moment, before asking slowly, "So… where then?" Andrea smiled at him and put the car in motion again, answering him happily.

"We're going home."

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Yeah, he was embarrassed. He didn't admit it, but he felt like the world's biggest dumbass. _Lettin' Blondie get the drop on you, you dumb sonofabitch, that ain't too smart. _Merle glanced over at his brother, walking along silently next to him, and ground his teeth together. He wondered how much Daryl had pieced together by now.

Merle knew his story of Andrea calling him into the tombs to chat was pretty thin. Rick had seemed to accept it fairly quickly, but Daryl's eyes had narrowed, his face suspicious.

"Waited till I had my back turned and fucking smacked me in the back of the head, stupid bitch," he'd told them. Wally had found him, had come looking for him after he'd been gone too long. Merle wished like hell he'd come to on his own and had made his own way out of there, but Wally hadn't been able to revive him and had gone for Jasper, who bit his goddamn ear to get him to wake up.

He'd managed to get both old men to keep their traps shut to everyone else, but Wally had insisted on speaking to Rick with him. Rick had been suitably surprised at hearing what Andrea had done, and when the damn sheriff had noticed that Merle's keys were missing from the ring at his belt, they'd put two and two together pretty quickly.

The two of them sent Wally back into D Block, after swearing him to silence, and Rick had charged along next to Merle as they raced towards Death Row. _And sure as shit, that bleeding heart bitch let that motherfucker out._

Merle shook his head as they walked along, making sure to keep his eyes on the swivel. When they reached the ravine, Daryl spotted the prints first. "Hold up," he'd ordered Merle and Rick gruffly, dropping into a crouch on the ground, staring at the prints below and around them.

"Either she was out here leading around a walker, or she was draggin' his sorry ass down into the water," Daryl said, his words sharp like he biting them off. Rick nodded, putting a hand over his forehead, squeezing his temples as he looked around. Daryl got up and moved down into the water, walking slowly in it, up and down the bank.

"Here!" He called out, and Merle and Rick both slid down the embankment, into the cool water, charging over to him. Merle could feel the water filling his boots and felt another stirring of rage that he was out in the heat, getting his damn feet wet; searching for the sack of shit they should've killed long ago. He glared over at Rick.

"Keep your eyes off me, Dixon, this is as much your fault as mine," the sheriff snapped, his voice twanging with irritation. Merle grunted in dissatisfaction and nodded at Daryl, his jaw tight while he did.

"What'd ya find little brother?" He asked. Daryl's eyes moved between him and Rick once, assessing the level of the animosity there, before he continued, evidently not worried with what he saw between them.

"They came up this side, and he ain't doin' good," Daryl rumbled, pointing at the muddy ground, where it was evident that someone, likely Martinez, had grabbed at handfuls of dirt to try and pull himself up. The chunks of earth turned into drag marks.

"She musta dragged 'im," Rick said quietly, gesturing at the marks. Daryl nodded, and Merle smirked at Rick. "Good job, Officer, trackin' like a real man now," Merle added. Rick and Daryl shot him matching looks that clearly said '_shut the hell up, this is all your fault_'. Merle climbed past them up the embankment.

He kept his eyes on the ground, knowing he could track as good as his brother if he tried to. "What the fuck are ya waitin' for? Get on up here and follow me!" Merle snapped at them. He heard Rick mumbling behind him and Daryl's put-upon grumble, but both men quickly caught up with him.

The tracks were clear, all through the woods. Dragging Martinez had been tough work, that much was clear, and it was obvious that Andrea had had a tough time of it. They reached the road eventually and Merle made a disgusted face at the watery puddle of semi-fresh vomit on the cement.

"Looks like he spewed," Merle observed dryly. Again he received looks from Rick and Daryl that filled him with shame and anger. "Fuck both a' ya," he growled, gesturing at the road, "So they got in a fuckin' car and drove away. Think that's it, they're gone now." Rick shook his head and stared down the road, back in the general direction of the prison.

"He was injured, and Andrea would want to take care of him, obviously," Rick said slowly, deep in thought. Daryl stood up straight and followed Rick's gaze. "Where do ya think they went? Where _could_ she take 'im?" Daryl asked, his tone heavy and dark. Rick turned and stared down in the opposite direction.

His face slowly brightened, as it became clear he'd found an answer.

"She took him the only place she could," Rick told them, finally turning back to look at Daryl. Merle stepped forward, into Rick's line of sight and smirked at him. "And where would that be?" He asked in a tone laced with mockery. Rick glared at him and waved a hand behind him.

"She took him back to Woodbury," he replied.

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They were somewhere in the tombs, Linney wasn't entirely sure where. Sheena had held her gun on Carl while Linney stripped her weapons, and then held the weapon on Linney while Carl removed his. After switching the gun back to Carl, Sheena had forced them through the doorway, into the tombs, and then made Linney tear strips off the bottom of her shirt and blindfold Carl, and then herself.

Walking blindly on crutches was not a wholly enjoyable experience, especially when someone was threatening to blow your head off every time you stumbled. Linney had murmured words of encouragement to Carl, until she heard him cry out in pain. Sheena had slapped him across the back of his head with her gun, and the boy teetered heavily into Linney, almost taking them both to the ground.

"Keep your mouths shut, both of you," she had snarled, "Keep walking, and no more talking or I'll start shooting parts of him." Suitably motivated, Linney pressed her lips together and soldiered on. They wove around and around the tombs until a door creaked open and Sheena pushed them both inside.

Linney swung forward and her crutches caught air. She slammed down a short flight of steps, no more than two or three, but it felt like dozens. She crashed to the concrete ground on the bottom, letting out a sharp cry of pain when her shoulder and back connected with the floor.

"Linney!" Carl cried out behind her, his voice terrified. Sheena chuckled and Linney writhed on the ground, trying to comfort her shoulder and roll to a seated position. Her hands flapped out around herself, uselessly, trying to find her crutches, and a boot stomped down hard on one of her hands.

Linney yipped in shock and pain and yanked her hands back to her chest. She felt hot breath against the side of her head as Sheena spoke close to her ear. "Sit there and don't move, or I'll shoot him in the gut so he can die slow," the woman vowed in a vile voice. Linney swallowed and clenched her jaw.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Carl muttered from across the room, and Linney couldn't keep the smallest of smiles from playing sadly over her lips. Sheena slapped Linney, open-handed, across the face, as if trying to wipe the smile away. Linney sat still, dazed and aching, scared for Carl, and unable to do anything other than comply. She didn't doubt for a second that Sheena would do exactly as she said.

There was the sound of scuffling and the sharper sound of Carl being smacked, before a hand tore at the blindfold on Linney's face, ripping it off. Strands of hair were caught in the grip and were also torn out and Linney grimaced at the sharp pain in her scalp. She blinked several times and looked around the room. She nearly vomited when she realized where they were.

Her panicked eyes darted up and found Carl, bound with wire to a concrete column across the room, his hands crammed behind himself. His face was slack and sick and without the blindfold on anymore, Linney could tell by the pain in his eyes that he was in his own personal hell. Sheena grabbed Linney and half-dragged her over to another column, several feet away from Carl. Linney scrambled after her, trying to get her feet, but stumbling and falling, grunting at the pain in her bad leg.

Sheena shoved Linney against the column and Linney felt the sore spot on her back connect violently with the hard surface. Sheena bent quickly to a small coil of wire at her feet, something she'd obviously picked up from the jumbled clutter from the workbench on the other side of the room. Moving fast, the slender red head wound it several times around Linney, staying out of reach, and then jerked it tight.

The wire pulled painfully against her skin and Linney knew she was likely bleeding from several cuts already. She looked over at Carl, who was still ashen and shaken, and saw his arms were sliced from the wire as well.

Sheena backed away and dragged a chair over to sit several feet away from Linney, her disconcerting eyes staring angrily at her victims. "Please Sheena," Linney began, "Please, let him go, his mother died in this room, please just let him go." Linney's voice was harsh with emotion and Sheena gave her a half smile.

"Oh, poor little thing," she responded flatly, barely glancing over at Carl, "Your momma died, how terrible." Linney took in an angry breath and screamed, "_What the fuck do you want with us?"_

Sheena laughed and shook her head, like Linney was simple.

"You really don't know me, do you? I was sure you'd seen me, but you're people have always been so selfish and self-absorbed, I guess I'm not surprised!" Sheena exclaimed, a hard edge in her voice. Linney shook her head slowly.

"What do you mean?" She answered Sheena desperately, "I don't know who you are, and I've never seen you before!" Sheena got to her feet and marched over to her, her face turning pink with rage.

"You and your people came in, you were there, in my home, you watched it, and them be destroyed and you did nothing!" Sheena yelled, her tone furious. Linney licked her lips and glanced over at Carl, who was staring fixedly at a dark stain on the floor. Her heart sank like a rock when she realized what that large, dark stain must have been; _who_ it must have been. _Oh Carl, no, please buddy, no,_ she thought sorrowfully.

Sheen kicked Linney's leg, directly over the wound, making Linney scream again, "_I don't know you! I don't know you! What do you want?_" Sheena laughed. "I lost everything and everyone because of you assholes, and I can never go home again," Sheena said, her tone a mixture of hatred and wild amusement. Linney sat up straight.

"You can't be from Woodbury, Andrea didn't know you!" Linney cried, straining against her bonds, feeling them slice at her skin, "Merle and Michonne didn't know you! No one from Woodbury did!"

Sheena backed up and sat calmly in her chair. "I'm not from Woodbury, you silly girl," Sheena said, her tone light and pleased again, like she had a big secret. Linney stared at her, trying to puzzle out her meaning. Sheena looked pleased as punch, her hair glowing strangely in the dank light of the dingy concrete room. _Her hair_, Linney thought in growing horror, _that red hair._ Linney's eyes locked onto Sheena's pale, lovely face and the smile that was sitting there.

In a flash she realized who Sheena must be. _That red hair, oh sweet Jesus, the hair. _Linney's mind whirled in a panic as her eyes took in the woman, registering the genial, jovial smile, one so like a smile she had stared at last autumn.

"Ah, I see you know now," Sheena said with mirth, her eyebrows popping up happily. "My whole family died that night, everyone: my stepmother, my siblings, my step-siblings, my husband, and my friends – all of them." Sheena paused and put a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "Well, almost all of them, I got out, but hid in the trees and saw them take my father away, after beating him almost to death!"

Linney leaned away, against the column holding her in place and felt her stomach roil. _Midway Estates. Grey. Oh my god._

Sheena leaned forward, bracing her hands on her knees, and spoke cheerfully, "It's taken me a really long time to get to this point, but it was worth the wait."


	168. Chapter 168

***** I know there's been a delay with updates, and I'm sorry for that. I've had a rough month and gone through some personal and family loss, which I'm still dealing with. I can't even promise that updates will continue for a bit – this chapter only got completed because I had some time on a recent flight and needed to distract myself. Thanks for reading, if I can, I will update again soon. *****

Andrea eased the car slowly through the gates, stopping the car on the other side and warily climbing out. She knew without a doubt that there were walkers in Woodbury now, the gate had been left open, and so she was sure of that. _Let's fix that right now, _she thought determinedly, heaving shut the heavy gate. When it clicked closed, she scanned the area around the car, the waning light of day throwing disconcerting shadows everywhere.

She shook her head briskly and stiffened her spine, walking back to the car and getting in. She kept the headlights off and drove slowly down the eerily empty streets. Martinez was sitting at full attention beside her, his face nearly pressed against the glass of his window as he stared longingly out at his home.

"We should head somewhere where no one would think to look for us," he murmured softly. Andrea nodded. Martinez continued, "Merle's with your other group now, so he'd know my place, and yours." Andrea murmured her assent and turned right at the first intersection they came to. She eased the car down the shadowy street and pulled carefully into a small alley.

"Gonna leave the car here," she told him, shutting the engine off. He nodded. The interior of the car was dark and she could feel her heartbeat picking up nervously. The emptiness of the town seemed to press down on them and she was suddenly, absurdly, afraid of the darkness outside the car.

She knew Martinez was feeling it too, when he chuckled nervously and said, "Don't suppose we could sleep in the car until morning, hey?" Andrea smiled at him, her own worries somewhat soothed. She felt foolish for being so weirded out, and knew that her own tension was making the man upset. _Don't be stupid, he doesn't need to be worried, _she chastised herself, _you have to be strong enough for both of you._

"Stay here, keep the doors locked," she instructed him. He nodded at her. Andrea climbed out carefully, softly closing the door. She kept her back pressed to the door and heard the click of the locks inside. "You can do this," she murmured to herself. She'd stepped out with the machete she'd taken from Maggie and Glenn and made her away around the front of the car. When she reached the door that led into the apartment building she wanted access to, she was pleased to find it unlocked.

She was inside and up the two flights of pitch black stairs within seconds, only the dim light of her tiny pocket flashlight guiding the way. It took her only moments to locate the door she was searching for and was again pleased to find the door unlocked. _Gotta love that small town feel,_ she thought wryly. Andrea eased inside the dark apartment and shone the flashlight around. It looked much the same as the last time she'd seen it, and she felt her heart being tugged at painfully.

"Oh Milton," she whispered quietly, gazing sadly down at his cluttered desk, the piles of paper everywhere filled with his neat, cramped, hand writing. His thoughts, his hopes, and his dreams were all over the sheets of writing, and Andrea felt a pang of sadness. Merle had told her brusquely that Milton had been killed by the Governor, and Andrea had tried to brush it off, but had secretly wept over it that night.

Wiping an errant tear from the corner of an eye, she moved through the rest of the apartment, and made sure there were no surprises lurking anywhere. Once it was cleared, she took a deep breath and went back out into the dark hallway. She knew that it was unlikely that any walkers would be in the building. As far as she knew, they couldn't open doors, and as they'd driven by, she'd seen that the main entrance to the building had its doors shut securely.

Still she couldn't shake the weird feeling that this empty, lifeless place was giving her. It was once a vibrant, thriving home to many people, and now it was a shell, a husk, like a large graveyard dedicated to what might once have been.

She found Martinez sitting in the car, his face pale beneath the bruises. His entire body sagged in relief and she wasted no time in collecting the bag stuffed with stolen goods from the backseat, before helping him out.

"You're going to need to go up two flights of stairs," she whispered in his ear. He nodded and leaned heavily against her as she led him to the door. It took forever, it felt like, but eventually she had him inside the apartment. He quickly collapsed onto the couch in the living room, and Andrea closed and locked the door behind them. She moved swiftly to the windows, closing the blinds tightly before drawing the curtains closed.

"If we keep the light really low, we should be fine," she murmured to him, "In the morning I'll be able to get a better idea of what we're dealing with out there." She dropped the bag to the floor lightly and reached her hand out towards the man. "Come on, you're not sleeping on a couch," she told him firmly. He shook his head, his face pained.

"Are you kidding? This is the best I've felt in longer than I can remember," he told her, only half joking. Andrea chuckled but kept her hand out and eventually he grabbed onto it and she pulled him carefully to his feet. He limped along next to her in to Milton's tidy bedroom and Andrea got him into bed, removing his shoes and rearranging the pillows beneath him.

He leaned back on them and closed his eyes, letting out a whistling breath of pleasure. "Oh god, if this is heaven, then there's nothing wrong with that," he said quietly. Andrea chuckled again before closing up the windows in this room as well. "I'll be right back," she told him quietly. He nodded against the softness of the pillows and looked like he was already falling asleep.

She felt better about everything that had happened, everything that she had done to get to this point, as she walked into the bathroom. She scoured the cupboards in there until she found some painkillers and brought them and a bottle of water back out to Martinez.

He was barely awake when she made him sit up and swallow triple the recommended dosage with a few gulps of water. Andrea left him for a few minutes and went out into the living room in search of a lantern. She found several, but took a smaller propane one back into the bedroom, placing it lightly on the nightstand.

Back in the kitchen, she was pleased to find that the water was still running and cursed Rick mentally for not seeing the sense in returning everyone to Woodbury. _After all, how hard could it be to get everything running like before, just better?_ She filled a couple pots with water and turned on Milton's small propane camp stove, putting the water to boil.

While it slowly bubbled away, Andrea gathered up as much first aid supplies as she could find, plus the ones in the backpack, and determined that she'd have enough to at least clean his wounds. When the water was ready to go, she carried it, the supplies, and several wash cloths and towels into the bedroom. Turning the lantern on low, she looked around the room, reminded of Milton with everything she saw.

It felt at once a little wrong and perfectly comforting to be in his space like this. _He couldn't protect me in life, but his empty apartment has saved us tonight_, she thought gratefully. Andrea stripped off Martinez's stolen clothes, and eased a few towels beneath him, not wanting to get the bed wet. She knew he would be best served by a shower, but didn't think he was up for it now.

_Either way, he's got to have these wounds cleaned_, she thought. The heavy dosage of pain meds seemed to be doing the trick though, because he slept through the entire process. Andrea felt like a battle-hardened ER doctor by the time she was through and moved briskly through the motions of cleaning up after herself.

Martinez had his wounds cleaned, disinfected, and neatly bandaged, though Andrea knew that his disfigured looking toes were a lost cause. _Unless I re-broke them and set them properly, and I don't know how to do that, even if I did want to._ When the first aid mess was cleared up and Martinez was in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, Andrea turned the lantern off and went back into the darkened living room. The apartment was still around her, hell, the whole town was silent as a tomb, except for the sound of Martinez, lightly snoring in the bedroom.

Andrea moved to a window and pulled the coverings aside. She leaned her hip against the windowsill and wrapped her arms around herself as she stared out at the dark street below. There were a couple walkers out there, but she knew that they had no idea she and Martinez were up here; they were safe for the night.

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By the time they were back inside the courtyard of the prison, it was nighttime. The three of them stood in a small cluster by the closed courtyard gate and Daryl looked back and forth between Rick and Merle.

"So," he began hesitantly, "What's the plan here? Do we go after her?" Rick looked at him for a moment, before looking over at Merle. "What do you think?" Rick asked Merle. Daryl watched in mild amusement as slight shock registered on Merle's face at being asked his opinion.

"I think Blondie made her own goddamn bed and now she can lie in it," Merle rumbled in response. Rick's brow drew down as he considered it. Daryl glared hard at their leader.

"You've got to be kiddin' me," Daryl said in irritation. Both men looked over at him. Daryl raised his eyebrows in narrow eyed disbelief. "First she's dead, then she's sleepin' with the damn enemy, then she's one of us again, then she's a traitor? She can't be all them things!" Daryl shifted the strap for the crossbow where it lay over his shoulder. "Choose: we either go get her, or we leave her to whatever happens out there."

Rick took a deep breath. Merle scratched idly at his chin and then spoke, the casual tone seeming forced to Daryl's ears, "Martinez ain't to be trusted," he began, "If we leave 'im to wander around, someday he'll be bringin' a reckoning down on us." Both Daryl and Rick looked up sharply at his words, and Daryl knew that Rick was thinking of the eerie coincidence of Merle uttering the same words that Daryl had that day in Atlanta, so long ago.

"So, you're sayin' we go and get Martinez, take care of him, and what? Bring Andrea back here? Lock here up?" Rick asked in disbelief. Merle grunted in vague amusement.

"Well, it is a prison," the elder Dixon said. Daryl managed a tiny smirk at his brother's flippant consistency, before he nodded at Rick. "Martinez can't be trusted, so yeah, we take of that," Daryl clarified, "And Andrea… I say we give 'er the choice to come back or not, but keep her on tight watch if she does."

Rick paced away and Daryl looked over at Merle to see Merle looking over at him. "I'll go alone if I have to," Merle spoke in a low, angry voice, and Daryl felt his suspicions about what Andrea and Merle had really been up to, being confirmed. He simply nodded at his brother though. "I'll go with you," Daryl said.

"No," Rick spoke up, from several steps away, "You'll stay here, keep everyone calm and on track, no one needs to know what's going on, other than that Andrea decided to go back to Woodbury and Merle and I have gone to convince her to return." Merle snorted again.

"Don't think all of them are gonna buy it, Officer," Merle replied, "'Specially ole Mutie." Rick rolled his eyes at the name for Michonne, and even Daryl looked away. Sometimes his brother embarrassed him.

"They'll buy it because they won't know any different," Rick responded calmly. Daryl ran his tongue over his teeth and nodded slowly. "Fine, whatever, but I should go with Merle," Daryl repeated. Rick shook his head and stepped towards Daryl, putting a firm hand on Daryl's shoulder.

"No, Linney's hurt, you need to stay here with her," Rick said quietly and earnestly, "And this is my mess, mine and Merle's, and we'll clean it up. You hold down the fort here." Merle was nodding along with the plan. Daryl finally rolled his shoulders and stepped away from them both.

"Fine," he replied gruffly, "When ya'll leavin'?" Rick glanced over at Merle and raised an eyebrow. "I'm ready anytime you are, Sheriff, I travel pretty light," Merle told him. Rick smiled tightly and gestured at the pick-up parked down near the gates.

"Let's go then, now, before we have to talk with anyone," Rick told them. Daryl followed them to the pick-up and climbed into the bed of it, while Merle and Rick got into the cab. They drove down quickly to the main gates and Daryl hopped out, easing the gate open and watching as the truck drove out. He slid the gates closed and locked them tightly, watching as the truck disappeared into the darkness.

He shook his head at the slightest feeling of misgiving he had, and then turned around and made his way back up to the cell blocks.

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Shortly after Linney had sent Beth and the baby outside, Beth had relayed the strange scene she had experienced inside to the very first person she came across, who happened to be an older man, she thought his name was Wally. Gripping Judy tightly in her arms, Beth had approached him as he sat on the steps to C Block, his head tilted back to soak up the warm sunshine.

"Where did everyone go?" She asked him worriedly. The old man sat up straight at her tone and shot her a concerned look. "What's going on sweetheart?" He asked her kindly, easing himself to his feet with some difficulty. Beth glanced over her shoulder, up the stairs to the closed door to the kitchen area.

"I think Linney and Sheena might be about to have a fight in there or something, it seemed awful tense," Beth said worriedly, "Linney's got a temper and I'm worried she's going to overreact since she doesn't like Sheena much."

Wally nodded a little bit and rested a wrinkled hand on Beth's shoulder. "I tell you what, darling, most everyone went either to D Block or down to the big fences," Wally soothed her, "You go on and find someone, maybe that scary gal with the big sword, and I'll go keep an eye on Linney and the redheaded girl. Maybe havin' an audience will cool her heels."

Beth smiled gratefully at him and nodded. "Thank you, sir," she said quickly, before walking past him swiftly, deciding to drop Judith off with one of the mother's in D Block before heading down to the fence. She knew that anyone with "authority" would be down on the fence line, and she knew that Linney would likely only listen to someone like Glenn or Michonne anyway.

She had almost reached the doorway to D Block when she heard the unmistakable popping noise of a gun being fired back in C Block. Beth froze still and glanced down quickly at the baby in her arms. She wanted to rush over there so badly, but knew she couldn't be of any use, and could possibly be acting recklessly if she marched into possible open gunfire with a baby.

She slammed her way into D Block and realized immediately that no one else had heard the gunfire. She saw all the Woodbury people and Carol lounging just outside the line of cells, chatting amiably. Carol launched to her feet as soon as she saw Beth, and rushed over.

"Carol! Take the baby!" Beth cried, shoving Judith into Carol's arms. Carol took Judith and replied, "Honey, what's wrong? What's happened? Is it walkers?" Beth shook her head and glanced around at everyone. She lowered her voice and leaned towards Carol, speaking in a hurried whisper.

"Linney and Sheena were arguing in the kitchen, I came out to find someone to break it up and Wally said he'd go in till I found someone, and then I heard a gunshot," Beth's words tumbled over each other and she was already heading quickly back the way she'd come.

"Wait! Wait! Beth! What's going on?" Carol cried. Beth paused at the door and glanced over her shoulder briefly.

"Carol, you gotta keep these people in here until we figure it out!" Beth demanded, and Carol narrowed her eyes and then nodded.

Outside of D Block once more, Beth dithered for a moment, torn between wanting to rush into C Block or run to the fences for help. She couldn't wait though, couldn't hold back her bubble of panic, and bolted for C Block, taking the stairs two at a time.

When she burst through the door, she was greeted by an empty room and a dead body. "Oh Wally, no," she whispered, knowing instantly he was dead. Beth instinctively dropped into a crouch, trying to scuttle back into the darkness near the door, as her eyes scanned the big empty room. She couldn't find a trace of Linney, Carl, or Sheena anywhere.

_It had to be Sheena,_ Beth thought to herself, _or an accident. No way Lin or Carl did this._ Her palms were sweaty around the gun in her hand and Beth finally decided that there was no one in the cell block with her. It was absolutely dead quiet. Her gaze darted to the closed door leading to the tombs.

_It's either there or the admin wing,_ she thought, knowing that either way she couldn't and shouldn't search alone. With a pained glance down at Wally, Beth backed up and out of the cell block and ran as fast as her legs could take her down to the big fence line, for help.

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Daryl was halfway to the C Block doors when Beth and Ben leapt out from behind some office furniture in the dark yard.

"What in the actual hell, Daryl Dixon!" Beth yelled at him, making him jump in response. "What?" He snapped back, his eyebrows drawing together in consternation. "Where the _hell_ have ya'll been? Why is everyone disappearing? We _needed_ you and none of you were here!" She cried. Daryl looked taken aback.

"Me, Rick n' my brother were out in the woods, but we're back now," he told her, his tone making it clear he didn't think he had to explain anything to her, "Why the fuck does it matter?" Beth put her hands on hips and leaned towards him, her pale eyebrows drawing together in fury.

"You, Rick, n' Merle, go missing," Beth said, ticking names off on her fingers, "Andrea's missing, too." Daryl looked away and said nothing, his jaw clenching. Beth threw her hands in the air in angry exasperation.

"Linney, Carl, and Sheena have been missing for hours and hours, too! Do you _also_ not care about that? And Wally's dead! Someone shot him, and he died! And then everyone was missing!" Beth yelled at him angrily. Daryl jerked to attention at Linney's name, his entire expression changing worriedly.

"What? She's gone? She wasn't with us Beth, those three weren't with us," Daryl said in a gravelly rush. "I _know_ that, Daryl! They were here, Linney and Sheena were arguing, and then Wally got shot somehow, and Linney, Carl, and Sheena disappeared! We've been crawling all over the prison looking for them! We've got people guarding the doors in and out of the tombs, Tyreese and Karen went out in a car to drive through the area, but it's dark and the tombs aren't fully safe yet! Everyone else is locked down in D Block until we can figure out what the _hell_ is going on!"

Daryl reached out and grabbed her shoulder, squeezing and shaking her a little bit. "When did you last see them?" He asked her roughly. Ben pulled her a step away from the upset man and Beth glanced over at him.

"It's ok," she whispered to him, but Ben's face stayed firm and unhappy. "Beth? When? How many hours, tell me," Daryl insisted. Beth looked back at him and gestured behind herself.

"Right after lunch, the three of them were in there talking, and Linney was angry, she told me to leave with Judy, so I did," Beth explained hurriedly, "Wally went in to make sure no one fought, and he got shot somehow. I got everyone from the fences up to help us and everything's gone to shit! Where the hell were you?!"

Daryl shoved past her then, moving straight for the cell block. He charged inside and Beth turned to follow him. She and Ben hurried after him, and watched as Glenn and Maggie met him just inside the kitchen, giving him a tearing down just like Beth had. Daryl looked impatient and kept trying to push past them, seemingly determined to search the tombs himself.

"Not alone Daryl! We go in pairs and we go in shifts, there's still sections open to the far yard, you know that! It isn't safe!" Maggie raged. Daryl opened his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed together so closely it was clear he was about to explode at someone.

They never got to hear it though, because the door from the tombs was thrown open and Sheena came stumbling out into the kitchen area. Beth gasped and saw Daryl freeze in shock.

"Sheena!" Beth cried, running towards the disheveled and dirty woman. Sheena looked pale and terrified, her clothing and skin smudged with dirt and a huge bruise forming on her face, just below her eye.

"Oh Beth! Maggie! Thank god!" Sheena cried, swaying on her feet. Maggie rushed towards the woman as well, standing on her other side. Daryl trotted up to them, his face still a thundercloud, and Sheena gave him a small, fearful smile.

"She's not here, is she?" Sheena asked them tearfully. "Who's not here?" Daryl demanded, and Sheena cringed away, a hand going to her injured face.

"Linney," Sheena answered quietly, her voice shaking, "She lost her mind, started freaking out on me about trying to steal her man, to take her place." Beth looked over at Daryl in disbelief and saw his face was locked down into an expression of intense concentration, his eyes never leaving Sheena's face.

"What happened then," he said in low, hard voice. Sheena peeked up at him from beneath her pale eyelashes, and then looked down again, almost ashamed.

"She killed Wally, and then she and Carl forced me in there," Sheena said quietly, gesturing towards the tombs, "He would do anything she said! He's as crazy as she is! And once we were down there she knocked me around, let Carl get in on the beating too! They were both laughing like it was funny!" Sheena paused, gulping in breaths of air, her eyes round and blinking furiously. "I managed to get away, I barely made it out, and then I got so lost, it was awful!"

With that Sheena threw herself at Daryl, clutching at his shirt, burying her face into his neck as she wept in fear and exhaustion. His hands went immediately out to his sides, like he was afraid to touch her and his eyes darted to Beth's and then Maggie's over Sheena's messy red hair.

Beth didn't even know what to think. Something had obviously happened, but so much of it made no sense; certainly there was more to it – Linney was not a mindless killer.

Sheena tilted her face up to look at Daryl and he leaned his head back away from her, his hands finally coming up to try and push her off himself. She clutched at him tightly in fear and panic though, and continued.

"You have to protect me from her! She's a monster!" Sheena wailed. Daryl stared down at her, his mouth pulled down in a disgusted frown, his eyes clearly unhappy. Sheena glanced over at Beth and then back up at Daryl before sighing a little, her eyes rolling back up into her head as she swooned back in a dead faint.

Daryl let her fall, not making any effort to catch her, and Sheena seemed to realize at the last moment that he wasn't going to grab her, and her eyes widened hugely as her hands pawed at the air.

Sheena's head connected with the concrete harshly and this time she passed out for real. Daryl, Beth, Maggie, and the others stood around and looked down at Sheena's prone figure for a few long moments. It was Ben who broke the silence.

"We all know she's totally full of shit, right?" Ben stated flatly, "So, what the hell does that mean? Where are Linney and Carl?"


	169. Chapter 169

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

He was incredibly uncertain about what they needed to do next. They had Sheena on lockdown, in Andrea's cell, but after she'd come-to she was refusing to talk. The woman just sat there smugly, smiling at them as if she was exactly where she wanted to be.

"Just _tell _us, Sheena!" Glenn yelled at her, his frustration reaching the breaking point as he slammed his hands against the bars of the cell. Daryl cast a glare over at the younger man and shook his head slightly. "That ain't gonna work," Daryl said in a low voice, before turning to regard Sheena. "Ain't that right?" He asked her. She smirked and rubbed the back of her head.

"You're not much of a knight in shining armor," the infuriating woman finally spoke, "To think, I had planned on maybe keeping you around!" She laughed once, shrilly, and then leaned back against the end of the bed.

"Just let me in there," Beth demanded again, from behind him. Daryl turned to look at her, taking in the rigid fury of her expression. He shook his head. "And what? You gonna beat it out of her?" He asked her in frustration. Beth nodded eagerly. "Damn straight, I will," she vowed, her brow drawing together in fury, "I'll fuck her up if I have to!" Beth yanked a small knife from her waistband and clutched it tightly.

"I don't even have to go in there," she said in a quiet, angry voice, "I can nail her right in the gut from here." Daryl shook his head and turned back to Sheena. He knew that time was of the essence, that it was clear this slender psychopath had Carl and Linney held up somewhere terrible, but he was holding tight control over the part of himself that wanted to go charging off to rip the prison apart searching for them. _Just gonna waste time doin' that, we only need her to narrow it down for us, _he thought in rage. He realized they were approaching this all wrong, this woman was unbalanced, sick in the head. _We gotta meet crazy with crazy, _he thought in resignation, knowing what he had to do now.

Daryl pushed Glenn out of the way and unlocked the cell door, walking resolutely inside. "Is the big tough guy going to beat on the unarmed woman now?" She asked him mockingly. He didn't respond, just slid the door closed behind himself and advanced on her. She kept her features tightly drawn into a smirk but swallowed when he reached for her, not saying a thing, the glare on his face still hard and brutal.

Daryl slammed her into the wall, hard enough for her teeth to rattle and moved to stand in front of her, close enough so she could see the implacable expression on his face. "So, going to play rough then?" She asked him breathily, looking up into his face, "I don't think so. That's not your style." She clearly thought he wouldn't harm a woman.

"You don't know me," he hissed, keeping as much deadly intensity in his voice as possible, his accent thick and heavy, trying to conjure up the spirit of someone truly twisted and dark; a southern sociopath. "What makes you think that I won't? That I ain't gonna tear off pieces of ya, nice n' _slow,_ 'til ya tell me what I wanna know?"

Daryl brought his hand up and clenched it around her throat, pressing her tightly to the wall, his calloused fingers squeezing with his words. "Ya think I ain't gonna do anythin'? Let you take what's mine n' keep it from me?" His other hand came up, a hunting knife clutched in it, and he trailed the blade down her face, trying to think how Merle might try and intimidate this woman, how, god help him, his father would have threatened her. Sheena's eyes moved to the knife, and her cool confidence wavered for a moment, he could see it on her face.

_She thought we were still civilized, that she'd be able to fuck with us n' get away with it,_ he thought to himself, as he twisted the knife back and forth in his hands for her to admire the way the dank light in the cell glimmered up and down its blade. "You judged us _wrong,_" he whispered to her darkly, disgust with himself coiling in his gut along with the desperation to find Linney, find the boy, get them both back safely, "You judged _me_ wrong."

He brought the blade up to her face, holding the sharpest part against her cheekbone, applying a little pressure and fighting hard to keep his expression locked down when the tiniest bit of blood, broke through, trickling down her face. "I know yer crazy, Sheena," he said in a quiet rumble, "But you ain't seen nothin' yet." She swallowed and he could feel the fight going out of her.

She may have had some grand plans, whatever was twisted in her head that made her do what she'd done, but he didn't care; he was fucking sick and tired of people trying to fuck life up for them. Woman or not, he was deeply pleased to see that she was breaking under his subtle, sick, threats.

"If," she managed, her tone trying to cling to the strength and confidence she'd shown earlier, "If I tell you, what then?" He deepened his glare and made an 'mmmm' noise deep in his throat. "If they ain't dead, then you n' I are done," he promised her in an angry, throaty growl, "Shame though." He pressed the blade a little harder to her face and she grimaced.

"Fine," she spat out, upset thick in her voice, "I don't know where exactly they are in the tombs, but that stupid little bitch said it was the room that brat's mother bit it in." Daryl stepped back and headed towards the door, hearing her breath out behind him, in relief, in frustration. When he stepped out of the cell slamming the door closed, he looked back at her, ignoring Glenn's antsy stance next to him.

"Oh, and Daryl?" She asked him, and his eyes met hers, rage still on boil in gaze, "I left the door open, so they could receive visitors." She started to laugh then, hard gusting chuckles. Daryl spun on his heels and raced for the stairs, Glenn, Maggie, Beth, and Ben on his heels.

"We're going in to the tombs, right?" Glenn asked as they paused at the cell containing weapons. Daryl grunted assent and fumbled with his keys, trying to unlock the doors in a rush; they needed guns and they needed them _now_. He knew exactly where Linney and the boy were, and he knew that part of the tombs was _not_ secure. Maggie reached out, grabbed the keys from him and shoved him out of the way, unlocking the door and pulling it open quickly. The other three swept around them and Maggie gripped Daryl's arm tightly.

"They'll be fine because they have to be, so keep it together Dixon," she chastised him, her tone rough. He nodded, needing the reminder more than he cared to admit. They armed themselves, and though part of his mind told him he should be ordering Beth and Ben to remain behind, he just couldn't stop to spare the time.

They raced through the kitchen as a group and plunged into the darkness of the tombs, Sheena still laughing behind them. _Gonna kill that bitch,_ he thought to himself grimly, as they reached the barricade that marked the end of the secure portion of the tombs. He pictured Linney in his mind, her brow drawn together in furious concentration, her angry countenance filling his mind. He smirked a little, despite himself.

_Nah, better to let Lin do it._

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Sheena was bat-shit crazy, of that Linney was positively certain. A murderer, too. Heartless. Cold. Cruel. As she was held tightly and painfully in place against the pillar that Sheena had bound her to, watching Carl stare down at his lap dejectedly, Linney couldn't stop coming up with words to describe the redheaded woman. _She's fucking dead if I get out of here, that's what,_ Linney thought in rage.

"Carl, please talk to me," she whispered, trying to keep her voice low. The boy didn't move and Linney looked up anxiously when she heard a disturbing clicking out in the halls. Sheena had thrown herself against a wall before leaving. "Gotta have some realistic wounds," she had managed after catching her breath, her slim hand clutching the side of her face she had crashed into the concrete, "Won't be able to get people to believe me unless it looks like you finally snapped, Linney."

_Then she left the fucking door open._ Linney eyed the door again, involuntarily pulling against the wire when she heard more noise outside, clenching her teeth to hold back the cry of pain her throat tried to release when the movement ripped at already open wounds.

"Carl, please," she hissed, "We need to figure this out, buddy. Please Carl." He lifted his head and looked at her and she tried to smile, wincing again when the wire shifted minutely over a cut again. "We're screwed," he muttered, his eyes moving from her to the large pool of dried blood in the room. Linney shook her head. "No, we're _not_, not yet," she insisted quietly. He jerked his head towards the door, which was hanging open ominously.

"_That_ says different," he replied quietly, "We're going to die in here, just like her." Linney shook her head and they both froze when the clicking she'd heard earlier grew louder. Something was definitely getting closer to the door. "Carl," she whispered, her voice hoarse, "If one of _them _gets in here, try and trip it, knock it down, bash it's skull in with your boots." He didn't nod, just glared at her.

"One of us is going to have to watch the other die, you know," he responded morosely. Linney growled quietly in frustration, her hands itching to hit something. "If I could I'd bitch slap you upside your stupid head," she snarled at him in response. His eyebrows leapt up in surprise, not used to such vehemence being directed his way from her. "Your mom gave up her life for you and Judy, you know, and you wanna just pack it in like a little pussy? Grow the fuck up, Carl," she said angrily, "I thought you were made of somethin' stronger, somethin' better than that." They both flinched and looked towards the door when the noise sounded like it was only feet away.

"I ain't dyin' down here," she growled again, "Don't make me watch you die you little pansy-ass." Carl looked angry now and opened his mouth to respond. He never got a chance to though because a visitor appeared at the door, all rotted limbs and snarling, horrifying mouth. It shambled down the stairs, tripping and landing hard on its chest. Linney thought it had done something to its legs and spine falling like that, as it was unable to walk, but it grimly kept on towards them, hunger in its eyes, dragging itself forward on its stomach.

"Carl," she whispered, seeing the thing was coming straight for her first, probably smelling the blood leaking from her leg, "I love you, buddy."

She started kicking her legs at it, ignoring the burning pain in her injured leg, one of her boots catching its jaw, but not landing any solid kicks to its skull. A hand gripped tightly at her leg, over her pants, and she felt her muscles tightening in gut-wrenching terror. _It's going to tear me apart. _

Carl began to scream for her, fighting viciously against the slicing wire holding him captive, "Linney! _Linney! No!"_

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Andrea awoke the next morning, cramped on the couch, and stretched her limbs, feeling a satisfying series of cracks and pops all up and down her spine. She got to her feet and immediately checked to see that the door was still closed and locked securely. Satisfied, she went to the window, peeking out again, the empty streets of Woodbury greeting her. It looked much more reassuring in the faint light of dawn than it had in the darkness of the night.

The curtain fell shut as she made her way to the bedroom, pleased to see Martinez sitting up in bed, his battered face turning to her when she walked through the door. "How are you today?" She asked him softly, grabbing the bottle of pain pills and making him take a few. He swallowed them down with the slightly stale glass of water next to him and nodded at her.

"Better," he said, his voice still gravelly from sleep, "Better than I have in a long while." She smiled and nodded her chin towards his bandages. "Those look good," she told him, lifting her eyebrows for permission as she reached for the biggest one on his arm, "May I?" He nodded and lifted the arm towards her. She inspected beneath that bandage, before checking on the others, pleased to see that while they were still raw and angry, nothing seemed infected.

"Are you hungry?" She called to him from the bathroom, where she was washing her hands afterwards. "Always," he responded gamely from the other room. Andrea chuckled. She dried her hands and stepped back into the bedroom.

"I'll get us something to eat, then I'm going to go out, take a look around, see what we're dealing with out there, maybe get my hands on some more food, weapons, medical supplies, stuff like that," she told him. He nodded at her and leaned back against the pillows, closing his eyes. She watched him as he rested for a moment, still feeling secure and confident with her choice to rescue him. The man obviously needed the help, and already seemed to be getting better.

_You did a good thing,_ she congratulated herself while she cracked open some cans of stew in the kitchen, heating them over Milton's propane stove, _for once you saved someone, instead of causing more hurt._ She ate her bowl of stew with Martinez, watching to make sure he could handle the small serving she'd prepared for him, before dishing him a little more.

Grabbing the machete afterwards, Andrea paused at the apartment door, staring down the small hallway into the bedroom, where Martinez lay, now with a small pile of books she'd left with him. "This may take a while," she told him, "Don't get out of bed, stay here, and sit tight, I'll be back." He nodded and waved at her.

"Thanks, Andrea, again," he told her quietly. She smiled at him and stepped outside into the darkened hallway. She made her way outside, slinking past their car and out into the street. The silence was deafening. There was nothing left. A gurgle a few yards away drew her attention and she turned to see a walker shambling towards her from an alleyway. _Well, almost nothing left,_ she thought grimly. She slammed the machete home, straight through its forehead, grunting with effort. It collapsed to the ground and Andrea immediately began to make her way carefully and silently towards the infirmary.

She thought that medical supplies were the most important. Martinez was badly hurt and she wanted to get some things to ensure she could help him stave off infection. She was hardly aware of the smell to the air, only realizing she'd been smelling smoke for the past couple of blocks when she rounded the last corner and saw the rather grand building that housed the infirmary was on fire. She paused, stock still, in the street and watched the building she'd so badly wanted access to burn in the roaring blaze.

"What the fuck?" She breathed softly, incredulity in her tone. Several walkers in the area, drawn by the heat, the smell, and the light walked straight into the fire, like moths into a literal flame. Andrea moved several steps back, until she was pressed against a building across the street from the ruined infirmary. Her mind was racing, trying to decide if this fire was accidental, an act of nature (or walker), or set on purpose.

A creeping, crawling sensation began to glide its fingers up her spine and she felt instinctively that this was on purpose. Someone else was in Woodbury, someone bent on destroying what was left. She made her way off the street, down the nearest alleyway, determined to make it back to Martinez unseen.

_We'll leave, immediately,_ she thought to herself, skirting around the edges of a dumpster and stepping quietly out on the street behind the one the infirmary was on. There was a noise behind her, a quiet one, and she turned, seeing nothing. It was enough for her though, and her shaky sense of bravery snapped; Andrea began to run. She started to sprint, heedless of making noise or drawing attention, only knowing she had to get back.

She was two buildings away when a dark figure suddenly ran at her out of an alley she was passing, moving with a fluidity and speed that said it wasn't a walker. She was tackled roughly to the ground, her back crashing to the concrete and her skin scraping roughly where her shirt rucked up on impact.

"Didn't think I'd have any visitors," her attacker told her, kneeling heavily onto her stomach. Andrea stared up at Phillip, bug eyed, unable to think clearly, only aware of the pool of fear spreading through her limbs. "Not a smart move, Andrea, coming back," he growled at her, throwing her machete clear across the road, before back-handing her violently.

"Phillip, no," she managed before he pulled a gun and pressed it to her forehead. He pressed the muzzle into her skull, painfully, his face clenching up with rage. She was certain that this was the end, and that she was going to die here, on the street out front of the apartment that Martinez was waiting for her inside of. _I can't let him know that Martinez is up there, _she thought in a panic. Phillip suddenly pulled the gun from her head and narrowed his eyes at her.

"No," he said, his tone almost thoughtful, as if reasoning with himself, "Not like this. You deserve far better, what I had planned for you initially." She tried to back away, but he shook his head at her slowly, making a tsking noise. "I always knew you were stupid," he told her through gritted teeth, "That you'd try and play the hero and it would backfire."

She glared at him, trying to find her voice, to reason with him, threaten him, anything, but he reached forward and placed his hand firmly over her mouth. "How's this for a mistake?" He asked her softly, before raising the gun in his hand again and slamming it across the side of her head. Her word went dark.

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Martinez heard the sound of struggle outside and instinct told him it was not walkers. He climbed painfully from bed and limped towards the bedroom window, lifting the edge of the curtain cautiously to peek without. He flinched when he saw the Governor, dragging a clearly unconscious Andrea down the street by her feet, obviously heedless that her face and arms were scraping along the concrete.

He didn't like it, but as he backed away from the window, he knew he wasn't going to help. _Even if I got a gun somehow, and even if I knew where they were going, it'd only take one slap to knock me over_, he thought, rationalizing his cowardice. He turned back to the room and made his way into the kitchen, wasting no time grabbing a duffel bag and stuffing food, medical supplies and a flashlight into it. He went back to the bedroom and grabbed some blankets and pillows and a jacket, before stuffing on a pair of Milton's shoes, pleased to find they were only slightly too big.

It took him a couple trips, but he managed to get everything he wanted into the car, nearly faint from pain and exhaustion when he was done. He pulled the car out from the alley it was hiding in and sat, idling in the street, for a long moment as he stared off in the direction that the Gov had dragged Andrea. His stomach clenched guiltily, but he still turned the vehicle in the opposite direction, leaving Andrea to her fate. He made his way to the nearest gate, getting the car out as quickly as he could. When he was about to climb back inside it, after closing the gate behind him (_no point in letting the Gov know someone went this way)_, he glanced over his shoulder and saw from this vantage point that half of the town was slowly burning. _What the fuck?_ He thought in confusion. Martinez shook his head and got in the car, speeding away as fast as he could.

_Gonna get away, get as far from this fucking place, and that fucking prison, as possible._ He glanced in his rear-view mirror, back at the sky above Woodbury, which was now filled with clouds of smoke. _Sorry Andrea._


	170. Chapter 170

***** Holy shitballs guys, we broke a 1000 reviews in between chp 169 and this one - "Mama's Stories" you were the 1000th review! You guys treat me far better than I deserve and I feel like the goddamn luckiest writer on this site to have so many awesome people into this behemoth. It's Valentine's day so I'm sending writer love to all of you in the form of posting one day earlier (much better than flowers because a chapter doesn't wilt). Thank you again for being so wonderful and following, fav'ing, reading, and taking the time to review, I know it sounds hackneyed and cliched, but honest to god it means so much to me to hear from you all and it just makes my day :) :) - Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

Linney kicked and kicked, and managed to shake the dead fingers squeezing her calf off. The face of the beast kept creeping closer, moving away from her legs, which were presenting too much of an obstacle for it. It was making its way towards her side, and horrifying visions of its teeth sinking into her stomach filled her mind.

Carl was nearly insensate from screaming, and when her ever-more-panicked gaze happened to glide over him, she saw he was red faced, tears streaming a wet path down his face as he yelled for her. Wrenching violently against the wire wrapping around her, Linney fought to twist her legs, to try and kick sideways at the beast, realizing that her own shrill, piercing shrieks of terror had joined Carl's.

Then. The best noise she'd ever heard. "_Linney! LINNEY!_" Daryl's throaty screams for her echoed down the hall outside, bouncing through the door and filling her with hope. "_Please! Daryl! Please hurry!"_ She shrieked back, "_Hurry!"_ Screaming was everywhere, and Linney realized this was going to come right down to the wire. Her boot grazed off the beast's chest, sloughing off flesh and gore with it, but she couldn't bend to reach its head.

Its mouth and hands were there, almost upon her and Linney froze, everything around her ceasing to mean much of anything as she realized that she was going to die, right now, and she prayed it wouldn't hurt for very long. She swallowed back a sob as a greedy hand latched onto her hip, grabbing at a fistful of cloth, and she met the dead thing's eyes, the milky, clouded gaze staring senselessly back at her. Until it was suddenly growing a bolt. It felt like she'd blinked and in that time the crossbow bolt appeared almost magically, planted firmly into the things eye socket.

She realized her breath was coming in high-pitched whines and could hardly turn to look over at Daryl when he tumbled to a stop next to her, his mouth moving as he spoke to her, his hands moving over her, around her, trying to set her free. The world slammed back into normal speed around her with a suddenness that made her want to barf. Suddenly there were voices all around them, and she could hardly make sense of what anyone was saying.

"Lin, please, stop movin'," Daryl's gravelled voice rumbled to her left, "It's fucking shredding you, sit the fuck _still."_ She gazed at him, still panting with adrenaline. "Carl," she finally said, swallowing and regaining her voice, "_Carl."_

"He's fine," Daryl said evenly, moving behind her and doing something to the wire that jostled her wounds terribly. "Carl!" She cried, and he answered her from across the room, where he was mostly shielded from view behind Maggie, Beth, and Glenn, "Linney?"

She drooped in relief at the sound of his voice, and suddenly the wires sagged forward, falling from her flesh. Daryl moved quickly, prying it off her and then pulling her up off the ground and away from the bloody tangle of them and the ruin of the creature next to her.

"Fucking Christ, girl," he mumbled into her hair, his arms around her making her wounds sing. She had no intention of saying anything, and only clutched at him, grabbing random fistfuls of him: his hair, his clothes, his arms. "Thanks," she managed to say shakily, "Though, next time maybe run a bit faster? Yeah?" He chuckled quietly and pressed a kiss to her temple, before she squirmed away.

"Stand me up," she demanded, and he nodded, obviously making a concerted effort not to argue. He lifted her to her feet and she leaned heavily on him as they made their way over to Carl. Linney could see the "gonna hug you" look on Beth and Maggie's faces but she waved them off, pulling away from Daryl when they reached Carl's side. Linney nearly collapsed when she put all her weight on her bad leg, but didn't care, because she folded to the ground right next to the boy sitting hunched up against the wall, freed from his bonds too, and trying to recover. Glenn was crouched next to him, a hand on Carl's shoulder, murmuring to him.

"Carl," she breathed, and he looked up from under his shaggy hair at her. His face was a mess of tears, blood and snot but she still pulled him into a hug, and sat gripping him as tightly as her sore arms would allow. She could feel him shaking, knew that she was too, the enormity of what had happened, what had _almost_ happened, still coursing through their bodies.

"You're disgusting right now," she murmured comfortingly in his ear, patting his back as she did, "Just a disgusting snotball." Carl froze for a moment before he began to laugh weakly, and Linney joined him, pleased he was able. He hissed suddenly when she rubbed too hard against a cut on his arm.

"Ok, break it up, kids," Maggie said smartly from behind them, pulling Linney back. Her friend looked happy, but weary and slightly shell shocked herself. "Ya'll are filthy and hurt, and I _fucking hate_ this room," Maggie finished. Linney and Carl sobered up and they all nodded. Linney looked over at Daryl and grimaced.

"Carry me?"

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"I really hate to say it, but it's too fuckin' quiet," Merle mumbled at his side. Rick looked over at him and glared. "How about you shut up then," he hissed in response. Dixon held his hands up in 'don't shoot' gesture and Rick glared at him. They were inside the burning walls of Woodbury, having left the truck hidden a few streets back, making their way in on foot, and besides the fact that half the town was a smouldering ruin, Rick felt something was off.

Dixon obviously did too. They'd searched the obvious places they thought she might have hidden in: her apartment, Martinez's apartment, the Governor's apartment, and hit jack pot at Milton's. The left overs of food, first aid material, and blood in the bed were telltale signs.

"Looks like someone got outta here in a right hurry though," Merle had said in irritation, kicking the food stuff that had fallen from the cupboards when someone had scooped them bare. Rick had only nodded, gesturing at the other man to leave. The more they looked and didn't find Andrea, the antsier Merle got, and Rick found himself grudgingly sympathizing. There was obviously some kind of strange connection between Merle and Andrea, and Rick was feeling less than good about their chances of finding him a happy ending.

"One place we haven't looked," Merle finally said, pausing outside of an ugly building. Rick turned and looked to him, trying not to look impatient. "Where?" He asked gruffly and Merle nodded his head towards they building they stood in front of. "Down below, where he kept his special visitors," Merle grunted in response. Rick thought it offer and nodded in agreement.

"If I didn't want people to find me, seems like a good place to go to ground would be underneath it," Merle reasoned. Rick waved a hand at the building. "Don't need to convince me," he replied, "Lead on." Merle turned and marched resolutely through the doors, gun drawn, and led Rick deeper into the building, further below. They couldn't hear anything, but Rick felt like the very air was heavy with tension. They searched room by room until they reached the last one, the one that Merle called the Gov's "special treatment" room.

Of course, when they opened the door, they weren't expecting to find Andrea strapped to a chair, very much alive, gagged and bound, with a Walker munching happily on her leg. The woman was clearly on the fevered edge of pained insanity and Merle made a horrified choking noise before shooting the walker in the head. It slumped to the ground and the two men rushed towards her. She was shiny-eyed and panting when Merle ripped the gag from her mouth.

"Fuck me," Merle rasped throatily. Rick glanced up and then away quickly. It was deeply disturbing to see the look of angry grief on Merle's face, and Rick bent to begin sawing at the woman's bonds. "My leg," she managed, "That fuck –ah- Christ that hurts, god, he was here Merle, I'm sorry, I did it, I came here," Andrea paused, a ragged moan emitting from her throat. Rick finally cut the last bond and Andrea slumped forward.

Merle caught her and carried her out the door, into the dark hallway outside. Rick knelt at Andrea's side, knowing she didn't have long. "Rick, I'm sorry, fuck I'm sorry," she managed to say, her pained eyes carrying more meaning than he thought possible. He put a hand on the side of her face. "It's alright Andrea, it's alright," he managed to respond, his face flattening out so she couldn't see anything but reassurance on it.

"Shoot me," she begged, looking back and forth between them, "Please, shoot me." Her hands settled on Merle's arm and she squeezed him tightly. "Please Dixon, it's burning so badly," she moaned, as if to prove her point. Merle's troubled eyes met Rick's for a moment and Rick swallowed hard, bending down to press a brief kiss to Andrea's hair.

He couldn't say goodbye, couldn't think of anything to say. "Phillip did this, he was here, be careful," she told him, long pauses and ragged breaths punctuating her words, "He'll come back, you know he will." Rick nodded and clenched his teeth, before giving her a brief sad smile and walking away.

He made it around the corner, deciding to give the two of them privacy, but staying nearby in case things went sideways the way they so often did.

"Andrea, you stupid bitch," Merle said in a low, gravelly voice, the words sounding thick. "I know," she responded. Rick closed his eyes, hearing the unmistakable sound of the two of them kissing. "Fuck," Merle said, "Why'd ya do it?" He heard Andrea cough and then wheeze her answer, "It was cruel, and I had to help him."

"He fucking _left _you here, didn't he?" Merle growled. There was silence, then the sound of more kissing. Rick closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the wall, feeling his stomach knotting with grief, anxiety, fury, and a myriad of other things as well. "I'll miss you," she said, almost gagging with pain.

"Goddamn you," Merle answered, "Goddamn you, woman." Andrea chuckled wetly and Rick heard what was to be a last kiss.

"I'm sorry," Merle said in a voice so rumbling and faint, that Rick could hardly hear it. He heard the gunshot though. It echoed and echoed around the basement. There was a shuffling sound and he could hear Merle breathing strangely. Rick decided to stand there as long as he needed to, until Merle decided he was ready.

Nearly ten minutes later, Dixon rounded the corner, flat-eyed and resolute, Andrea's dead body wrapped in a sheet in his arms. "Let's go," he snarled at Rick, not looking over at him. Rick followed and they left Woodbury behind as the fire spread and consumed more and more of the town.

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Daryl sat back, leaning against the table, making sure that Rick and Merle understood everything he'd told them. Rick climbed to his feet, his face drawn and tired. "I'm going to see my son," he told them both in a rough voice. Daryl nodded and Rick clapped Daryl briefly on the shoulder on his way by.

Daryl turned in his seat and regarded Merle. His brother hadn't spoken since he'd returned. Rick had told Daryl everything that happened. Now Merle was stony-faced and Daryl felt a sickness in his chest when he imagined Merle's sadness and turmoil. _You wouldn't know it looking at Merle's face, though, he just looks pissed off_. They silently regarded each other for a few moments before Daryl finally swallowed and opened his mouth.

"Don't say nothin'," Merle immediately told him, gripping the edge of the metal table in the kitchen, where they were sitting, "Keep yer fucking trap shut." Daryl nodded. Merle closed his eyes for a moment and then climbed to his feet. "Fuck," he cursed quietly, "Fuck everything." Daryl watched Merle get halfway across the room before he launched to his feet and went after him. He grabbed Merle's arm and his brother rounded on him like an angry dog, shoving Daryl hard in the chest, making him stumble back several steps.

"Don't fucking touch me you stupid fuck," Merle snarled. Daryl eyed him warily and nodded. "Fine," he replied carefully, "I'm fucking sorry though." Merle clenched his teeth and his face tightened up. "Why? Cause some stupid bitch too big fer her britches went and got herself fucking killed? She had it comin'," Merle snapped angrily. Daryl didn't say anything, only eyed his brother with a flat kind of wariness.

"I'm sorry," Daryl said again, his voice low and even. Merle looked like an enraged bull and advanced a half-step towards Daryl, looking like he intended to lay a beating on him. "Fuck it," Merle growled, a lot of the fight suddenly draining out of his body. He stood there, looking angry and dejected for a moment before his eyes moved up to Daryl's.

"Gonna go talk to that little shithead a yers, then I'm hitting the goddamn sack," Merle growled. Daryl nodded and sat back on the table he was near. He wanted to go be with Linney, but figured that Merle could have his moment, alone and unwatched, before he went off to be alone with his snarled and angry thoughts.

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Linney was laid up in bed, her bed, having insisted that she be put into her own room. Glenn and Daryl had decided that the lockdown would remain in effect in D Block, with just Hershel coming over to tend to their wounds. When the old man had wrapped up her last sliced open cut on her arms, Linney had feigned being sleepy, not wanting company or to talk to anyone.

She was feeling, frankly, overwhelmed. The last 24 hours had been a nightmare and she was feeling a little over the whole constant-peril thing. _And now more injuries,_ she thought in resignation, _great._ Hershel had told her it was all superficial, that they would all heal, nothing was broken, despite her fall, but that didn't make her feel great. The small part of herself that still contained shreds of feminine vanity was very upset that she was going to be wearing more scars up and down her arms.

She was angrier still that Carl had been involved. The fact that Sheena had hurt him so badly made Linney want to limp down the hall and blow the woman's brains out. They had Tyreese on guard blocking the hallway to the woman's cell though, and she knew that she just didn't have the energy to try and get past him.

_She killed Wally,_ Linney thought, _she was gonna kill us both, Rick's going to shit his pants._ She hoped that meant he would kill her, she certainly didn't think they could set such a monster free with just a verbal warning to never return. Sheena had shown psychotic tenacity in terms of following them, and the threat she would pose lurking around out there, freely, was too great.

_If Rick makes the wrong decision, I'll just sneak out and shoot her bitch face._

"Ain't you supposed to be sleeping?" Merle's voice came from the door and Linney looked over at him, unable to keep the slightest smile from her face. "Brushes with death have a tendency to keep me awake," she replied. Merle came and sat next to the bed, his eyes trained on her face, then moving down over her arms, pausing over bandage on the way.

"You look like hell," he told her. She rolled her eyes. "You look like shit yourself," she shot back. Merle didn't smile and she felt her brows come together in concern. "What's wrong?" She asked him shrewdly. He dragged his gaze up to hers and Linney saw sadness there, weary, angry, sadness. "Merle?" She asked worriedly. His mouth twitched to the side.

"Andrea's dead," he told her and Linney gasped, a strangled, shocked noise. "What? Why?" She managed to ask. He blinked at her and then closed his eyes. He launched to his feet suddenly and made for the door. "Ask Daryl," was all he replied, before disappearing out the door. Linney sat in shock, her eyes wide and blinking slowly, trying to put together the pieces of a story that had too many holes in it for her to see properly.

Daryl came in shortly afterwards, and she immediately reached for him, her mouth bowed down unhappily. "Andrea?" She asked. His face shuttered for a moment, before he climbed into bed next to her. She moved over, made room for him, and he sighed in utter weariness next to her.

"You ain't gonna like this, but I'm fucking done with hiding it," he muttered, before rolling to his side to look at her. She nodded dumbly and listened, listened as his gravelly voice laid out a long game of lies, torture, more lies, pain, and finally Andrea. Linney turned away from him and stared at the underside of the top bunk, trying to process it all.

"Fuck," she murmured. Daryl didn't make a move towards her and she was glad for that. She needed to think about what he, Rick, and Merle had done. "I don't like any of it," she finally told him, breathing out slowly.

"I know," he replied quietly, "Neither do, if that helps." She didn't answer, only turned to face him, pressing her face into the crook of his neck, closing her eyes. "I'm exhausted," she told him.

"Sleep Lin, this shit ain't goin' anywhere," he rumbled to her. She nodded. "Yeah, and we get to deal with redheaded monster tomorrow," she muttered. In response, he put a hand to the back of her head, petting her rough hair.

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In the morning, no one had to deal with Sheena. She dealt with herself. They were met with her snarling snapping corpse, which was trying to viciously lunge at them, from where it was hung with a sheet off the bunk in her cell. Daryl shot it neatly in the head and they tossed her in the burn pile. Everyone was strangely silent throughout the entire process, and Linney knew they were all wondering if Sheena killed herself to avoid justice, avoid facing them all, avoid a possible execution, or if she was simply bat shit crazy.

_So many trust issues,_ Linney thought, watching Rick as he stood stone faced a few feet from the burn pile. The people from Woodbury they'd welcomed in, were fully part of the prison group now, but Linney had severe doubts about Rick's ability, the entire group's ability, to trust random strangers from now on. It made her angry to think that good people might suffer and miss out on joining the prison group, all because Sheena was insane.

Sheena's send-off was anti-climactic, relieving, and somehow disappointing. Andrea's was something different. They buried Andrea next to T-Dog and Lori. They all stood around and grieved the complicated woman, except for Merle, who Linney knew was trapped inside his own head with frustrated emotion, and had refused to be part of the burial ceremony.

_We can't ever go back,_ she thought randomly, stooping with help from Carol to place some wild flowers over Andrea's cross. _We've lost too much, too many people, too much trust, and too much high ground. _Linney turned around and looked for Daryl and saw that he was heading off towards the fence with Rick, in earnest conversation.

_I wonder if we ever get to come back from this._

***** Hey people, next chapter will be a time jump of a couple months!**


	171. Chapter 171

***** Hey all – here's the time jump I promised :) **** This is not a hugely action-packed chapter, I needed to do some scene-setting, hopefully you're not bored out of your skulls! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

"Can I go to the mall?" Linney asked loudly. Rick turned on his heel, startled, and eyed her incredulously. She raised her eyebrows at him. "What? Everyone else is going!" Linney cried, a slight whine in her voice, "Besides, have you seen my clothes lately? They're gross! I need new stuff, _and_ new shoes!"

Rick put both hands on his hips and shook his head slightly. "I don't like the idea of you going so far, for so long, Lin," he finally told her firmly, "I don't think you're ready to be on your own like that, yet." Linney resisted the urge to stomp her feet and instead folded her arms over her chest.

"I knew you'd say no," she muttered. Rick put a hand on her shoulder and leaned closer to her. "You know places like the mall are just filled with walkers, waiting to prey on people, and I can't trust that you'll use your best judgement when it comes to encountering them, yet" he spoke in a calm voice, a tinge of concern coloring his tone, "I'm only thinking of your best interests."

Linney took a step back and eyed him angrily. "You can't tell me what to do, in the end, you know," she finally replied, "I'll just go to the council and get permission from them; I only came to you as a… call it a personal favor." Rick rolled his eyes and turned away from her, picking up the hoe he'd been working the ground in the yard with. "Alright, alright," he finally said, not turning back to her as he began to swing it, "Make sure you go fully armed, and _only_ if Daryl or Merle plans on going out on this run."

Linney smiled hugely at his back and turned quickly, running back to the courtyard, where the group waiting to leave for the mall was loading up. "He said I could go!" Linney told them triumphantly, slowing to a stop next to Maggie. Her friend grinned at her and clapped her on the back. "Great!" Maggie replied.

"He said you could go?" Daryl spoke from the other side of the car and Linney flickered an eyebrow up at him. "Did you think he wouldn't?" She asked him sharply. He glared at her. "Well, yeah, course I did," he replied, "You only been up and walkin' around without the crutches, for what, 6 weeks?" Linney grimaced at the mention of the hated crutches, absent-mindedly rubbing at the calluses they'd left in the webs between her thumbs and index fingers.

"I'm _fine,_" she nearly snarled, impatiently, "You just saw me run across the field, I've been walking around this place fine, not even with a limp anymore." Daryl opened his mouth to reply but Sasha strolled up to them just then, her hands full of boxes of ammo, a scowl on her face.

"If you're done trying to control her, we need to get going," Sasha put in, her tone slightly harsh. Linney looked at her, a mixture of appreciation and surprise on her face, and pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. Sasha was turning out to be an interesting companion, very strong-willed, and extremely opinionated when it came to how the women in the prison were treated in comparison to the men. It was refreshing, although somewhat grating at times. Sasha particularly disliked the Dixons' heavy-handed approach to trying to keep Linney safe, although, after the first few weeks, it was apparent that she was trying to tone it down with them a little bit, especially because it was quite obvious that they meant well.

Daryl grumbled something under his breath and slid into the truck. She, Maggie, Sasha and Daryl were riding in the pick-up, with Glenn, Karen, and Ben behind them in a smaller SUV. Linney buckled in and leaned her head back against the seat for a minute, watching as the prison disappeared outside the windows, as Daryl drove them away.

The group that made the runs was never set in stone, however, Glenn was the official leader of all group outings like this; that had been an easy decision on the part of the council. Linney looked over at Daryl in the passenger seat and smiled at him absent-mindedly, her thoughts drifting over the changes they'd lived through in the 4 months since the "Sheena Incident" (as everyone called it). Rick had borne the brunt of the outcry over letting Sheena into their midst without bothering to check and see if she was potentially dangerous, and his guilt over the incident knew no bounds.

Linney had brought up her thoughts on a screening process one night, a couple weeks afterwards, using the three questions she'd come up with, as opposed to something like a vote, and everyone had leapt eagerly at the notion. "Answer me these questions three," Glenn had said, with a smile on his face. Everyone had turned to look at him, confused and he'd rolled his eyes. "Really, none of you get the reference?" He had asked them, chagrined. Linney chuckled to herself now. _He's grown a lot, but he's still a nerd._

There had been near chaos when it came time to think about what to do next in terms of prison-life. Some people thought they needed to focus solely on repairs and fortifications, others were firmly on the side of making runs, to shore themselves up with goods. The Woodbury people had begun to voice opinions about what people needed, and group meals descended in to near-screaming matches. Linney herself had fallen on the fortifications side, her fear of the Governor returning running at an all-time high.

Hershel, the voice of reason, had stood up one night, when the screaming match between Karen and Rick was at a fever pitch and said that they couldn't continue like this, they needed order. More screaming followed, some people thinking that obviously Rick filled that role, others that someone else needed to stand up with him.

"What about a council?" Beth had put it mildly, not looking up from her bowl of rabbit and rice, "Like in school, we had a student council to decide on things we did socially, why not the same thing?" The conversation had screeched to a halt as everyone considered it, and then, in a matter of day, they had a council. Rick was not on it. He had opted out of leadership, which Linney understood, to an extent – she knew a lot of that was guilt and blaming himself for pretty much everything that had gone wrong thus far. The council would shift and change certain members every two months, and under their leadership, certain segments of prison life were created

There was the Repairs team, led by Axel, who was proving to be a fount of useful information. Glenn led the Scavenging Team, his experience and problem-solving mind making him the obvious choice. Carol had stepped up in a big way and made herself something of a prison-manager; she dealt with their inventory of goods, ranging from food, to supplies, to weapons, to clothing, and several of the older women from Woodbury joined her, taking care of meals as well.

Linney had never been more proud than when the council decided that Merle should head up security. She secretly thought he was proud of himself too, though you'd never know it; he hid everything under his gruff and somewhat irritated demeanor. He took it seriously though, very seriously, and Linney watched as he threw himself into the task with his Dixon-stubbornness, more often than not doing things on his own to ensure that everything was exactly how he wanted it.

Beth had been almost unwillingly shunted into childcare, along with the two Woodbury mothers, and although Linney knew it chafed her at first, she knew the girl was eventually almost relieved to step back and hang out with the babies and the little kids. There was an element of education to it as well, with the three women gamely trying to teach the kids the basics they might have learned in school. Carl was on and off a part of this group of kids, whenever Rick had the heart to make him the work in the yard.

Rick had at first joined Michonne on repeated missions to hunt down the Governor, going out for days at time. Hershel did something, said something to Rick, a couple weeks after a new, large load of people had been found barely surviving at a library a few towns over and were brought back to the prison. Linney stared hard out at the road they were driving down, thinking about the effect Hershel's words had had on Rick.

_Farmer Rick_, she thought with mild amusement. He seemed hell-bent on getting the prison to a somewhat self-sustaining level and the yard was now being tilled, dug up to prepare for planting. He'd even had Axel help him put up a small structure to house a couple horses that Maggie and Glenn had brought back with them on a run. His whole heart was in the 'farm' as he was calling it, and Linney noticed a distinct difference in his level of intensity, his level of stress; he was a new man due to running the 'farm'.

Michonne continued to hunt the Governor, slipping the bonds of a prison-title or job, and picking up things while she was out, contributing when she was around, but overall, acting as sort of a lone wolf. She was quite useful with keeping up detailed maps of the surrounding area though, marking clearly where herds of walkers were blighting the landscape.

Daryl was much the same, although he wasn't the hunting their enemy, he was just plain hunting. He spent almost all of his time out hunting wild life for fresh game, to good yield, and really only took part in the occasional run, in addition to a security shift when his turn came up.

The rest of them, the ones not distinctly labelled with a skill were put on a rotating schedule, an actual, physical schedule that the council had written up, and was fanatical about keeping up to date. Everyone took a turn in different areas. Everyone had different jobs week to week, and then security on top of that. Every able-bodied adult was put on rotating security watch, of which there were four shifts: morning, afternoon, evening, and nights. The watches took place in the tower by the big gate, and it was always two people, with a walkie paired to one Merle kept at his side around the clock.

Linney didn't mind getting security, it was preferable to shifts on Carol's team, doing laundry, cleaning, mending, cooking; she hated all of that domestic stuff. She didn't mind the repair team as much, especially now that she wasn't lamed up anymore, but it was typically mind-numbing grunt work for someone like her, without a handy bone in her body.

Going on runs was something that was just starting for her now, and she was eager to get back into it, she'd always been good at it, and she and Glenn made a pretty great team. _Things are different now though, _she thought in the truck as they bounced down a road riddled with potholes, _we aren't out for a couple cans of beans anymore._

Linney had to admit to herself that her favorite shifts were actually with the kids, although she never, ever, said that out loud. The mothers were nervous around her, and she knew it had something to do with her reputation for being surly and unpleasant, and also the stories of the bloodshed that seemed to surround her. Most rotating visitors with the kids ended up teaching the children stuff anyways, so Linney had spoken to the council and was given permission to teach the kids the only thing she really knew well: fighting. _Or as Karen insists on calling it, 'self-preservation',_ Linney thought wryly.

Carl didn't mind coming and hanging out with the kids for those times, and sometimes even some of the adults not busy with other tasks would show up. Linney taught them basic things, things she'd learned over their time in this new world, about evading the reach of an enemy's grasp, about hiding, about using a small stature to their advantage. She taught them about knives, how to handle them safely and carefully. There were more kids now, too, than there had been before. In addition to the strange Molly and her little brother Matty, there was another little boy, about 8, and two sisters, Lizzie and Mika. _And Patrick, don't forget Patrick._

As much as Molly disturbed her by being a strange little reflection of the type of kid Linney herself had once been, and as much as Lizzie pleased her by being a quick study, and as much as Mika irritated the hell out of her for being a scaredy-cat, Patrick was the one that Linney had a hard time being around. He was not a little kid. He was easily Beth and Ben's age, and while those two were treated like, and acted like, adults, Patrick seemed to have seriously regressed. He'd been part of the library group, and even the people he was with didn't know much about him, since he had been a recent stray for them himself. He was cheerful, but so young in his behaviour that it seemed fairly obvious that he'd suffered some pretty severe trauma.

It was decided, upon the library group's arrival and subsequent introduction, that Patrick would likely remain in the kid's group for a long while. Linney thought it was a shame, the guy seemed very sweet, and very nice, and for a little while, it looked like maybe Carl was about to get an age-appropriate friend. But Patrick liked story-time, and he liked the primary lessons the kids got. He enjoyed naptime, and toys, and he liked learning the same survival skills that Linney taught the little kids, even though he was bigger than Linney herself.

"What's our list look like?" Sasha asked Maggie, in the back seat. Linney snapped from her reverie to twist in her seat and look back at them. Maggie dug into her pocket and pulled out a little notepad filled with writing. "Is that from Carol?" Linney asked loudly. Sasha shot her a tight smile. "Yup," she replied, "That woman has some pretty crazy-high hopes for what we can bring back, she always does."

"Can I see?" Linney asked curiously and Maggie handed her the list, a smirk on her face. Both women in the back seat looked smug and Linney wondered how crazy this list might be, or if they were purposely trying to trick her because this was her first big run with them all. The notepad contained a lot of typical stuff: clothing, shoes, hygiene products, diapers, and the like. But it also contained stuff that made Linney's eyebrows nearly leap off her face.

"Make up? Hair dye?" Linney asked incredulously, looking up from the little note pad, her eyes wide, "Magazines? A record player?" Sasha and Maggie snickered at Linney's expression as she kept on reading the list. Bicycles, furniture, lots and lots of bedding and linens, which she understood to a point, but there were things on the list like Polaroid cameras, romance novels, and jewellery, which she saw no point in any of them having.

"Is she high?" Linney asked, her tone still disbelieving as she held the notepad out to Sasha. Sasha nodded and tilted her head to the side. "I guess some people have a harder time letting go of stuff than others," Sasha explained, "A lot of this stuff we've never been able to find, but she keeps it on there regardless." Linney shook her head and glanced over at Daryl. He had a tiny smile on his face and she knew he was just chalking some of the weird requests up to Carol being Carol, trying to sweetly accommodate everyone who came to her with weird requests.

"I'm not risking my life for a Polaroid camera," Linney muttered, "Or fifteen pregnancy tests – who needs pregnancy tests anyway? Only Magda's left out of the preggos, who else needs it?" The truck was silent and it suddenly hit her who might need them. She twisted in her seat again, a gleam in her eyes, and glared at Maggie. "Oh ho! Someone not being careful?" She asked Maggie in a snotty voice.

Maggie returned the glare and shrugged haughtily. "It's likely nothing, you little shit, so quit harping on it," Maggie shot back, "I'm not saying anything to Glenn, and it's not all just for me! There's plenty of people here at the prison knockin' boots, if you know what I mean!" Linney crooked her eyebrow and smirked. "Don't look at me, Greene," she replied, "I'm not worried about that at all."

Daryl grunted slightly from the seat next to her and she looked over at him briefly. They'd had one incredibly uncomfortable talk about pregnancy, and how they'd thrown caution to the wind long enough, and they used protection religiously now. What she never told him, was that she had visited their newest resident, Dr. S, a most welcome addition and the reason for all the work the Repair crew was putting into getting the infirmary in working order, and the good doctor had explained some things to her.

She hated to talk about it, was embarrassed even, but she had stopped getting her period almost altogether several months prior, and it wasn't due to pregnancy. Dr. S had told her that in situations like theirs, where life was rough, stress was high, and the body underwent extreme duress, not to mention rapid weight loss and muscle gain, that it was not unusual for something like this to happen. Secretly, once he'd confirmed as best he could that she was fine, and normal, Linney had been hugely relieved. He'd warned her that she could still get pregnant, since she could still get her period, however infrequently, but to her, it was nice to know that their chances of conceiving were even lower than low; Linney did not want to be a parent.

The truck grew silent after that, as they all kept their eyes sharp on the road ahead and around them. They were entering the heart of the mid-sized town the mall was located in, and though Glenn and Maggie had scouted the area out quite thoroughly in the few days before, there were still plenty of walkers about. They had to follow a specific route, driving slowly, and Linney could feel her muscles tightening around herself, and her eyes narrowing as all her senses grew sharper. She thrilled to the sensation; it had been so long since she'd been in a situation like this. Linney found that she was eager, eager to explore, to gather things, to move around carefully and quietly, to exercise her mind and body.

Daryl pulled the truck up slowly through the parking lot, bumping across the pavement and moving around the maze of abandoned vehicles. "You're sure it's empty?" Sasha spoke quietly to Maggie, "No other groups holed up here?"

"No groups, definitely walkers, but none of the living," Maggie replied in hushed tones, "We'll have to be careful and quiet the whole time, because there definitely was a fairly large group in here at one time, but they've all turned now." Linney felt her mouth twist to the side a little bit, feeling faintly sad at the news. Daryl parked where Maggie instructed him and they all climbed out, joined momentarily by Glenn, Karen, and Ben. They were all silent as they gathered and strapped on weapons, flashlights, rope, and empty backpacks.

"We'll hit certain sections, piece by piece," Glenn told them softly, "First this department store, where we can hopefully get the clothing on the list, and maybe some of the other stuff." He held a hand out to Maggie, who passed him the notebook, and he began to tear pages out, passing them around.

"Daryl and Linney, you two take the section near the back left, it's Women's and Men's clothing," he told them, giving Linney the list for that area, "Make trips out here if you have to." He turned to Sasha and Maggie, handing them a slip of paper, instructing them to head to the household department at the back right of the store, while he, Ben, and Karen took the front section of the department store.

"Kill any walkers you come upon, it's better that they're dead. We won't have walkies, so if you see a walker in another department, take it out if you can, otherwise we want to be in and out of this place within an hour, there's a lot of ground to cover," Glenn's instructions had everyone nodding in return and Linney looked over to Daryl who was eyeing her grimly.

"Oh for god's sake, would you quit being such a worry wart?" She snapped quietly at him. He rolled his eyes and gestured at her with his crossbow.

"Only if you don't start takin' this shit seriously, this ain't no fieldtrip, Lin," he growled back. They glared at each other for a moment longer before Linney heaved a put-upon sigh and turned towards the department store doors that the other five people had already entered.

"Come on," she told him, her tone a low-voiced demand, "Let's go to the mall."


	172. Chapter 172

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

When she was seven years old, her father had taken her to the big department store, two towns over from theirs. She was used to a strip mall's dinky stores, so an honest to goodness department store, lodged into the side of a giant mall, was something remarkable. He'd been sober the whole day, her dad. He'd a moment of acute clarity and horror when he'd walked into her room to wake her up that morning. She woke up delighted that he was "normal daddy" today, but he was gazing about at the wilted wallpaper, dingy draperies and bed linens, and then down at Linney herself, who was wearing a large t-shirt of unknown origin for pajamas.

"Baby girl," he'd said urgently, dropping down on the bed next to her, picking up her little hands in his own, "I am so sorry, your momma would kill me if she could see what I let happen." Linney had only sat there, surprised and slightly worried, but overwhelmingly feeling nothing but pure pleasure that he was paying such attention to her. He got to his feet and strode towards the doors, his posture still slightly hunched as it normally was, but his movements sure and firm.

"Get up and get ready to go out, baby girl, this changes today. I'm changing today. You deserve better and I'm going to be the daddy you deserve," he turned back to her and smiled, a large pleasant grin that harkened back to the hopeful young man he'd been a few years ago. It was a handsome smile on his weathered face, a smile not unlike the one Linney was throwing back at him as she eagerly scrambled from bed and shoved past her dad to the bathroom.

She got herself ready to go and marched happily into the kitchen where her father stood waiting, a peanut butter sandwich in his hand, which he gave to her. She snatched it from him and began to devour it and he tried to run a hand through her hair, which had grown ridiculously long, past her rear end, and was snarled and tangled. "Don't you brush your hair, baby? This is a mess," he'd lamented softly, working to pull his fingers from the knots, which they were stuck in. Linney shook her head.

"I don't have one, Daddy," she'd explained simply, using her arm to wipe peanut butter and crumbs from her face and then onto her shirt. His face got sad then and Linney had stood still, her little features tightening up into worry; she knew what happened now – Daddy got a sad face and then got a drink, and then had a special cigarette, and then got more drinks, and then he was gone, then he would become bad-daddy.

"Let's go," he said quickly, straightening up and grabbing her hand. They walked to the bus stop and the first place they went was the hairdresser, down at the strip mall at the edge of town. A bubble-gum snapping-woman had made quick, brutal, work of Linney's tangles and brushed her hair out smooth, then washed it, then cut it up to her shoulder blades. Linney's dad sat and watched, eyeing the woman warily, making sure she followed his explicit instructions to not cut it too short. When they left he bought Linney one of the pretty pink-handled horse-hair brushes at the register. The hairdresser put it in a small grey paper bag with green handles and Linney gripped it excitedly. _They were out shopping!_

Next, a longer bus ride, where her dad kept her tucked up against his side, so he could stroke her freshly cut and washed hair while he stared out the window. Linney pulled her scabbed and knobby little knees up to her chest and hugged them with one arm, and with the other dug out her new hairbrush which she held in her hand. She imagined that rich people used it to brush their rich-people hair, too.

The bus dropped them right at the edge of the big mall and she looked around in slack-jawed awe at the size of the place, as her father towed her along at his side, his hand holding hers. She had never left their town before. She had never seen so many cars in one place, or such a large building.

"Daddy, is it really all stores?" She asked in an astonished voice, and he'd smiled at her and nodded. "Sure is, baby, and we're going to the biggest one there to get you some new clothes!" He'd replied, his features pleased and happy.

It was hot outside, the sun beat down mercilessly on them, and Linney had begun to feel cranky at the long walk from the bus stop, across the parking lot, to the department store doors. But the doors whooshed open automatically when they approached and her daddy marched them inside where they were met with the most delicious wave of icy cool air she'd ever felt. She decided right then, that the air in a department store was hands-down the best air in the whole world. The sight of the store as they entered, spread before them in all its splendour, left her dazzled. It was bright, and huge, and so fancy.

Her eyes were goggling around at everything as they walked through the store. The display units, crystal clear glass with shimmering gold trim, and the mannequins that were so beautifully stylish that they were almost terrifying. The miasma of sweet and flowery scents coming from the make-up area, made Linney feel like they were inside a grown-up movie. Even the light fixtures from the ceilings were delicate scoops of metal with the perfect brightness of bulb inside, and there were so many of them – Linney couldn't imagine how long it took to turn them all on.

"Daddy?" She asked quietly, her little back-water accent coming thickly, "Is this what New York City is like?" He was just pulling her past a gaggle of teenage girls giggling over a sweater, and he paused and looked down at her, a smile on his face. "No baby girl," he said bending down and lifting her up, "That place is even bigger – but you sure won't find a place like this back home."

He carried her the rest of the way to the Girls Department, and she felt almost shamefully pleased with it. Her daddy hardly ever picked her up anymore, or carried her, or hugged her even, so she couldn't help but immediately soak up any scrap of attention he gave her. On the other hand, she'd always been so small for her age she knew that people were going to think she was much younger than she actually was if they saw her being carried like a baby. The decision was made for her when he put her down and Linney gaped and stared, absolutely gobsmacked, at the frothy, lacy, ruffled, soft, puffy, colorful array of clothing spread out before her.

She walked slowly from the gleaming tile of the aisles onto the pale and soft carpeting in the Girls Department, her hands tucked into her side, terrified to touch anything. There was every single bit of clothing you could imagine here. Everything she had seen on TV, in magazines, and on the backs of the well-off kids, was here. It was beautiful and dizzying and Linney knew, even at 7, that it was too expensive for them.

"Daddy we can't," she whispered, as her hands reached for the soft material of a swishy skirt hanging before her, "It costs too much money." He surprised her by grabbing her small shoulders and turning her to face him while he knelt in front of her. His face was serious and his grip was firm.

"Baby girl, don't you worry about that, I'm going to make this work," he told her earnestly. She stared back at him and nodded and he looked away abruptly, getting to his feet and waving at a strange woman behind the cash register. Linney found out quickly that there was one thing about department stores she didn't like and it was the sales people, in particular this woman.

For the next hour the woman had her in and out of dozens of items of clothing and was far grabbier and more handsy than Linney could tolerate. She finally jerked away from the woman when she'd tried to help Linney put on a headband, unable to stand being handled by a stranger any longer, and Linney had run out to where her father was sitting in an armchair outside the fitting rooms, reading a magazine. "Daddy!" She hissed, her face red and an angry, pouty scowl sitting on it, "I don't wanna do this no more! That stupid lady is makin' me mad!"

Her father had climbed to his feet, working to hide a smile at Linney's grumpy demeanor and had them wrap the experience up. Linney left the store wearing brand new pink tights, a brand new soft yellow and pink summer dress over top and new pink shoes on her feet. She even had the cursed headband in her hair. The stupid lady said she looked beautiful and had praised her daddy for having such a pretty little girl. He had merely shaken his head and said that Linney looked like her momma. Linney thrilled to the compliment, her daddy never ever remarked on how much she looked like her momma without sounding bitter and sad, to hear him say it in a pleasant tone of voice left her feeling glowing and new.

They had _bags_ of new clothing, and Linney felt certain that it cost far more than her father should have spent, but she felt so coddled, pampered, and loved, that she couldn't say anything negative. They walked through the big mall, her father being as patient as he could as she grew more and more excited at all the things they saw. They ate in the food court and Linney had Chinese food for the first time in her life. All the long afternoon her daddy walked her through the mall, going into the stores, letting her throw pennies in the fountain, and even buying her a gumball out of the machine near the exit.

She was exhausted by the time they got back to the bus stop, which was more crowded this time of day. The whole long bus ride home, Linney sat on her daddy's lap and drifted in and out of sleep, the bus warm and full around them. By the time they reached their own town and climbed off the bus, the sun was setting and Linney could hardly walk a straight line. Her dad chuckled and picked her up and carried her home, along with all her bags of clothes.

Linney climbed into bed that night in a new nightgown, one that was a pale blue with puffs of white clouds all over it – she felt like she was going to sleep in the sky in those pajamas and was very pleased with it. Her daddy tucked her in. "Did you have a good day, baby girl?" He asked her quietly, brushing her hair off her face. Linney nodded and yawned hugely.

"I did," she said sleepily, "It was so fancy!" He laughed a little and bent to press a small, tentative kiss to her forehead. "Tomorrow, we're gonna go out and get some things to do something about this room, baby – maybe paint the walls, get a new bed, definitely some new curtains, and I think even a rug…" His voice started to fade out as Linney drifted off, a smile on her face, delight flowing through her veins. "You deserve it baby, I love you and you deserve a daddy that does right by you," he'd whispered to her, before she fell asleep, feeling loved, cared for, and happier than she'd felt in her whole life – her daddy did care, he did love her, and he wanted her there!

The next morning, Linney woke up on her own. She leapt out of bed in her new pajamas and trotted from her room to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and then went back to her room to grab her glorious new hairbrush and brush her hair out. Her tummy gurgled and she hoped that her daddy had a peanut butter sandwich ready for her like yesterday, as she ran down the hallway in her nightgown and bare feet. The kitchen was dark and she felt disappointment, but wondered if maybe he was just still asleep.

She heard a noise in the living room and ran through the kitchen to greet her dad. "Daddy! Daddy! Guess what? I used my new hairbrush and - !" Linney stopped abruptly when she didn't find her daddy in the living room, just one of his friends, a mean and scary man she was always certain could turn into a monster if given half the chance.

The mean and scary man was stretched out on the couch, sleeping, but he woke up when she ran in and he sat up quickly. His face was angry at being woken up, but his expression softened quickly when he saw her and then he just looked sad.

"Yer daddy is sleepin' it off in his room, sweetheart," the scary man said. She stared at him, almost bug-eyed with nerves, and backed away, nodding slightly. The scary man swung his legs off the couch and Linney took another step back, her hands gripping at the sides of her nightgown nervously.

"You ain't a-scared of ole Uncle Merle, are ya?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow at her, as if offended that she might be. She shook her head at him, unable to answer, and just then her belly growled hungrily and the sound was huge in the quiet of the tense living room. Merle pressed his lips together and shook his head, muttering, "God dammit, Kev."

"C'mon," he said, lurching to his feet, towering over her as he stepped closer. He waved a hand at the kitchen and just when Linney thought she might pee herself out of fear, he moved past her, flicking the lights on and opening the bread box. Linney grabbed the sides of her nightgown even tighter and told herself that the man said he was Uncle Merle, and she wondered if all this time she was afraid of someone who was just her uncle. Other people had uncles, she'd never known she had one.

He liked to get 'tipsy' just like her daddy did, and that made her hide in her bedroom or outside to avoid them; her daddy slurring his words and staggering around made her feel sick with rage. She decided she didn't believe he was her real blood uncle, but she thought that maybe he wouldn't eat her up or turn into a monster if _he_ thought he was her uncle.

Her stomach growled again and Merle called from the kitchen, "Get in here ya little shit, I know yer hungry." Linney took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and went into the kitchen. Merle turned to her and bent quickly, moving too fast for her to try and get away. He picked her up and plopped her down roughly on the counter top next to where he stood. She watched him make her sandwich, and was surprised when he pulled open the cupboards looking for something.

"Don't ya'll got any jelly?" He said, his voice muffled from inside the cupboard. "No, Uncle Merle," she managed to say. He yanked his head out of the cupboard so fast it was like he'd been spring-loaded. He eyed her skeptically and she just stared back at him, still afraid of him, but less so, and besides, now she really wanted the sandwich. He flopped the two pieces of bread together and handed her the food. Linney began to eat and he took a seat on the counter across the kitchen from her.

"Daddy said today we're going to fix my curtains and maybe paint the walls," she told him, talking with her mouth full, but her voice lilting excitedly, unable to keep from sharing her news. Merle said nothing and when she licked the peanut butter off her fingers and looked up at him, he looked sad again.

"Don't think so, kid, yer daddy ain't feeling well today," he told her gruffly. Linney felt her face crumple, she could feel her eyes burning, as disappointment and sadness welled up inside her so swiftly that it hurt her chest. She scrambled off the counter and looked up at the shamed-looking man sitting across from her. "But, he said," she whined in a quiet voice. He got off the counter and crouched in front of her, bracing his elbows on his knees.

"He lied then, sweetheart, cause he made a different choice last night," he told her, not holding back. Linney could feel her mouth turning down and she started to cry. Merle backed away from her like she was on fire and Linney stared up at him and cried some more.

"You're a bad man, Uncle Merle!" She cried, "Every time you visit daddy he gets tipsy and then he's bad-daddy!" She stamped her foot and pointed at him, her face crunching up. "We was gonna go shopping again today because daddy loves me! You came over to visit and now he's bad-daddy again! I hate you!" She shrieked at him and Merle took a deep breath and then finally nodded.

"Yer right kid," he finally told her in a raspy voice, "So how 'bout you fuck off and let ole Merle get back to sleepin'?" Linney tore back to her room and threw herself on her bed and cried and cried.

Her daddy woke up a few hours later, and he was definitely bad-daddy, tipsy-daddy, so she stayed in bed and sulked all day. When she was tired of being angry, she decided to daydream about the beautiful, shining, cool-aired place they had visited the day before. She decided that even if they never went back, she'd had a nice day with her dad, she squeezed her eyes closed and relived the feeling of being a beloved daughter, of being carried and hugged and pampered, using the memory of the day she had a normal daddy as a mental security blanket for years to come.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The store was dark, muggy, and it _stank_. Linney wrinkled her nose as she and Daryl made their way down the aisles, their shoes making sticky noises against the ground as they walked through what Linney suspected was walker goo on the floor. Daryl touched her arm and she looked over at him. The light was very dim, their eyes hadn't adjusted yet, and he nodded his head over to the left, further ahead. He held up two fingers and Linney saw the walkers at the same time she heard them. They were bumbling stupidly amongst the racks of clothes.

Linney reached down and grabbed one of her knives, one of the small ones, and before Daryl could so much as hiss a warning at her, she narrowed her eyes and heaved it at the closest walker. The blade sank home, through a rotting eye socket, and Linney felt a pulsing flare of triumph as the beast smashed into a rack of clothes and then slammed to the ground. The noise drew the attention of several more walkers, their heads popping up amongst the racks of clothes as they climbed to their feet in search of food.

"Nice going," Daryl muttered, raising the crossbow and loosing a bolt. "What?" She hissed back at him, barely turning as she carefully aimed and the flung a second knife, "Better this way than having them laying on the floor like ankle-biters." He grunted in response and they waded in a little deeper. Linney was disgusted, as she always was when killing the rotted and stinking things, but she felt her heart thrumming along strongly, her limbs feeling firm and sure, as she dispatched the walkers that came her way, and threw knives at the others.

When the walkers in their area were all dead, they moved quickly to collect the knives and bolts. Daryl was silent as he watched her wipe the knives off on the sleeve of a hanging shirt. "You enjoyed that too damn much," he told her. She smiled a little and tucked the knives away methodically. "Damn straight, I did," she replied, an eyebrow flickering up, "I'm just glad I still got it."

He rolled his eyes and they made their way deeper into the stacks of clothes. When they reached the center of the area they wanted to be in, Daryl plucked the list out and they stood close next to each other as he shone a flashlight down at the words. "You take the top," she murmured, "I'll take the bottom." He looked over at her and smirked and she rolled her eyes. "You've got a dirty mind, Dixon," she told him, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Daryl slapped her rear end when she turned around to head off into the racks of clothes. She jumped a little and glared at him, but decided to pay him back later. Her eyes were mostly adjusted to the dim light in the store and she began to methodically pull out any clothing in the sizes she was looking for. She knew some of it was impractical and would likely be left in the parking lot, but she wouldn't make that call. Her sense of 'style' was stunted and fashion choices were best left to others.

She was distinctly struck by the bits and pieces of the higher end store this must have been at one point. The tags of the clothing boasted prices that made her shake her head. "It's a fucking t-shirt," she muttered in disbelief, wondering who in their right mind thought that such a scrap of cloth required such a ridiculous price. She stuffed it in the bag she was carrying and wished for a shopping cart, knowing that a store like this would never have allowed such a base and crass thing as a shopping cart into its hallowed aisles.

She managed to get about half of the things on the list and spent longer than she needed to in the underwear section, taking in the wide array of underthings, from the scandalous, to the utilitarian. "Grab them black things," a voice whispered huskily behind her, making her flinch and whirl around with her knife raised. Daryl casually blocked her arm and then plucked down a frothy, lacy concoction. Linney made a face at him and shoved it from his hand to the ground. "I don't think so," she muttered, the mental image making her cringe, the thought of her skin, in its scarred glory being displayed so made her nearly ill. He hummed in disagreement and urged her out to where his bag sat overstuffed in the aisle.

"Did you get everything?" She asked quietly, and watched as he shrugged. "Much as I could," he replied, scooping the bag up and making his way down the aisle. Halfway to the door, Linney spotted Glenn pulling at a pile of boxes, a walker slogging towards him, completely unseen. In half a second, she dropped her bag, grabbed a knife and hurled it, catching the creature in the back of the skull. It grunted, and Glenn turned around quickly in dismay, just to watch it crumple to the ground.

His mildly alarmed gaze bounced up to Linney who raised an eyebrow at him as she made her way over to him. Glenn pulled the knife free and wiped it on the walker's clothes. "You suck at this," she told him lightly.

"I don't," he retorted lamely. She smiled a little and took the knife, tucking it away. "I think you need me," she said, "You're lunch without me." Glenn rolled his eyes and waved her towards the entrance.

"Get out there if you're done," he ordered her softly, "You know I don't call the shots about who gets to be on my teams." Linney pressed her lips together. "Fine, but we'll go to the council together when we get back, and make them put me on the scavenging team permanently, right?" She asked firmly, and Glenn nodded, smiling a little.

"Sure," he told her, "But for now, get the hell out there and just listen to your orders." Daryl grabbed her shoulder then, making her jump, and began to pull her away. "We got shoes to look at after this, plus a whole goddamn mall," he growled at her, "Time to move."

Linney followed him out, grabbing her bag on her way. The sun seemed brighter than normal after the dingy, drab darkness of the ruined department store. They dumped their bags into the bed of the pick-up and Linney grimaced at the state they were in. Everything seemed dingy and a little dirty, even though it was all new with tags on. She figured they could wash off most of the grime left by time, walkers, animals and weather getting into the store.

"Shoes?" She said quietly and Daryl grunted his agreement. They slung their newly emptied bags onto their backs and made their way back into the cavernous store, pausing a few times in the aisles to peer up at the signs that hung from the ceiling. Linney pointed wordlessly in the direction they needed to go and Daryl plodded along after her, his crossbow up and ready.

The shoe section seemed surprisingly unscathed, especially compared to the dank ruin of the clothing sections. Linney gazed down at a display proclaiming that "Summer Fun" could be garnered from the strappy, shiny sandals arranged on it.

"These things were useless even before," she muttered. Daryl laughed quietly and moved past her, intent on the men's shoes. Linney freed her list and moved towards the more sturdy shoes that were deeper in the shoe section, nearly unseen from the aisle. Consulting the scrap of paper covered in styles and sizes, Linney quickly grabbed up several pairs of shoes, mostly durable, comfortable slip-ons and sneakers, a couple pairs of hiking boots, soft moccasins, dependable looking loafers, and then finally a small pair of mountain-hiking boots in her size – something she hadn't been expecting. Small stature meant small feet, and she was growing sick of the slightly too big prison shoes that had replaced her destroyed boots.

She pulled off her shoes and took a seat to put on the new boots and breathed out softly in satisfaction at the fit. She turned her foot this way and that, admiring the cut of the boot, the seamless construction, the thick base, and the structured sides designed to encase her ankle in a protective barrier. For a moment, running her fingers idly along the fat laces that swooped back and forth along the front of the boot, she was able to imagine that she was here, shopping, just like any woman would have, before the Turn.

"Gruhh," said the walker shoe salesman who popped up helpfully next to her, his hands reaching for her. Linney squawked in dismay and tumbled sideways off the small bench she had been sitting on, her new boots kicking the walker square in the chest. His ribcage and abdomen tore sideways and a sloughing waterfall of stinking guts gushed out, slopping down onto Linney's feet and legs.

With the lack of support to his torso, the walker crumpled sideways to the ground. Linney gagged and scrambled away, trying to stay quiet. Ever the professional, the walker began to claw his way towards her across the ground, using his rotted and boney hands to pull himself closer. She leapt to her feet, another small "gak" noise escaping her throat as the guts that had coated her legs slithered down her shins and sat in a plump heap on top of her new boots.

"_Mother fucker,_" she whispered in pure loathing, before bringing a gut-coated boot down onto the helpful walker's head, squashing the skull. His brains spurted out wetly to the side and the thick stream of it shot upwards and splattered her shirt.

Linney stood panting, her face drawn into a scowling frown of disgust as she surveyed her clothing and feet. All of it was ruined, and she could feel guts squashing around inside of the boots, between her now-ruined socks, grinding up into the inner fabric of the boots themselves. All of it was ruined.

"Mother fuck," she said, a little more loudly. She saw the bag of shoes she'd gathered for some of the women back at the prison was clean and fresh, untouched by the customer service she'd just received. "What the hell?" Daryl spoke from behind her and she turned around, a pout growing on her face.

"I got slimed," she mumbled, wiping unenthusiastically at her shirt. Daryl pressed his lips together and nodded, looking down at the obliterated creature at her feet. "You uh," he began, before pausing, turning away, laughing a little, and then turning back to try again, "You got something on your…"

"Everything?" She responded in a snarky voice. He nodded seriously and Linney rolled her eyes. "Help me find some shoes that fit and then I need to go to the girls department," she ordered him, a lot of the glee at this outing having been sucked from the day.

She ignored Daryl's quiet snickers over the next few minutes, as she found new, lesser-quality boots, and new, clean clothing in her size. She couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that department stores and malls were definitely a thing of the past, at least as far as luxury went.


	173. Chapter 173

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney! *****

The mall reminded Daryl of a swamp. The heat inside was intense, muggy and suffocating, and they were all wet and sweating within a matter of minutes. It was also both dead silent and incredibly noisy all at once. Each breath they took, each scuffle of a shoe, or soft clinking movement of a weapon, seemed to scream across the dark cavern around them.

"I don't like this," Karen muttered, her words throwing themselves everywhere. She clapped a hand over her mouth in dismay and turned round eyes to Glenn and Maggie, who stood next to her. She winced in regret and Glenn simply patted her shoulder.

"It can't be helped, even if we're dead silent the noise will carry," he explained in a breathy whisper, "Its better inside the stores." Daryl waved an arm at the group and indicated a store immediately to their left, a smaller one that looked like it once sold sporting goods.

"Don't expect much to be left in here, but we need to start somewhere," Daryl told them. Everyone nodded their assent and they made their way inside. He kept his eye on Linney, knowing she was in a shit mood now that she'd had to find new clothes and had to surrender what she told him was the best pair of boots she'd ever found.

He thought she looked good in her new clothes, clean jeans, fitted through the legs, the ends tucked into the tops of her second pair of hiking boots. He admired the way the denim rose over and around her rear end and resisted the urge to pat her there like he had while they were alone in the department store. He knew the audience they had now meant he was even more likely to receive a swat, a harder one than the one he'd received in the store.

She had on a grey tank top and a black and grey plaid shirt as well, left unbuttoned so she still had access to the various knives she kept strapped all around her torso. He was proud of her, proud that she was able to dive back into everything so quickly, and with no loss of skill either, it seemed. She turned to look at him, her eyes shining weirdly in the dim light. He gave her a small, hard, smile, but she merely narrowed her eyes a little and kept her gaze skimming around the store.

There really was nothing left in the store besides gear for actual sports. Baseballs, footballs, soccer nets, golf shoes; in short, nothing useful. "Check this out," he heard Ben whisper to Sasha. Daryl turned to see the boy grasping a sturdy looking golf club in his hands. He took a couple small practice swings and Sasha shook her head a little, but couldn't seem to help from smiling at the boy.

"Better stick to the gun," Karen piped up from the other side of the room, where she and Glenn were bent over a small map of the mall, one found in a glossy brochure. "Better yet, stick to your damn knives like I showed you," Linney interjected, moving towards Ben and pulling the club from his hands, "And I know Beth's been teaching you, too – don't make me tell her that you chickened out and went with something bigger." Ben rolled his eyes and yanked the club back from her and Linney smirked at him before moving over to where Glenn and Karen stood.

"There was a food court, not very far from here," Maggie whispered next to him, startling Daryl slightly. He turned an impatient glare on her and she shrugged minutely. "Sorry," she added. He shook his head and moved to the store entrance, peering out into the gloomy mall. "Which way?" He murmured, his throat rasping on the words slightly. Maggie gestured in the direction furthest from the huge mall entrance, where large skylights and big windows managed to keep the front half of the mall somewhat lit.

"Think that's safe?" He asked carefully, thinking of the things that could be hiding in such a dark, dank, place. Maggie shrugged again. "Prob'ly not," she drawled softly, "But it's food, right?" He glanced down at her and saw the mild sardonic look on her face. She and Glenn had cased the place out, but he knew they hadn't gone much further than this store. Her bravery in situations like this reminded him of Linney's, and he was worried for both of them, for all of them, thinking that, yes, there certainly could be a boon of goods in such a huge place, but also, a lack of light, and a huge amount of lurking danger.

"We'll split up then," he heard Glenn say behind him, his tone slightly argumentative. Daryl and Maggie turned to see him glaring at Karen. She had both hands on her hips, and when Daryl saw how Linney had positioned herself at Glenn's side, a plain look of dislike on her face, he knew there was trouble brewing. _Karen's always good for some bitching,_ he thought wearily, wondering again how such a chilled out dude like Tyreese could stand someone wound as tightly as Karen seemed to be.

"And I say, we move store to store, stick together; we may not cover everything, but there's safety in numbers," Karen shot back. Linney crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her chin in the air. "No, the more of us that're together, the more likely it is we'll be tripping all over each other, getting in each other's way," Linney told her, "Small teams are nimble, quiet, quick." Karen shook her head and pressed her lips together, turning her angry gaze on Glenn.

"You know I'm right, Glenn," Karen said, "Don't let being the 'leader' get to your head." Glenn's brows drew down in a glare and Maggie strode away from Daryl to stand on the other side of Glenn. "No, you're definitely wrong," Maggie put in, "Glenn's been doin' this a hell of a lot longer than you have, Woodbury."

Karen flinched at the term, a nickname that Daryl had heard a lot of the 'prison people' throwing around as a derogatory name for the people who came from Woodbury. He took a deep breath, not really interested in seeing a cat fight break out. His gaze darted down to Linney's hands, balled into angry fists, and he knew she wouldn't participate in any cat fight. She'd clean Karen's clock with a well-aimed fist and have it be done.

He was about to step forward and bring this stupid conversation to an end when Glenn took a step towards Karen. He pointed an angry finger at the indignant woman. "Look, I know you just want to help, and you want everyone safe, and I appreciate that," Glenn began, his tone firm, "But I'm running this show – do it my way or leave and wait in the car, those are the only two options." Karen opened her mouth and then closed it and looked away. She finally nodded.

"Fine," she managed to bite out. Glenn took a breath and shook his head before glancing over at Daryl and gesturing for him to come over. Glenn held out the small flashlight in his hand and focused the light's shine on the map in his other hand.

"Ben and Sasha can take the green hallway," Glenn said in a low voice, indicating a hallway off to the left at the nearest fork from the sports store, "Me, Maggie, and Karen will take blue, you and Linney take red." Daryl examined the map and realized that Glenn's group was heading to the food court.

"That place'll be crawlin' with them, any people who stayed and died in here were likely camped out by the food," Daryl said gruffly. Glenn held his eyes for a moment and nodded. "That's why we have the biggest team, and we're only hitting the edges of it, really just to get a good look at the area, assess what's there, determine if it's worth coming back with a larger group to fully clear it and then strip it clean," Glenn explained. Daryl nodded; it made sense.

"What's our target?" Linney asked quietly from Daryl's side. Glenn tipped the map towards her, pointing out three stores in particular. "Cooking store – it may have dried goods in it, definitely some knives, maybe some stuff we could use at the prison," Glenn's finger skipped across the red hallway across from the cooking store he'd pointed out, "Pharmacy – get the obvious," his finger trailed a little further down the red hall, "Dollar store – who knows, maybe food, various supplies – could have lots of stuff, could have nothing." Linney nodded and glanced up at Daryl.

He took in her determined expression and then looked up at Glenn and nodded, too. "Time?" Daryl asked, pulling out the small wrist watch he had in his pocket. They all had watches, something Glenn insisted on – keeping track of time on a run meant more than Daryl initially thought it might, and he had to hand it to Glenn for thinking of it in the first place.

Glenn pulled out his own watch and gazed at the small face. "We meet at the cars in three hours, no more, if you get there and no one's there, you don't go back in, you stay put," Glenn said, his tone nearly fierce, "We all wait there, no exceptions – if you get there and anyone is missing, we'll wait until 6 and then we leave, head back to the prison – again, no exceptions." Glenn took a step back from them all and tucked his watch and the map away in his pockets.

"If you get left behind, and we aren't there when you make it out, there's an RV on the far side of the parking lot from the department store – it's got nothing in it, and it won't run, but Maggie and I cleared it out when we found this place, and it should be secure enough to spend the night in," Glenn continued, his gaze moving from face to face, "Stay at the RV, we'll come back with more people in the morning."

Everyone was silent, until Maggie turned and gave Linney a quick hug, whispering in her ear to stay safe. Linney nodded at her and then headed for the door, Daryl following her after he nodded in the affirmative to Glenn. Out in the hall, she pulled out one of her large knives and kept pace beside him. They were dead silent as they moved across the wide open space in front of the sports store, passing several dilapidated looking stores as they made their way to the red hallway from Glenn's map.

He put his hand in front of her as soon as they turned down the hallway, stopping her. The hallway was pitch black, and there were stranger slithering noises coming from further down it. The map had shown it was a long, wide hall, at least 2 dozen stores lining the sides of it. He tapped his fingers against her collarbone twice and she pulled her gun, really Carl's old gun, with the silencer on it. Rick wouldn't let the boy carry anymore, so he'd insisted Linney take it. She tucked the knife away and reached for the small flashlight on Daryl's belt as he raised the crossbow, ready to fire.

"One, two, three," she counted so softly it was well below a whisper, but the things making the slithering sounds heard it, as several grunts in the distance alerted them both to the presence of walkers. Linney flickered on the flashlight and they both tensed up at the sight awaiting them.

The red hallway was more aptly named than he'd thought. An absolute slaughter had taken place here. He knew all of the blood and gore was likely from the dead, but it was still so disconcerting he gave momentary thought to dragging Linney away and leaving this mall to the walkers.

"Holy shit," she breathed at his side, before startling him as she began to walk with slow purpose towards the decaying group of walkers hobbling hungrily towards them. "Linney, fuck," he muttered, taking several steps after her. She raised her weapon and the soft spitting noise of the gun emitted seconds before the walkers began to drop.

The next few minutes were a quiet, intense blur to him. He shot and killed them, he stabbed them, and he bashed some heads in, all with relative practiced ease. Linney was methodical, her face hardly registering what she was doing as she shot at the oncoming walkers, and then stabbed at some others that were convenient. When all the walkers in the red hallway were dead, they stood silently, waiting to see if anything would come out of the stores.

"Were they all in the hallway or something?" Linney asked him softly, as they made their way past the heap of their kills. He grunted in response, his stomach tight and his gaze flicking around warily. "Maybe somethin' drew 'em out before we got here," he answered slowly, a shredded and bloodied backpack on the ground in front of him drawing his attention. Linney stopped when she saw it and winced.

She skipped the flashlight around and they both realized that there _had_ been another group of scavengers here, there were backpacks, weapons, flares, sturdy hiking boots and shredded maps all over the place, in and amongst the many corpses. This other group looked larger in number, exactly like what Glenn had wanted to avoid. Linney snorted and shook her head. Daryl looked over at her, and the almost irritated expression on her face.

"Stupid assholes were all crowded down here, made too much noise, drew these fuckers out of the stores and got ripped to shreds," Linney said, her voice disgusted. He noticed one small tear making its way down her face as she looked around, disdain in her voice, but pain on her features. He felt the small niggling ache of it too – a big group died here, a group like theirs, just trying to survive and doing it wrong, in the end.

Ever practical, the two of them began to paw through the fallen bags, picking at the weapons and flashlights on the ground. Most of it was useless junk – no ammo, dead batteries, most things broken after having being tread upon by the feet of the dead for however long. They did find a handful of flares, which Linney slid into her own bag, and Daryl collected a couple packs of smokes, something he knew Merle would be happy about. When they were done, they were at the edge of the Pharmacy.

Linney stood up straight and gestured at it. "Ready?" She whispered, and he nodded, reaching a hand out to lightly chuck her under her chin. She smiled sadly for him and then turned away. Daryl followed at her side as they stepped from the dark hallway, into the somehow even darker store.

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The pharmacy was much like she expected it to be – mostly picked clean. They got a few things, some vitamins, some soaps, a few band aids, a pack of baby wipes and some diaper creams – nothing really great. They found no walkers within, so she knew she'd been right, the inexperienced group who'd met their end in the red hallway had drawn the dead out of the stores.

The cooking store was hardly better. They weren't about to grab any large and cumbersome appliances or fancy cookware, so they just grabbed a couple really wicked looking knives and Daryl seemed pleased when they'd found something he told her would be good for sharpening them. There were some spices and some sauce mixes on a small spinning rack near the register, but nothing much else.

Linney was feeling disappointed by the time they made it to the dollar store. Her hopes that they'd come across a boon were dwindling; of course anything worth taking had been taken and used already – a group had lived in the mall for who knew how long.

The dollar store proved useful only in the collection of knick knacks. Daryl grabbed some candy and a few cans of iffy-looking food, and Linney took handfuls of brightly colored barrettes and hair ties for the little girls back at the prison. They found a small supply of crossword puzzle books, some story books for the kids, multiplication flashcards, pens and colored pencils. Linney smiled when she saw Daryl flicking through a couple of coloring books, a small flashlight in his mouth aimed at the pages so he could use both hands to page through them.

Linney wandered down an aisle and found women's sanitary napkins and other such sundries and scooped all she could fit into her bag; more than one woman would be happy about this find. Daryl showed up behind her a moment later and gestured towards the back of the store quietly. Linney stiffened and heard the sound of something groaning. She nodded at him and they moved stealthily towards it. She rounded the end of the aisle, steps behind Daryl and almost tripped and fell when he stopped abruptly. She raised her gun and stepped around him, only to freeze in place.

It wasn't a walker groaning. A light shone in her face suddenly and Linney squinted against the glare of it. "Please don't shoot," a voice requested, "I'm damn happy to see you."

"Put down the fucking flashlight or we will," Daryl growled back, nudging at Linney slightly, to get in front of her. The light drooped immediately to the floor, and in its shine she could make out the figure hiding behind a makeshift enclosure of shelves and metal racks.

"Are you alone?" Linney blurted out, unwilling to stop herself.

"Not anymore I'm not," came the reply, "At least, I hope not."


	174. Chapter 174

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

He knew he was damn lucky to be alive. Bob followed his new acquaintances, the pretty little angry girl, Linney, and her equally angry-looking boyfriend, Daryl (he had no doubts about what they were to each other), out of the dark dollar store and wondered if his good luck could hold. _If you were being honest with yourself, you wouldn't be saying lucky, you goddamn coward. _He shook his head to try and bury the voice in his mind, the one that never let him forget.

He stopped when they reached the hallway and Linney's small flashlight lit up small swatches of the death that lay there. "Oh god," he murmured, the voice in his mind driven to silence as well as he caught glimpses of the fate his group had met. He'd known, of course he had, he had ears, and as he'd lain in the relative safety of the hastily built shelf-enclosure his old friends had tossed him in, he'd heard what had happened out here.

"You knew them," Linney said, her voice flat, not asking a question, "How did you end up alone in there, if they all died out here?" Her flashlight swung around to him and he felt relief that the scene in front of them was gone from view, even if he was worried about what these two might do to him – they'd all exchanged names, sure – but it hadn't gotten much further than that. _They could be anyone._

"Ask him," Daryl growled, his voice thick and gravelled. Bob squinted against the flashlight boring into his face and Linney lowered it slightly. In the dim light, he could see Daryl step around the girl, putting his back to them so he could watch the hall.

"How many walkers have you killed?" Linney asked brusquely. Bob raised his eyebrows in surprise; he truly hadn't expected that question when Daryl said "Ask him." The short directive seemed loaded with meaning and his mind had briefly provided him with outrageous and insane things that Linney might ask him, because what could be so important that they had to pause amongst dozens of corpses, in a dark, dank hallway, in the bowels of an abandoned mall that was likely crawling with the dead? _How do you feel about eating people? Do you swing? Do you mind if we wear your skin?_

"I don't know," he answered, his voice honest and startled, "I don't keep count anymore."

"How many people have you killed?" She shot back immediately. Bob cringed at that, and wondered if he should lie – would they want a high number? A low number? It was obvious to him, by the time she asked this question, that he was being screened.

"Four," he replied quietly. He could hardly speak, pleased with himself for going with honesty, despite the urge to do otherwise. There was a lengthy silence as his two saviors digested this answer.

"Why?" Linney finally asked, her voice low and firm. Bob licked his lips, but tilted his chin up slightly. "Two because they were going to turn, had no hope of living," his voice was soft, the memory of those two kills burning him up from the inside out – his mother and his best friend. Both of them had been bit, although at different points in time. His mother had actually bordered on being mauled. Neither his mother nor his friend had wanted to have their corpses desecrated by the act of rising again as a monster.

"_It's only ever going to hurt you, baby, I'll be gone," his mother told him, panting through her pain, a sheen of sweat mixing with her blood to create sickly watery-red lines all over her finely wrinkled face, "Do me this favor Bobby, let me go to God, let me go to Daddy." His kissed his mother for the last time and then drove a knife through her temple, feeling as if he was driving it through his own chest. _

_Weeks later, faced with the nightmare again, Bob thought he might kill himself too. Gerald was frantic, the fever from the small bite on his arm driving him to hallucinations and screaming-panic. A moment of lucidity brought forth a string of garbled pleas. "Don't let me be like one them, man," Gerald had sobbed, his voice high-pitched with fear, "Please, don't let me turn into one of them, please!" So Bob did it, he stabbed the man he'd known since they were in preschool together. He buried Gerald in the backyard of the house they'd been holed up in, weeping because it was so much harder to do alone, to bear alone. _

He could almost feel, rather than see, when Linney's posture softened, the tone of his voice and expression on his face speaking volumes about the first two people he'd killed. "And the other two?" She finally asked quietly, but with an edge to her voice.

"It was an accident," he whispered, hardly able to say it, "I lost control of the car, I hit them, they... they… god forgive me, it was an accident." His voice trailed off pitifully, and the voice in his head taunted him, _liar liar liar liar._

She put a tentative hand on his shoulder, briefly, squeezing once before letting go. "I'm sorry," she told him, turning away immediately afterwards and heading slowly back down the hallway. Daryl turned and eyed him for a moment, lips pressed tightly together, before his face faded away. Linney and her light were moving too far away and both men were fully cast into darkness.

"Let's go," Daryl rumbled quietly, and Bob fumbled his way after them, relying on following their sound. It was terrifying, walking blindly in the dark, the pain in his arm making him feel slightly dizzy. He hadn't told them about the wound, didn't want to be left alone any longer, so he kept it to himself. _They'll see it in the light, you liar. Liar liar. _

"Shut up," Bob hissed to himself, so quietly he hoped no one would hear. There was literally light at the end of the tunnel though, he realized with a start he could see a dim glow ahead and saw the outlines of Linney and Daryl in front of him, each of them moving with practiced alertness. He scurried to catch them and as they finally reached the front of the mall, pushing eagerly through the doors and stepping outside, Bob dared to hope. He tilted his face to the sky, feeling the warmth and the glow of the sun, the freshness of the air, the cool temperature on his sweat clogged skin.

"Hurry," Linney ordered from ahead of him, and she began to trot as they rounded a corner of the mall. Bob started to really look around, and moving his gaze past his rescuers, he saw more people, their people, standing around, and on, some waiting vehicles.

_Try not to get these ones killed too, you useless drunk._

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"He answered the three questions, Karen," Linney insisted, resisting the urge to glare, "And his answers were good."

"He had every reason to lie to you," Karen shot back, folding her arms over her chest, "He could be any kind of monster."

"How can you say that?" Sasha snapped, waving a hand back towards the cars were Bob was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tire, while Ben held a gun on him from a few steps away, "Does he look like he's in any shape to do anything? He's _injured_, Karen, he was trapped, and hurt, and out of supplies, and had no weapons. Sounds to me like his whole group just died outside of that store, and he had to hear it – he sounds in need of our help, not our suspicion." Sasha was nearly panting when she was done and Karen ran her tongue over her teeth while she nodded.

"I don't like being the bad guy, you know," Karen finally responded, "I really don't, but I'm worried, I get a bad vibe off him."

"A damn vibe?" Daryl snapped, crooking up an incredulous eyebrow, "You're basin' this decision off a 'vibe'? Gonna check his auras? Ask 'im his sign?" Daryl shook his head and met Linney's eyes for a moment, before he turned around and stalked off, muttering, "A 'vibe', for fucks sake…"

"There is no vibe, Karen," Glenn put in, Maggie nodding along at his side, "He needs help, and at the very least, we bring him back, get him cleaned up, let the council decide, and if they feel the way you do, then we'll send him off. He can ride in the truck bed, too – to keep him away from everyone." Karen took a deep breath but finally nodded. She turned to Linney and then to Maggie.

"I'm really not trying to be a bitch, alright? I just want everyone safe, after the Governor, and Sheena… can you blame me?" Karen asked them earnestly. Linney flinched slightly at the mention of the redhead's name and turned away immediately, following after Daryl.

"Karen, for godssake, why do you gotta talk about her, you know how it makes Lin feel…" Linney could hear Maggie's low-voiced scolding behind her, but the words faded away as she reached the vehicles.

"Glenn says you can ride in the back of the truck, back to our camp, we'll clean you up, you can meet our leaders, and then they can make the final call," Linney told the man. Bob nodded eagerly and followed Ben around to the back of the truck, where the boy lowered the tailgate and helped Bob climb in. As he shuffled around in the truck bed, trying to get comfortable amongst all the gear, Linney eyed him carefully.

He certainly _seemed _nice, and despite what Karen said, she didn't get a bad vibe off of him. She knew he was definitely lying about the last two people he'd killed, it was not an accident, she knew that immediately by the thousand little tells this guy had when it came to a lie – but still, she didn't sense malice, or evil, or mal-intent; Bob was genuinely relieved to have been found by people and brought to safety.

His wants did not seem to go much further past the moment he was in: safe, surrounded by an armed group, a clean shirt on his back and a bandage on his arm, water in his belly, the sun on his face; Bob was plain happy to just _be._ Linney knew that. She glanced over at Daryl and felt instinctively that he knew it, too. Daryl reached out a lazy arm towards her, snagging her shirt in his hand and pulling her towards himself. She rested her head against his chest and let him hug her for a moment, relishing the comfort, before stepping away and shooting him a little grin as she climbed into the truck.

"Quit starin' at my ass, Dixon," she told him, a lilt in her voice. He grumbled out a quiet laugh and she watched him chat with Glenn for a moment before everyone climbed into their respective vehicles. The whole ride back, Linney couldn't keep from watching out the back window, staring at the back of Bob's head. _I wonder what Rick will make of him?_

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Struggling into her sleep shorts and tank top later that night, Linney paused and half-laughed to herself, pulling at the fabric where it was clinging to her still shower-damp skin. "What's so funny?" Daryl asked, untying his boots on the little chair by their cell door. She turned to him and smiled, before sighing a little.

"Isn't this a little weird?" She asked him, slight amusement in her voice. She gestured around their room, cozier now than it had ever been, especially since they had a propane lamp burning softly on their tiny nightstand, casting warm light across their space. "I thought you liked all this shit," Daryl mumbled, focusing on his boots again. Linney scooped up her hair brush and sat on the bed, working at the wet tangles of her hair.

"Not the décor! A few hours ago we were in the middle of a horror movie, and now, here we are, warm, clean, fed, about to climb into bed and do things to each other," Linney explained, tilting her head slightly to the side, "The comparison is weird and almost funny."

"We really gonna do things to each other?" Daryl asked, stepping away from his boots and raising an eyebrow at her before he yanked off his shirt, "You should tell me some more about that." He advanced on her and she held the hairbrush out like weapon.

"Cool it, Daryl! I'm serious!" She cried, giggling, when he swatted the brush out of the way and dove for her neck. She smacked him lightly with the brush several times on his back until he leaned away and groaned.

"God, woman," he growled, "_Fine,_ do your talkin' and get it over with." She rolled her eyes and climbed off the bed, stepping away and resuming her brushing. Daryl pulled back their sheets and blankets and climbed into bed, flicking his head slightly to get his wet hair out of his face.

"I mean, we're lucky, right?" She asked, her tone quiet as she worked at a furious snarl in her hair. Daryl nodded and then shrugged.

"Guess it depends," he replied, equally as quiet. Linney looked up at him and lay the hair brush down on the nightstand. "On what?" She queried, meeting his gaze. He gave her a small half smile. "On where you're comin' from," he told her. She thought about that and wandered over to him slowly when he waggled his fingers at her.

"To Bob, I'm sure this is heaven," Linney mused as she lay down next to him, thinking back to the blissful look of peace and security on the man's face when he'd emerged from the showers earlier, Merle and Hershel on his heels. Bob's arm bore the neat stitches of Hershel's handiwork, the ghastly knife wound cleaned and cared for. He'd been given pain killers and more food, clean clothing, his own cell, and some bedding. Even if he _was_ being locked into his cell, he was nothing but smiling and compliant, almost obscenely grateful.

"This right here is heaven," Daryl murmured, pushing her tank up slightly to brush his lips across her bare stomach. Linney smiled softly at the top of his head, reaching down to run her fingers through his damp hair while he nuzzled her. "He's lying though, you know," Linney spoke softly, almost a whisper. Daryl's movements stopped abruptly and he looked up at her, eyes narrowed now.

"Lying?" Daryl asked harshly, sitting up straight and eyeing her gloomily. She knew that she was sucking the mood out of the room with all this Bob talk, but the day had produced a vast myriad of emotions in her, and to cap it off with finding another living person amongst so much carnage in that horrible place, well, she was finding it hard to really think of much besides Bob.

"About the last two people he killed, the 'accidents'," Linney's fingers hooked into the air to put quotes around the word and Daryl grimaced, rolling his head on his neck. "Thought I was just bein' paranoid," he responded regretfully. She shook her head.

"No, I'm certain he was," she explained, sitting up and putting a hand on his knee, "I don't think he means us harm though." Daryl pushed her hand off of him and slid off the bed past her, moving to his shelf and pulling down some pants.

"What're you doing?" She asked him, exasperation in her voice. He glared at her over his shoulder. "He's lyin', Lin, and I don't care what about, but I'm gonna find out," Daryl snapped. He fussed with his pants and she climbed from bed and put a hand on his bare back, splaying her fingers out gently. "Daryl, no, come on, the poor guy needs to rest, I really don't thi-," Linney's soothing voice was cut short when Daryl spun back to her quickly enough for her to stumble back a step.

"_You_ don't think? _You _ain't worried?" He nearly yelled, "He ain't spending another night under this roof until we find out why the fuck he's lyin' to us!" She blinked at him, knowing his vehemence wasn't anger at her. "Daryl come on, I just think he was afraid, and hurting, and desperate to get out of that hell hole," she cried, "I don't doubt he killed those people, but the expression on his face seemed more like shame – like it was his fault they died, and he can't quit blaming himself!"

"Well, it ain't gonna be _my_ fault if _you_ die! Get it? This ain't happenin' again!" Daryl burst out, furious. Linney pressed her lips together and took several more steps back from him, leaning against the head of the bed.

"All you fucking women and yer goddamn _feelin's _and _vibes_ and yer damn thoughts! Quit bein' so stupid before you get yourself killed, Linney! If he killed people and lied about it, he's gonna come clean or he's gettin' the fuck out of here _tonight!_" Daryl yelled. She opened her mouth to respond, but he turned from her, yanked on his shirt, leaving the front hanging open, and moved towards the door, pausing to cram his feet in his boots and grab his crossbow. He threw the door open and stomped outside, slamming the door closed behind him.

Linney could feel the headboard on their small bed pressing up against the bare skin on her back, exposed from where her shirt had rucked up slightly. She took several deep breaths, absolutely stunned at his explosion, and growing angrier with him by the second. A small part of her mind was pleading with her to slow down and understand that he was afraid for her, after what happened with Sheena, he was worried, terrified, that any negligence about a questionable new person would get her killed this time.

She was furious though, and her hot temper won out. Linney stalked over to her shelf and ripped down her sweatpants, pulling them on over her pajamas. She grabbed a hoodie and socks and had them on in seconds. When she marched out of their room, she had on her boots, a gun and a knife tucked in the roomy front pocket of the sweatshirt, and cigarettes gripped in her hand.

She was ready to kill Daryl, but was going to let him do his thing, knowing at this point it was futile to try and calm him down and steer him off course. She made her way down the stairs, and into the kitchen, hearing murmurs behind her from the other cells. _Everyone heard, _she thought in mild chagrin, _of course they did, closest fucking quarters I've ever lived in._ The lack of privacy only piqued her already blazing temper and Linney shoved through the doors into the courtyard. She knew that Daryl was likely over at E Block, where Bob had been housed for the night, but she turned in the opposite direction, making her way into the yard and down towards the big gated entrance to the prison.

A whistle stopped her as she neared it and she peered up to the top level of the guard tower there. "It's just me," she hissed. The shadowy figure up there stepped away from the edge and Linney let herself into the tower, closing the door behind her carefully. She climbed the stairs swiftly, trying not to stomp her feet. At the top of the tower, she was met with dry, sardonic laughter.

"Now, I know there ain't no reason in the world that ya'd leave yer warm bed to come talk to yer ole pal, 'less there's trouble in paradise," the familiar rasping drawl instantly calmed her, rather than scratch at her foul mood and Linney stepped over and sat in the available seat. She tossed the cigarettes she'd brought into his lap and pulled her legs up, wrapping an arm around her knees. A pleased grumble, followed by the swift click of a lighter, let her know her offering was well received.

"So, ya gonna sit there, or are ya gonna bawl yer whiney eyes out and tell me what the fuck yer doin' here?"

"Merle, why the fuck is your brother such an idiot?"

"Yer both idiots, sweetheart."


	175. Chapter 175

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *** **

"So he was drunk?" Rick asked, his voice disbelieving. Daryl nodded and picked at his fingernail, swallowing against the feeling of disgust and pity that was welling up in his throat. "He killed 'em, but it wasn't no accident," Daryl explained, his glance darting up to Rick's intense blue gaze a few times, "He lied about that – said he was so far gone he couldn't see, drunk-angry 'bout somethin' stupid. Got in that car even though they tried to stop 'im, then ran over two of the people in his group."

"People who were no doubt just trying to keep him from killing himself behind the wheel," Rick sighed in frustration. Daryl nodded curtly and chewed on the end of his nail for a moment. "Guy seems like he could be good, you know? Hates himself, he says, and I believe 'im," Daryl continued, "But –"

"But he's a liability if he can't control himself," Rick finished for him. They were both silent for a few moments as the implications of Bob's presence at the prison sunk in. "Are you going to tell the council?" Rick asked carefully, and Daryl bodily twitched as he turned to Rick, surprise on his face.

"'Course I am!" Daryl growled, "Not my call either way, but they need to know the truth." Daryl felt a wriggle of guilt flow down his spine, despite the surety in his words.

"Look, I hardly know this guy," Rick continued, his tone flat, "But Merle's stayed dried out here pretty well, and we're better for it." Daryl shot an incredulous look Ricks way. Rick waved a hand at him and chuckled dryly. "Never thought I'd be sayin' that either," Rick clarified, "But Bob _does _seem like a good guy, he's strong, got medical training, military training, too – maybe this is his chance to be better – why do we have this place, the safety here, if we aren't helping people?"

Daryl climbed to his feet and paced back and forth once or twice before turning to Rick. The former-sheriff was leaned fairly casually back in his seat, regarding Daryl calmly. "You want me to keep my talk with Bob to myself," Daryl spoke slowly, giving Rick plenty of chance to jump in and prove him wrong.

"I'm not tellin' you what to do," Rick responded, climbing to his feet and taking a step towards Daryl, "I'm sayin', we do right by this guy, give 'im a chance, and take action only if needed – we can all live together here, some people just need help to make the adjustment." Daryl found himself nodding and kept on nodding even after Rick walked away.

Daryl lit up a cigarette and slowly made his way through the dark night from the stairs in front of E Block where he'd been talking to Rick, back to C Block. There was a far off howling in the darkness of the night, and he felt a pleasured shiver run down his spine at the noise. Despite everything that was happening in the world, nature was out there, adapting, doing what it always did, and he found that immeasurably comforting.

He ground the smoke out beneath the hell of his boot and walked inside C Block. It was silent and quite dark inside, indicating that everyone was asleep. He made his way quietly through the kitchen and up the stairs to the second floor of cells. He could see the faint light of the lantern in his and Linney's cell gleaming beneath the curtain covered door and took a deep breath, suddenly remembering how he'd left.

He'd acted roughly, harshly, and though he felt justified, he knew his delivery was way off. Linney's tight, wary expression hadn't gotten through to him then, but remembering it now, he knew he owed her an apology. Pulling the door open slightly, he was greeted by an empty space. Sighing, Daryl dropped his crossbow next to the entrance and scanned the room quickly. Her shoes were gone, a pack of smokes was gone, and a glance at her shelf showed that her warm clothes were gone.

He knew where she went, then, and dropped down onto the bed. He kicked his boots off and flopped down onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to think that Merle might talk some sense into her, but he doubted that very much. At the very least, he could count on Merle keeping Linney safe while she hid out with him in the guard tower overnight.

_We can just fight it out tomorrow._

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Linney woke up stiff and sore, her night spent on a small pile of blankets inside the tower not being a comfortable one. She climbed to her feet carefully, feeling the crick in her neck and shoulders crack satisfyingly. The sun was beaming in hot and strong – unusually so for late-winter.

"Merle?" She croaked, looking around for a bottle of water. There was no answer so she moved towards the doorway to the outside and paused when she came across a half-empty bottle. She bent and picked it up, unscrewing the lid before bringing the bottle to her nose and sniffing at the contents. Deeming it safe, she took a small sip and smacked her lips at the staleness of the water within.

"Bleh, this tastes like shit," she complained to herself, "Merle? Where the hell are you?" Her voice was louder this time and she received an answer.

"He's gone, Lin," Maggie replied from without. Linney trotted towards her friend's voice and squinted a little against the brightness of the day. "What time is it?" Linney asked, leaning against the railing next to Maggie. Maggie glanced sideways at her and shrugged.

"My shift started at 8, and I guess I've been here an hour," Maggie replied mildly. Linney yawned and then patted her stomach when it began to growl. "You better hurry down for breakfast," Maggie advised her, "You know Carol won't hold any food for anyone past 10."

Linney chuckled and stood up, turning to head back for the stairs. "She'll hold it for me," Linney answered airily, "Carol loves me." Maggie laughed, the sound clear and bright. "Go on, you brat," Maggie told her, "Daryl's going to be wondering why you're still gone anyhow." Linney's shoulders tensed up for a moment as the argument from the night before came back to her.

"He can go stuff it," Linney mumbled, shuffling down the stairs. When she stepped outside, into the yard, she paused and yanked her hoodie off, tying it off around her waist. The day was going to be hot and she was regretting the sweatpants. She made her way up to the courtyard, waving at the fence crew that was heading down to the front of the prison. The walker build-up there was pretty bad, and she knew they'd be at it all day.

_Glad I'm not on fences for another week or so,_ she thought uneasily. Linney despised the necessary act of stabbing at the crowds of walkers through the fences in the dog-run. She knew they had to, to keep the fences up, but it seemed wrong somehow.

Carol waved at her from the outdoor kitchen platform as Linney made her way across the courtyard, and Linney paused on her swift path towards C Block. She was really hungry. "What's on the menu this morning?" She called to Carol, as she changed trajectory and headed towards the shaded platform. Carol smiled softly at her and pushed a bowl full of hearty-looking oatmeal across the counter she stood behind.

"It's nice and thick," Carol assured her, "It'll stick to your ribs, maybe put some meat on those bones." Linney smirked at Carol and shook her head. "Carol," she replied in a warning tone.

Carol cocked her head to the side. "Linney," she answered, in the same tone of voice. Linney chuckled and grabbed the bowl, snagging a small juice box and a bottle of water on her way to one of the outdoor tables. She dug right in and sipped idly at the sweet juice in between bites. Patrick startled her when he plopped down in a seat across from her. His face was split in an exuberant grin and Linney rubbed her temples mildly and smiled wanly in return.

"Are you going to tell us about the mall, Linney?" He asked her eagerly, "Mr. Rhee said we needed to ask you, that you would tell it best." Linney closed her eyes for a second. _I'm going to kill Glenn._ "I don't know, Patrick, it was dark and smelly and unfriendly; not real story time material, you know?" She spoke in a tired, half-hearted voice, and Patrick didn't seem to take the hint.

"Great! I'll tell everyone you'll be there at story time," he told her excitedly. Linney opened her mouth to protest, but Patrick saw something over her shoulder that caught his attention and bounced to his feet, trotting away. She slumped slightly in relief and bent to her bowl, shovelling in the last few bites of her oatmeal. She nearly spat out the spoonful when she heard Patrick greeting Daryl, someplace behind her. Swallowing hurriedly, Linney snatched up her juice box and water bottle and slunk from her chair.

"Linney!" She heard Carol call out behind her, her tone full of forced joviality, "Don't you forget your dishes! No one here is your maid!" Linney grumbled unpleasant things under her breath, and, with hunched shoulders, turned back and picked up her dishes, forced now to head back towards the counter Carol was at. She glanced up and saw Daryl trying to get away from Patrick, his eyes locked on her. Linney nearly threw the dishes into the pail, trying to dart off the platform as quickly as she could. She felt a large hand close around her upper arm and cursed her rotten luck.

"Why didn't ya come back last night?" Daryl asked her in a rasping voice. Linney pressed her lips together as she turned to him, and gently pulled her arm from his grasp. "You know why," she replied, her tone low. She glimpsed Carol, past Daryl's shoulder, bustling about behind the counter. The woman had a smug smile on her face and it made Linney roll her eyes. She knew that everyone in C Block knew she and Daryl had a fight last night, and she knew damn well that Carol had forced this encounter to urge the two of them to make up.

"Can I explain myself?" He hissed, following her as she backed away. "Not out here, for god's sake," she replied brusquely, turning her back on him completely and marching back towards C Block. He followed her silently, apparently seeing the wisdom in keeping quiet in public; it was still a daily adjustment, living so communally after nearly a year of existing within a group comprised of little more than a handful of people.

They made it into the cell and Linney closed the door, pulling back one half of the heavy drapes covering the bars, leaving only a filmy, almost opaque curtain beneath – there to let light in while still providing a semblance of privacy.

"Before you say anything," Daryl immediately began speaking, while she was still tucking back the heavy drape, and Linney let her fingers grip at the fabric without turning around, "I acted like a dick, and I'm sorry."

"You freaked me out a little, I'm not gonna lie," Linney answered softly, still not turning, "But I get it, I really do."

"Merle talk some sense into you?" He asked her, a weak laugh in his voice. Linney snorted. "Don't start digging yourself a hole now, when you're almost out of the first one," she warned him, finally turning to face him. He grimaced and shrugged.

"Sorry," he replied, "Again." Linney sat down on the metal stool by the door and pulled off her boots. "Did you talk to Bob?" She asked quietly, tucking the laces of the boots inside the tongues, and shoving the boots out of the way. Daryl leaned back against the wall in the small space between their tiny nightstand and their bookshelf that doubled as dresser and general storage. He nodded, his gaze moving to hers and locking on with laser-like intensity.

"You were right, he was lyin'," Daryl murmured, "N' it's a fuckin' problem." Linney winced and leaned herself back in the stool, resting her head on the wall and tipping it back, to look up at the ceiling. Beth had spent nearly an entire week painting the ceilings in what she called "her family's cells" and their roof looked like a forest. It was pretty well-done, Beth had surprised her with the artistic streak, and Linney knew that despite only offering a grunt of acknowledgement when Beth showed them the finished product, that Daryl liked it too. Especially since they had followed Glenn and Maggie's example and gotten rid of the bunk beds, replacing it with a very simple bedframe and simple mattress, but one that was larger and definitely not prison-issue.

She blinked rapidly to clear her mind. "So, how bad was it? Is he still here?" She asked quietly, trying not to fiddle her fingers to show any anxiety. "He's a goddamn drunk, Lin," Daryl delivered this bluntly and she flinched at his words, sitting up to stare at him, "He didn't have no accident, he killed them people by getting' in a car fuckin' hammered and ran them the fuck over."

Linney closed her eyes, the image of a car's huge front grill coming at her, unstoppable, loud, inescapable, as she remembered being struck by her father's car as child. He'd been drunk, too, and she was lucky not to have died.

"I talked to Rick about it," Daryl put in, as he crossed the room slowly and crouched in front of her, "He agrees with what you said, that there's a lot of good to havin' a guy like him here, used Merle as an example of how much help this place can be to drying out." Linney nodded, and leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees.

"So what's the plan, he's in rehab?" Linney asked, "Are you gonna tell the council?" Daryl shook his head. "Don't got any booze here, so he's shit outta luck," Daryl told her in a throaty rasp, "He's off runs, he gets no weapons, he won't drive anything, but he'll live here and he'll do other stuff, at least for a few months – he needs to prove himself, earn it, just like Merle did."

"Alright," she answered softly, she tilted her head to the side and met his gaze, before lunging forward into his arms where he was crouched in front of her. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and they stayed that way for a few minutes. She hated arguing with him, and it was usually her fault for being a hot-head, but this time, it had been a joint issue.

"I'm sorry I lost my shit," Daryl murmured against her throat, making her squirm back a little bit. "You didn't lose it," she responded, "Look, I'm not stupid, everyone here is a little more on edge since Sheena, I get it, I'm just trying to forget she happened – but that doesn't mean I'm forgetting the lesson ya'll learned from her, about not trusting people so easily."

He swallowed, and looked back and forth between her eyes, their faces were inches apart, and Linney finally closed the gap, pressing her lips to his. He tipped back to sit on the ground and Linney went with him, swiftly rearranging herself so that she was straddling his lap. The kiss went on and on, and she dug her fingers up into his hair, to cling lightly to it at the base of his neck. His smell was driving her to distraction – soap, coffee, very faint tobacco, and she swore she could smell the sunshine on him, too – though she wasn't fool enough to believe it was actually the sun.

Their embrace went on for what felt like hours, and when Daryl broke it, he leaned away, a look of regret on his face. "What? Aw no, come on, we can fool around a little, just a little?" Linney whined, seeing the 'I gotta go' look on his face. Daryl groaned and climbed to his feet, though she remained twined around him, legs wrapped around his waist, arms around his neck. She dove in for his neck while he grumbled and rested his big hands on her waist.

"Lin, I gotta hunt, lost my morning already, I gotta leave," Daryl half-heartedly pled with her. Linney made a quiet "nuh uh" noise against his neck before moving back up to his lips and trying to ply him with kisses again. "I. Have. The morning. Off," Linney murmured, her voice throaty and low, the words punctuated by her lips attacking his. Daryl groaned again, but she knew he didn't need much convincing. Within seconds, their clothing was haphazardly tossed around the room, and they were in bed, and Linney found an idle part of her mind wondering if everyone could hear them making up, after hearing them fight the night before.


	176. Chapter 176

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

It was that one creepy-ass walker that really grabbed her attention. Linney dropped the hoe she'd been using and gestured at Rick across the small garden patch they were working in. He pulled his head phones out of his ears and trotted over. "What's up?" He asked her, his brow tightening a little in concern at the look on her face.

"Rick, look," Linney urged him, pointing at the walker that worried her, on the other side of the fence, "What the hell is wrong with that one? Is that even normal?"

Rick followed her finger in the direction it was pointing and Linney knew he saw it when he suddenly stood up straight. "What on earth?" He murmured, striding a little closer to the fence. Linney kept pace beside him, a hand on her back to ease the soreness there – she enjoyed working in this garden with Rick, she was surprised that she did, but her back was just not as happy as her brain at being hunched over the dirt.

Their closeness to the fence had driven the walkers to a near fever pitch, but they were two fences away, so Rick leaned against the dog-run fence and stared hard at the walker Linney had pointed out.

"That looks like it happened before he died," Rick murmured wonderingly.

"I know. Its blood right?" Linney asked him, and Rick grunted. "Do you think he was injured before, or just sick? It looks like he was sick, to me," Linney continued. Rick shrugged and then put a hand on her shoulder and steered her away from the fence, and away from the walker with streaks of blood painted down its face, from its eyes.

"It's not too early to get Dr. S, right?" Rick asked her quietly, and Linney looked to him sharply. "Why? You think it was something contagious?" She asked, equally as quietly, concern in her voice. Rick shrugged.

"Better safe than sorry, right? Dr. S might know better," he told her. Linney nodded, in absolute agreement, and immediately dropped the garden hoe and began to trot back to the prison.

"Linney?" Rick called out behind her, and she paused, turning back to look at him, bringing her hand up to act as a visor against the early-morning sun. "Get Bob and Hershel, too," Rick told her. She nodded and began to run back to the prison.

It was very early, her watch had shown 5am when she woke up this morning, all on her own, too. She'd been getting up early to help out Rick most mornings since spring rolled around, and the past couple of weeks she'd been unable to sleep well or for very long. The heat was growing intense, so she was fairly certain that was the culprit. Linney waved at Carol and her kitchen crew as they were getting everything ready for breakfast, but didn't stop. She was worried about that stupid walker, and worried about what a contagious illness might do to everyone here.

Dr. S slept in D Block, so she headed there first. The clock ticking away on the wall in what used to be the D Block eating area (and was now the kid's play-area/school/daycare) read 7am, and Linney worried it was too early. She skirted piles of toys, and darted into the big open space at the front of all the cells. Half were open, half were closed and she didn't want to call out to him and risk waking people up.

Linney made her way to the stairs; Dr. S was in the same place she and Daryl were in over in C Block. When she reached the top, she knocked lightly on his door. "Dr. S?" She called out softly, "Dr. S, I'm sorry to wake you…"

A hand tugged at the back of her shirt and Linney turned around, startled, to find Molly and Matty standing there. Matty had a huge sunny grin on his face, but Molly was regarding her with frank curiosity.

"He's in his office already," Molly told her, "Are you sick?" Linney made a face at Matty instead of answering. The little boy, who still refused to talk to anyone, launched himself at Linney and she laughed quietly and hugged him, picking him up and heading down the stairs. Molly trailed behind them and Linney carried Matty out into the open area and plopped him down on a table top.

"Rick and I just need to talk to him about something," Linney said calmly. Molly regarded her solemnly. "I heard you throwing up in the bathroom this morning," Molly said, her tone flat and steady. Linney flinched hard, sure that no one had been around this morning. She cursed her stupid luck – it figures she would eat the questionable can of Spam last night, get sick and barf in the morning, the hottest morning yet this season, and that someone would have heard.

"It's rude to spy on someone in the bathroom, Molly, like the worst kind of rude," Linney chastised her, running an idle hand down Matty's hair, which was thick and poufy and refused to lie flat. "Is that why you need Dr. S?" Molly asked, "Because you're sick?"

"Molly, I know your mom talked to you about asking rude questions," Linney told her sternly, turning to look into Molly's frowning little face, "This is not a concern for you, and talking out loud about what you hear people do in the washroom is the most rude thing you can ever do." Molly nodded vaguely, her gaze sharp. Linney had the distinct impression that this kid could see right through her at all times, that she knew what her secret worries and dreams were. Linney shook her head and turned from Molly.

"You two go on and get out to the kitchen, Carol's got breakfast just about ready and I tell you, it smelled _good," _Linney ordered them lightly, signalling an end to the awkward encounter. Linney patted Matty's head one final time and stepped away from him, heading towards the door to the tombs. It stood wide open and was comfortably lit inside. There was even a carpet runner down the center of the halls in this section, and kid's hand-coloured pictures on the walls.

The council had insisted the most work go into this section. The network of tunnels around D Block were fully sealed off, and they'd gotten some electricity running down here early. Dr. S had his office/exam room down here, there was also an extension of the kid's daycare down here, as well as the room that Beth and the kids had spent days painting in whimsical streaks of color, the story time room.

Linney felt like she was in elementary school again as she wandered down the hall towards Dr. S's office. His door was ajar, so she tapped at it lightly and it swung open the rest of the way at the same time Dr. S called out in greeting, "Good morning!"

"Mornin' Dr. S," Linney greeted him, strolling into the room. The doctor was sitting on top of his desk, paging through a book that Glenn's last run-team had brought back with him. Linney ignored the pang that ran through her at the thought of those teams. The council had decided that she wasn't to join Glenn's team, and despite Glenn's urgings and her own impassioned pleading, the council had stood firm to the decision.

They wanted Linney here, not out of malice, but because they thought she could serve more use at the prison. She was given her own role: trainer. Linney now spent most days training people with knives, guns, fighting, exercise through running and climbing. At first she hated it. With a white hot passion. But then, as she grew into the role, she began to realize it was perfect for her, and knew that Hershel, with his nearly "lead" role on the council, had likely had a lot to do with this.

Inexperienced people came to her when they could, working around their work schedules, and she taught them everything she knew, over time. Since the mall incident, when she'd been so sure she would join the run-teams, she had passed the last four months this way. Sometimes, when the people she was working with seemed ready, she would take them out into the woods, along the roads around the sides of the prison, and have them work with actual walkers. So far, no one had been hurt or killed; it was considered a success.

As Hershel put it, "We don't need an army, but every person here needs to be able to protect themselves if one comes against us."

The doctor turned a smile her way and waved her in. "I know why you're here," he said immediately, surprising her. She raised her eyebrows at him. "You do?" She asked incredulously. He nodded and hopped off the desk, walking around it and opening a cabinet of supplies he kept behind it. He started rooting around inside. "I saw Molly this morning," he said, without turning around.

Linney groaned, realizing that he wasn't talking about the bleeding-eyed walker. "That kid is a motor-mouth," Linney griped. Dr. S laughed and finally found what he was looking for. "Here," he said, handing her a small box, "You'll want this, though you should have come to me sooner." Linney gripped the box without looking at it and made a face at him.

"It was so early! I wasn't going to come barging in and wake you up for help with a rumbly-gut at 5 in the morning, doc," she explained, smirking a little. He blinked at her. "I meant, you should have come to see me before today, this morning can't have been the first symptom," he answered slowly, as if she might be simple.

"What?" She asked, feeling lost, before waving her free hand at him, "Whatever, Rick wants to see you, he's out in the field." Dr. S nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. He gestured at the box in her hand. "Go use that, and then come and see me later," he told her, "I'll go see Rick."

Linney saluted him jokingly and made for the door. Out in the hallway, she finally really looked at the box he'd given her and realized it wasn't a box of stomach remedy. It was a pregnancy test.

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"I just wanted to thank you for all that you do for us, Mr. Dixon," Patrick told him earnestly, trotting along at Daryl's side. Daryl sighed a little and nodded uncomfortably; this kid's daily gratitude always made him feel weird. He tried hard to be patient with Patrick, like everyone else was, but he just had a hard time adjusting to Patrick's nearly-adult face and stature behaving like a small child.

He managed to wave the boy off and was shortly joined by Carol, who thrust a bowl into his hands. "Eat," she ordered him. He glanced over at her and smirked. "Yes ma'am," he replied, now walking and eating at the same time.

"Did you see Linney this morning?" Carol asked him. Daryl shrugged, using his fingers to wipe the bowl clean, still making his way back to C Block. He'd been out all last night, hunting down the buck he'd brought home this morning, so he hadn't seen her since the night before, when she, Maggie, Sasha, and Beth had been sitting around the fire pit in the courtyard and Linney had been devouring the can of Spam that she declared she was starving for.

"Not yet," he replied, stepping into the eating area of C Block. He detoured slightly and dropped the bowl off in the washing bin there, Carol still hot on his heels. "Word's going around that she's sick, Molly heard her throwing up," Carol offered. Daryl shot her a slightly alarmed look and then shook his head. "She ate a whole can of Spam last night, and it's been so damn hot," he countered. Carol shrugged and followed him into the cell area.

"She went to see Dr. S, Molly said, so I'm sure it's being dealt with," Carol offered, "But you know how she is, she'd never seek help if she needed it, so keep an eye on her, call me if you need someone to force-feed her chicken soup." Daryl chuckled and Carol gave him a quick one-armed hug before heading towards the storage cell, clipboard in hand, ready to do her daily inventory count.

Daryl made it up to his cell and groaned in satisfaction when he was able to kick off his boots and drop his gear. He stank pretty badly and decided he needed to shower. He headed to the bathroom and paused outside the doors when he saw the sign up indicating someone was in there. A couple minutes grew into nearly ten and he finally banged on the door.

"Anyone in there?" He hollered through the door. There was a scrambling sound within, and a gasping noise, and Linney was the one to respond. "Yeah! Um, hang on! Give me a second please!" She called back. Daryl raised an eyebrow at the door, but stepped back and leaned against the wall. She emerged a few minutes later, her face completely pale, looking like maybe she'd been crying.

"Jesus Christ, Lin, you really _are_ sick," he mumbled, heading towards her. She held her hands up and skittered backwards. "How did you – " she began, before glowering at a point in space behind him and then shaking her head, "_Molly, _god, never mind." Daryl eyed her carefully.

"You don't look so good," he murmured softly, trying to comfort her. "I've uh, I've had better days," she choked out. He'd never seen her so peaked and distracted.

"You need to lay down, should I get Dr. S?" He asked her, his concern at her condition mounting. Linney licked her lips and nodded and then surprised him by spinning away and running back to the cell block. Daryl watched her go and decided to let her go lay down on her own, as he headed into the showers to wash off quickly before fetching the doctor.

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Rick stared down at the pigs, feeling utter remorse in his gut. Dr. S had said to watch them, and Hershel had agreed, but they were both fairly certain that the pig and its piglets would have to be put down. The walker with the bleeding eyes had concerned them all, especially when Bob had shown up and told them he remembered an illness that resulted in a similar situation amongst one of his past groups.

"A lot of people died," Bob told them sadly, "We need to keep an eye on everyone, and separate anyone who shows any signs of being sick, immediately." Dr. S and Hershel had both agreed, and Rick felt control slipping out of his fingers, something he didn't like.

The three medically trained men were discussing quarantine methods quietly behind him, when he heard Daryl calling out to them, "Dr. S! Hey!" Rick turned and watched Dixon trot down towards them, his face concerned. "Linney's feelin' sick," Daryl announced breathlessly, coming to a halt before the doctor, "Think you could come and check in on her?"

"I saw her this morning, not two hours ago," Dr. S replied, "She seemed a little distracted, but not ill." Daryl shook his head, casting a curious gaze at Hershel, Bob, and Rick, who were now exchanging significant looks. Rick could feel his stomach curdling at the thought of Linney being sick, and wondered if her being a few feet from that walker this morning could have caused her to become ill so swiftly.

"She seemed kind of out of it, real pale, not herself," Daryl explained. Dr. S's features tightened up in worry and he turned to exchange a look with Rick. "I'm going to go," Dr. S said calmly, before turning his gaze to Bob, "Maybe you could go set up the rooms we were talking about, just in case?" Bob nodded solemnly and Rick watched in trepidation as Dr. S and Daryl moved back towards the courtyard.

"This could get worse before it gets better, Rick," Hershel warned him, "Although it could also amount to nothing. It's so hard to say at this point – it's a fairly unique situation, since none of us know how a virus or illness might work with walker-to-human transmission." Rick nodded and then nodded again when Bob said he was off to look into setting up quarantine rooms in the tombs below C Block.

"Hopefully we won't need them," Bob muttered, "But it's better to be safe than sorry."

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Linney lay in the lumpy, unfamiliar bed and stared up at the grey, unfamiliar ceiling. She wasn't comfortable, and she knew it was her own fault. _You could be back in your own bed, resting comfortably, with Daryl, but instead you're a giant liar and now you're stuck here._

Daryl had brought Dr. S back to her quickly, and she had proceeded to hurt Daryl's feelings by ordering him away immediately. Dr. S waited until he left before taking a seat on the stool and regarding Linney where she lay on the bed, her arm slung over her eyes. "Did you take the test?" He asked her quietly, and Linney nodded from beneath her arm. She pointed at her shelf across the room with her free hand.

"It's under my sweater, top shelf," she mumbled. Peeking from beneath her arm, she watched the doctor lift the sweater and remove the box, pulling out the little stick inside. He gazed at it for a moment before tucking it back in to the box. He moved to slide it back under the sweater. "No," she said suddenly, sitting up, "Don't, please." He shot a sharp look her way. "Please, take it with you, I don't want anyone to know it was even here, that I even used it," she explained.

Understanding dawned on the doctor's face. "I take it this is not a topic regularly open for discussion with your spouse," he said slowly. Linney grimaced and shook her head. "He's not my… that's beside the point – it's not a topic up for discussion right now _at all_," she insisted. Dr. S stuck the box in his pocket and took a seat again. "Linney, you know, the natural progression of life… you can't avoid a topic like this forever, you two really should sit down and have a good, long –"

"Hello Linney, I hear you're feeling sick?" Hershel's voice sounded from outside and Linney swallowed hard as he stepped into her room. She cast a quick, dangerous, glare at Dr. S, demanding his silence without saying a word, before smiling wanly at Hershel.

The older man took a seat on the foot of her bed and patted her hand, before launching into a quick replay of everything he, Bob, Rick, and the good doctor had discussed not too long ago in the yard. "I'm not trying to scare you, but if you are ill, we really should look into getting you separated, just until you're better, to try and contain this thing," Hershel told her gently. Linney put a hand to her face and took several deep breathes, before making a decision.

"I _am_ sick," she told him, her glance darting over to Dr. S a couple of times, "So yeah, let me gather some stuff and head over there."

So now, here she was, in a small, plain, room, laid up in a bed, everyone leaving her alone for fear of contagion. She thought back to the box she'd insisted that the doctor take with him. She knew damn well there was no chance of making other people sick. _Last time I checked, being pregnant isn't a viral disease._


	177. Chapter 177

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

She'd been in quarantine for a couple days when Carol showed up, unexpectedly, in the middle of the night. It was unusual for her to have a visitor, even Daryl was under strict orders to remain at the doorway and not come near her. After Patrick succumbed so swiftly to the illness, turned in the night, and killed a half dozen people in D Block, everyone was on high alert.

She'd been receiving reports from Daryl at the door a few times each day, and had cried for hours after the news that Patrick was dead, that a few others were dead, and worst of all, that little Matty was dead – all because no one noticed that Patrick was really sick. His behaviour was weird enough on average, so his being slightly out of it went unnoticed until after the fact.

"Karen and David are in quarantine now too," Daryl had delivered this news to her solemnly just the night before, "And they're pretty fucking sick, especially David." Linney closed her eyes, trying to resist the urge to cry. She knew doing so would only upset Daryl further, and she felt guilt also eating away at her. She _wasn't _sick, not really, not in the conventional sense. She'd been puking a couple times a day, and was having a terrible time sleeping with her sore back and aching breasts, but otherwise she knew she was fine and that these things were normal.

After her first day in quarantine, Dr. S had performed as much of an exam as he could on her and after discussing things with her, he told her she was likely 8-10 weeks pregnant. The words left her mouth dry and her heart racing. The doctor had at first been incredibly angry with her for hiding her condition from everyone, for lying and allowing herself to be locked into quarantine, but after Patrick, and now Karen and David being put in quarantine, he seemed to think it was alright.

"It might actually be better for you in here," he'd told her on his last visit, where he'd dropped off a bottle of vitamins and told her she had to take them each day, "Pregnant women are very vulnerable to illness as it is, so keeping you and the baby as far from this as possible is likely the best thing for you both."

The baby. Linney lay awake, bug-eyed in fear at the word. She spent endless amount of time with her hands placed flat over her stomach, terrified at the life growing inside her. All she could think about was Lori. About how Lori's life ended. Linney wasn't afraid to admit that she was scared of death, and now she was terrified.

She considered telling the truth to Daryl last night, had come so close. Instead she'd chickened out at the last minute and instead asked him to bring her some books from her shelf, to occupy her. He'd complied instantly, and she had her books shortly after. They were favorites of hers, stolen from the prison library. She opened the book on top when Daryl left, and was surprised when her photos fluttered out. She smiled at them a little sadly, remembering that they'd gotten crumpled one day when she and Daryl were moving stuff around in their room.

Beth had urged her to slip the pictures in a book, a heavy book, and then stack more books on top, to help flatten them out. She must have forgotten about them. Now, Linney gazed at the picture of her parents, and the Dixons, plus a Polaroid picture that Glenn had taken, of Linney, Carl, Beth, and Maggie lounging in the yard one sunny afternoon, baby Judith stretched out on a blanket between them. _Family,_ she thought.

She fell asleep that night with the pictures on the little table next to the bed, the book closed over face. She woke sometime in the night because she heard shuffling and banging going on in the room next door. Linney sat up in bed and looked around the dark room, trying to put a reason to the noises she was hearing. When her door cracked open, Linney reached for her lantern and flicked it on, breathing out in relief when Carol entered the room.

"Jesus Carol, you scared me," Linney said, laughing a little. Carol's face was pained and her hands were dark. It took Linney a moment to realize that it was blood, and to understand that Carol had a knife.

"What's going on?" Linney asked quickly, getting to her feet in a fast movement. Carol paused, swallowing hard, her face contorted slightly in sadness.

"Oh Linney, I just, I'm so sorry," Carol murmured, a few tears making their way down her face, "Sweetheart, please forgive me, but we can't risk everyone else's lives, we can't, _I can't_." Linney stiffened in alarm, her mind providing her a quick explanation, however terrible, of what must be going on here.

"What did you do?" She asked Carol harshly. Carol's hand with the knife drooped to the side and she shook her head. "Karen and David were so sick," Carol told her sadly, "They had no hope of doing anything but infecting others before they died."

"Carol!" Linney cried in disbelief, "What the hell did you do to them?" Carol looked up at her and nodded, her brows coming together in sadness. "What I had to do!" Carol nearly yelled, "What no one else will do! I had to save the others, it's worth it – sacrifice those that will not live regardless, to save those that have a chance! I know you'd do the same."

Linney shook her head and held a hand up to Carol as the woman took a step towards her. "Stop, Carol, please don't make me hurt you to stop you," Linney warned the woman, "I don't want to, but I'm not letting you any nearer to me."

Carol shook her head. "I don't want to have to do this, don't you understand? You're my family, sweetheart, I'm dying inside at the thought of losing you, but we have to think of everyone else! You're sick, and we have no way of treating this, none! This is to help everyone you love have a chance!" Carol was vehement, sadness and righteousness at war on her face. She took a couple more steps towards Linney, and Linney backed up until she was against the wall.

"Carol! Stop!" She yelled again, holding both hands out, "I'm not sick! I lied!" Carol paused, blinking at her uncertainly. "You what?" The older woman asked in disbelief, "Why the hell would you lie?" Linney swallowed and shook her head back and forth slowly.

"I need you to promise you won't say anything, no matter what – _no matter what,_" Linney cautioned her. Carol's brow crunched together in confusion, but she sheathed her knife and Linney was able to breathe again.

"I'm not sick, I'm pregnant," Linney said quietly. Carol's face went through a rapid array of emotion before settling on abject horror. She brought her blood-stained hands up to her face and gasped behind them. "Oh my god," Carol murmured, in obvious disgust with herself, "I was going to kill you, Linney, I would've done it while you slept, I was _going_ to do it while you slept. What's wrong with me? Oh my god!"

"You couldn't have known," Linney said hurriedly, "No one but Dr. S does right now." There was silence as Carol stood struggling with the idea of what she'd nearly done to Linney. "Carol," Linney finally spoke quietly, "Did you really kill Karen and David?" Carol nodded and sobbed behind her hands. "I did, god help me, I did, and I'd do it again, I'd do anything for the people here."

Silence reigned again before Carol broke it this time. "Will you tell Rick? Daryl? Merle?" Carol asked her quietly. Linney was silent. "I sort of have to, don't I? What if other people get sick? Glenn, Maggie, Carl, Daryl, Michonne? These are _our people_, Carol, I can't let you hurt them! What do I do if I don't tell them? Will we have to kill you to stop you from doing this again?" Carol nodded, both in agreement and in understanding.

"I'll leave," Carol said simply, "I'll leave tonight, I won't stand around to receive judgement from the people who won't know how to handle this, how to behave when the situation demands strength." Linney opened her mouth to protest, and Carol took this as her chance to leave. She turned and abruptly left the room. Linney stood gobsmacked, unsure about what to do. She was reeling from the encounter, from the news that people had just been murdered, right next door to her. That Carol of all people was the murderer.

And worst of all, a small part of her understood Carol's reasoning, and she hated herself for thinking that way. Linney unexpectedly found her hands wrapped protectively over her still-flat stomach, thinking that if she hadn't come clean, there was every likelihood that she, and this life-ruiner growing inside her could have died.

Inexplicably, she was suddenly hungry, and despite the horror running through her mind, she let out a short, shocked laugh. _You're a little piglet, _she thought to herself, speaking internally to the life inside her, _with terrible timing. _Linney sat down on the bed, her limbs still shaking from encounter, and she grabbed a granola bar from the basket of food they'd brought her. She devoured it, and then stuck a chair under the door handle, too nervous to sleep, and too scared to venture out in to the hallway when she had no weapons.

She oddly trusted Carol to do what she said, and leave tonight, but she was suddenly unwilling to risk anything, and decided that a blocked off door was best, at least until the morning when Rick or Daryl came to check on her and she could tell them everything.

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Rick sat side by side with Daryl, his head in his hands, gripping at his hair and wondering what the hell they were supposed to do now. It was terrible to think they had a murderer in their midst, and it was still so early in the morning that he knew they were all reeling from the moment, hardly able to understand that the past hour was real.

Tyreese was a wreck. Rick turned and glanced over at Daryl, whose face also bore the brunt of the grieving man's fists. Rick touched his jaw, the ache there telling him he was going to be hurting for days.

"This is really bad," Daryl murmured, "And Hershel says even more people are sick than yesterday." Rick cleared his throat and nodded. Daryl decided to keep talking. "Hershel and Bob are moving them in to Block A, keeping them separate and locked in, for their own safety," his voice rumbled on and Rick nodded a few times.

"How's Linney?" Rick asked quietly, and Daryl grunted as he climbed to his feet. "She was sleeping when I looked in, looked pretty bagged, so I didn't wake her, but she had a chair under the doorknob, had to almost break the door down, so I think she knows what happened," Daryl explained, extending a hand to Rick to help him up. They made their way out of the tombs, into the bright light of the courtyard. Michonne, Bob, and Hershel approached them then.

"Most of the council is in A Block," Hershel began, his face wearied, "So I'm the only one left." Rick nodded and Hershel exchanged a glance with Bob. "Someone needs to make a run for medical supplies, it's our only option," Hershel told them.

"I'll go," Daryl offered immediately. Michonne stepped forward then, rearranging the sword on her back as she did so. "I'll go too," she told them. Daryl shot her a hard look. "Thought you were goin' out today to do some more huntin'," he nearly growled at her. Rick knew it was a point of contention between the two of them. Daryl had joined Michonne on several trips to hunt for the Governor, in the beginning, but when it became clear he was long gone, Daryl gave up and focused instead on the prison, and life there.

Michonne was unable to let go. "Of course I'm helping," she shot back at him, raising an irritated eyebrow, "That bastard can wait, I'm helping." Daryl nodded in gruff approval and Rick turned a weary expression to Hershel and Bob.

"Maggie and Beth are rounding up all the kids, getting them into the administrative building, keeping them separated," Hershel told him, "Judith and the other infants included." Rick felt relief in his chest, and gratitude that he had people around him that could think so far ahead, and plan to protect the weakest amongst themselves.

"They need to go to that veterinary college that's up the highway," Bob put in, "We think it's the place most likely to still have meds, most of which can be used by people too."

"I made a list," Hershel said quietly, handing it to Daryl. Daryl squinted at the words and made a face. "No way I'm gonna be able to find half this shit," Dixon griped, "Can Dr. S come with us?" Hershel cleared his throat and all eyes were suddenly on him again.

"What is it?" Rick asked in suspicion, and Hershel licked his lips, but before he could answer, a gruff, loud voice spoke up from behind them, "The doc's worse off than anyone." Rick turned and saw Merle striding towards them, a glower on his face.

"Ole drunky here is gonna have to go," Merle finished, jabbing a finger into Bob's shoulder. Bob's face went slack with surprise and worry. "Do you think that's a good idea?" Michonne asked carefully, avoiding looking at Bob, "He hasn't been outside the gates in months…"

Merle grabbed the list from Daryl and shoved it in Michonne's face. "Think ya can find this stuff right here, Mutie?" He asked rudely, and she pushed his hand away and glared at him. "Didn't think so," Merle said roughly, "I'll go too, keep this lush in line." Rick blinked several times, his mind thinking about all the sick people, about the children, about Linney, lying up in her own quarantine.

"Do it," he said abruptly, "I don't care how, just do it."

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Linney woke up that morning and immediately rolled out of bed, yanked the door open to her room, and raced to the bathroom that was being used by those supposed to be in quarantine. She puked, getting the roiling unsettled feeling from her body, before getting up and washing her face in the clear, cold water under the tap. She heard a throat clear from the door way and spun to find Rick standing there, his face tight and mildly alarmed.

"You ok?" He asked her. Linney wiped at her face with the tail of her shirt and nodded. He stepped backwards and cleared out, giving her room to walk out into the hall and back into her room. Rick followed at a bit of a distance and then closed the door to the room behind himself.

"You know," he said casually, "When Lori was pregnant with Carl she was sick every single day, almost right up until the day he was born, but with Judy, it ended pretty quickly after the third or fourth month." Linney spun to him, her hands clenched together over her stomach. He raised an eyebrow at her and sat on the end of her bed. Linney stood before him, not sure about what to say or do.

"How far along are you?" He asked her quietly. Linney closed her eyes and heaved a deep breath. "Dr. S thinks maybe 8-10 weeks," she said in a whisper. When she opened her eyes again, Rick's expression was sympathetic.

"Daryl doesn't know," he said, not asking a question. Linney nodded miserably and sat beside him, putting her head in her hands. "I knew from the start I wasn't sick," she explained, her words slightly muffled behind her palms. Rick put a gentle hand on her back and rubbed her in a comforting circular motion.

"I suppose this is better than you being sick," he murmured, and Linney let out a chuckle that was almost a sob. "How did you know?" She finally asked, pulling her head up and looking over at him. He smiled sadly. "Just now," he replied, "No one else is vomiting, just you, and when I saw you this morning… I know that look, Lin." She sighed and looked away, unable to handle the scrutiny of his gaze.

"I guess I'm lucky no one else has caught on, yet," she said simply.

"That won't last for long," he warned her, "With everything else going on, they're all pretty distracted, but they'd know eventually." She sighed again.

"It was Carol," Linney spoke abruptly and Rick tensed up next to her. "What?" He asked sharply, his tone louder than it had been. Linney looked over at him and bit her lip. "She killed Karen and David, to prevent the spread of the illness, she said," Linney explained, her face drooping sadly, "She came in here last night and was going to kill me, too, but thank god I was awake and told her I was pregnant, not sick." Rick lunged to his feet, his face torn between rage and horror.

"Jesus Christ, Linney!" He shouted, finally, outrage in his voice, "When were you going to tell us?" She glared at him. "It was the middle of the goddamn night, Rick! I have no weapons! And even though she said she'd leave, I didn't want to risk running into her in the hallway, and having her try to silence me, or decide she didn't believe me after all!" Linney yelled right back, getting to her feet. Rick opened his mouth, looking like he might yell more, but he stopped himself and put a hand to his forehead for a minute, as if pausing to seek patience.

"She left?" He asked, his tone still angry, but a little more controlled. Linney nodded. "Yeah, she said she wasn't going to stick around and receive judgement, she truly thought she was doing the right thing," Linney told him. Rick glared at her now.

"And you just let her walk out? She's a _murderer!_ And you let her leave this room and walk out, potentially put the rest of us in harm's way?" He yelled. Linney took a deep breath.

"I was scared!" She screamed back, feeling her face go red, "I'm not proud, Rick – but I had no weapons and it's _Carol!_ Was I supposed to hit her in the head with a table? She had a gun and a knife and I had nothing! I believed her, and I still do – what she did was wrong, I'm no idiot! I know that! But she did it to help, she thought she was saving more lives – she would do literally anything for the people here! You know that!"

Rick took several deep breaths and then a wash of shame came over his face. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly, "I shouldn't be upsetting you, shouldn't be screaming at you, you should be calm and resting." Linney blinked at the sudden change and felt her fist bunch up against her stomach.

"What will you do?" She asked him carefully. Rick pressed his lips together and shook his head. "You know what I have to do Lin," he told her, meeting her gaze with hard eyes, "I hate it, but we can't let her wander around out there, a threat, a killer, a risk to the rest of us." Linney sat limply on the bed and stared down at her lap, her emotions torn at the notion of Rick ending the threat that Carol posed. Carol was family, but she was also clearly dangerous.

"I'll go alone, and I'll deal with it," Rick told her, resting a heavy hand on her head, "You may as well stay in here, in quarantine – a lot of people are sick now, and its best you stay separated."

She nodded and he left abruptly. Linney looked around the little room that now felt like a prison and resisted the urge to cry. _I'm scared, _she thought helplessly, _I'm scared of you little Piglet, but I think I'm mostly scared _for _you._


	178. Chapter 178

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

It was disgustingly _hot_. Linney tried every way possible of sitting, standing, or laying down, but it was muggy and disgusting and she just couldn't find comfort. Eventually, she opened the door to the hallway and peeked outside. The hall lights weren't turned on, as she was the only resident of the C Block tombs now. She couldn't hear anything and that was eerie beyond words. The prison these days was a lively hub of noise, laughter, and chatter. Now, Linney could hear the far-off caw of a bird and that was it.

_Everyone's in quarantine of some kind, _she thought glumly. Daryl had left with his group, along with Merle, without as much as a goodbye. She decided he'd left that way to prevent her from getting a chance to be upset. To help her heal. Linney rested her head on the door frame to her quarantine room. _Nothing to heal from though, _she told herself, _you're not even a little bit sick._

Linney moved back into her room and decided that she'd leave this room today – with only Maggie and Hershel walking around out there, and everyone else in quarantine because they were sick, showing symptoms, or had been around someone very ill, she knew she should be ok. She gathered up her pictures, sliding them into her back pocket carefully. She gathered up the small assortment of things she'd brought with her and stepped out into the hall.

Her own footsteps echoed around her as she walked back towards the C Block kitchen area. Stepping through the door, she looked around warily, and found it just as empty as she expected it to be. Linney made a beeline for her and Daryl's cell and put her things away. She wanted to go outside, to feel the sun in her face and smell the fresh air. Linney changed into a fresh tank top and tied her grey and black flannel shirt around her waist, then she dug through Daryl's pile of stuff until she found a clean bandana. The bandana was tied over her face, leaving just her eyes visible.

As she walked outside, she hoped the bandana would help, especially if the illness was airborne. The courtyard was deserted. There was nobody out there. Linney walked around every cell block, through every guard tower, the entire perimeter of the fence, and still, she saw nothing. Nobody was trying to break quarantine. She moved back into the yard and realized with a start that a big chunk of Rick's "farm" was gone. The pigs were nowhere to be seen, and their pen was gone entirely, fresh dirt spread over the ground where they had once been.

She supposed that meant that they were dead. She found that sad. Linney gazed off in the direction of the administration building and wondered how the kids were fairing. Her pace quickened from a walk to a jog as she headed towards the building, suddenly desperate to see someone, _hear_ someone's voice – she was beginning to feel like the last person on earth.

The doors were all shut tightly, and she couldn't get up high enough to see through the windows, so Linney simply knocked at the door. "Who is it?" Carl immediately called from the other side. Linney sagged in relief against the door and put her hand flat up against it. "Carl?" She called back, "It's me!"

"Lin!" He cried, and she could hear some of the locks being opened, so she darted away. "No, Carl! Leave the door shut or I'm leaving! I won't have you risk the kids!" She yelled back. There was a pause and she could hear the locks slowly sliding back into place. She chuckled a little as she imagined the grumpy look that must be on his face.

"Are you alright?" She asked through the door, "Feeling ok? Is Judy ok?"

"We're fine, everyone in here is fine," he replied. Linney closed her eyes and felt ten times lighter, she hadn't realized just how worried she had been about the kids, Carl and Judith especially, until just now. "Are you fine? You were locked up – are you better now?" Carl's voice was anxious and tight and she longed to hug him. Nodding her head to herself, Linney answered, "I'm alright buddy, and I was never that sick to start with."

"Molly is really sad," Carl finally said after they were both silent for a minute. Linney closed her eyes again and thought of the girl's sweet, mute, little brother, and the horrible end he'd met when Patrick attacked their cell block as a walker. "She won't talk to anyone now, just like Matty used to, and she just sits and looks at the floor or the wall," Carl explained, "Beth has to force her to eat."

"How's Beth handling everything?" Linney asked. Carl didn't immediately answer and Linney heard shuffling on the other side of the door. "I'm fine," Beth's voice replied, her familiar drawl carrying softly through the closed door. Linney smiled and rested her cheek against the door.

"Asskicker's doing good?" Linney asked, and heard them both laugh on the other side, Beth began to talk about the mundane details of life locked up in this building and Linney soaked it in, wishing like hell she could see them both.

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"What the hell are you doing out here?" Maggie's voice sounded angrily across the courtyard and Linney spun to her, a smile on her face despite the angry look she saw on Maggie's. Linney raised an eyebrow wryly in greeting and waved at her friend. "Nice to see you too," she replied as Maggie came to a halt a few feet away.

"Lin, seriously, you can't be out here! It's quarantine for a reason!" Maggie cried, her eyebrows drawn down in consternation. "I was never sick, Maggie," Linney explained, her voice suddenly dropping, coming out a lot less confident and a lot more quietly than she expected. Maggie started in surprise and took one step closer to Linney.

"What? How? Daryl said you were sick, that he'd seen you be sick," Maggie questioned her sharply, "How can you not be sick?" _Well, this just gets easier every time,_ Linney thought, as she opened her mouth and delivered her news to Maggie simply: "I'm pregnant."

Maggie didn't say a thing, her eyes stayed wide, her expression stunned. Maggie's gaze darted away and she abruptly turned her back on Linney and took several deeps breaths, her shoulders shuddering slightly. Linney knew that her friend was imagining Lori, was thinking of Lori and her final moments of life. Linney knew Maggie was imagining all of this, because she herself did it all the time now.

"Linney, my god," Maggie finally said in a quiet voice, "Daryl doesn't know, does he?" Linney pressed her lips together and fought the urge to reply with some snark. _Why is everyone immediately on that? Why is that the first thing they comment on? Not, oh Linney, you must be terrified, I'm sorry this happened to you?_

"Of course he doesn't," Linney said, trying to control her tone, but knowing she sounded pissed off regardless, "Am I locked in a bubble? Am I in a padded room for my own safety?" Maggie finally turned around then, and she shot Linney a puzzled glare. "What's with the attitude? I only meant that he wouldn't have left on this run if he'd known," Maggie answered her.

"Sure he would have, after locking me up and putting armed guards on my room – you know how he gets Maggie, and I just… he's going to flip out," Linney replied heatedly. Maggie closed the gap between them and put both hands on Linney's shoulders, squeezing lightly.

"You _have_ to tell him," Maggie said sternly, "Linney. The second he gets back, you have to tell him – you can't keep it from him, that's worse – he needs to know, you're supposed to be a team." Linney grimaced. "I'm going to tell him," she grumbled, "I was just being a fucking coward, I deserved a little time to be a coward – I didn't know what I thought about this myself, and before I could present it to him, I had to get a handle on it."

Maggie eyed her skeptically and then lightly patted Linney's stomach. "How far along?" Maggie asked quickly, and Linney lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "Dr. S said 8-10 weeks," she answered quietly. She and Maggie sat down at one of the tables in the covered eating area. "Are you scared?" Maggie finally asked her, after they'd been quiet for a long moment. Linney nodded, looking away.

"Not just because of Lori," Linney answered softly. Maggie's hands clenched together on the table. Linney glanced down at her friend's hands before continuing. "I don't want this Maggie, I never did, we've been so careful," Linney spoke regretfully, "This baby is going to change everything, and I don't want to change – I don't want to be a parent, I don't want to have more to lose. I'm scared it will die and I'm scared I will too, and then Daryl will be alone." Maggie said nothing, but she put one of her hands on top of Linney's and squeezed lightly.

"Glenn and I had a scare a couple weeks ago," Maggie told her after a silent moment, "And I'm going to tell you what I told him: This is life. Being pregnant is part of life. You can't be scared of life. Of living." Linney dragged her eyes up to Maggie's face and saw the encouragement there, mingled with the tension that always lurked on Maggie's face when pregnancy was mentioned.

"Besides, you're here, everything will be fine – you've got a good support network, medical care, the works," Maggie continued, her voice soft and pleasant. Linney nodded and then pulled her hand back, rubbing absently at her stomach. "I'm hungry," she muttered, "Are you hungry?" Maggie gave her a slightly squinty-eyed look, but nodded. Linney climbed up and headed for the food prep area, a few feet away from the table they'd been sitting at. There were a few cans of fruit, a couple bags of pretzels and a dubious looking bowl of meat, covered with a cloth.

"Fruit and pretzels?" She asked Maggie, who shrugged and nodded. The two of them sat and ate together, while Maggie gave her an update on the people who were sick, the people who were sicker, and the people who were sickest. Not mention the people who were dead. Hershel was caring for the sick, and while Linney was not surprised by this news, she was not overtly pleased by it either. "He's a stubborn old bastard, isn't he?" She muttered to herself, but Maggie overheard and let out one forced chuckle. Glenn was also sick, something that made the pit of Linney's stomach drop out in worry, but which Maggie only glossed over. Linney looked sharply at her friend, noting the tightness in Maggie's brow, and the pinched look around her mouth; Maggie was beyond terrified of Glenn's condition, but was avoiding it, and incapable of talking about it for now, so Linney let it drop.

When they were done eating, Linney declined the offer to go visit Hershel outside A Block's doors, and decided to go on down to the fence line and take up a watch in the tower. She was afraid that if anyone bad came along now, there was no way to hold the gates, she thought at least she could lurk there with a gun and give Maggie and the kids a head start with getting away over the walkie talkie.

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He was back so soon. Linney leapt to her feet, tension coiling in her stomach as her fists clenched together at her sides. She wasn't prepared for him to have returned so quickly. _Oh god, what does this mean?_ Linney whistled, short and quick, and he looked up from within the fenced-in portion of the big gate's entrance.

"Stay there, I'll come up," Rick called to her. Linney nodded and watched as he re-secured the gate, opened the entrance to the yard, and drove his truck inside, heading all the way up to the parking area beyond the courtyard. She felt sick inside and wondered if she was going to need to vomit before speaking to Rick. The pretzels and fruit she'd had earlier rumbled unpleasantly in her belly for a moment before her body chose to keep it all, instead. Linney reached for a can of ginger ale she'd brought with her, popping it open and sitting back in the watch chair again.

She idly scanned the forest around the road, while sipping at the warm-ish soda and wishing she had a cold glass and some ice for it. All she could see along the road was the odd walker, and when she pulled her gaze back to the fence line, she grimaced at the huge crowd of them by the fence – with no one on fence duty the past couple of days, it was getting pretty bad. Linney put the can down and pulled her bandana back up and slid on some sunglasses. She clambered down the stairs of the guard tower and entered the dog run, grabbing up one of the long, sharpened, metal poles that lay against the fenced-entrance.

"I fucking hate you," she murmured to the growling and slobbering group of them by the fence. Methodically, and with great distaste on her face, Linney began to jab the sharpened pole into the eager faces pressed against the fence. Once her target fell, truly dead, she moved on to the next. After she had killed about a dozen of them, she paused, sweating heavily, and wishing she had brought her drink with her. She also saw a pretty big flaw in her plan – as the walkers fell dead, they created a lump of pressure against the bottom of the fencing. The ones still alive and writhing against the top half of the fence were beginning to slowly bend the fence from two directions and she could see that this was a situation that could only end badly.

"Maybe if we stab them faster," Rick spoke from behind her and she shrieked and jumped a foot into the air. She hadn't heard him approach over the sound of the walkers, and she'd been so lost in thought besides. She glared at him, and the small smile on his face disappeared. "You know what I mean," he told her, stabbing his sharpened metal stick into the face of a very loud, jaw-less creature at the fence, "We kill enough of 'em, fast enough that they can't bend it from two directions anymore."

Linney nodded and used her forearm to wipe the sweat from her brow, before turning back to the walkers at the fence. She stabbed and stabbed and stabbed, and as her back ache grew bigger, she grew angrier and angrier, a sort of indistinct anger, generally directed at the walkers, and at life. With a snarl she dropped the pole she'd been using to the ground and stomped away.

"What's wrong?" Rick called out to her. Linney waved a hand back at him and continued out through the gate and began to stomp her way back up to the courtyard. Rick had opted against following her, and she was pleased because that meant he wouldn't bother her right now, or try and stop her. She located their weapons, and specifically, the gun she was looking for, and then spent a couple minutes searching for every bit of ammo they had for this particular gun. She stuck all the ammo into a cloth bag, and with the gun in her hand, angrily stalked back down to the guard tower and stomped up the stairs inside. She walked out to the platform at the top of the tower, and calmly put the bag of ammo down and got herself into a comfortable position against the rail.

She aimed, squeezed the trigger, and breathed out in satisfaction when her target's head exploded, and it fell dead. The silenced gun made the soft spitting sound it always did, as she continued to shoot, carefully, strategically, taking her time. When she ran out of bullets, she paused, reloaded, and then got back into position and began again. Her plan began to pay off when the number of dead walkers outnumbered the living ones around the fence. Rick finally noticed what was happening and she watched as he stepped back from the fence in confusion, before peering up at her. Linney gave him a thumbs up and went back to shooting. She didn't notice when Rick threw his stick to the ground and came stomping back up to the guard tower.

"Linney!" He hissed angrily, coming up behind her, "You're just wasting all that ammo?" She grunted and kept picking off the walkers carefully, ensuring each shot counted. "No," she responded calmly, "I'm preventing a disaster. If they kept gathering, there was no way just you and I could have taken care of all of them – the fence was definitely going to come down if that happened, and then what, Rick? How does the run team make it back in? How do we defend our home, and the kids, and the sick, when there's only three able-bodied people here?" She killed the last couple of walkers, and dropped the gun to her side in satisfaction.

Linney turned to Rick, a defiant, Cheshire-cat smile on her face. "Now they're dead, and yeah, some bullets were wasted, but given the circumstances, we couldn't afford _not _doing this." Rick eyed her carefully and his expression said he might just be ready to argue with her, but it wilted pretty swiftly.

"You're right," he muttered, stepping back and sitting down in the big chair against the wall. There was silence around them, as Linney rubbed her somewhat sore-from-shooting arm, and the warm breeze swirled refreshingly into the shaded overhang of the guard tower's top floor. She took a couple steps inside the tower and retrieved her ginger ale, peering into the can to make sure no bugs had joined the now-flat liquid inside. Deeming it bug-free, she wandered back out onto the platform and sat down in the other chair up there, next to Rick.

"Did you find her?" Linney asked quietly, not looking over at him. Rick didn't answer for a long moment, and she finally tilted her head to glance at him. He caught her eyes and nodded minutely. Linney looked away quickly. She swallowed hard and asked, "Is she dead?"

"No," Rick replied simply, "But she's not ever coming back." Linney opened her mouth to ask a wide array of questions that suddenly flooded her mind, but Rick put a hand on her arm, halting her. "She and I talked, I get it, sort of, but she's an unwelcome, untrustworthy, danger to the rest of us," Rick explained firmly, "She's not coming back."

Linney only nodded then, supposing that banishment was better than death. She thought about Carol, someone she had loved and trusted like family up until the other night, being alone out there, surviving alone. "She'll be fine, Carol's tough," Rick said quietly, as if answering a question she'd asked. Linney turned and glared at him, but said nothing.

They were silent together for a long while, before Rick climbed to his feet and took the gun and gathered the remaining ammo for it. "I'll stay up here, keep walkers off the fence for now," Rick told her gently, "You go and rest for a bit, the heat and the stress is bad for you." Linney climbed to her feet and took a deep breath as she stretched her back.

"I'm telling Daryl as soon as they get back," she told Rick, looking away from him.

"That's good," he commented casually.

"I'm not telling him about Carol, you can do that, he's going to be pissed," Linney added firmly, "But maybe you'll lucky and he'll be in a better mood after I tell him my news, so he won't kill you for banishing his best friend."

Rick grunted and Linney clapped him on the back before leaving. She actually did as Rick suggested and went right back to her and Daryl's cell, kicking off her boots and laying down on the bed. The sun was no longer beating down directly onto the building, or through the windows, so it was a little cooler inside, and she was able to fall asleep fairly easily, her last thoughts wondering if the prison could ever be the same again.


	179. Chapter 179

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

When she woke up aching and stiff the next morning, Linney cursed herself – she'd slept the entire evening and night when she hadn't meant to. She knew her body had been craving the sleep – the quarantine bed had been lumpy and awful, and her mind had been full of unrest the past few days; the comfort and familiarity of her own bed yesterday evening had won over the tired part of her mind that was insisting she should only nap a short while and then get back to prison life.

Linney sat up and smacked her lips in thirst, and then jerked to attention when she heard voices. She identified one of the voices as Michonne's and shot to her feet, quickly slapping on her various weapons sheaths and cramming her boots on before racing out the door. She was still fully dressed from the day before, bandana around her neck, included. "You're back!" She cried, coming to a halt in the kitchen. Michonne stood there with Merle and they both glared over at her. "Why ain't you in quarantine?" Merle growled.

"I wasn't sick, I'm fine," she answered hurriedly, knowing she couldn't tell them the truth, especially Merle, until she'd told Daryl. "That's awfully… convenient," Michonne said skeptically. Linney rolled her eyes and grabbed at her bandana, pulling it up over her face.

"Is that better?" She sniped at Michonne, and the woman rolled her eyes. "It's a damn sight easier on my eyes, coverin' up that mug, sweetheart," Merle put in, half-heartedly trying to piss her off. She really looked at them and saw they were both weary and strained. And clearly hiding something.

"What happened?" She asked them slowly, realizing now that their return was not necessarily fully triumphant. Michonne glanced at Merle, whose jaw clenched so tightly she thought he might break a tooth. "Bob," Michonne told her, "He did something stupid, really stupid, and it... it got Ben killed."

Linney felt like she'd been kicked in the chest and staggered back a step. Merle charged over to her like a bull and grabbed her arm roughly, dragging her to a chair and pushing her down. "Ben's dead?" She asked breathlessly, staring down at the floor in wide-eyed shock.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Lin," Michonne said softly, "Tyreese beat Bob pretty badly, we tried to stop him, but the boy was important to him, you know that, him and Sasha both… and on the heels of Karen… he lost control." Linney focused on breathing, thinking of the goofy, gangly kid who had loved Beth Greene more than anything in the world, and her heart broke pathetically.

"Is Bob dead?" She asked dully. Merle grunted, leaning against the table in front of her. She dragged her gaze up to his own and saw that his face was locked down hard; Merle always found it easier to display anger over grief. "No, he ain't, but he oughta be – he fuckin' got that kid killed, all cause that weak-ass shithead wanted hisself a drink – shoulda shot 'im on the spot, but then the big guy got after 'im, and I thought we should just let him end it, but my pansy-ass brother and ole Mutie here had to step n' save 'im," Merle finished his disgusted rant and shoved away from the table.

"Ya'll oughta be ashamed of yerselves," Merle growled at Michonne, earning a shocked stare from Linney, "That drunk piece of shit deserved to die and ya'll know it – now he's back here and he's just gonna get someone else killed one day." Merle left the room abruptly then and Linney gaped at his departing back. She felt slightly ashamed that she agreed with him.

"Where's Bob now?" Linney asked carefully.

"He's laying low for now, he's safe," Michonne replied.

"And Ben? Did you… I mean, can we bury him?" Linney asked haltingly, feeling a few tears escaping her eyes. Michonne sighed and Linney looked up at her. The woman looked dejected, deflated, and absolutely crushed. "There wasn't enough… we couldn't bring him home," Michonne finally explained. Linney launched to her feet and ran for the door to the courtyard. She paused at the open doorway when Michonne spoke behind her.

"I'm sorry," the woman told her, her voice heavy with regret, "But how could we let Tyreese kill Bob? That wouldn't bring Ben back, and that's not who we are, Linney – we don't kill our own just to punish them." Linney swallowed a sudden wave of bile rising in her throat and nodded, stumbling out the door. _Clearly no one's told her about Carol._

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Linney could hear crying before she even reached the administrative building. She amped up her speed, breaking into a run, certain it was Beth and partially wondering who had delivered the news to the girl and if they'd been sensitive about it. When Linney arrived though, she instead found Maggie and Beth comforting Mika, who was crying very loudly. She slowed to a stop at the sight and looked around. Apparently now that the run team was back, the kids weren't under as strict quarantine, and she wondered if that was because they had medication to help now.

The other children were there, in varying degrees of distress. Carl was standing stonily, his jaw clenched and his eyes watery, and Linney went to him first, leaning against the wall next to where he stood and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Carl," she murmured, squeezing him a little. Carl turned and looked over at her and frowned a little. She knew that once he got past his Beth-related jealousy of Ben, that Carl and he had actually become friends of sorts. This hurt him.

Linney rested her head against the side of his and looked around at the other kids. Ben had been a favorite in the kid's area, coming as frequently as he could to spend time with Beth, and aping around for the kids like the clown he turned out to be. Linney narrowed her eyes at Beth. The girl look exhausted, dark circles under her eyes, skin pale, hair mussed – but she wasn't crying.

Ben had been someone important to Beth for almost a year, and she was absolutely shocked that Beth appeared relatively unfazed. Mika was sobbing, and Linney felt bad for the little girl,but wasn't overly worried, knowing that Mika was an emotional and generally dramatic girl, in that way 8 year olds excelled at, but still feeling this nonetheless. Lizzie was sitting looking somewhat glum next to Molly. Linney literally flinched when she saw Molly.

Never a pretty little girl, Molly looked terrible right now. Linney remembered that Beth had been nearly force-feeding the girl since her brother died, and it showed – Molly was looking gaunt. Her hair was a ragged mess, her one good eye swollen and red from crying, beneath it a purple smear of fatigue. For an 8 year old, Molly looked more like a corpse than a regular grieving child.

"Nina died," Carl whispered next to her, having followed her gaze. Linney turned to him, her arm dropping from around his shoulder. "What? Her 'mom'?" Linney gasped in a whisper. Carl nodded. "Maggie just told us last night before they all went to sleep," his reply was solemn. Linney was having a hard time processing the news. They were all grieving Ben, grieving Matty, and Patrick, grieving all the folks who had died recently – but Molly's world had completely disintegrated around her in a matter of a few days. Linney's heart broke in two with a painful pang.

Linney stepped away from Carl and walked past Beth, who was cuddling Mika to comfort her. Linney lightly trailed her hand over Beth's blonde head, a small comforting gesture. "You ok?" Beth asked her softly. Linney jerked to a halt and shot an incredulous look at Beth. She opened her mouth to respond with something like, "Am _I _ok? What about _you?"_ But Maggie shot her a venomous look and the words died in Linney's mouth. Instead, Linney just nodded mutely and carried on towards Molly.

She waved her hands at Lizzie, shooing the older girl away, and took a seat on the ground next to Molly. The little girl had her knees drawn up to her chin, both arms wrapped around her legs, and her chin resting on top of her knees. She was staring blankly at the floor and otherwise not moving. "Hey," Linney said quietly. Molly didn't move or make a sound. Linney slid her eyes sideways to look at Molly, before she mimicked Molly's stance and drew her legs up too, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on knees.

"This sucks," Linney found herself saying, "This is the worst week I've experienced since Carl's mom died. Everything sucks so hard right now." Molly still didn't move, but Linney sensed that she was listening. "There is absolutely nothing good to say about anything right now, because everything is at its worst and we're just stuck here, trapped along for the ride," Linney words were a low-voice rumble and she tried not to react in the slightest when Molly shifted minutely, scooting her butt a little closer to Linney.

"It sucks harder for you, I guess," Linney told Molly quietly, "I can't believe how shitty it is to be you right now." Molly sighed, but otherwise remained silent and still. "Things get like that on and off for everyone now, you know? Like you think it's alright, and then the shit hits the fan and your life gets a little ruined. Then you get over it and soon something else is destroyed, right?" Molly nodded but said nothing. Linney continued, "I find, when things are going absolutely the worst for me, and my life feels like its ruined forever, that it's good to really _feel_ what's happening, you know?"

Molly turned and stared at Linney, her one eye squinted in distrust. "I'm serious," Linney told her, "If I'm feeling sad, then I just cry – I will find myself somewhere private and just bawl my eyes out and scream and yell and sob and cry." Linney released the grip on her legs and stretched them out in front of herself. Molly followed suit after a second.

"If I'm really angry? I yell, I swear, I glare at people, I go off behind D Block and just start kicking and punching the shit out of those broken cars back there," Linney explained. "If I'm lonely, I find someone I trust and I spend time with them – sometimes I want to talk to them, sometimes I just want to be talked _at_, sometimes I want a hug, sometimes I just want to sit in silence near them – you know?"

"I do," Molly finally spoke, her voice small. Maggie and Beth both looked over in surprise. "I had some bad news the other night," Linney told Molly, "So you know what I did today when I was feeling frustrated?" Molly shook her head, her one eye wide and locked onto Linney. "I decided to channel my feelings into something helpful – I killed a bunch of walkers through the fence." One side of Molly's mouth tilted up in a tiny smile.

"I bet that felt good," Molly said, the familiar flatness gone from her tone, heartbreaking vulnerability taking its place. Linney nodded and got to her feet. "When things calm down, I will take you to the fence and you can kill a few if you want," Linney said. Molly got to her feet too and stared back at Linney.

"Linney?" Molly asked her, when Linney was half-turned to walk away. She turned to the girl, an expectant look on her face. "One day I might want to, but not today," Molly said to her, "Today I just want to be left alone."

Linney saw it as encouraging and nodded. She nodded again at Beth, unable to keep the slight quizzical expression from her face at the mostly serene look Beth wore. Stepping outside quickly, Linney tilted her face to the morning sky and breathed in the fresh air.

"Lin?" Maggie's voice called softly, and Linney turned to her friend, watching as Maggie strode over to her.

"I'm sorry Maggie, about Ben, I'm so sorry," Linney said immediately, unable to stop herself. Maggie swallowed hard and nodded. Ben had become quite close to the entire Greene family in the time he was with Beth. "Daddy's gonna take the news real hard, I think he saw Ben as a chance to have a son back," Maggie spoke in a voice thick with regret.

"And Beth? Maggie, whatever she's doing to handle this, it's not good for her, it won't help, she _has_ to feel this," Linney spoke hurriedly and Maggie just shook her head slowly. "I know, I know that!" Maggie finally cried, her eyes getting watery, "I can't force her to grieve, Linney! She just keeps sayin' that everyone has their jobs and Ben did his and it got him killed and sometimes that just happens." Linney gaped at Maggie in open-mouthed disbelief.

"You know how fucked up that is right? Ben dying was a cruel twist of fate, it was senseless, and worse, it was caused by someone else, someone acting far greedier and more selfish than Ben could ever have been!" Linney nearly-yelled. Maggie clamped a hand on Linney's arm and dragged her further from the administrative building. "I am letting her do this, feel this, however works best for Beth, you know?" Maggie insisted, "My grief is not her grief; she can be sad how she wants – she'll feel it eventually."

Linney closed her eyes and took a deep breath, realizing that Maggie was right. "I'm sorry," Linney said again, and Maggie nodded in response. "I'm going to see Glenn again, and make sure Dad listened, I made him come outside and get some fresh air earlier, so I'm hoping he did that," Maggie said flatly. Linney nodded and looked up at the sky again, half-listening as Maggie walked away.

"Oh, and Linney?" Maggie called, when she was halfway across the courtyard, "Pretty sure Daryl's in the tombs, if _you're_ interested."

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She took her time. Her direction _was_ the tombs, but she couldn't help but procrastinate. In the distance she watched as Michonne loaded up into one of their trucks with Hershel. Watched as Rick waved at her briefly before heading to the admin building to see his kids. Watched Tyreese carry Sasha in his arms back to her room. Watched Merle discussing something seriously near some baskets of weapons with a couple of the quasi-recovered men from Block A. She didn't see Daryl, though, and she knew that meant he was certainly down in the tombs.

Linney entered below C Block and carefully made her way through the hallways, until she reached the row of rooms that had acted as her, Karen, and David's quarantines. Daryl was just closing the door to what had been David's room when she saw him. He paused and he glared at her.

"You're supposed to be sick," he grumbled, walking towards her slowly. Linney nodded and walked into her quarantine room, wanting some of the light the small window in there afforded. "What happened?" He asked immediately, striding into the room after her. Linney swallowed and realized the words were trapped in her throat.

"I'm not sick," she mumbled, "I never was." Daryl's face crinkled in confusion and his glare intensified slightly. "You were faking?" He asked in slow disbelief, his eyebrows lifting skeptically. Linney nodded. "You were puking though, I saw it," Daryl continued, his tone still drawling as he tried to understand. Linney could feel the nerve leaving her body, and real fear replacing it. She sat limply on the bed. Daryl stayed in the middle of the room, the expression on his face demanding an explanation.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, her voice so quiet she knew he couldn't hear her. "What?" He asked loudly, "Lin, come on, what the fuck? Tell me what's goin' on!"

"_I'm pregnant!_" She shrieked angrily at him, wishing she could claw back the words as soon as they'd left her mouth. The effect of those two words on Daryl was immediate. His entire body froze solid, and his face and eyes went blank. She knew he had heard her, had understood her, but he seemed to be struggling with really processing the information.

"I'm sorry, Daryl! I would have told you sooner, but I was so scared! I've been so scared!" She cried, her voice getting thick with the tears that were now building up and demanding release, "Please! Please say something!" Daryl moved to the window and stood before it, his back to her, as he gazed out at the back car lot of the prison. Linney found herself desperately trying to read meaning into his body language and was coming up with nothing conclusive.

"You're pregnant," he finally mumbled softly, his voice completely devoid of discernable emotion. Linney nodded and found herself blurting out words to try and make it right, "Yes, Dr. S told me I was 8-10 weeks along, that everything looks normal and healthy, and that I'm young and healthy so this shouldn't be dangerous for me."

Silence reigned and she was just about to start screaming at him again when he turned to her, and she saw his face. She had never, in all the time she'd known him, seen him look like this. His expression was soft, open, happy, and nearly joyful. She registered that he looked a little nervous too, but the pure pleasure on his expression spoke volumes and calmed her almost immediately.

"You're pregnant," he said wonderingly, a goofy, stupid smile on his face. Linney found herself smiling a little smile in return, her enjoyment in his happiness overriding some of her own fear. "Yes," she replied calmly. He took a couple steps towards her and bent to scoop up both of her hands in his own, pulling her lightly to her feet. "You're pregnant," he repeated, amazed confusion in his voice. Linney nodded again.

"So you're not angry," she stated, lifting an eyebrow at him, knowing her eyes were huge in a nervous face. He shook his head slowly and released her hands, both of his cupping either side of her face. He leaned in and kissed her and she felt such a heady swell of absolute relief that she nearly swayed on her feet. "I'm still scared," she whispered, when they parted, "What if… Lori –" Daryl's eyes widened in horror and he put a hand over her mouth to stop her.

"No, don't say it," he told her sternly, "Don't think it. Not this time. Not you." She swallowed and nodded and he released her face. His eyes darted down to her stomach briefly and then back up to her, shy uncertainty on his normally rough features.

"Go ahead," Linney said softly. He twitched a brief smile and got down on his knees, his hands hovering above her flat stomach for a few seconds, before he lay them gently against her. After a moment, he leaned forward and placed a gentle, chaste kiss to her stomach before turning and resting his ear against her. "We'll do this right, for once… I'm doin' this the fuckin' right way," he murmured, his voice a low, comforting rumble against her shirt.

Linney felt herself caught up in wave of pleasure, hearing him say that, knowing he meant so much more than just raising a kid right; he meant neither of them would become their parents. She put her hands on his head and ran her fingers through his overly long and tangled hair. "You still need a goddamn haircut," she whispered, and he lifted his face from her belly and looked up at her. He smiled, again, a smile that almost sat strangely on his face; she found it almost sad that joy looked so out of place on Daryl Dixon's face.

She bent forward and kissed him and he slowly got to his feet. They stood together silently, sharing a rare gentle kiss. Linney rested her hands lightly against his chest, and his cupped the back of her head like she might break. For half a second, she thought, _we got this, I think we can actually do this, _then the entire building, floor, walls, and ceiling shook and rumbled hard after a far-off explosion sounded. They jerked apart in horror and Linney waved at the dust that was now falling lightly from the ceiling.

"What the fuck?" Daryl asked, his face immediately sliding back into its normally hard expression. He snatched up his crossbow and turned for the door, when another explosion, this one closer, sounded, and the room shook violently. "Stay here," he warned her harshly. Linney made a face and shoved past him.

"Give me a fucking break, Dixon, I may be pregnant, but I'm not a different person," she snapped. They both charged down the hallway, tossing open the door that led to the courtyard. As they ran through it, and away towards the noise, the door swung slightly, like it might close, but then fell open, letting in a large square of direct sunlight. The hallway of the tombs was lit up beautifully, in golden yellow tones, awash with a brightness and clarity it had never seen before and would likely never see again.


	180. Chapter 180

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Her ears were ringing, loudly. Linney pulled herself up from where she'd fallen, shaking her head a little to try and clear the ringing and her double vision. She looked around and it felt like a bad movie, where the picture was slightly off and the sound was gone.

Her heart beat was strong, booming in her head, thumping behind her eyes. She'd been at the fence, screaming in fury, shooting and shooting at the monsters who had attacked their home. She was surrounded by everyone, Maggie and Beth screaming along with her, their grief and horror at seeing their father die so terribly forcing them to react in the only way they had left to them: killing the intruders.

_A tank, though, the damn tank,_ Linney thought disjointedly, pulling a knife and rolling lazily into the legs of an oncoming walker, stabbing it through the temple when it tumbled over her and landed on the ground. She used a nearby wall to claw her way to her feet. The tank had rolled forward relentlessly, blasting the prison into oblivion around them. One blast had been so near to her, that she had only just managed to dive out of the way, thunking her head against the ground soundly when she did so.

Looking around now, she could hardly make out who was who; walkers were everywhere, drawn by the noise, bleeding through the downed fences without end. The Governor and his people had charged, and the people of the prison were frantically fighting them all off.

"_Daryl!" _She screamed, feeling her throat ache dryly with the volume, "_Daryl! Carl!"_ Several nearby walkers were drawn by the noise and Linney shook her head slowly, turning and running deeper into the courtyard between the prison buildings. She fought until she was weary of movement and then pushed harder, pausing only to shriek for her people, knowing that even if they heard her, they were likely fighting for their lives.

Fighting off a rotted corpse, she managed to kick its knee and bring it to the ground, stabbing it to death. She pushed up, both hands braced on her knees, her matted, bloody hair hanging in her face, and then froze solid in horror. A short distance away sat Judith's carrier. Linney started to stumble towards it, her insides quaking.

"No, no, no, no," she mumbled, the distance to the carrier seeming cruelly long. When she reached it and spun the carrier around, she saw it was empty, splattered with blood, and she started to moan. Her mind flashed with chaotic images of Lori, Carl, and Rick, of everything that had happened, only to have it end like this. Fat tears pushed themselves out of her eyes and Linney felt like she was reaching the end of her rope. She scrambled backwards and ran for a small alcove a few feet away. She stood in the corner and started to frantically breathe in and out, much too quickly.

Seconds away from a true meltdown, knowing that this was the worst things had ever been, Linney heard the piercing, high-pitched shrieks of a little girl. A terrified little girl. Her head shot up and she felt a wave of sharp focus settle over her. Someone, one of her kids, needed her, was _alive_ and needed her. She followed the shrieks, racing around the corner of the building she'd been hiding next to, and saw a crowd of the dead pawing at an over-turned laundry basket, like the ones they had stored weapons inside when the prison still stood.

Linney flew into frenzied, panicked action. She threw two knives, taking down a couple of the dead, drawing the attention of the others. She threw two more at the pair leading the group as it headed towards her. She ran to the side, stabbing one that got too close, reached for a sheath only to find it empty and instead reached for the lapel on the last one, yanking it towards the ground. It landed with a meaty thud and Linney stomped on its head, howling with rage as she did so.

It was quiet then, and she tried to catch her breath. Linney began to move towards the laundry bin when she heard the soft sobbing coming from inside it. Reaching out and grasping the edges of the bin, Linney flipped it over to reveal the small, trembling form inside.

"Molly," Linney breathed, grabbing the girl up and yanking her to her feet. Molly gripped her with panicky arms, sobbing into Linney's shirt. Linney had one shaking hand clamped to the back of Molly's head, and she looked around, realizing that the sounds of gunfire and fighting had mostly faded away, and the groans of the dead, and the shrieks of the dying were all that remained.

She had no idea what to do.

"Linney," Molly managed to say between shuddering sobs, her voice tiny and scared, "Don't leave me here."

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They crept quietly through the tombs, having taken the outer courtyard door below C Block. Linney had no idea what they should do now, no idea where to go, so she did the only thing she could think to do, and that was to get back inside the relative, temporary, safety of the prison itself. So many walls were down, she knew it wouldn't be long until the prison interior was also overrun; the safety it provided now was an illusion.

_It's our only shot, I have to think, I need some goddamn time to think, _she berated herself, looking around uneasily when they'd reached the entrance to the C Block kitchen. There was nothing there, the room was eerily empty and Linney wasted no time dragging Molly through the kitchen, into the cells, and up the stairs to her own room. When they entered her and Daryl's room, Linney felt weak inside. It was exactly as she'd left it, untouched by the horror outside, and she felt a nearly overwhelming urge to stay there, warm and surrounded by her life. Her heart and her stomach quaked painfully at the thought of Daryl, of where he might be, if he was hurt, if he was alone. She refused to think he might be dead.

Linney was hardly able to take in her next shuddery breath when she thought about her little Piglet, Daryl's child, inside her. She flattened both hands against her own stomach and prayed to anything that would listen that everything inside her was alright.

"Linney," Molly whispered behind her, startling Linney from reverie and pulling her back to the moment, "You're bleeding!" Linney turned to see Molly pressed against the inside of the cell door, pointing at the back of Linney's head. Her little face was absolutely horrified at the thought of her savior bleeding. Linney touched a hand to the back of her head, where it had struck the ground outside and saw fresh blood on her fingers when she pulled them away. It barely hurt, but immediate concerns regarding infection came to mind and she knew she had to deal with it swiftly.

"I think I'll be fine, I just need to clean it," Linney murmured, less concerned with comforting Molly than she was with finally having a task to direct her mind. She was nearly eager to abandon her worries and focus on doing something else. Moving quickly, she knelt next to her bed and bent to peer beneath it, locating the first aid kit they had kept there since she'd had the leg wound.

"Sit on the bed," she directed Molly absent mindedly, "I don't want you near the door." Linney pulled her thick hair forward and cleaned the wound, which was against the back of her skull, just below the crown. She applied antibacterial ointment to it once it was clean, and then wound gauze around and around her head to hold a bandage in place, like a thick white headband. She gathered her hair and swiftly pulled it back into a braid on either of her head, leaving the bandage space to breathe.

One task completed, Linney paused to think about what came next. A loud crashing sound and angry, indistinct yelling outside, reminded her that they really couldn't stay, there were potential enemies about, a horde of walkers larger than any they had encountered yet, and it wasn't safe. _If anything came in, you could shut the door,_ she tried to reason with herself, walking to her cell door slowly and resting a hand on it.

"We'd only be trapped in here, and then how long until we died of starvation?" She replied to herself under her breath and then turned abruptly to the shelf of her and Daryl's clothes. Without saying a word, she grabbed a backpack and stuffed some clothing into it, grabbing a couple of Daryl's shirts and sticking them in with her own. She thought of Molly, the things that likely meant something to the little girl, in her own cell. D Block may as well have been miles away for how inaccessible it was at this point.

"No time to get back to your room, kid, sorry," Linney said quietly. Molly didn't answer and Linney thought that was just as well. She stuffed the first aid kit into her backpack as well, trying to slide it down the side of the bag. She thought of the small satchel of their own weapons that Daryl still kept in their room and nearly overturned their nightstand trying to pull the bag out. She loosened the string at the top of the bag and grimaced in displeasure at how little was left in the small bag. There were a few extra throwing knives for her, ones she didn't really love. _Yeah, but you hung on to them just in case, I'd say this qualifies as 'just in case', _she argued with herself. She swiftly began to grab the knives, knowing that there wasn't enough to replace the ones left in the bodies in the courtyard, but forcing herself to feel grateful regardless. She grabbed the lone handgun, its ammo, and then tossed the now empty satchel across the small room, where it fluttered to the ground like a piece of trash.

They had no food in their room, something she was very aware that she and Molly were going to need, and soon. Linney dithered at her doorway again, debating whether they had time to go root around in the kitchen, hoping that something might be left. She shook her head. It wasn't worth the time and the risk. She spun around when she remembered the water bottles she and Daryl had kept in the room, not much, only three or four, but right now it was gold. Linney loaded the bottles and then zipped the bag closed. There was nothing left to take. Nothing worth weighing them down.

"It's time to go," she whispered sadly. She looked around the room and could feel the pulsing of worry and grief in her mind again, threatening and straining to break free, trying to break her, distract her. She swallowed hard, wiped at her face, and pushed the feelings down. _Bottle that shit up, there'll be time for that later_. Grabbing the one half-empty water bottle she hadn't packed, Linney dumped water onto a sock and wiped at her face and neck, cleansing the walker gore from her skin. _May as well start off fresh._

Without a word, she wet another sock and turned abruptly, wiping at Molly's face. The girl was pale, her eye wide and vacant, and Linney thought maybe the poor kid was going into shock. She opened her mouth to say something, useless platitudes, comforting, stupid words, anything to snap Molly out of it, but she stopped when she heard a new, unexpected, noise outside. Footsteps, moving with purpose, but silently, and they were coming up the stairs. It was a living person. Linney felt her heart start to gallop in fear and moved without thought.

She grabbed Molly and yanked the little girl against her chest, dropping to the ground and rolling under her and Daryl's bed. She scooted back against the wall, clutching Molly tightly to her. "Stay quiet," she whispered urgently into Molly's ear. The girl didn't move, and Linney placed a hand over Molly's mouth, to ensure she remained silent. From her vantage point under the bed, she couldn't see anything more than a foot and a half off the ground. She cursed herself when she realized the bag she'd just packed was still sitting on the ground in the center of the room.

The footsteps had reached the top floor and she could hear the person going in and out of several rooms, perhaps looking for survivors. _If it was one of our people, they'd call out, right? Right?_ She screamed internally. The temptation to just deal with it, to call out hopefully and pray the person was one of her own, was very strong. She ultimately decided that if it was a prison-survivor, looking for others, that person would call out, search vocally for others, and not tread quietly and mutely from room to room like this. _Murderer. Looter. Monster._

Finally the feet entered her room and Linney froze solid. She tracked the dirty boots as they moved into the room, pausing in the center of the rug she and Daryl had been so pleased to put down. Her breath felt like it was dragging up her windpipe violently as she tried to keep quiet.

A primal part of her wanted to lash out, to kill the intruder, but she thought of Piglet, already knocked around too much today, and poor Molly, trembling in terror against Linney's chest. _You can't. For once in your fucking life, be smart, sit this one out._ The figure bent and snatched something from the floor. Linney realized it was Daryl's poncho and almost screamed. The thought of one of the Governor's monsters taking Daryl's poncho made her sick and furious. Still, she did nothing. It wasn't worth being hurt, losing her baby, risking Molly's life. She couldn't imagine why they'd want it – and chalked it up to warmth. She mentally cursed at the thought of losing it though, she had intended on taking it for herself.

The person left very quickly after that and Linney remained under the bed for close to thirty minutes trying to build up the nerve to slide out. When she finally did, they were alone, the room and the prison empty around them. She bent to the backpack and slid it up and over her shoulders. She turned to Molly, preparing to tell her it was time to leave, and realized the girl was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and knew that she would be cold the second the sun set.

Briefly, Linney again gave thought to trying to get to D Block, to Molly's room, but knew it would be a stupid risk, it was risky enough coming in here. Thinking of the cold night, Linney dropped the backpack, pulled it open, and swiftly grabbed the blanket off the foot of her bed, rolling it neatly and ramming it into the bag. When she put the bag back on, it felt a little heavy, but her gut told her that they were most likely going to be sleeping outside for the next couple of nights, and she would be grateful for the blanket.

Next, Linney grabbed one of her flannel shirts left on the shelf and tied it around Molly's waist, knowing it would have to do in terms of extra clothing for the child. Molly's dark hair hung in her face and Linney reached out and tucked it behind her ears. "We need to go now, Molly," she said softly. Molly simply stared at her, terror and sadness on her little face, and Linney bit her lip. She couldn't wait any longer, so she simply picked up Molly's hand and led her cautiously out of the room, and down the stairs. They waited at the bottom of the stairs for a moment as Linney thought about which way they should go.

"We can't go out into the courtyard," she murmured, mostly to herself. Molly looked up at her blankly and Linney directed a tight smile her way. "Ok, out the front we go," Linney decided. She led them out the back way, up the stairs and down the hallway she and Beth and Carl had scouted alone so long ago. It was cleaned out now, all the bodies and blood cleared away. When they reached the hallway, Linney followed the same path she and the kids had taken when they saw the tank that day, leading her and Molly out to the long-destroyed front half of the prison.

Outside, she was deeply relieved to see that there were far less walkers out here, and all of the ones left seemed focused on getting to the sight, sound, and smell of the chaos on the other side of the prison. Dragging Molly after her, Linney got them to the road unseen and began to walk as quickly as the little girl could manage. After a while, Linney realized Molly was crying softly again, and hoped that meant the poor kid wasn't in shock, and was just struggling to deal with everything.

"We'll be ok," Linney told the girl, saying the words she herself needed to hear, "Molly, I promise." Molly didn't reply, and Linney stopped and turned to her, grasping Molly's shoulders in her hands, squeezing lightly. She bent closer and met Molly's gaze. "I have no idea how, but we're going to figure this out, I promise, ok?" Linney insisted. Molly regarded her with a wide eye and a tearful frown, but finally nodded. Linney straightened up and smiled at the little girl, knowing her smile must look weak and fake.

"You and I, we'll figure this out," she repeated stubbornly. Linney spun around in abrupt, heart pounding, surprise when she heard a gruff voice respond from the treeline.

"That sounds great, sweetheart, but what about yer ole pal Merle?"


	181. Chapter 181

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

The small fire was warm on her chest and hands. She sat in front of it, on the cool ground, wearing an extra shirt, with Molly curled up against her, wrapped up in the only blanket. The little girl was sleeping fitfully, her head on Linney's lap, and Linney had an arm laying protectively on top of Molly. They were right up against a natural cluster of large boulders. Merle had insisted that she and Molly sit with their backs up against the rocks, the little fire in front of them.

"Gives me one less direction to have to watch," he'd mumbled gruffly. Linney hadn't argued. She was willing at this point to let Merle do all the thinking, all the planning. When she'd turned to see him on the road outside the prison, her mind had cleared itself immediately of all rational thought and stomach-churning relief had thundered through her. Watching Merle's back now, she smiled the tiniest of smiles, thinking of how she'd run to him, with a little cry, and thrown herself at him. She'd gripped him with all her might and sobbed into his shirt, incoherently trying to tell him about all of her worries, all of her sadness and concern all at once, and the words came out as garbled mewls and nothing more.

It had made Merle uncomfortable, but she could tell by how tightly he was gripping her back, how his one hand had clutched momentarily at the side of her face, proprietary relief flickering across his features, that Merle was relieved beyond measure to have found her. Molly had followed suit a moment later, racing down the road to where Linney and Merle embraced. The little girl had tossed herself at Merle, trying to climb his waist, forcing Merle to release Linney and pick Molly up. It had struck Linney then that Molly knew Merle better than she knew Linney herself. Merle had lived in Woodbury with Molly, Matty, and her stand-in mom, Nina. She remembered him as nothing but a savior and a protector from Woodbury, and then the prison. Molly was ecstatic to have Merle right now, more than she had been to have Linney.

They had walked the road until darkness began to creep in, and Merle had led them off into the trees, searching for a safe place to stay the night. When he saw the rocks, he'd finally put Molly down and set about creating a perimeter as best as he could.

"Need to get some wire, some cans and shit like that, soon as we can," Merle had told Linney absent-mindedly. She had simply nodded in return. This plan of his was much better than what she'd imagined she and Molly would have to do tonight alone: climb a tree and try to sleep in it. _Higher ground,_ Linney thought wryly, watching as Merle set up a cluster of dried leaves and crackling sticks in a ring around the area they were going to sleep in, things sure to make plenty of noise if disturbed or stepped on by anything.

"Ain't worried 'bout the dead, like I am the livin'," Merle had grumbled, taking the handgun that Linney gave to him from her bag. She had no response to that; at this point in time, everything worried her, dead or alive. After the fire was built, and they were sitting around it, Merle had pulled open the backpack he'd been wearing. Unlike Linney, he had raided for food before leaving the prison.

"Realized that was place was goin' down," he'd mumbled, tossing a breakfast granola bar at Linney, and another to Molly, "Grabbed the shit I could from the kitchen." Linney had devoured the food, and pressed a hand to her stomach afterwards, willing her body to hold the food in without getting nauseated. _Come on, Piglet, you need this, keep it together._ Merle told her that he had taken momentary shelter in the B block kitchen, where Carol had stored a lot of extra food, and stuffed a backpack with what made sense to carry on the road.

"Almost got my fuckin' leg bit off by some rotting bastard who followed me in there," Merle told her. She didn't have to ask what happened next, clearly he'd killed the thing. "That whole place was overrun by the time I left," he continued, chewing idly at his own food, "Don't think it's gonna be any good to anyone anymore." Night had fallen quickly after that, and Linney spent the time staring blankly into the fire, thinking of Daryl. Molly slumped heavily down onto her lap, and Linney barely noticed.

She didn't realize she was crying until her damp cheeks started to feel cold. Raising a limp hand up to her face, she wiped half-heartedly at the wetness there. She tried to reign it in, but felt like she'd used up her supply of strength. She was quiet though, so it took Merle a while to realize she was falling apart silently. "Jesus, kid, come on," he'd muttered. Linney looked up at him and shook her head, her eyebrows coming together in pain.

"It's gone," she managed to say, "All of it. All of them." He grimaced and looked away, back out at the dark trees. "Ain't nothin' we can do about it," he told her, his voice flat. Linney took in a shuddering breath and stared down at the half of Molly's sleeping face she could see. She had a terribly selfish moment, where she wished that it was Daryl and Carl with her right now, instead of the strange little girl warming her lap. _You're an asshole for even thinking that._

Linney buried her face in her hands and cried, mourning the loss of the home they had fought so hard for. The people that meant more to her than she had ever thought possible. She was bereft from the reality that Daryl was away from her, god knew where, and that their life together was potentially over. She wanted to think positively, but found herself mired down into a depression so thick that she could hardly function. Vaguely, she was grateful for Merle, pleased that someone who was important to her was here with her now, but it wasn't enough. She felt like she couldn't catch her breath, and her silent sobs shuddered through her entire frame. Merle had the good sense to let her get it out. _He doesn't know, he doesn't know about Piglet,_ she thought despondently, _oh Christ, Daryl, where are you? What do I do now?_

They spent the night quietly, Linney alternating between sleeping and crying until the sun almost came up. Merle startled her when he moved towards her and put a heavy hand on her shoulder, shaking her lightly. "Can you watch? Need a bit of shut eye," he murmured, almost regretfully. Linney sucked in a breath and sniffed thickly, lightly pushing Molly to the ground and then climbing to her feet. Merle had on one of Daryl's long sleeved flannel shirts, the fit pathetically bad, and he wasted no time laying down next to Molly.

Like a heat-seeking missile, Molly moved to Merle's side, still wrapped in the blanket, and snuggled up against his chest. Merle looked up at Linney, his eyes wide and unhappy and his face pulled down into a grimace. She flickered up an eyebrow, his discomfort lighting up one small part of herself, allowing her a brief glimmer of humor. She turned away and left him to whatever sleep he could manage. Gun in hand, Linney walked around their perimeter carefully, before taking up station where Merle had stood for the most of the night.

Merle's light snores were oddly comforting as her watch passed, and eventually Linney tucked the gun in her waistband and rested her hands on her stomach. She prayed again that there was still life inside her, that the baby hadn't been injured by her frantic fighting and the one bad tumble she'd taken, when she hit her head. She placed a hand on the bandage wrapped on her head and let her fingers trail over its edges.

She tried to imagine everyone escaping, that Carl had managed to get to Rick and Judith. That Beth, Maggie, Glenn, and the kids were all together. That Tyreese and Sasha had left together. That Daryl had gotten away, made it to safety, maybe with Michonne. She briefly thought of Carol. The woman wouldn't even know that the prison had fallen.

_Fallen._ The word had such finality to it, but it rang true. Their home was a rubbled ruin, existing only for the dead. She tried to feel grateful, tried to feel the slightest bit pleased that she was alive. A tiny spark flared inside her at the thought of her life being spared. She tried to grab the little bit of hope, to grasp it tightly in her mind. Her mind tried to flicker over the images of carnage and destruction that she witnessed just hours ago at the prison, but she redirected it, focusing on the memory of Daryl's smile when she'd told him she was pregnant.

_He's out there somewhere, hoping like hell you're alive, both of you,_ she told herself, her hand fluttering to her stomach again. She imagined an alternate world, where the prison was still whole, where her belly had grown, where she'd had her child, surrounded by safety and love, of seeing Daryl hold his child the way he had Judy. With a little cry of despair, she put a hand over her mouth and started to cry again. That would never happen. Not now. Her stomach lurched unpleasantly and she had only a moment to stumble away from their small camp so she could upend the contents of her stomach to the forest floor.

Gagging, still crying, she vomited, spitting out the food she'd tried to force herself to keep down. The only positive thing she could think was that hopefully being sick meant she was still with child. She had next to zero medical knowledge though and had no idea about how that kind of thing really worked. Wiping her mouth, Linney sat back on her heels and breathed carefully in and out, hoping the moment was passing.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Thought you said you wasn't sick," Merle's voice sounded grumpily from behind her, and Linney twisted around, still seated on the ground. She looked up at him and pressed her lips together, swallowing hard. "I'm not sick," she managed to say. Merle surprised her by charging at her, snatching up her arm in his hand and hauling her to her feet.

"I asked you a goddamn question: what the hell is wrong with you?" He snarled. She knew he was worried, worried he was going to have to watch her die of the wasting sickness that had decimated the prison, and he was showing it by being rough and unpleasant now, but it didn't make it any less upsetting. Linney glowered at him and tried to yank her arm from his grip. "I'm _not _sick," she snapped, taking a step back. His grip didn't loosen and her arm stretched out between them.

Merle pulled her harshly, making her stumble the few steps back towards him. She put a hand up against his chest to steady herself and glared up at him, meeting his narrowed eyes. "You were just fucking puking yer guts out sweetheart, don't fucking lie to me," he growled. She felt her entire face crumpling in a mixture of fury and sadness.

"I'm not _sick!"_ She cried angrily, pushing against his chest again in an attempt to have him release her arm; his grip there was beginning to hurt. "Well, yer somethin'!" He yelled back. Linney snatched her hand back from his chest and rubbed it across her eyes.

"I'm pregnant," she said furiously, her voice low and threatening, "Is that better? Does that make you feel fucking better?" Merle's grip tightened on her arm and he suddenly pushed her backwards, until he had her up against a tree. Linney's free hand went to the tree to steady herself and she looked up at him warily. Merle's jaw was so tight that she could see every muscle in his face twitching. His brow was drawn down dangerously and his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He asked, his hand tightening on her arm. She managed a small shake of her head, her other hand moving up to try and pry at his fingers on her arm. "Merle," she said softly, "Please, you're hurting me." He released her abruptly, shoving away from her. He turned his back on her and she watched his shoulders rising and falling with his labored breathing. His one hand was clenching and unclenching, the fingers shaking slightly. Linney heard Molly suddenly calling for them, her voice frightened, and Linney charged past him, jogging back to camp, leaving Merle to deal with whatever he was feeling.

The little girl was standing next to the burnt out fire, the blanket still wrapped around her skinny frame. She looked utterly petrified, until she saw Linney. Molly dropped the blanket and ran for Linney, grabbing onto her in a surprisingly strong, panicky, hug.

"I thought you left me!" Molly wailed, her voice pathetically forlorn, "I thought I was alone!" Linney felt guilty, and held the back of the girl's head. "I'm sorry, kiddo," Linney managed to say, her mind reeling from Merle's reaction, her own worries, and now the new emotion of feeling like a piece of shit for upsetting the poor kid so much.

"No, no, never, Molly, no we never will," she soothed, her own voice shaking. Molly cried into the front of Linney's shirt, and Linney limply stroked the girl's rough hair, shushing her as Molly started to sob. Footsteps behind her made Linney instinctively whirl to the sound, forcing Molly behind her. Merle finally emerged from the trees where they'd been a few moments before. His face was determined and haggard. Linney tightened her jaw and lifted her chin slightly, ready for whatever bullshit she might have to take from him now.

He said nothing though, only walked past her and grabbed the bag of food, tossing it onto his back. "C'mon," he said gruffly, gesturing at them without looking at either of them. Molly broke from Linney and ran for Merle, slipping her little hand into his big one and holding it tightly. He glared down at the hand and tried to shake the kid off, but stopped when Molly turned her wide and teary gaze to his. As they started to march away, Linney shook her head and grabbed the blanket Molly had dropped, cramming it into her backpack and pulling the bag over her shoulders.

As she followed after the two of them, she wondered what happened now, what plan Merle had, what he thought about her being pregnant. What he thought about everyone from the prison. What he thought about their future.

"Hurry the fuck up," he called back to her, and she rolled her eyes as she began to jog after them.

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Daryl felt untethered, completely without direction. He and Beth had spent hours running yesterday, away from the prison, away from walkers, just away in general. His every heartbeat, every breath, had been heavy and hard to feel. He felt like a traitor, to everyone at the prison, to Linney, to his brother, to his child. He hadn't been able to stop the prison's fall, stop the attack or their attackers. He'd been fighting so hard, so ferociously, and when the last living invader had fallen, he'd realized he was alone. Except for the multitudes of the dead feasting on the previously living.

Then he saw Beth. "Where is she? Have you seen her?" He'd asked her urgently, rushing up to her. Beth's eyes had been huge and shining as she shook her head frantically in the negative. "I can't find Maggie, either!" Beth had cried, squeezing his arms in a tight grip, "We have to find them! They must be here somewhere!" Daryl had opened his mouth to respond, but the creaking groan of the last fence standing around the courtyard finally falling over grabbed his attention. He realized that they were very close to becoming trapped here.

"We gotta go Beth," he told her in a rumbling voice, "We gotta go." She'd resisted only a moment, before he grabbed her arm and pulled her along after himself.

He knew that, logically speaking, other people had to have gotten out, his group, especially the core group, was made up of good, tough fighters, people experienced at surviving. He told himself that most of them were doing what he and Beth were doing, escaping with their lives, leaving so they could live and track everyone else down.

_She got out, you know she did, she's a tough little shit, _he thought to himself, his mind filled with the images of her smiling face. He'd glimpsed her fighting, glimpsed everyone fighting so hard. The bodies he had seen, lying dead on the ground, being devoured by the walkers, had mostly been Woodbury folks, people not built for this world. He'd caught a glimpse of Rick and Carl disappearing into the trees, Tyreese running through the field going in the opposite direction, two little blond heads following in his wake.

His own brother had screamed at him, the words lost in the sound of battle, but the meaning clear enough: Get out, run away, _and leave._ After a rough night, where he'd sat and stared at a fire, trying to focus, trying to think of how to find her, how to protect her, how to be with her again, he ran over the scene of the final moments of the prison fight. When everyone scattered, he hadn't seen her run. He also hadn't seen her body.

"Other people survived, you know," Beth had drawled encouragingly, more than once, "It can't just be us, the others are out there, we just need to find them." He'd locked his gaze on her, one of Linney's band of little Asskickers, an Asskicker who'd graduated to become a competent fighter on her own. _Lin would expect you to keep Beth alive, expect you to do what was right, to find the others, and keep them safe._

The next morning, he hadn't need to urge Beth very hard to help him begin tracking, she was almost crazed with the desperate desire to find her sister and Glenn. He was determined as well. He'd find the others, get Beth to safety, and if Linney wasn't there, he'd go off and find her. Even if it took him every single day of the rest of his life, he would find her.


	182. Chapter 182

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Merle didn't have a goddamn clue about how to even look at her anymore. He was ashamed of his reaction the other morning, for manhandling her like his asshole father would have, but he felt like the foundation of his mind was cracking and snapping under the added pressure of worrying about his brother's rugrat on top of worrying about Linney and Molly.

_Woulda been better to get out on yer own, the two of them would've been fine_. Merle thought about that as they trudged along the small path they'd come upon in the woods. This forest path was a way to getting back to a town or city, he was certain of that. Linney had eyed him skeptically when he pronounced this, but he didn't want to waste the time explaining to her why. Explaining that even after almost two years, the lines of the path were too perfect to be natural, that the gravelled bottom of it, covered in a layer of leaves and growth, was not gravel that belonged in this part of the world, so therefore had been laid down by people.

This was one of those suburban 'nature trails' that he and Daryl always thought were so damn stupid – people in their mansions wanted to experience 'nature', so they built themselves perfect little gravel sidewalks through tame portions of miniature forests. It was about as far from really roughing it as anyone could get – but now, he was pleased, he knew if they followed the trail, eventually they'd end up at a parking lot, or near a school, or a cluster of homes in the suburbs. That was just what they needed right now.

Merle wondered if Linney would have found this trail, seen its outlines that looked so alien to him against the actual forest floor, understood that it meant a path to possible canned goods, clothes, beds and blankets, that it might lead them to a place where they could pause and breathe and plan the next stage of staying alive. He glanced over at her, carefully, not wanting to draw her attention, not wanting to meet those eyes of hers that seemed to look liquid and panicked all the time now.

She didn't look pregnant. He hadn't asked her a thing more about it, preferring to avoid speaking to her unless it was absolutely necessary, so he had no idea how far along she was, or how it was that she knew she was definitely knocked up. He supposed in the setting of their lives back at the prison, it made sense in that normal-happy-family kind of way, her and Daryl deciding to breed. He saw her hand move up to adjust the bandages wrapped around her head and had to concede that she and Daryl were generally a little clueless when it came to normal-people stuff, so there was an excellent chance that this kid was an accident.

_Just like I was, just like Daryl was,_ he thought bitterly. He felt a pull on his hand and looked down to see Molly tugging urgently at him. He rolled his eyes at her and stopped walking when she did. "What?" He snapped impatiently. Molly frowned at him and shot him a glare with her one eye, something that twisted her heavily scarred face into something unusually harsh for a child.

"I haveta _pee,_" she hissed at him, like his asking was embarrassing her. He dropped her hand immediately and stepped back, making a face. "That sounds like a problem for someone else," he grumbled in return. Linney huffed an irritated breath and shoved by him, letting him know in that movement that she was still fully pissed with him. She wasted no time grabbing Molly's hand and dragging the kid off the path and behind a tree. Merle stood alone on the path and waited, ill at ease.

_This could be what it would be like to be alone, _ he thought to himself, _no one grabbin' at yer hand, no one shootin' you the ole stink eye, no one to look after, just you and you._ For a moment it seemed like a wonderful thing, despite all he said, he knew Linney was competent enough to fend for herself, and that she could likely manage Molly too.

He thought about the past few nights they'd spent in the woods, the shifts that she and he had silently split, his hunting for easy, small game when the food he'd grabbed from the prison was gone, the water bottles she had that they shared tiny sips from. _Could she really do it alone though?_ He thought about how hard it would be to stay safe at night, how she'd likely get little sleep, making herself sick from exhaustion by trying to stay up all the time, or worse yet, trying to sleep in a goddamn tree like she'd mentioned she thought they might have to. Sleeping in trees wasn't worth a damn if you didn't have good rope, which she didn't – it was a ticket for a one-way trip straight to the ground, with a broken neck at the bottom.

Even if she had somehow managed to not fall out of a tree, exhaustion would kill you just as quickly. She would have begun making sloppy decisions, letting her guard down, not seeing things clearly – she and the kid would certainly have been attacked. _N' that's if they didn't fucking starve first,_ he thought pessimistically. She couldn't hunt worth a damn, Daryl had tried a couple times to teach her, but she didn't have the patience for it and unless something happened along her path when she had one of her little knives ready, there was no way Linney was going to successfully down a meal.

He felt sick for a minute, thinking of the two of them wasting away, or being ripped apart, or tumbling out of a tree. _Goddamn lucky I found them, both of them._ He had a moment of forward-thinking clarity, imagining that if for some reason they managed not to die, Linney was _pregnant_. He couldn't imagine what that would be like for her. _How the fuck do ya run from them dead bastards when yer as big as a fucking house? _Not just that, but he was remembering his own brother's birth, his mother being rushed to the hospital by a neighbor. _Breech,_ the woman had whispered ominously to the nurses at the hospital, completely ignoring Merle as he stood lost and frightened in the middle of the ER. _Low blood pressure,_ the nurse had added, her eyebrows raising, _smoked and drank her whole pregnancy._

There were no hospitals now. No one to help her if things got bad. He could hardly bear to imagine Linney's fear and pain, Molly's terror, in that situation. Not just that, but that was his _kin_ growing inside her, that was another goddamn Dixon in there. Merle stood up straighter, his brow drawing down a little. He really thought about it, letting the reality of everything hit him in waves. This wasn't just some squalling brat, this was Daryl's blood, _his_ blood. Kevin had been like a brother to him, and this was Kevin's blood, and beyond that, this was Linney's child, and he was starting to realize, with absolute horror, that that meant more to him than almost anything.

His attachment to her frightened him, almost sickened him with how weak and pathetic it made him, but there it was all the same. He couldn't stand the thought that the only other Dixon in the world, the little brother he swore to protect, could possibly be dead and he had no way of helping. But here was his second chance. All the times Daryl was beaten almost to death, all the times that he left his younger brother in the hands of a monster, knowing the kid was helpless and terrified of their father… _he owed Daryl a debt. _

Linney and the girl rounded the tree at this point and she stopped stock-still when she saw his face, saw the burning intensity of his internal realizations. "Ain't nothing gonna get at that little fucker," he promised her in a gravelly voice, his jaw set and his eyes glaring. Linney blinked at him in surprise, and he saw her face working as she understood what he was saying, finally. She stood a little taller, pressing her lips together as she took a deep breath and nodded.

"I know it," she replied evenly. He clenched his teeth, his jaw jutting out in his typical, obstinate way. "Ya'll are fuckin' idiots for getting' in this position to begin with," he growled at her, "But that little fucker," he pointed at her belly with his prosthetic arm, the knife on the end of it still stained with walker blood, "That little shit ain't gonna pay for it, not while I'm around."

He reached out with his good hand and grabbed Molly's little paw, and turned and began walking away, listening to Linney's footsteps burst into motion a moment or two later. He still couldn't think of much more to say to her, but he felt his pledge eased a lot of that sting… at least he hoped it did.

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She was fairly confident that she was still pregnant. There was no pain or spotting occurring, and as far as she knew those were signs that something wasn't right. She was still puking daily, but felt oddly proud of Piglet that it was down to once a day. _Something had to go right at some point,_ she thought wryly, wiping her mouth after her last bout of vomiting.

Merle had them on a veritable death march down this path he was so attached to. She was praying that whatever instinct was guiding him was right; she was achingly tired of walking, and Molly's little feet were blistered and bleeding from the useless little sandals she was wearing. Linney had crammed socks on the kid's feet the morning before, insisting that the sandals be worn over top, but it didn't seem to be helping much. Merle had finally given in and allowed Molly to climb on him piggy-back style, and that helped their pace. The girl was weary though, it was written all over her face, and Linney knew she wasn't fairing much better herself.

Merle himself was much the same as always, but then, he was a Dixon, and she knew they were built tough. _Just like you,_ she thought, patting her stomach as they rounded a bend in the path. She looked up sharply when Merle let out a small whoop of triumph. Ahead, the path ended and met a sidewalk. As they stepped out of the trees and onto the sidewalk, Linney felt a smile grow on her face. They were surrounded by houses. She squinted her eyes slightly, trying to view the neighbourhood through dimmed vision, trying to erase the cracked cement, the ruined cars, the one house burnt down to rubble, the debris everywhere.

Once upon a time, this had been a nice middle-class neighbourhood. Probably one where kids roamed the streets on bikes, fathers chatted with their neighbours over their backyard fences, and moms called out the front door at dusk, hailing their kids for dinner or bedtime. She sighed a little; this had never been her life, but it was familiar and recognizable as the American Dream, nonetheless.

There were also no walkers anywhere in sight. She stiffened a little at the realization; this was not a good sign. A glance over to Merle revealed the same wariness on his face. There should have been at least one or two walkers, and there were none. It was dead silent.

"What now?" She whispered, afraid to speak much louder. Merle shrugged and held a finger up to her, indicating he wanted quiet. He was looking around with narrowed eyes, his gaze intent and serious. Sliding Molly down off his back, he stepped a little further into the street, his head on the swivel.

"Gonna check a few of 'em out," he mumbled, so quietly she almost couldn't hear him, "Stay in there." He pointed at a small tool shed in the backyard just a few steps to their left. The yard wasn't fenced, the tall green grass melting into the edge of the forest. She glared at him and opened her mouth to argue and he spun on his heel and grabbed the collar of her shirt viciously.

"Don't fuckin' argue, stay with the kid, shut the goddamn door and wait for me to come back," he growled menacingly. Linney pressed her lips together, suppressing a snarl, and finally nodded. She snatched up Molly's hand and led the girl through the knee length grass without looking back to see if Merle had left yet. The shed was small, and already occupied by some yard tools, but she was able to see it was empty of threats. She pushed Molly in ahead of her and the girl immediately moved behind the lawn mower occupying most of the space, and sat down, sighing a little when she was off her feet again. Linney experimentally tugged at the little sliding door, afraid it might squeal from disuse, but it rumbled closed softly.

Small shafts of sunlight made their way in through little cracks in the walls, but otherwise it was dark. "Linney," Molly whispered, her voice high-pitched with worry, "Will Merle be ok without you there?" Linney couldn't help but chuckle a little at the kid's high-estimation of her, and knew instinctively that Merle would have been insulted.

"He'll be fine, don't even worry, just rest for a bit," Linney replied confidently, "Let your dogs rest." She pointed at Molly's feet and Molly immediately moved to put her feet up on a bag of soil, leaning back against the shed's walls. "My feet hurt real bad," Molly muttered. Linney murmured comfortingly to the girl and leaned against the wall herself, keeping her head near the door so she could watch the yard through a crack in the doorway.

The yard outside was still, the grasses blowing gently in the breeze. She was worried, scared for Merle, scared for the two of them, but also, simply relieved to be out of the trees. Surely one of these houses had some food in them? Surely they could find kids shoes in one of these homes?

In a few moments, she could hear Molly's breathing even out and deepen, and she realized the little girl was sleeping. Linney gazed at her little ruined face, again wondering how the hell this kid had taken such a terrible knife wound to the face. She wondered who had been with Molly when this happened, if someone had avenged her, worried for her. Obviously, she had received some form of medical care, even if she ended up with only one eye; at least she hadn't died from blood loss, shock, or infection.

Molly had shown remarkable resiliency though, given that in the past week or so she had lost all her family, all her friends, all her possessions, her home, her safety, the guarantee of a good meal. She had tromped through the woods without complaint, seemingly willing to tolerate absolutely anything as long as it meant she wasn't alone. Linney's gaze slid over Molly's sleeping form and she shook her head a little bit. The girl was ugly as sin, but there was a vulnerability in her, mixed with a toughness that only came from adversity, and Linney felt a softness in her chest for the kid.

Linney could hear birds outside, only a handful, and the buzzing of some insects. Those sounds, mixed with Molly's little snores were oddly comforting and soon she herself was fighting sleep. She was just so fucking tired. All. The. Time. She wanted a nap more than food right now and had to bite the inside of her cheek, and pinch her wrists, to keep from dozing. _Is this how it was for Lori? How did she last so long feeling like this? And I'm not even huge yet,_ Linney thought wearily, _at least Lori had Rick. _Linney tipped her head back against the wall and hissed a little when she connected her bandaged wound with the flat surface, causing a flare of pain.

She wanted Daryl. She wanted him like she imagined a person drowning would want air and dry land. She felt his absence keenly every second. Every step he wasn't walking beside her felt like a step in the wrong direction. Every time she saw something or thought of something she would normally share with him, she felt like punching someone in frustration. The wind picked up from a breeze to a stronger gust and the walls of the shed shuddered a little from the force. It slipped through the cracks and ruffled her hair and she closed her eyes, counting back from ten to try and smother the urge to cry.

_Wait until you're in a house, until you're more secure, all of you, then find yourself a room, close the door, and cry like a stupid wuss as long as you need to, just not now,_ she directed herself fiercely. Her hormones were a little crazed lately and the urge to cry was usually only a step or two below the surface, her emotions exposed to the world like a nerve. It was not normally in her nature to succumb to these feelings by way of tears, and it irritated the hell out of her.

She chuckled a little at her own screwy feelings and that was how Merle found her when he pulled open the shed door, laughing quietly while tears streamed down her face. His face twisted in distaste and he shook his head.

"Oh for godssake," he grumbled, "Get up, you fuckin' baby, I found us a place to crash."


	183. Chapter 183

***** If you aren't interested in this little Author's Note blurb, skip the bold and get right to the good stuff, I won't mind **

**I'm aware there's been a long delay between updates, and I'm sorry for that, especially because I'm convinced I have the best readers ever on this story, seriously you guys are great. However, I've recently had most of the wind let out of my writing-sails by someone who decided to make it a life's mission to pepper me with unpleasant and unwanted PMs on one of my other stories. **

**It started with an incredibly long review that was actually not too bad, for the most part. And, as I try and do with most reviews, I responded with thanks for the time and energy such a lengthy review must have taken to write, and followed that up with acknowledgement of the criticism, and also tried to explain a few things about the story and my ideas, that I thought might clear up some of the reviewer's misconceptions (I'm a giant nerd and this was in a fandom that I've read every comic book ever on, seen all the movies, cartoons, graphic novels, etc and was trying to explain that things they saw as inconsistent from the movies were done on purpose and were elements from other areas of that universe, I digress).**

**This spiraled into several PMs from this reviewer that grew more aggressive and, quite honestly, meaner, as the whole situation spiralled downwards. **

**I like to think I can handle criticism; if you take the time to read my work, and the additional time to share your opinion, then, good or bad, I appreciate it. But there is a distinct difference between constructive criticism and taking a big ole shit on my writing just because you don't like the direction I took a story, or the themes I chose to play with. **

**I tried to disengage and told the person that I was sorry they didn't like what they'd read, that my aim was to try and make readers enjoy themselves, and I understood the disappointment of investing your time and mind into reading a great big story, only to be let down by it – because, hand to god, I do frigging understand that. This person chose to respond to that genuine civility on my part with an insult, and a threat to start flaming me on all of my work just because they felt like it. **

**So, I blocked them. And started moderating guest reviews. As I said before, I was trying to disengage. Maybe that was cowardly? But honestly, in internet arguments, NO ONE WINS, so I wasn't going to keep arguing. That's not my style, and I just don't have time for that. **

**All was quiet on the western front for well over a month, and then this person took the effort to leave a gigantic review as a guest – another hate-spewing, story-shitting-on review that basically rehashed all the negative things they had told me prior – really, an obvious move to just try and shit on my parade, again. The writer accused me of being a coward for blocking them, for not allowing their opinion on my work to reshape my entire story. They then declared they were being fair with me, and would I be fair in return? **

**It exhausted me, this whole thing fucking exhausted me. I spend so much of my own free time engaging in a hobby I love: writing. Specifically, fan fiction writing. I have an overactive imagination and a good grasp on spelling and grammar, so I tend to think that at the very, very least, I'm not writing absolute gorge-tickling shite. I'm ashamed to say that this person's attacks and negativity just pissed me off and redirected my creative energy from writing here, for great people like all of you. **

**Maybe I need a thicker skin, but to that I say, why the fuck should I grow a thicker skin? There are literally thousands upon thousands stories on this **_**free**_** website – if you don't like mine, move the fuck on. Again, constructive criticism – bring it on folks, I love it. Trolling, flaming, stalking, and being an internet bully for your own enjoyment? Sorry, no, I just can't, and honestly, I just **_**won't,**_** engage.**

**But Linney has burrowed into my brain permanently it seems and the story has been distracting me, so I've written more. I'm saying sorry to all you good folks, and thank you to all you awesome people – I share this stuff with you guys because I want to, I freely choose to. **

**Not doing that because one person decided to man a crusade against me because they didn't like the direction I took of one of my stories, and then didn't like that I was being too nice to them in my PMs (seriously, too nice, that was the thing that launched the flaming threats – I was being too goddamn nice), that's wrong. So here you go. Here's more.**

**I can't promise I'll be as on top of this; I've been left with a sour taste in my mouth and I'm trying to get over myself, but it's easier said than done. Ok, rant done – sorry for this, I just had to get it out because it's been festering in my mind.**

**Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

The house was haunted. At least that's how it felt to Linney. Merle had opened the door onto a home that had clearly been untouched since the Turn, and from the moment she crossed the threshold, Linney felt an indescribable sense of incompleteness. This house had never meant to be alone, in fact it had probably spent the past 60-odd years sheltering one family or another, filled with life – and suddenly, a couple years ago, and it found itself being exited in a panicked, flurried way.

It stood as a mausoleum, a memorial to the life and family that had lived there – everything seemingly suspended in time. Merle had closed the heavy front door and locked it, and then proceeded to immediately begin to make rounds through every room. Molly had moved quickly to the large and squishy sofa that took up much of the family room off the foyer, tossing herself down and flopping on her side, seemingly so exhausted that she couldn't stand another moment of being awake; she was asleep in seconds.

Linney was transfixed though, by the dust that lay thickly on everything, the cobwebs strung across certain parts of the rooms connected the corners of the walls to the forgotten furniture. A chair lay on its side in the dining room, a plate of food sitting in a black, unrecognizable moldy lump at the place setting where the chair should have been.

_They were eating dinner,_ Linney thought to herself, trailing her fingers along the well-used dining room table, leaving little trails through the dust that lay thickly there. When she made her way into the kitchen, she saw the camping stove sitting on the counter, next to the electric stove and took that as a sign that the occupants of this house had stayed for quite a while in their home, remaining there even after the power died.

To her surprise, there was actually food left. Cans and boxes in the cupboards. Jugs of water under the sink. She stood staring at the small boon, perplexed. _Why didn't they take it with them?_ She left the cupboard doors hanging open and moved out of the kitchen, looping back into the family room. A suitcase lay open on the floor there, next to a rolled sleeping bag. The clothing was that of a woman and a little boy, Linney decided, after rifling through it for a quick moment. A framed photograph was nestled carefully in the bag.

Linney stared at it for a long time, her eyes locked on the little family within the image. The woman was young, maybe in her late-twenties. She was blonde, a little chubby, pretty and smiling. Her little boy looked to be about 8 or 9, also blonde, gap-toothed and freckled. The father had his arm around his wife, their boy squished between them. The man was wearing fatigues and looked to be about the same age as the woman. Linney felt her mouth bowing down a little in a frown. She put the picture down quickly and backed away from the bag like it might bite her.

She backed right up into a person and squealed a little when she turned to find Merle standing there. He'd been watching her and his face was hard and impassive. Linney wiped at her face and brushed aside the moisture on her eyelashes. It had been a long time since the forgotten relics of a dead world had reached her, she'd grown so numb to it all. Merle opened his mouth to say something and Linney took the one step towards him quickly, falling against him and hugging her arms around him tightly. She pushed her face into his chest and cried, really, broke down and sobbed.

Merle only seemed to hesitate for a moment, his entire frame stiffening and his hand coming up and grasping her shoulder like he might shove her away. Linney clutched tighter and cried harder. The family here, their loss, their wasted lives and ruined future, hit her harder than anything had since the little dead girl Cara had so long ago, on her second day with the Dixons. It seemed to trigger a rockslide in the carefully built wall she'd put up between her normal daily operations, and the part of her mind that was still reeling from the huge loss they'd experienced when the prison fell.

Merle finally, almost grudgingly, put both arms around her, engulfing her in his embrace, and Linney allowed herself to finally and completely grieve. She grieved for the dead, the living, the separated, and the injured. She grieved for the loss of their home, their hard-fought lives. She sobbed out Daryl's name and Carl's name several times, unable to really make any better attempt than that at voicing her pain. Merle stood silent, not doing anything more than holding her in place, like an anchor, and letting her mourn.

When she felt she'd let it all out, Linney pulled away from him, moving quickly out of his arms and wiping at her tear and snot covered face with her arm. He grimaced at her face and she smirked in response. They eyed each other, not speaking, for a few long moments, before Linney felt a different feeling.

"I have to go puke," she told Merle, her voice relatively calm. He nodded at her and she turned on her heel and ran through the kitchen, pushing open the back door and falling to her knees at the edge of the little concrete patio back there. Even as she puked, she felt remarkably saner. The power of the house had diminished slightly after she'd released her own demons, and though grief still sat like a rock on her chest, she felt that at least now she could learn how to operate around it.

She knew without saying it that things were good now with Merle, that they were going to work through this as a team. _This place will be our stepping stone, our starting point,_ she encouraged herself, finally bringing herself to her feet. She surveyed the yard before climbing to her feet. Everything outside was still and relatively quiet, untouched, at least on the surface, and Linney decided that was exactly what they needed.

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He was a failure. As a man. As a father. As a friend. As a leader. Rick peered at his own reflection in the mirror, at the badly beaten and battered face which stared back at him morosely, and he pondered death. He knew if it weren't for Carl here with him now, that he would tempted to throw in the towel, to give up. Part of him recoiled from the thought, the weakness and cowardice that lay down that path, while the rest of him could only admire the restfulness of it.

Rick gripped the edge of the sink in his hands as he hung his head. _Judith, Judy, baby, my girl, _he thought in a wretched swell of sorrow as her loss and death hit him again. He could feel the tears building up behind his bruised eyes again and tried to hold them back. His mind was cruel, constantly trying to imagine what had happened to her, how her short life must have ended. He lifted a hand from the sink and gripped his hand over the heavily swollen side of his face, forcing a flash of pain through his head, forcing the thoughts out of his mind.

_I failed her, I failed Lori, and I'm failing Carl,_ Rick berated himself. He lifted his head again and looked at his reflection, hating the man he saw staring back at him. He punched the mirror, the glass splintering in to several parts, his image now distorted and flawed.

"Dad?" He heard Carl speak from behind him, and turned to see the boy brandishing a bowl of dry cereal. "You should eat Dad," Carl explained, pushing the bowl into one of Rick's hands. He took the dish and found a smile for his boy. Carl adjusted the hat on his head and looked past Rick, at the shattered mirror. One of his eyebrows quirked up and he turned his gaze back to Rick's face.

"Why did you do that?" Carl asked, not upset, only curiosity in his voice. Rick opened his mouth to reply and then closed it again, unable to really find the right words. Carl simply nodded, as if Rick had explained it all properly.

"I get it," Carl said quietly, before turning and leaving the small bathroom. Rick stared down at the bowl of cereal and followed Carl out slowly. The boy sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to himself. Rick managed a small smile for him and sat down.

"Dad, I do actually get it, you know," Carl said firmly, and Rick turned to meet his son's intense blue-eyed gaze as the boy continued, "I miss them too, I feel like I abandoned them all, like I should've done more, _could've _done more, that I failed everyone and now they're all dead." He reached a hand out towards Carl, as if to grasp his guilt and take it from the boy, but Carl shook his head.

"No, Dad, it's alright," he soothed Rick, "We should feel this way and not because we're alive and they aren't, but because it's normal to." Rick's hand dropped back into his lap and he began to slowly and carefully eat the dry cereal. Carl reached for him then, resting his palm lightly on Rick's back. "Dad, it's normal to be sad, to be angry, to feel shitty," Carl continued on, his voice low and serious, "Mom always wanted me to remember what normal was, to not lose that, and I'm not. You're not."

Rick put the cereal on the ground and shifted on the couch to face Carl. "I failed all of you," he managed to say, his voice strangled, "But I don't need to worry about you, not anymore, do I?" Carl shook his head, his blue eyes level and serious as they locked with Rick's.

"I can do it Dad, it might not be fun, but I can do it on my own," Carl reassured him, his chin lifting the slightest bit, "I'm worried about you now; we're a team and you're broken." Rick gave his son a sad smile. "I knew I didn't need to worry about you," Rick replied in a gravelly tone, "You're a man now, Carl."

They continued to stare at each other, each weighing the other's words, until Carl finally nodded at the forgotten bowl of cereal. "Eat, Dad," he ordered quietly. Rick felt an eyebrow flicker up in painful surprise and reached for the bowl. His hand halted an inch above the bowl when sudden, loud, knocking at the door startled them both. They both lunged to their feet and Rick got to the door first, Carl behind him, gun out and levelled at whatever threat might lay on the other side. Rick eased himself quietly up to the door and peered through the peephole. An instantaneous flood of relief came crashing through him and he nearly wavered on his feet.

"Dad?" Carl hissed from behind him, and Rick finally turned back to him, a weary smile on his battered face. When he spoke to his son, he knew his voice would carry to the welcome visitor on the other side of the door, too.

"It's for you."

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The sun set on another bleak day. Daryl felt like he'd lost count of how long they'd all been apart, though Beth insisted it was only a week and a half. They were in front of another small fire, fenced in by the wire and cans they'd strung around their grubby little campsite as an early warning system. Beth was writing furiously in her journal, something that perplexed him to no end. She said it brought her peace and helped her arrange her thoughts when they were painfully tangled. He just thought it was stupid, a waste of time.

He had his knees drawn up, elbows hooked around them, as he sat on the ground, feeling flickers of warmth across his face from the burning tendrils of the fire licking up into the air. He was nearing a point of complete despondence. They'd been tracking for days, and they'd found nothing but the mangled and torn apart bodies of people they'd lived with at the prison, and some bodies he knew must have been the Governor's people before.

Beth's unflagging optimism that not finding the bodies of the people they were desperate to locate was a good thing, was beginning to get under his skin. He tormented himself with images of his loved ones dying, screaming and alone, all because he'd failed them. He'd had so much time, so much opportunity to go out with Michonne over all these months, to try and hunt the bastard down. Now everything he valued was gone for good, all because he'd decided it was more important to hunt for deer, and go on runs to the goddamn mall.

_Linney,_ his mind whispered her name, and he turned his face from the fire, looking out into the woods. He felt like he'd reached the pinnacle of happiness, his life had more meaning than it had ever had before, and then literally seconds later, it was all being taken away. The universe had it out for him, and even though he didn't put stock in karma, he wondered what he was being punished for. What Linney was being punished for. _What did that little baby ever do?_ He mourned the loss of the child he'd never know. The child who was hardly even a fully-fledged image in his head before it was snatched away from him.

And Merle. Goddamnit, it felt like every fucking time he got his brother back, Merle was taken from him again. He wondered if they had died painfully, and resisted the urge to punch himself in the face to banish the mental images.

His eyes narrowed as he sat hating himself, and then he looked over at Beth, who was done writing in her journal and was now staring moist-eyed into the fire. He didn't understand why she wasn't more upset. Why she wasn't crying. She'd lost Ben, and then immediately afterwards, lost Hershel so violently that even Daryl was still shaken by the memory. Following that up with the loss of Maggie, Glenn, Linney, Ass-Kicker, and her home, he wasn't sure why Beth was even able to function.

He opened his mouth to bark that question at her, but all the fire inside of him died. He wondered these things, but just didn't care enough to stir himself from the quiet self-torture he kept his mind wrapped in constantly. Maybe she carried on because she hated him and was just waiting for him to die. He blamed himself for everything, so he felt certain that she did too. He looked away from her, back into the fire, and glared at the flames. He began to play the game with himself again; What Would I Be Willing To Do, To Take It All Back?

This particular game never lasted long, though, because the answer was always the same, and always swift. He'd do anything. Walk into a crowd of walkers unarmed, throw himself into the fire, blow his brains out, endure endless hours of torture; anything to fix the harm he'd caused by being such a lazy, useless dumbass and not stopping all of this before it had even started.

Daryl eventually lay down on his side, facing away from the fire and Beth. He could almost feel her eyes on his back and wondered if she was glaring at him.

"They're alive, you know," she said softly, so softly he almost missed it, "All of them, and they'll be lookin' for us. So we gotta keep on movin', keep lookin' for them." Her tone was gentle, but firm; she believed her words with every fiber of her being, that much was obvious. Daryl had to pause the cycle of self-loathing in his mind for a moment to ponder her words: if Beth put all her energy into hope, that left nothing for hating him.

He had to wonder if maybe, just maybe, she was right.

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They ate quietly at the dusty table, taking turns passing around three different cans of chunky stew. Molly was finished first and shoved the can that made its way to her in Linney's direction.

"You eat it, you're growin' a baby," Molly murmured to her, before sliding out her chair and retreating to the couch she'd decided was hers. Linney watched her go, surprised that the girl knew, but eventually deciding that the kid wasn't deaf or blind, so it made sense.

"Just gonna puke it up later," Linney muttered, making Merle snort a little. He scraped food from the bottom of the can he had, licked his spoon clean, and then pushed away from the table, swinging his feet up and onto the tabletop to relax.

"You have no manners," she chided him, only half-joking, glaring at him when he belched in response. "Jus' eat yer damn food, sweetheart," he growled back. So she did. The house was silent around them, as it had been for the past three days they'd paused there. They were starting to run low on food, so Merle had indicated they'd need to keep moving soon.

"Do you think they all decided to head somewhere we'd all know about? Maybe if we go somewhere that everyone knew about, we'll run into them," Linney spoke into the silence around a mouthful of food, staring into the contents of her can as she did.

"If they ain't all dead, where the hell d'ya think a place like that would be, huh?" Merle snapped at her, his tone unhappy, and she looked up to find him glaring at her. Her brow lowered in response. "How the hell should I know? Maybe someplace they went on a lot of runs to before? Maybe all the way back to Hershel's farm? Woodbury even?" She shot back.

Merle swung his feet off the table and thumped them to the ground angrily. "Fuck that, ain't no way any of 'em went to Woodbury, and yer dumb as shit if you think they went all the hell the way back to that ole farm of yers – most of 'em would just die on a trip that long." He growled at her and Linney got to her feet, done with eating and pissed with Merle.

"What do you suggest? That we wander in fucking in circles?" She cried, throwing her hands into the air. Merle strode over to her quickly and abruptly, standing too close before her, and shoving his face right in front of hers. He had his familiar angry, obstinate expression on and Linney resisted the urge to make a face at him.

"We don't look for 'em, simple as that," his tone was low, bordering on angry, but his eyes were urgent as they searched for something in her own, "We gotta find a place, someplace permanent, and start building that shit up, supplies, walls, weapons – in case you forgot sweetheart, you only got a couple more months before you ain't gonna be much use to me and the girl anymore, and that little rug rat in your belly is gonna slow you down."

Linney stepped away from him and moved towards the front of the house, giving him her back as she made her way to the front window off the foyer. The sun was setting outside and she stared out into the gloomy front yard and the darkening neighborhood around them. She crossed her arms over her chest and listened as Merle strolled into the room behind her.

"Take it you ain't so fond of that idea," he mumbled. Linney made a huffy snort-noise in response, and didn't turn back. "Yer pissed cause you know I'm right, we can't parade around out there forever, that kid can't take it, and soon you won't neither," Merle continued. Linney turned her back on the window and scowled at him.

"If you think for one second that I'm giving up on finding them, on finding whoever may have survived, then you're insane," she hissed in response. Merle shrugged like it didn't matter.

"So we look for 'em, then what? When we don't find 'em, cause, sweetheart, we ain't findin' anyone, what do we do then? You wanna wander around for always? What happens when that little shit-kicker comes along and makes a mess on the way out? You got a Dixon in there, kid, and we ain't nice guests, you're gonna be laid up – what's the big fuckin' plan then? Gonna have Daryl's kid on the side of the road? In the dirt? How you gonna feed it and keep both a you alive?" Merle ranted and then paused, taking in a big breath.

Linney felt shaken, every word rang true, and she was deeply disturbed, down to her very core. They _were_ unlikely to find anyone, and the more time they wasted wandering around in a fruitless search, the less time they had to find a safe place to prepare for Piglet's arrival. _I can't just give up on all of them, though – how can I?_ She wrestled with her thoughts for a few long minutes, before Merle suddenly lunged at her and yanked her harshly from the window, pressing her up against the wall next to it, his hand clamping down over her mouth. She could see by the wideness of his eyes, and the set of his jaw, that something unpleasant, unexpected, and truly frightening lay outside, and her insides went icy cold with dread.

"Ho-lee fuck gents," she heard a voice drawl from just beyond the window, "Think we found ourselves a nice little slice of paradise here." Her eyes darted up to Merle's, close to her own, and she felt utterly lost when she saw the momentary flickering of panic in his own gaze.

"I like the look of this place right here, think I'm gonna call this one home," a loud voice declared, a slight backwoods inflection on the words making it sound ominous, "I'm callin' it: Claimed."


	184. Chapter 184

***** Thanks for all the support guys – it's always appreciated, and you all just further proved that TWD has the best fandom on here, and I'm lucky enough to have a cool pack of folks following this gargantuan fic! **

** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

"Run, now, I'll hold 'em off, just fucking run," Merle hissed at her, his voice a harsh rasp. Linney began shaking her head vigorously. "No, Merle, no!" She whispered back urgently, trying to resist his grip as he dragged her through the foyer and into the room Molly was sleeping in.

"Merle, not without you!" She continued, and Merle shoved her away from himself, bent to Molly, and scooped the little girl up, putting a big hand over her face so she wouldn't make a sound. He leaned his face close to Molly's and Linney could hardly make out the noise as he whispered urgent instructions to the girl. Molly's eye was round and wide, her expression stricken, but she nodded at Merle and moved straight to Linney's side when he put her down.

Merle turned his glare on Linney and started shoving her towards the kitchen, towards the back door, she knew. "Please Merle, come with us, we can all go!" She begged him. "If I can I will, you idiot," he growled back, "But we'll be lucky to get the two of ya out." Linney felt her spine tingle at that notion. She hadn't thought that they might not be able to flee through the back door to escape, but now she was terrified that might be true. Sure enough, once they reached the kitchen, Merle peered out through the curtains and then cursed under his breath.

"Already a couple of 'em out back," he muttered, turning what looked like regretful eyes to Linney. He grabbed her shoulder, and shoved Molly's with his prosthetic arm, and moved them both towards the little door in the wall she knew led to a cobwebby crawlspace under the back stairs of the house.

"Get in, get to the back, and stay quiet," he ordered them, shoving Molly through the door first. Linney resisted at the door. "Merle, let me help!" She insisted, "I can help, you know I can!" He grabbed her shoulder and shoved her painfully up against the wall next to the crawlspace door.

"We don't have fuckin' time for this," he snarled in a low rumble, "There were at least ten of 'em, you don't got that many knives, we ain't got no ammo, and goin' up against a pack of people ain't like a pack of the dead! Now get the fuck in there and stay quiet, you got better things to worry about than ole Merle." He briefly patted her still-flat belly and Linney felt her face twist in fear and sadness. She nodded, hugged Merle quickly, and climbed into the crawlspace.

She heard noise just without the door and knew Merle was casually tossing furniture in front of the crawlspace door. She knew this was bad. A group of at least ten men. Armed men. Surrounding the house. They didn't sound friendly. They had a little girl to protect, not to mention her unborn child. She knew Merle was doing the only thing left available to them; hiding Linney and Molly from sight and sound and trying to deal with the pack of men as a lone straggler.

The crawlspace was pitch dark and she and Molly pushed themselves as far back inside it as they possibly could. Molly was trembling head to foot, but was absolutely silent and fully compliant; Linney couldn't help but admire the kid's gumption. The back of the crawlspace was filled with cardboard boxes and she immediately tried to have her and Molly climb behind them as an extra wall of camouflage, but for once in her life, Linney was too big. She crammed Molly behind the boxes and leaned close to the girl's face.

"Stay back here no matter what," she hissed at Molly, her voice so quiet she wasn't certain that Molly would understand her, "No matter what, don't move, don't cry, and don't come out." She felt Molly's hair flutter against her own face, and Linney realized the girl was nodding.

Linney drew her knees up to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible in the very furthest corner of the crawlspace, which put her right up against the other side of the cardboard boxes from Molly. She patted her hands along her thigh and found the sheath for her largest knife sitting empty. Her fingers clawed angrily around the empty leather pocket, her mind telling her that the knife was sitting in the living room with several others; she had planned on cleaning and possibly sharpening them tonight.

She was also very aware that any move made against any of these men would result in Merle's death, if they were in fact bad people, which a mean little voice in her laughed at her for hoping they might not be. _Yeah, because this world's just full up with the good ones these days, you fucking idiot._

Beyond that though, was Piglet – she was terrified for Piglet. She'd fought at the prison, well aware of the potential damage it could cause to her fragile early pregnancy – but knowing that her options were truly limited: it was fight or die. In this case, she knew there was a third option if she got caught, an option that didn't mean death for either her or the baby: submission.

A dim part of her mind also knew what horrors may lay down the path of submission to the wrong people, but if it kept her alive a little longer, kept Merle alive, just until they could figure out how to get away, then maybe submission was the way to go.

Right now though, she was left sitting tensely in the dark, listening as the doors to the house were finally forced open and many surprised voices began to angrily yell at each other. Even though his words were indistinct, she could hear Merle talking in his good ole boy voice, like he was pleased as punch to finally see some people.

Things were quiet for a while, voices were quieter: they were talking. Linney felt like her whole body was listening to the rumbly noise of the men talking, praying to god they'd think Merle was a novelty with his arm, or a welcome addition to their group as a hunter, or just as an all-around bad ass.

There was laughter, but it wasn't Merle's laughter, she could tell that much. A pain in her back began to grow until it was nearly unbearable, but she felt like she was locked into position and couldn't even begin to think about moving.

"Don't lie to me!" A rather jovial voice spoke loud and clear as feet thumped and tromped into the kitchen just beyond the crawlspace door. "We don't treat with liars, and I'll tell ya friend, you'll do a lot better if you don't lie. Jimmy here claimed this house, but we found you here – so that presents a problem."

"Anythin' in this house is mine," Merle growled, his voice rasping menacingly, "Don't think ya'll can claim somethin' already claimed by another."

"Is it worth dying for?" The jovial man spoke again and Linney had the distinct impression that since Mr. Jovial was the mouthpiece for the group that he was probably the leader.

"I said everythin' in here was claimed by me days ago," Merle growled again, "By yer rules that makes this place _mine._"

"Our rules don't apply to anyone we don't consider part of this group," Mr. Jovial responded reasonably. Merle was silent and then Mr. Jovial barked at his men, "Get on outta here, search the neighborhood, me and Jimmy can watch our new friend Merle while you look for any possible friends of his!"

The floor rumbled with the heavy footsteps of the men leaving. Linney was breathing shallowly and her mind was whirling. If she had her knives she might try to burst out of the crawlspace and kill the men out there. But she had exactly one small knife on her, tucked into her boot for now. She had no intention of trying to save Merle with one little knife, it wouldn't work, and worse, once they had her, they'd take it away.

"Now, level with me, Merle," Mr. Jovial spoke pleasantly enough, "No man guards an empty house like this – there ain't nothin' of value in here! So that tells me that maybe you do got somethin' in this place, or better yet, you got some_one_ in this house." Merle was silent and Linney grabbed at handfuls of her pants and squeezed, trying to force herself to calm down before someone could hear her breathing.

"They ain't in the house no more," Merle finally rumbled in response, "I sent 'em on out when I seen ya'll." There was silence and then the sound of someone being hit. By the grunt of pain, Linney knew it was Merle and almost moved to help him, right then.

"Who? Who would you hide from guys like us?" Mr. Jovial asked, his tone teasing and eager. "I think it was prob'ly a lady, don't you, Joe?" Another voice chimed in and Linney assumed it was Jimmy, who had stayed behind. Mr. Jovial had a name now too, Joe.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinkin'," Joe replied calmly, "Now Merle, don't make me ask more than once, where did you send your lady friend?"

"Fuck you," Merle snarled. Linney knew he was punched by the crunching sound that followed, likely straight in the nose. There was the sound of grunting and growling and she knew he was being kicked now. Linney clamped both hands over her mouth to hold back her gasps. She could hear muffled sounds of distress behind her and knew that Molly was doing the same thing.

"Alright, now, let's ask again – Merle, who was your lady friend and where did you send her?" Joe asked, his voice reasonable and level. Linney heard the sound of someone hawking out a mouthful of something, and assumed it was Merle spitting out a mouthful of blood so he could talk.

"It was my wife, alright? I sent her out, told 'er to run to that prison down a ways, that I'd meet 'er there!" Merle's voice sounded strange, very strange, and to Linney it sounded wrong – it took her a moment to realize what it was – Merle sounded submissive, like he was giving up and caving in all at once. To her ears, it sounded so fake that she cringed, thinking they would surely kill him for lying and pretending to give in to them.

"Now, see? That's better, that's a good man, we wouldn't want you two separated for long," Joe spoke in a much happier voice, "We ain't seen a lady in a good long while, it'd be nice to have one in the group again." Someone laughed, a mean and nasty laugh, and Linney felt her teeth clenching together in absolute rage. She wanted to kill them. This small world would not miss men like these.

"Here's what we're going to do Merle – we're gonna hole up here the night, and then in the mornin', you'll lead us to your lady-love and we'll take care of the both of you, alright?" Joe spoke like a redneck politician, and Linney vowed to kill him first.

"Please don't hurt us," Merle begged, and Linney flinched – again with the insincere submissive tone. Joe and his man ate it up, but Linney was just irritated by it; if they caught wind that Merle was full of shit, then she knew he'd be killed on the spot.

"No one's getting hurt tonight friend, but when we find her, you'll need to be taught a lesson," Joe replied smugly. There was more smarmy laughter from his companion and Linney shut her eyes against the pressing blackness of the crawl space. She knew Merle was trying to lead them away from her and Molly, but now she was going to have to follow him and pick off these assholes one by one.

_I really wanted to just start looking for my own goddamn people,_ she thought angrily, _now they've gone and pissed me off._

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The night was long. Very, very long. When the rest of Joe's men returned, he explained their newest mission for the next morning, and there was a lot of whooping and hollering. Eventually they all moved into other parts of the house and Linney moved slowly and carefully to the door, pressing her ear against it to listen, hoping that no one was left in the kitchen.

It felt like time stretched into eternity that night. Linney crawled back to Molly and found the little girl crying silently. "What's wrong?" She whispered in Molly's ear. Molly shook against her side and Linney gripped her tightly.

"I peed my pants," was her small-voiced response, "I couldn't hold it anymore." Linney felt an actual smile flicker across her face for a moment at the girl's admission. "That's gross, but don't worry kid, they'll leave soon," Linney responded carefully, "It's not like you had a choice or anything."

They sat hunched together in the dark for hours. Molly eventually fell asleep, growing slack against Linney. She sighed quietly, idly running her fingers through Molly's tangled hair. Her own body was aching from being cooped up, and also begging for sleep. She fought it as long as she could until the battle was lost and she slumped into uneasy slumber herself.

She awoke with Molly shaking her arm. "Linney, Linney," Molly whispered urgently, "They're gone, they left, _wake up_!" Linney shook herself awake and slid away from Molly, pressing a hand down on Molly's shoulder to indicate she should stay where she was. "Stay in here until I say you can come out, understand?" Linney's voice was harsh when she hissed the directive at the girl, but Molly only responded with a quiet "Alright".

Linney listened at the door for a long while, hearing nothing. She didn't want to risk losing the trail of Joe and his men, but at the same time knew that Merle's safe extraction from that group depended on her _not_ being caught. There was no noise without, and, taking a deep breath, Linney began to push against the door. She really, really, hoped that Merle hadn't put anything too heavy in front of the door, and breathed out a small sigh of relief when the door began to push open relatively easily.

The gust of fresh air hit her like a slap in the face and reinvigorated her immediately. The brightness of the early morning sun in the kitchen nearly blinded her, and she had to shield her eyes and slowly pull them from the darkness behind the crook of her arm in stages to avoid a piercing headache. The kitchen was empty and the backdoor was closed. Linney's eyes darted to the entryway to the kitchen that led from the rest of the house, and wondered if she should bother trying to grab her weapons, or if it would be best to gather Molly and flee now.

Eventually, she decided that they couldn't just stroll outside with only a small knife for protection – there were more threats outside than just Joe's men. She slunk carefully towards the entrance to the dining room and peered around the corner. The room was empty. Linney silently crept through the room, around the chairs scattered around the room. The dusty table had foot prints on its top, as if someone had been dancing around up there the previous night, and she couldn't help but shake her head at such idiocy from the men. The living room was similarly empty and Linney made a bee line for her throwing knives, still sitting in a little clump inside a dirty old towel in a corner of the room.

Dropping to her knees, she began to frantically tuck them back in their sheaths, feeling her heart beating throughout her entire body.

"Well, looky here," a gruff voice spoke from behind her, and Linney spun around, climbing to her feet in one movement. A dirty looking man stood on the other side of the room, a leering grin on his face. She had to guess he'd been in the family room, on the other side of the foyer. "Looks like that fella _was_ lyin'," he drawled, his eyes crawling up and down her body. Linney made a disgusted face.

"So they left one of you behind?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He smirked and nodded, completely confident. "Joe didn't believe your man, not all the way. So I stayed behind, just in case ya came back," he spoke in a slimy way and Linney grimaced again.

The man took a step towards her and she held a hand out to him. "You're full of shit," she shot back, surprising him, "You look too fucking stupid to be left alone. He left more than just you, no way would he trust such a dumbass alone as a look out."

The man's brow drew down furiously and his face twisted into a snarling kind of pout. "Fuck you, ya little bitch, damn straight he left me alone, I'm his right hand man!" He insisted angrily. Linney shrugged, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal, though internally she was relieved; she believed that he was alone here now.

"Well lucky you," she spoke softly, invitingly, watching as the leering grin replaced the pout on his face when he heard her tone, "You get to die first." The man blinked, surprised, and Linney moved faster than she ever had in her life, ripping out a freshly sheathed knife and heaving it at him. It connected solidly with his chest, aim right on target, burying itself hilt-deep where his heart should be. His mouth dropped open in surprise and he glanced down at his chest, where the knife was now sprouting from the centre of a red circle on his grimy grey shirt.

She threw another, catching him in the throat, just as his hands were closing around the first one. He made a meaty "urk!" noise and stumbled back a step, falling to a knee. He reached blindly for the gun at his hip then, and she strode closer, fury etched across her features. Another knife connected with his hand, piercing all the way through and he tried to scream, but only began to choke on his own blood.

A grim smile spread across her face as she finally found an outlet for all her repressed frustration. She threw another knife, and then another. The man fell to the ground, on his back, and she pounced, ripping free her large hunting knife and stabbing him in the chest, over and over. A few moments later and she realized someone was crying out loudly behind her.

"Stop! Linney! Stop! Please!" Molly was horrified, the terror in her voice unmistakeable. Linney didn't even turn to the girl, just flipped the large knife in her hand to get a different grip on it, before stabbing it into the grubby man's temple. Knowing he was well and truly dead, she remained in her crouch on his chest and began to collect her knives, wiping them clean on his shirt before sliding them home into their respective sheaths. When she turned to Molly, the little girl stood pale and frightened, watching Linney warily.

"I had to," Linney explained raggedly, "He was a bad man who would've done bad things." Molly's wide eye stared at her as she nodded slowly. "Couldn't you just kill him right away?" Molly asked softly, her eyes drawn to the ruined corpse behind Linney.

A trickle of something came down the side of Linney's face and she wiped at it, thinking it was sweat. Her arm came away red and shining after she wiped with it; it was blood. Belatedly, she realized that she was covered in thick splatters of the man's fresh, hot, blood. Her gorge rose for a moment, before she got control of herself and took a deep breath.

"I have to go get Merle now," Linney finally said, bending to search the man for weapons. He had a couple more knives, his handgun, and some ammo in his pockets, and a set of brass knuckles, which she found laughable. _Who the fuck uses these in the damn apocalypse? _She took them anyways.

"What about me?" Molly's voice was quiet behind her, and Linney finally turned again to face the girl. "I'm leaving you here, I'm getting Merle and when I do, we'll come back for you," Linney spoke with authority, leaving no room for Molly to argue, "It won't be safe for you out there, and you'll just get in the way; you'll be safer here."

As she prepared Molly for staying alone, locking down the house, giving her a knife, making sure there was food and drink, Linney's mind roved out ahead, onto the road, hoping that a larger group like that, dragging along a captive, wouldn't get very far. A sort of dark cloud had fully descended over her, and for the first time in a good long while, thoughts of loss, sadness, and fear were pushed away completely, replaced with a feral sort of rage.

_You weren't first, Joe, but I guess second will do just fine._


	185. Chapter 185

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Every step of the way, she was thankful to Daryl, for his attempts at teaching her to track. Not that Joe and his men made any effort to cover their tracks – they stuck to the road and there was food and wrappers in their wake all along the road. Disconcertingly, there were drops of blood along the way, and she swallowed hard, trying to tell herself that Merle was fine. Every now and then, she came across a walker, dead, laying out on the road, obviously slain by several blows from different people.

By the time the sun was setting, she was in another housing development and had lost their tracks. She figured they had at least an hour on her, and probably stopped when they reached this area, having no real concern for travel time, and having so many options for comfort ahead of themselves. She wandered along the road, trying to stay to the dark sections as much as possible, and wondered what she should do now. If she went door to door, she'd likely find them, but she could hear the stealthy sound of walkers down various side streets, and knew that would be stupid.

Decision made, Linney made her way towards a house off to her right, a large, rambling house that she prayed wouldn't be chock full of dead people. On her way she accidentally kicked a large a can on the roadway and paused in fright, dropping down in a crouch. She listened around her, praying no one and nothing had heard it. The noises of the approaching night didn't change and she breathed quietly and slowly, trying to gather her resolve about herself again. She glanced down at the can and her stomach rumbled hungrily at the sight. It was a huge can of chocolate pudding. _Completely empty, of course, dammit._

Shaking her head, Linney made her way off the road and up to the large house she had her sights set on. The front door was closed and she took a deep breath before entering. Closing the door behind herself, she stood and listened. It became apparent fairly quickly that there was a walker in the house somewhere. _Just have to kill the little fucker,_ she thought in irritation, wanting nothing more than to just sit down and eat. Room by room, closet by closet, she cleared the first floor and the basement, finding nothing.

By this time it was dark, very dark, inside the house and without, and she was moving very carefully. It felt like her heart beat and shallow breaths were filling the air all around her and she chided herself for being so damn noisy. At the head of the stairs she was greeted with several open doors and one closed one. She squinted at the closed one. Something was written on it but she couldn't make it out in the gloom of the second floor. Shrugging, she began to search the open rooms first, being careful to look under things, inside closets, and behind shower curtains. Then there was nothing left but the closed door.

Something flashed in her mind, the image of a BBQ lighter in the kitchen. Moving quickly, she went back to the main floor and proceeded to lock the windows and doors while she was down there. Finally grabbing the lighter, she trotted lightly back up the stairs; reading the message on the door was suddenly really important to her. She knew without a doubt that a walker was behind the one closed door, she could hear it in there.

Linney fumbled with the lighter in the dark, getting the normal sense of the creeps she always got in dark places, and finally figured out how to turn the child lock off on the lighter. She flicked it on and held it up to the door. She read the message and had to chuckle to herself.

"Walker Inside, Got My Shoe, Didn't Get Me."

Shaking her head a little, and feeling oddly sad, she made her way down the hall to what must have been the master bedroom, shutting the door behind herself and locking it. She found a chair in the corner and took a moment to shove it under the door handle. The stale air in the room made her feel slightly headachy, so she carefully opened the window as wide as it would go. Fresh air gusted inside and she took a deep breath of it, trying to clear her mind and the smell of the stuffy room.

After checking that there was no easy way for a walker or a person to access the room from the window, Linney moved to the large bed and sat down wearily. She yanked the backpack off her back and dug in it for a bottle of water and a sleeve of stale crackers. She drank a couple of sips of warm water, and then devoured the entire packet of crackers, cramming them in one after the other blindly. She followed that up with a couple more swallows of water, before laying down on the bed, feeling full.

She stared up at the ceiling, and realized that her eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness. There was a ceiling fan above her that clearly hadn't seen use in a long while and she fell asleep imagining a world where everything worked.

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Michonne's arrival changed things, Rick could feel it. She was just one piece of a larger puzzle, but her presence spoke to something bigger than just herself: If Michonne had escaped alive, logic dictated that others had too, especially those with fighting skills on par with hers. Carl was chirked up just by her presence, he could see that clearly enough, and with another person around, Rick felt he could truly rest. He needed it. His body and head ached sickeningly, and he had to constantly remind himself that it hadn't been that long since he'd fought the Governor.

The morning after Michonne's arrival, she suggested that she and Carl go out and scavenge, see what they could find around the neighborhood, working safely as a team. Rick only put up token resistance, he needed rest, and Michonne knew it; her dark eyes hadn't stopped analyzing his condition from the moment she laid her gaze upon him. When they left, he heaved a long sigh of relief and made his way slowly up the stairs, feeling every part of his body ache with each step.

When he eventually collapsed onto the big bed in the master bedroom, he snatched up the paperback sitting on the bedside table and indulged in a bit of old world activity: resting his weary bones and reading in bed. Predictably, he fell asleep. He awoke sometime later to noise, and it wasn't familiar noise. People were downstairs. Angry people. Loud people. Lots of people.

"Toss 'em over there boys," a furious voice said, "Bad enough this shithead attacked us, ungrateful fucker that he is, but then _you_ come along n' killed _three _of my men!" There was a chorus of angry voices. "Alright, alright, everyone calm down, let's spread out. Take care a yourself if this little fucker drew your blood, we'll deal with the two of them shortly."

Rick was listening, trying to figure out what the hell he'd gotten himself into now, when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. With moments to spare, he rolled off the bed and slid underneath it, hopeful as a child that if he hid well enough, the bad guys wouldn't find him.

At least until he could figure out what the hell to do next.

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Linney woke with the sunrise, early, the bright light pouring in through the gauzy curtains of the bedroom. For a moment she blinked sleepily at the sight of the curtains billowing gently on the slight breeze, before a thumping noise from the room next door brought her to her senses. In a rush, she remembered where she was and why, and launched to her feet. She was rocked with a sudden urge to go to the bathroom, and made her way into the master ensuite, thanking god it wasn't a disgusting mess in there.

After relieving herself, she thought back to the drops of blood on the road she'd seen while tracking Joe and his men. _Merle's blood._ She wrenched open the medicine cabinet and the cupboard under the sink and ransacked it for first aid and medical supplies. There wasn't much. Out in the hallway, she went into the larger main bathroom and raided it as well, coming up with a lot more. A cursory glance in the kitchen revealed no food left, unless she was interested in eating spices, which she really wasn't.

Sighing, she fished out her last sleeve of crackers and ate a few on her way out of the house. She stood in the yard for several long minutes, trying to plan her best course of action. She assumed following the same path she had the day before would be best. It was truly very early, and she doubted that Joe and his men would be on the move yet, meaning she had some time to try and catch up to them. Out on the road, she was surprised that there were no walkers in sight, she could _hear _them; one or two bumbling around in backyards or alleyways, likely. None in sight though.

Again, the lack of them, though helpful, struck her as ominous, and she thought back to the herds she and her people had spent so much time tracking. She wondered if certain areas were truly clearing out because of the herds, if the walkers were just merging together everywhere. _That's great if you're someplace they aren't – less good if the herds find you._ She imagined plagues of walkers descending like locusts on towns and cities, leaving everything flattened and barren in their wake.

She was so deep in thought, that when she heard the angry yelling, at first she hardly noticed it. It was only when one of the yelling voices became identifiable that she broke into a sprint. _Merle._

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He was sick of waiting, he thought he'd have thrown them long before now, he was fucking sick and tired of being hauled around like a broken toy – nobody hauled Merle Dixon around. The night before, instead of crashing in one of the many houses around them, they'd chosen a huge backyard that was only partially fenced. He didn't know if it was because they preferred the outdoors, or just wanted the fastest method of escape available should any unwelcome guests come upon them, but either way, it made Merle's own plans to get away a little less complicated. He waited until half the group was asleep, the other half hardly even looking at him, before getting to his feet. He'd been laying on his side for most of the night, no weapons on him, surrounded by armed guys, and the men had left him fairly unguarded for a moment.

_Fuckin' idiots,_ he snarled internally, _didn't even tie me down. _He knew it was because there were so many of them. To Merle, these were soft, stupid men who acted hard because they travelled in such a big group; they were cocky because they were used to being the bigger threat, due to size alone. _I'm a goddamn threat, boys, a one-man-fuckin'-army._

He moved quickly, stepping lightly around the sleeping men and then breaking into a run. He was stopped fairly quickly when one of the very much awake men suddenly tackled him. They each let out angry roars and Merle wrapped his prosthetic arm around the burly man's throat, hugging the other end with his other hand, choking off his attacker's breathing. A kick to his ribs from another assailant sent him sprawling off the man, who began to cough painfully, one hand pressed to his throat.

Two men came at Merle, as the others all sprang to life around him. He was yelling, they were yelling, and Merle began to kick, punch, and stomp at the men fighting him. He was a big man, he knew, a born fighter, and if it were just these two, he'd have put them down and made his exit quickly. However, these men travelled like a pack of dogs, and they descended on him like the wild creatures they were. He received several punishing blows before one of them men let out a high pitched shriek, breathy as a little girl. Everyone paused and looked towards the shrieker and saw the man had a knife embedded to the hilt right in his dick.

"What the f-?" One of the men began to say, before a gunshot tore through the air and the side of the surprised man's head exploded in a rain of blood and gore. The guy with the knife in the crotch had sunk to his knees, crying and gibbering with both hands pressed to his privates. A second gunshot ripped out and the man with the ruined crotch sprawled down face first into the dirt, with a brand new hole in his head.

The men scrambled then, pulling their weapons and screaming at each other, screaming at their attacker. A couple other knives connected solidly with various body parts on various men, each of them crying out in pain when it did. It added to the general chaos of the moment and Merle tried to claw away across the ground from them, and received a vicious kick in the ear, tearing it nearly all the way off his head.

He howled loudly and at the same time realized he could hear a woman screaming in rage. He turned his bloody head in that direction, dragging his bleeding face across the dirt as he did. His vision doubled, then tripled, and then finally evened out, and he realized that one of the men had a struggling, furious little figure wrapped up in his arms. _Linney, fuck no,_ Merle thought blearily. He watched woozily as the men made for her and her captor. She lifted her legs clean off the ground, using her attacker's grip as leverage, and stretched her hand down to her thigh.

She pulled free her hunting knife and then whipped her head to the side as well as she could and drove the blade over her shoulder, into the eye of the man struggling to keep hold of her. He let out a low, hollow scream of pain and dropped her. _Good girl,_ Merle congratulated her silently before succumbing to the blackness that pulled at him.

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The element of surprise only worked so well, and she had really only hoped for a distraction, enough so that Merle could run for it. She hadn't counted on the man who had split from the group, likely to relieve himself. He'd come up so silently, and she was so engrossed in her attack, that she hadn't noticed him until it was too late.

After she'd killed him, and after the other men converged on her, grabbing her arms and holding her still, Linney had caught a glimpse of Merle behind them, laying unmoving on the ground. She prayed he wasn't dead, her stomach sinking with dread when she couldn't tell if he was breathing or not.

"Let me guess," a man spoke in a familiar voice as he approached her, an older man, with a large wolf-like smile on his face, "You're his gal." _Joe. _Linney was heaving with ire, out of breath and furious, and only nodded at him. She was praying to god they wouldn't hit her now, even though she'd just killed three of their men. The world slowly drew to a standstill around her and she remembered her baby, little Piglet, and she was terrified. _Oh shit, oh god, please what have I done? _She lamented her choices and brought her frantic eyes up to Joe's expectant face.

"You guessed right," she replied, grunting a little when one of the men holding her arm pulled too hard and she felt like her arm might rip off, "What was I supposed to do – sit back and just let you take him?" Joe laughed then, long and hard, and his men slowly, uncertainly, joined in with him.

"You're a little smartass," he laughed, "You're in quite a situation, and still you're mouthing off to us." He looked around at his men and shook his head as if she were simply incorrigible.

"You see, girl, you killed some of my men, and hurt bad some of the others," Joe explained, as if she were stupid, "This is gonna delay us some, while we fix ourselves up." He strode closer to her, stopping a couple feet away. He bent a little to get his face on level with hers and smiled at her, though it never reached his calculating, glaring eyes. "You got some lessons to learn, girlie, and we're gonna have to teach 'em to you," he looked over her head at one of the men holding her, "Let's find a place to crash for a couple days of R&R, sound good boys?"

She felt momentary relief that no one had hit her, or punched her, and then the sickening certainty that they wanted her whole flooded through her. She had her hands and feet bound by duct tape and saw them binding Merle's hand to his other arm, so tightly she was concerned for his future circulation. She let out a heavy sigh of relief when they slapped Merle awake and hauled him to his feet. They didn't intend on making her walk, it seemed, and one of the men holding her still simply slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

From her upside-down view she watched Merle shuffling along, struggling to walk a straight line. Her heart was breaking when she really saw the ruin of his head and face. He was bleeding so much from so many different wounds, that she didn't even really know exactly where he was hurt, except for the obvious wound of his ear and the unnatural bend in his nose. She didn't take her eyes off him the whole journey to wherever the men were planning on stopping.

He finally looked up at her and she offered him a small smile of encouragement. He only glared at her, stumbling slightly as he walked along. The men behind him slapped the back of his head and Merle looked around briefly, to see if anyone was watching, before looking straight back at Linney and winking at her, signalling he was alright.


	186. Chapter 186

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

She wasn't really sure anything was happening until _everything _began to happen. Sitting on the floor, next to Merle, she hadn't been able to say anything to him, except "Are you ok?" His response was a glare and the words earned a glower and a half-hearted kick to her thigh from the man left to guard them. She remained silent after that, her eyes scanning the room and the parts of the house she was able to see from their position in the corner of the living room. A few of the men disappeared upstairs, some to the back of the house, and Joe went out onto the front porch.

Linney was very aware of how badly this was likely to go for her, and for Merle. She knew exactly what they'd do to her, and knew that they wouldn't hesitate to beat the crap out of her if she fought back, an option she knew would definitely result in her losing the baby. She cut her eyes back to Merle and saw he was gazing intently at her. His expression was unusually morose for Merle Dixon, and she had to clamp her teeth down on her tongue to keep from responding with a strong display of emotion.

From her spot on the floor she could just see up the stairs, and when she caught slight movement at the top of the stairs she felt her heart come to a brief standstill. A man, a haggard, badly beaten man moved quickly through the hall. It was only a glimpse, a very quick glimpse, but she was absolutely certain the man was Rick. Her breath came in quiet pants as she struggled to come to terms with what she'd seen.

As badly as she wanted to cry out for him, she knew something about the entire situation was off. Why was he sneaking around? Was he there to somehow rescue them? If so, why hadn't he looked at her? As her mind whirled, she knew she couldn't say anything, his presence had gone undetected and that was how it needed to remain, regardless of the outcome – if she gave up Rick, there was an excellent chance he'd just join them here in the living room, or wind up dead.

When she glanced over at Merle, she knew he could see something was seriously wrong, but she didn't know how to convey Rick's presence to him without words, and again, didn't want to draw attention to Rick's presence in the home. Things were quiet for so long afterwards that she began to think that she was maybe losing her mind and that she'd imagined the presence of Rick, her mind conjuring up something she wanted to be true.

She looked up again when another figure appeared at the top of the stairs and she immediately recognized one of the men who'd tromped up the stairs earlier proclaiming his desire to "take a much needed shit". The way he was moving struck Linney as odd, and also, oddly familiar. She elbowed Merle and he caught the way she was staring meaningfully at the stairs. Leaning a little towards her to get a better view, he saw the figure at the top of the stairs right before the man took a step out into thin air and came tumbling down the staircase. His crashing descent drew all kinds of attention.

Men on the main floor started yelling and ran for their comrade, right when he rose to his feet, one arm dangling, obviously broken. Linney instantly recognized the eerie emptiness of someone who'd just turned. The fresh walker turned on the nearest man and immediately grasped his arm and yanked it towards his gaping mouth.

The grabbed man seemed confused, until his arm was drawn to his former-friend's mouth and torn into. Then real screaming started and gunshots fired as Joe roared into the house. "What the fuck!" He screamed. The walker was shot quickly, and then, in a move that made Linney flinch, Joe turned swiftly to the bitten man and shot him point blank in the head. She shuddered at the easiness of the movement, and the way no one else seemed to be really shocked.

Almost immediately afterwards, two of the men from upstairs came into view, one of them clutching his throat. Linney took the opportunity to begin pulling at her bonds, trying to find a loose part, anything at all that might help her out. She paused when she heard the man clutching his throat gasp out that he'd seen a man under the bed upstairs, right before he passed out.

Linney only momentarily paused to note that no one seemed concerned that two men who were supposed to be on the same team had brawled upstairs, to the point where one of them choked the other out. She pushed the errant thought away when she realized the man under the bed was obviously Rick. Joe's group came to the same consensus, the man under the bed had definitely killed their man (who'd been minding his own business taking his much-needed shit) leaving their toilet-bound friend as a ticking time bomb in their midst before making his escape.

"Well, you seen his face, I say we track 'im," the choker said to the choke-ee. There was nodding all around, and then they all seemed to remember her and Merle.

"Ah, the two lovebirds," Joe drawled, glaring at them both, "We still got a score to settle with the both of you." Linney said nothing, only continued to stare back at him. The other guys were all fired up though, revenge and retribution fresh in their minds; they wanted to find Rick and make him pay, immediately and violently.

"Leave 'em here," one of them shouted, "They ain't goin' nowhere!" There was a chorus of agreement to this and Joe raised an eyebrow at Linney, his eyes never wavering from her face. "Don't look at me, I think it's a great idea," she blurted out, unable to repress the flippant response. Joe smirked and shook his head.

"This one's got balls, I'll give 'er that," Joe spoke loudly, but she could tell internally he was trying to make a decision. Merle was grumbling next to her, but she ignored him. Joe spoke to his men, but didn't take his gaze from Linney. "I want 'em here, they still got to pay, but that other piece of shit needs to pay first – I got lengthy plans for the lessons these two need to learn, but that other fuck just needs to die, and the sooner, the better."

The men converged on Merle, dragging him cussing and cursing across the room, where they proceeded to duct tape him to the radiator. Linney was roughly pulled along the floor out the opposite side of the living room from where Merle was being secured, to the banister near the bottom of the stairs. They taped her bound hands to one of the lower banister rails and she was left on the floor near the body of the freshly killed walker and his swiftly shot bite-victim.

The sorts of horrifying vows and promises Joe's men made to her as they made their way out the door made her gorge rise, but she managed not to puke by sheer force of will. Joe was the last out the door, his men hooting and hollering outside as they prepared to hunt Rick down. "We'll be back before too long kids, so don't go anywhere," he spoke jovially again and Linney answered with a black glare. They shut the door and the house was silent, neither her nor Merle willing to say anything until they couldn't hear any of them anymore.

"They left a guy behind last time," she called into the living room. Merle was out of her line of sight now, but he could still hear her. "I know that," he grumbled.

"We don't have long Merle, if they do catch Rick –" she began but Merle's shocked yell cut her off.

"_Rick?_ What the _fuck?"_ He was angry and clearly startled and she felt an insensate burble of laughter well up inside her chest. "I saw him Merle, before this asshole fell down the stairs – he must've been in the house, he was the man under the bed," she explained, trying to twist her body around. She had an idea of how she might get loose of the banister, but it was probably going to hurt. A lot.

"Well, Officer Friendly's in for a shitload of trouble," Merle replied angrily. Linney leaned forward from her seated position as much as she could and twisted herself until she was able to get her bound feet underneath her. They'd secured her with her back to the stairs, likely to prevent her from kicking the banister and breaking it.

She began to grunt as she braced her feet against the wall below the banister and then stretched forward, letting all of her weight pull on the restraint of the duct tape. She was hanging in midair at this point and began trying to bounce her weight back and forth, yanking on the tape and also on her shoulders. The pain in her shoulder sockets was nearly blinding and she couldn't help the small cries it brought forth. She could hear Merle struggling in the next room and knew that he was likely using extreme measures himself.

She knew Merle hadn't really fought back much since she'd killed the men outside because he wanted them to think he was much more injured than he was. _Dixons are tough,_ she thought to herself, again having to supress a wild peal of crazed laughter.

"_Mother! Fucker!" _She shrieked as the last bounce she took nearly tore her arm from its socket. She could feel a shift in the tape though and immediately pulled herself back, falling onto her ass on the ground again, arms still bound above her.

Her arms and shoulders were screaming at her, but she began to pull at the tape frantically. She nearly sang in relief, because her earlier struggles had stretched the tape slightly. Pulling and wiggling hard, one of her arms finally came free with a thump as it hit the ground. She managed to move her arm into her lap, feeling the maddening tingling pain of the blood flowing back into it. She shook it without mercy, her brain screaming at her hands to move those damn fingers.

"Merle, my hand," she called, "it's out!"

"Good for you princess, how about you hurry the fuck up and get us out of here?" He snarked back at her. She shook her head at his attitude, knowing he was just as relieved as she was. "If I get us out of here, that makes me your hero, you know," she replied, turning sideways and using her free hand claw at the tape. Merle muttered obscenities from his spot in the other room and Linney laughed until her teeth connected with the tape, deciding to just chew through it when her fumbling and numb fingers couldn't undo it.

When her other arm came free, she began to shake and massage it, willing the blood to flow. With one hand feeling almost back to normal and the other just waking up, she set to work on the tape binding her ankles together and luckily found that easier to undo. She was ridiculously grateful for that because she was doubtful that she was bendy enough to actually reach the tape on her ankles with her teeth.

When one foot was free, that was all she needed and she crawled over to the dead men laying nearby. Her weapons were gone now and she took it upon herself to steal the corpses' guns and knives. By the time she'd done that, she was able to stagger to her feet and clumsily make her way to Merle, nearly collapsing on top of him when she tried to sink to her knees.

"Watch it," Merle chided her, almost by rote. She shot him a glare out of the side of her eye and bent to the duct tape wrapped around and around his chest, lashing him to the radiator. One of her newly stolen knives made quick work of it and soon he was on his feet too. He grabbed the roll of duct tape that was sitting on the coffee table and then slung his prosthetic arm around her shoulders and ushered her roughly to the kitchen.

He stopped long enough to dig through the drawers there, retrieving a large, sharp, wicked-looking knife, and then they pulled open the back door and flew down the steps. "Where do we go?" She asked frantically, when they reached the street. He glanced over at her and his mouth quirked to the side quickly. "I'm assumin' the girl's still alive?" He asked, his tone giving away the slightest hint of concern.

"Of course she is, I left her behind, at the house," Linney snapped, irritated for some reason that he might think she let Molly die. Glaring at each other, Merle pointed down the road impatiently, before snapping right back, "Well don't just stand around slack-jawed sweetheart, let's go grab the kid and then get the fuck out of town, try to find Officer Friendly before they do."

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_They haven't really been gone that long,_ Molly thought to herself, sitting by the front window again, _it only feels that way._ Molly thought back to Linney's face, close to her own when she'd gripped both of Molly's shoulders in her hands and squeezed them. Linney's eyes had stared into her own and even now Molly could still hear the little catch in Linney's voice when she promised she wouldn't be gone for long.

Molly had watched her walk away from the house, down the driveway, and all the way down the road until she was a speck in the distance, and then finally gone. She wanted to brave, brave like Linney, brave like her mom always she had to be for Matty. But it was just so hard sometimes.

"You're the older one, you're the brave one, sweetie," her mom had said, that very last night, "Take care of him, and take care of you." Molly's face had still been burning with the painful fire of the huge wound buried under the multiple layers of bandaging on her face, the wound that had torn her features nearly in half. Still she nodded, filled with a vague sense of dread, but even at that point, still had the childish hope that someone would come along and make things right.

Nobody did though, her mom died, right there in her sleeping bag. Molly had left the room, as her mom had instructed her to do, closing the door behind herself.

"I'll come back, baby, as someone else, as a monster wearing my face," her mother had been gasping for breath against the fever burning through her veins at this point, and her words were labored, but determined, "You get away from me, get out of here, shut the door, go downstairs."

Her mom never talked about what she and Matty were supposed to do once she was gone. Get away from her, yes, but then what? Did they leave the house? Molly had spent days crying in the living room, holding her little brother, who was pale and mute, eyes constantly welling tears up and out without changing his facial expression. The tears poured down his face until his little cheeks were red and raw. They listened to the thing that wasn't their mother anymore rattle and bang at the door upstairs, growling at them, and Molly wondered what would happen if she died, too. _Would I eat Matty?_

When the food ran out, Molly hadn't known what to do. They could return to the bad men, she thought she might remember where they were – but her mom barely got them out after Molly's face was cut open, and Molly knew things could be very bad for them there. She struggled with it; maybe they wouldn't cut her again, maybe they'd feed her and Matty? Ultimately, the pain in her face reminded her that no matter what happened, going back was not the answer. She'd picked up her brother's hand and they'd walked outside. They walked for a very long time, sleeping in cars and inside storage sheds. They were quiet as mice, and moved like mice, scurrying about from place to place, stealing food when they could.

Then they found Merle. It wasn't on purpose, he was doing something else in the woods and Molly was pretty sure he almost killed them because he thought they were monsters, not kids. The two of them were dirty, skinny, with dried blood and other gross stuff all over them. Anyone might think they were monsters. When he'd whirled around and pointed his gun at them, Molly had squashed Matty's hand in her own and tried not to cry.

"Hi," she said, not really sure what else to say. Merle had lowered his weapon and began scanning the woods, asking them quick, angry-sounding questions, like who they were, where they came from, where their parents were. Molly had answered honestly. "We're just normal kids," she'd said, "We used to live in DC. Dad got eaten on our front lawn, my little brother saw the whole thing and he won't talk anymore. Mommy died a little while ago, I don't know how many days. She turned into one of the monsters."

Merle's face had been uncomfortable looking the whole time she spoke, like he wanted to yell at them to go away, like he wanted to say he didn't like her story and wished she'd never come along.

"What the hell happened to your face?" He'd asked her rudely, staring at the now filthy and bloodied bandages. Molly told the truth in the blunt way she did, because she wasn't sure what else to do, "A bad man cut my face open and my eye fell out." Merle's face had twisted into something terrifying in its sudden furious rage, and Molly nearly cut and run then, terrified of a man who could look that way when he was angry. It took her a moment to realize he was mad at the bad man, not her and Matty.

"Where does the bad man live?" He'd barked roughly, and Molly frowned at him, not sure why that mattered. "Do you have food?" She asked instead of answering his question; Matty was swaying on his feet next to her, hunger and exhaustion having driven the little boy nearly to death.

"This is some bullshit," Merle muttered, "Yer both comin' back with me, to the place I live at." Merle moved towards them quickly, scooping Matty up in his strangely bulky and hard looking arm. That's when Molly noticed it was a fake arm. "What happened to your arm?" She asked him, trotting after him when he started to charge through the trees.

"A bad man made me cut it off to save my life," he told her abruptly. Molly didn't saying anything for a few minutes, just noted that Matty had his head rested on Merle's shoulder, his whole little body limp against the strange man, his eyes glassy.

"There's a lot of bad men now," Molly had commented. Merle grunted. "Got that right kid," Merle muttered, "What's yer name?"

"Molly," she answered, reaching out for his free hand, his real hand, and wrapping her little fingers around it, "This is my brother, Matty." Merle grunted again and then they were stepping from the trees and out onto the road and Molly saw Merle's home, saw the walls. "This is Woodbury," he explained shortly.

"What's your name?" She asked him, as the walls parted and they walked inside. Merle whistled and hollered out for the doctor before turning to her. "Merle Dixon," he answered. Then there was a flurry of women around her and her brother, and they were carted off to be cared for. They didn't see Merle again for days after that.

Molly stared out the window now, waiting in the house for Linney to come back with Merle. She didn't doubt for a second that Linney would save Merle, and she also knew that Merle would never leave her alone. _They're coming back,_ she comforted herself. A speck appeared on the road, far in the distance, and at first Molly's heart leapt for joy, thinking it was Merle and Linney.

As the speck grew closer, though, she saw it was a car. The car pulled into the street she was on, stopping a few driveways away. When the two figures hopped out, and she recognized who and what they must be, Molly shoved away from the window and raced recklessly for the door, her heart in her throat. She burst through the front door and immediately began calling for the two well-armed people, a man and a woman.

"Hey! Please help me!" She called, running full-bore across the lawns. The two newcomers turned to her, and pulled their guns, looking around worriedly, searching for the threat that had this little girl running to them for help.

"My friends left me because bad men got one of them, Linney said they'd come back, but they haven't yet," Molly spoke as she reached them, standing before the lady first, staring up into the young woman's serious face, "But you can help right? It's your job to help?" The woman looked over at her companion, who nodded curtly, and then they were ushering her into the back seat of their car. As they drove away, the woman explained they would take her somewhere safe first, where she wouldn't be alone.

Molly smiled, pleased that, by some miracle, she'd found help. She wouldn't be alone, or afraid, and they would find her friends and make them safe too. She twisted in her seat, getting up on her knees to look through the back window. There was a large white cross in the center of the back window, partially obscuring her view, but she was glad to watch the house she'd been hiding in shrink in the distance.

_Mommy always said to trust a police officer, _Molly told herself, sitting back down and smiling up at the uniformed Atlanta Police Department officers sitting upfront, _Police are there to help people. And now they're helping me._


	187. Chapter 187

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

"Anything?" She called to Merle, completely heedless of the loudness of her voice. Merle rubbed a frustrated hand over the top of his skull, and shook his head in the negative. Linney pressed her lips together, feeling the huge swell of guilt coming back to lap at the edges of her mind, poisoning every thought racing through it.

"I should've brought her," Linney spoke regretfully, "I could've stashed her closer to where I found you."

"How the fuck were you supposed to know in advance where ya'd find me?" Merle shot back, his voice angrily frustrated, "Ya fuckin' psychic all of a sudden?" She glared at him and turned for the new house they were staying in. It had been a week since they'd returned from their great escape, and when they didn't find Molly, all thoughts of Rick and the others were driven from both their heads. Linney hadn't realized how much the kid had wormed her way into their hearts, until she was gone.

Finding her became all-consuming. They were going house to house, yard to yard, slowly tearing apart everything they touched trying to find her. Eventually they'd managed to find a car, and as they searched, they scavenged. It was ingrained in them at this point, like a reflex, she couldn't _not _grab something if she knew they needed it.

There was no Molly anywhere. At first they thought she'd run from a herd or from a couple stray walkers, but Merle had gone around and around the house and surrounding yards and told her that he only saw the tracks from themselves and those from Joe's men.

Molly's tracks led across several lawns, to a driveway a few houses away, and then they were just gone. "Like she flew up into the goddamn air," Merle had muttered.

"Was it Joe?" Linney had asked regretfully, fighting the urge to vomit at the thought. Merle's jaw jutted out as he thought about it. His eventual answer was slow to come, but Linney felt relief, "Nah, this place is way the hell in the opposite direction they went in after ole Office Friendly – he wouldn't waste his damn time coming all the way back here just for one of his guys." Merle believed that, so she did too. She had to – the alternative was too ghastly to even think about.

This left them the whole rest of the world to search. Molly's disappearance confused the hell out of them both. So they searched. And searched. They devoted all their time to searching. It was becoming apparent to each of them, though, that Molly was gone. She'd been scooped up by the universe and just clean disappeared.

That night, sitting on opposite ends of the big couch in the living room of the place they were staying at, Linney finally, tentatively, voiced what they'd each been avoiding: giving up. "We aren't going to find her," she stated flatly, avoiding Merle's hard gaze.

"No, we ain't," he conceded, his tone weary. Linney picked at her pants, at the tear in the knee. "We need to stop now," her voice declared softly, "We need to head back in the general direction that Rick went." She shifted in her seat when Merle said nothing. His expression was bleakly disappointed. Without meeting her eyes, he launched to his feet and strode towards the window, his back to her.

"I failed that kid," he muttered, his voice full of self-loathing. "You didn't," Linney replied instantly, "Merle, no, you didn't." He didn't turn back to her, just rested his hand against the window, and then clenched it into a fist. "So we go look for Sheriff Rick and company," he said.

"Yes," she replied so softly her voice hardly carried, "Don't you think it's time?" Merle said nothing, and Linney realized after a few long moments that he wasn't going to reply. She eventually shifted around and lay on her side, trying to get comfortable. Merle didn't leave the window and Linney eventually fell asleep.

She awoke sometime later, fuzzy-headed and bleary-eyed, when Merle dropped a blanket over her. "Merle?" She mumbled sleepily. "We'll leave first thing," he told her gruffly. Linney nodded and fell asleep again almost instantly.

_She opened her eyes to find herself laying on the ground, surrounded by feet, people. She got up and looked around and realized that she wasn't able to see the people who surrounded her, though there were many of them. Shades of brown and grey filled the space around her and when she saw a bright flash of red fabric ahead, she started moving, pushing through the people who stood in her way._

_She could hardly move, her feet didn't seem to realize her brain was telling them to go on. It became imperative that she claw her way through the hordes of people, to find that red fabric, and when she finally reached a small clearing in the group of people, she found it. It was Molly, laying on the ground, in a bright red dress. Her little ruined face was grey, her eye closed, and Linney knew she was dead. Sinking to her knees, she clawed her way towards the little figure, sobbing. A thump sounded behind her and she turned to see Beth, wearing a red dress as well, collapsed in a heap, her face battered and tinged a sickly green. Linney opened her mouth to cry out in pain, but she heard a noise from her other side, and suddenly a little body was thrown down in front of her. It was Judith, also dead, in a little red sleeper. A grunt sounded behind her back, and with a welling sense of dread, she whirled around to find Carl, in jeans and a bright red t-shirt lying dead against the cement. _

_Her tears felt curiously hot, her face and eyes hurting badly, as she cried and screamed, managing to get to her feet, as the bodies of the people she loved were tossed by unseen hands to land in a circle around her, faster and faster._

"_What happened?" She yelled, stepping towards Rick's emaciated and broken body, "Stop it! Stop!" There was silence around her, the milling bodies of the huge crowd around her still moving, but not making a sound. She couldn't climb out from the pile of her people's corpses around her without stepping on anyone, but she was equally desperate to get away. _

_There was a final sound, from behind her, and when she turned, she saw Daryl, his slumped form laying over top of Maggie's, his clothing torn, his body pinned full of arrows, each one surrounded by flaming red blood. A long mournful noise came from deep in her chest and she felt frozen by the fear inside of her. She clambered over the bodies of the fallen to reach him, heedless of who and what she stepped on. When she got to him, she began to rip the arrows from his body, moaning and calling his name as she did_

"_Please, Daryl, please, open your eyes, please," she mumbled to him, her face felt soaking wet, but the muscles behind her skin were tight from her sorrow. When she had pulled the last arrow, she dragged his head towards her, holding it against her chest and rocking with him, crying into his hair. _

_When his hand launched up and grabbed her throat, she realized she was getting her wish: he was waking up. So was everyone else around her. Their own lusty, hungry, groans began to fill the air, as breath rasped up through ruined throats from dead lungs. Linney shoved the newly-risen Daryl away and became brutally aware of her belly, which was suddenly huge, heavy, and prominent before her. _

_She backed up from her former friends and family, wrapping her arms over her stomach, as if to prevent what was to come. "Daryl no, please don't," she managed to say, even though it was becoming increasingly hard to breathe. It was like being surrounded by her dead was sucking the very oxygen out of the air around her._

"_I warned you, baby girl," her father spoke from beside her, his face regretful and filled with pain, "I told you to run, to live, not to stay for the dead, just to join them yourself." He shook his head and reached for her as she stood frozen to the spot, in terror for her baby. "Come with me now, baby, it'll be over so quickly," he soothed her and she lifted her arm to reach for him._

"_Don't touch him! Its death over there, sweetheart," she could the familiar voice from behind her, "Don't go with him! Listen to me now, ya little shithead, have I ever steered you wrong?" Linney turned to follow the direction of the voice, her head fighting against a force that wanted her to stare into death. The crowd of people had parted and she could see Merle, standing at the far end of it, beckoning her urgently._

"_Don't got all day, sweetheart!" He called to her and Linney began to fight the force pressing against her, desperate to reach Merle now, to leave her father and the dead behind her. Her heart felt painfully constricted, the notion of leaving Daryl behind hurt, but when she felt fluttering movement in stomach, she knew she had to. _

"_Hurry now, Linney, move yer dam feet!"_

She woke up with a gasp, coated in sweat and frightened. The room they were in was still dark, but she could see the familiar lump of Merle on the floor below where she slept on the couch, his body standing guard between her and the rest of the house. Linney sat up, pushing the blanket off her body, feeling the cooler air rush onto her skin with a relieving shudder.

The images of her dead friends were still lingering, and she rubbed her eyes vigorously, trying to force them from her mind. Daryl's especially, wouldn't leave her. She never was one for sussing out meanings of dreams, it all seemed like a waste of time – but she was fairly certain she knew what her subconscious was telling her right now. _You don't have time to waste fighting through the world to try and find them – you have to find a safe place, for you and Piglet. _Linney placed a hand on her still fairly flat belly, and lay down again, on her back.

In the dark, she let her hands roam over abdomen, feeling the slightest of little bumps there. She reckoned they'd been out in the world, after the prison, for about 3 weeks, and she was also begin to suspect that Dr. S may have been wrong, and that she was on the high side of his estimation of her pregnancy. _Do the math, dummy, _she told herself now, her hand idly tracing her waist and hips, which she felt certain were just mildly thicker than they used to be, _if you were about 12 weeks instead of the 8-10 he thought, and you've been out here for 3 weeks… wow, so 15 weeks. _Linney placed her hands flat on her stomach, realizing by her math that she was either just about, or spot on, 4 months pregnant. _Explains why my boobs are so huge,_ she thought ruefully, knowing that Merle had no idea that she'd spent a lot of time this past week trying on bras, trying to find something bigger and more comfortable.

Her pants were tighter, but not uncomfortably so; she could still wear them. She knew it was only a matter of time though, before she was searching for baggy pants, loose fitting with room for growth. She doubted she'd come across any maternity clothes. Linney shifted to her side and looked down at Merle, at the side of his head where his ear was sewn on in raggedy stitches underneath the giant bandage on it. Dealing with his injuries had been the first thing they'd done, when they'd stopped for a break from their running, after their escape, a mile or two away from where they had been held. His injuries were extensive, and she thanked god that he knew what to do for most of them, he just needed her hands to do all the work.

Sewing his ear on, from where it had been dangling, nearly made her puke, but she couldn't _not_ do it. She grit her teeth and made it happen. Merle had grit a leather belt between his teeth, not making a sound as she worked on him, except to tell her when to do something. Linney sighed now and rolled over onto her other side, staring at the back of the couch, inches from her face.

_What happens when the baby comes? _She pondered tensely, _Can Merle deliver a baby? _She thought about all the ways that could go wrong. She thought about never looking for Daryl, for the others. It made her chest hurt. It felt like they'd been apart, all of them, for years, rather than weeks; life at the prison was a distant memory.

_And yet, life is gonna keep rolling on,_ her hand drifted over the bump again, feeling surprising comfort and calm in the gesture. She had a life inside her, beyond herself, more than herself. _Daryl would want you safe. Both of you, _she told herself again,_ He'd never want you go looking for him._

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He'd met some sorry excuses for men in his life before, but Daryl was beginning to think he topped that list himself. Everything went from shit, to shittier, to the bottom of the muck. And Beth was gone. She had been this thing, this bright bit of goodness left in the world, orbiting him, keeping him alive in her light, in her hope. And now Beth was gone.

He failed the prison. Hershel had died because he wouldn't hunt the Governor. The prison fell because he grew complacent. His girl was gone, maybe dead, the idea of his child with her. His only blood left in the world disappeared like a puff of smoke. The people he'd been secretly happy to call friends, _family_, gone, dead, lost. Only Beth had been left to him, Linney's little Asskicker, and he had burned with earnest fervor at night, on watch, guarding Beth from the rest of the world. _This shit hole took 'em all from me, but it ain't getting' her, _he'd thought to himself, glaring at her sleeping blonde head, her peaceful face, skinny frame curled up against the night chill.

The world took her though. People took her. He'd lost, finally and completely, he'd lost against everything. _Stupid fuck, thinkin' you had a right to be happy, thinkin' you had a right to any of it,_ he cursed himself. Now he was surrounded by scumbags. Daryl rolled over on his garbage-bag pillow and stared around the garage he and Joe's men slept in. These were guys he would have killed, or run from, on sight, back when he still had Beth. Hell, even before, back when he had family to watch out for.

Now he deserved to run with the likes of them. Joe said they weren't wandering without purpose, some shit head had killed one of their own, left him to turn and kill more of them, even though they hadn't done a thing to him. There was more to that story, Daryl was certain, something about a girl, possibly, if he'd heard the rumblings from the other men correctly. He didn't want to pry, though a faint flickering flame burned in his chest at the thought of surrounding himself with the lowest of the low.

_You let them all die, you let Beth get taken, again because you got complacent – you sold out for another bed, food in your belly, walls and a piano – you're a dumb shit – was it all worth losing her? _He draped an arm over his face, wishing the moon would fuck off and quit shining in his face through the window. Wishing his mind would go to hell and leave him be. Eventually he drifted to sleep, because the next thing he knew, Linney was there.

"_Wake up Dixon," she urged him softly, her face tense and worried in the glow of that damn moon. Daryl sat up in a hurry and reached for her by instinct, pulling her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. He was as near to tears as he could be, his heart aching with longing and sadness._

"_You're dead," he murmured, "God, this ain't real, but fuck, I don't care." She reached up and pushed off his chest, climbing to her feet and stepping backwards. Half of her was in the moonlight and he thought for a moment that he'd never seen anything so beautiful. _

"_Come on, you dumbass," she chided him softly, "We gotta get out of here before they wake up." A desperate, foggy part of his mind wanted to believe this was real. He climbed to his feet and slunk out the door of the garage, following Linney down the steps, across the railroad tracks, down the street. She stopped him in the middle of the road when the garage was out of sight._

"_How'd you find me? I thought you were dead, I thought you were gone –" he began, his words tumbling out in a gravelly slide. She stepped towards him and reached a hand up to his face, cupping his cheek. Her face was so sad. He wanted to see her smile. He told her so and she did, but it was a sorrowful smile, unsatisfying and painful. Linney took his hands and placed them flat on her belly._

"_We'll never find you," she told him softly, "We can't." He rubbed his hands across her stomach minutely, wishing that his kid inside knew how much he cared. "I'll come with you now," he replied, his voice a rumble, "Don't leave me again – I can't lose you again." _

"_If I don't go, we'll die," she murmured, and when Daryl looked at her face he could see bruises, blood, and wounds, suddenly her body was covered in injury and she was hunched over in wrenching pain. "I have to go!" She cried, trying to pull away from him, "It's killing us! I have to leave! You're killing us! Let me go!" Her cries became screams and he released her in a rush. _

_Linney moved quickly, one moment before him, the next at the far end of the street, at the edge of where the moonlight melted into the darkness. She looked better – normal, whole. "We'll never find you," she called to him, her face finally breaking into a smile that knifed him in the chest, "But it's better this way." She looked over her shoulder, at the blackness beyond the light and she smiled at whatever she saw there. _

"_Don't go," he mumbled, the words rasping up his throat, "Don't." She turned to him again, and tilted her head to the side a little. _

"_Wake the fuck up!" She screeched suddenly, her face twisting in rage._

"Wake the fuck up, you piece of shit," a fat man kicked at his ribs as he yelled down to Daryl, ripping him from sleep. Daryl sat up then and resisted the urge to kill the fat fuck. Joe sauntered by and smirked at Daryl, nodding with his head at the door. "C'mon friend," Joe called as he walked through the door, "Leave those sweet dreams behind and let's go find this piece of shit."

Daryl did, climbing to his feet, trying to shake off the lingering ache the dream had left him with. He followed the men, his stomach growling a little bit in hunger. He tried to sort through the thoughts cluttering his head as Joe's men discussed what they planned to do to this man they hunted. He wasn't much for sorting out dreams, but he was pretty sure his mind was telling him that if Linney _was _alive, he wasn't going to find her, and she wasn't going to be looking for him. She had to stay safe, find a place to live again, a place to have the baby.

_If losin' her, and losin' Beth, and never seein' any of 'em again, is the price I gotta pay for her bein' alive, for my kid bein' alive, then I guess that's that._ He glared up at the sun, brighter than the moon and much more unforgiving, and thought about how much he hated the rules in life now, but also praying to a higher power that she _was_ alive, that there even _was_ a price to pay. Never seeing her again meant she might be alive.

Daryl stared down at the railroad tracks leading him ever further from the life he used to live, and thought again that he was only getting what he deserved.


	188. Chapter 188

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

The air was a strange mix of warm and blustery. She could feel the sun baking down onto her shoulders, likely burning through the t-shirt she wore, but at the same time she felt small chills run up her spine each time the wind blew hard. Linney reached up and adjusted the straps on her backpack and looked up at the sky again, eyeing the clear blue distrustfully. _What's going on up there, weather? _She thought in mild irritation._ You need to make up your mind, it's either stormy or it's not, but I can't handle both._ Her view of the sky was really just a slice of blue bordered on either side by the trees that grew up tall on each side of the train tracks they were following.

Linney sighed and looked over at Merle. He was in a mood again, had been ever since that night, almost a week ago, when they'd decided to call off their search for Molly. She felt a twist in her heart every time she thought about the little girl. _Someone else I failed, _Linney berated herself, _after I promised to always keep her safe. _She knew Merle was taking it even harder than she herself was, she knew he felt that Molly was his to protect, and he'd failed her completely, just as he'd failed Molly's little brother. Just as he'd failed his own little brother.

She shook her head and looked forwards, keeping her eyes on the tracks. It had been a very long time since any train had made its way through here, and nature was working hard to reclaim the stretch of tracks; greenery was sprouting up everywhere along and in between the tracks themselves. They'd been on the tracks for days. Merle had been certain that finding these tracks would be their saving grace. That the tracks would inevitably lead through a town that could become their home, if they were ready to work hard at making it one.

Linney had been caught up in his optimism for a day or two, but once they'd followed the tracks through endless stretches of meadows and trees, she began to get tired; tired of the snaking line of metal on each side of the track – a line that stretched so far into the distance that it looked like to just led into the sky. The sky was always blue and cloudless, even at night when they sat on the tracks, taking turns trying to sleep, Linney knew the sky was sitting above them, inexhaustibly blue behind the black curtain of the night.

_I want to go home,_ she though now, testing out the phrase in her head, even though 'home' was a fantasy, a word that held no meaning. _I want to not be doing this anymore. I want Daryl. I want Rick. I want, I want, I want._

"Jesus Christ," she heard Merle say in disbelief. She turned her tired and bored eyes to look at him and saw him staring open mouthed at something ahead of them, his pace picking up a little. Soon he was jogging. Then he was running, and Linney hitched up her bag and took flight after him. "What? What?" She called after him. He never answered and soon her eyes answered the question for her. _A sign?_

Merle was paused below the huge sign, his eyes wide for once, his mouth hanging open slightly as he caught his breath and read the words. Linney came to a halt next to him and gaped up at the sign as well.

**Those who arrive, survive.**

Snaking lines cut across the map, all joining to the star in the center. "Terminus," Linney said aloud slowly, testing the word. Her hand lifted and traced a line, one that the map above clearly showed was following train tracks. The very train tracks they were on right now. She wondered where they were on the map, how close to this Terminus place they were.

Merle suddenly seemed to snap out of his astonished daze and, quick as a blink, reached out and slapped her hand off the map. "Screw them," he spat out, his voice venomous. Linney turned to him in fury. "Don't hit me you fuckwad," she growled, "Don't you ever hit me." Merle rolled his eyes at her.

"Yer pretty fuckin' stupid," he replied, stepping away from her and moving past the sign. Linney glared after him but didn't move to follow. She didn't want to leave the sign. _Could this be home?_ She wondered. Her hand itched to reach up again, desperately wanting to feel the thing that had clearly been made by human hands _after_ the Turn.

"I ain't gonna wait for ya," Merle called harshly over his shoulder. Linney blinked a couple times and dropped her hand, looking ahead to see that he meant it, he was nearly around the bend up ahead. Muttering curses to herself, Linney chased after him; the sign was fascinating, but Merle was all she had left, and she didn't want him out of sight, ever.

"We need to find this place," she said immediately, as soon as she reached his side. One of her hands dropped down to smooth itself over her belly a couple times, before she let her arm fall to her side. Merle shook his head. "It's not what it looks like, sweetheart," he told her flatly, "You only lay out bread crumbs if you want to _catch_ somethin', not if yer wantin' to make friends."

"Breadcrumbs?" She asked in disbelief, "Merle, you saw it as clear as I did, as long as you weren't lying about being able to read." He snorted and shot her an irritated look, so she continued, "That was a welcome mat if I ever saw one. They _want _to save people."

"If you wanna save people, then you save them, you don't lure 'em in," he grumbled in response. Linney couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I can't believe you don't want this," she snapped, waving an arm back in the general direction of the sign, "They put out signs to give people hope, to let them know they aren't alone, to tell them that there's a place in the world for them."

"We been crawlin' all over this area sweetheart, even before we lost that shithole we all called home, how come we never saw no signs? How come me n' the Gov never saw no signs?" Merle stopped and turned to her, grabbing her shoulder firmly in his one hand, before answering his own question: "Because they only want people to come on in when they're desperate, when they ain't got a single other thing left."

Linney said nothing, only thought about what he was saying. "So," she began slowly, "You're saying they only post signs on the train tracks because people walking on here are desperate?" Merle nodded once, not releasing her arm. "If yer in the towns, you got food, you got some water, some walls," he explained roughly, "When yer here, you got nothin' – sure you pass through towns, but not any parts that look like livin' – ya'd have to leave the tracks to find the livin' in a pass-through town. And when all ya got is these tracks, then leavin' 'em looks pretty fucking terrible."

She understood what he was saying. All at once she understood, and she felt an instant sense of loss. The sudden, heady joy she'd felt at seeing the sign drained out of her. "It's a goddamn trap, kid," he told her, releasing her and turning to start forward.

He was absolutely right and she knew it. Even she had fallen victim to the song of safety the tracks sang; _follow me_, the tracks had said, _follow me and I'll lead you somewhere wonderful._ But the tracks lied, they led through endless meadows, dark forests, baking stretches of dead farmland. You had to keep following them though, because just around the bend there might be something good.

When they passed through towns, it was always industrial, burnt-out, dank and abandoned – no life grew there, no food, no water. Maybe you could find life if you left the tracks, walked through the shell that remained of the town the tracks sliced through… but maybe you wouldn't. Maybe you'd find a herd, or death in some other form. The tracks were constant, though. Always there, always offering that hint of _maybe there's something better up ahead._

"They put signs up to prey on people who are hopeless," she said aloud, coming to that conclusion and hating these mysterious sign-people. Merle grunted his agreement. "We should rip the signs down," she said a moment or two later. Merle nodded. "Next one we see, we will," he told her, "An' we're cuttin' out of these goddamn tracks the next town they run through, no matter what."

Linney nodded, her hand dropping down to her belly again. She was waiting for the day when she'd feel her little Piglet move, she knew it had to be soon. The thought made her smile.

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When they saw the next sign, Merle groaned. He could hear Linney's gasp of disbelief, saw her steps falter before she was suddenly shoving past him, racing for all she was worth towards the sign. Even from a distance he could see what was scrawled beneath it.

**Glenn**

**Go to Terminus**

**- Maggie**

"Merle, oh my god, Maggie, its Maggie!" Linney's voice got high and breathy, reading the Greene girl's name, written in the blood of the long-dead walker laying below the sign. Maggie had used its guts to paint her message onto the side of a huge electrical box, below another sign for Terminus.

"She's alive! She's alive!" Linney cried, hugging her arms to herself and bouncing on her feet a little. Merle felt his mouth pulling down in a sour frown, really hating what he was about to have to do.

"She's fuckin' dead, sweetheart, if she's gone to that place, she's dead, the china man's dead," he told her, his voice coming out a lot angrier than he'd meant it to. Her entire face fell. He could see the way his words had quite literally crushed her and he felt a twinge of something hot coiling in his gut. She looked like a child again. Tears began to build in her eyes and she roughly rubbed her hands over them, smearing the wetness across her cheeks.

"Fuck you," she swore, her face angry and eyes heart-broken, before turning on him and marching away from the sign that had briefly made her so happy. Merle wanted to burn the whole thing down, watch the flames curdle the sign and destroy the surrounding forest with it, but instead he just followed her. He'd hurt her feelings. He hated feelings. He hated that he had any, and he hated that he seemed so easily able to demolish hers.

_Been that way since she was knee-high to a damn grasshopper,_ he thought ruefully. Almost without permission, he was remembering her as a baby, the first time he'd ever laid eyes on her. She'd been small, even then – a little pink creature with a thick shock of dark hair that stood up in a downy Mohawk around her round little face. She'd been all big eyes and screaming mouth back then.

"Awful scrawny, ain't she?" He'd asked Kevin dubiously, eyeing the baby his friend was cradling. Kevin had rolled his eyes and smiled down at his daughter like she was the only thing worth looking at in the whole world. "Marly ain't a big gal," Kevin had responded easily, speaking of his wife, "Not real surprised that baby girl's a bitty thing."

Merle wasn't certain at the time, he was convinced that there was something wrong with the small infant. His memories of Daryl as a baby were of a fat, blonde chunk of baby, an almost unnaturally quiet child even when he was only a couple months old. _Like he knew that openin' his trap would earn 'im a slap, even then._

Marly had insisted that Merle hold the baby, even though he had zero desire to do so. But no one said no to Marly. She was small, but she was loud and she was ferocious. So he'd allowed himself to be steered to their tiny couch, surrounded by pillows in case he was fool enough to drop their little girl. Then Kevin had leaned down and lay Linney in his arms. She'd stopped her screaming for once, and simply lay in his arms and stared up at him. _Her eyes were so damn big, thought they were like to pop right out,_ he thought to himself, silently laughing a little at the memory.

He'd seen the kid a lot. Kevin had turned his whole around once his little girl was born, and because he and Merle were joined like brothers, Merle found himself being drawn into a better life, too. He got a job, a real one, down at the mill, working the same shift as Kevin. The money he made went right into helping Daryl – his brother moved into the squat trailer Merle called home, getting Daryl away from their father, and Merle made the boy go to school, though his grades were shit.

Working with Kevin made Merle feel like more than the trash he'd been raised to believe he was. The man talked endlessly about his daughter, though. Merle found her little accomplishments boring, if he were being honest. Although, he'd grinned like a jacky lantern the first time she smiled at him, when she was about a year old.

Linney began to remember him, then, reaching for him from her play mat or high chair when he'd come by for dinner or to catch a football game with Kev. Marly would laugh and tell him that "she just loves her Uncle Merle." He would sneer and roll his eyes, but hadn't really minded.

_Then God took a big ole shit on all of us._ Marly got sick all at once, it seemed. One day she was smiling and bustling around their little house, Linney toddling after her, room to room, and then it seemed like she just woke up dying. Merle remembered her hair falling out, her pretty face growing gaunt, and her eyes cloudy. Kevin had become a frantic creature, dragging his little family into debt with doctor's visits, specialist, medications, treatments – it was debt he had no hope of climbing out of.

Merle would come over, but not for dinner, and not for football. He'd come because Marly would phone him, her voice thin and reedy, struggling to speak, begging him to watch Linney. "He won't listen, Dixon," she'd rasp in to the phone, "I tol' him, no more doctors, just let me _be_." He'd listen to wet coughing and then she'd let out a long sigh, always making him think she was dead.

"Marly?" He'd ask, his voice for once sounding gentle and concerned, and she'd laugh a little. "I ain't dead yet," she'd reassure him, "Come watch baby girl, would ya? Hospitals ain't no place for a little girl." So he would. Linney would follow _him_ around now, afraid to let him out of her sight, her little hand grabbing onto his pant leg and going room to room with him. He'd stick her in front of a TV more times than not, giving himself a respite from her neediness.

When Marly died, Kevin took care of everything like he was on autopilot. He planned the funeral, planned the reception afterwards, and paid on credit with no thought to how he could pay these new costs off. _Guess when you already owe more than you'll ever be worth, it doesn't matter if ya pile on a little more._

It had rained the day of the funeral. They'd all stood outside in it, Kevin right next to the casket. His hand resting on it as if he couldn't let his Marly go, even when they were about to lower her into the ground.

There were a lot of people there, Marly had been well-liked, well-known, with a lot of friends. When it was over, Kevin left, disappeared, and the large crush of people left the gravesite, heading back to the reception to eat and drink and talk quietly about the lovely little woman they'd all known. Merle made it there with them, but Daryl left the gravesite and went right home, not liking all the people or all the emotion. Kevin showed up hours later, drunk as a fucking skunk, right when Merle himself was telling the caterers to close up shop. When Kevin stumbled into the reception hall, soaked to the bone and teetering on his feet, a terrible thought finally occurred to Merle.

"_Kevin!_" He'd growled, charging his friend and shoving him into the wall so hard his head smacked into it, "Where you been? Where's the kid?"

"The kid?" Kevin slurred, his foggy eyes squinting; Kevin had always been a terrible drunk, he had next to no tolerance for the stuff and usually abstained for that reason.

"_Linney_!" Merle had snarled, thinking of Marly, and thinking of how much she loved her little girl. Merle hadn't seen the little mite since the funeral, where she stood close next to Kevin, huddled against his leg. When Kevin left, in all the mess of the people there, Merle assumed Linney went with him.

"Wha?" Kevin replied, before passing out and slumping to the ground, loud snores peeling out of his mouth soon afterwards. "Aw shit," Merle swore. He ran from the building, out into the rain, which was just _throwing down_ at this point. He knew where Linney had to be, and his heart was thumping in panic at the thought. His truck skidded to a halt up onto the lawn of the cemetery and Merle left it running in his haste to find her. He ran through the graveyard, down the paths and sidewalks that meandered prettily through the manicured space. Surrounded by fresh flowers and freshly turned earth, was Marly's little tombstone.

**Beloved Mother, Wife, and Friend**

Next to the tombstone, sobbing in the rain, was Linney.

"_Linney!" _He yelled, running towards her. She was hysterical and hiccupping at this point, shaking in the downpour, her little gray dress plastered to her frame, her pig tailed hair hanging in sodden clumps down her back. She turned those huge eyes up to him and the look of relief on her little face was nearly comical. She got to her feet, and made for him, slipping in the grass and falling heavily into the mud atop her mother's grave.

He reached her and scooped her up, and her little wet arms wound tightly around his neck. "I wanna go home, Uncle Merle," she wailed, burying her cold, snot-covered face into his neck. Merle held her tightly, and got her back to the truck. He found a blanket behind the seats and wrapped her in it, pausing in worry for a moment because he didn't have a car seat for her. She started to cry again, calling out for her momma, and Merle felt a tight sickness in his stomach.

He got her home, back into the little double-wide Marly had such pride of ownership in. He gave her a bath, a bottle, and a clean set of footy-pajamas, before managing to settle the runty toddler into her little bed. He was livid at this point. Marly had been his friend and she was dead; that was enough to bear. He couldn't handle the strange swell of emotions Linney made him feel. Nothing in the whole world had ever felt so good as seeing her safe, and then scooping her up into his arms. Nothing had ever felt so shitty as knowing that Kevin was turning into a failure without Marly there to anchor him, already.

_And like a goddamn coward, you left them both._ He left Daryl again too, took off and did what losers did, roaming around, drugging, drinking and whoring. He avoided Linney until she was old enough to have forgotten he ever once held her or watched her take her first steps. He came back a different man, a bad man, and found Kevin to be a worse man. No matter how hard he tried to bury it, he could see how shitty life was for the pretty little girl Marly left behind.

It only made him bitter, angry, and he would push the both of them away. He'd see Kevin, then he'd see Linney, then he'd feel bad and disappear for a few months, and then the cycle started again. It wasn't his fault Kevin started down the addict's path he had taken, but Merle sure as hell never did a thing to stop him. It was easier to give in than to sit around thinking about what a fucking waste of skin they'd both turned into.

Merle shook his head and brushed away the bad memories, staring down the train tracks towards Linney. She was still marching ahead of him, and he could tell by the movement in her shoulders that she was likely crying.

"Don't," he said, his voice rasping on the word. Linney turned to him, her eyes still huge in her face, though she wasn't a little girl anymore, she was Marly's prettier, tougher, mirror image now. "What?" She snapped, "Wanna tell me some more awful shit? Wanna tell me all about how dead everyone is? How I'm a fucking idiot for hoping? Wanna tell me all about how shitty everything is?" Her glare was furious, and her voice dark and angry. He reached her side and met her glowering eyes.

He knew what would make her feel better now; she needed closure, even if all he needed was to see her safe somewhere. "We'll go," he told her slowly, resentfully, "We'll go _carefully_ and see if we can't save their stupid asses before these sign-makin' assholes manage to kill 'em." Dawning hope rose on her face and she took a step towards him.

"You mean it? You're not just saying shit to make me shut up?" She asked carefully. He rolled his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. "Keep yer whiney trap shut and listen to me for once, and yeah, we'll get the two of 'em back, if they ain't feedin' worms already," he replied as gruffly as he could.

She smiled and hugged him, something she rarely did anymore. He put his one good arm around her and realized he could feel the press of her pregnant belly and it made his heart stutter. _You gonna call me Uncle Merle, too? Gonna scream and shit yerself and make us all yer damn fools? _He thought towards the baby.

As they began walking again, his mind produced an image of a fat, happy baby, with Linney's eyes and Daryl's baby-blonde hair, a baby who didn't live a silent life out of fear it might be struck, and a baby who didn't get left behind, ever. He shook his head against such weak sentiment, irritated with himself for even thinking such soft thoughts.

_Little shithead's makin' me a fuckin' pansy already._


	189. Chapter 189

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

It had been a really long time since a dead body made her throw-up. This one was definitely different, too – he wasn't a walker. "Hoo-ee," Merle let out a soft whistle, "Somebody hated this sorry asshole." He was squatting next to the body, while Linney gripped a tree a few feet away and retched.

"Look at this," Merle called softly to her, "There ain't even hesitation cuts – someone just sliced and diced this sucker and these cuts're _deep_ – damn." Linney moaned and rested her forehead against the tree, her eyes fluttering closed. She could feel dampness on her cheekbones, just below her eyes, where involuntary tears had fallen with the force of her being sick.

"Oh god," she murmured, "For gods sake, Merle, shut up." He chuckled drily and moved away from the badly stabbed and cut body he'd been so transfixed by, moving onto the others. Neither of them had wanted to see Joe and his men ever again, but she had to admit that seeing them like this wasn't too bad. Most of the men they'd found heaped together in the trees were shot and stabbed, quick, precise wounds.

Linney stood up straight and swallowed against the burning taste in her throat and forced herself not to feel sick. _You will not barf again, you will not do it, don't be a wuss, _she ordered herself silently. She detoured the long way around the destroyed body that so sickened her, and found Merle rooting through Joe's pockets.

"Picked clean," he told her shortly. Linney nodded and stared at the ruin of Joe's throat. He'd obviously been bitten, and she imagined that his men had fought the creature off him before it had a chance to do more than take a chomp out of his throat.

"Did they kill each other?" She suddenly blurted, and Merle looked up at her from his crouch on the ground and shrugged. "Maybe, but looks to me like this is all the guys we saw; ain't none of our ole pal's group a' dickheads left," his comment was off-hand and she realized that Merle was relieved. _One less thing to worry about, _she thought. No Joe, and no Joe's men meant they didn't have to keep their eyes out for anyone with a grudge. "So someone else killed them?" She asked, her tone slow and soft; she hadn't meant to say it aloud.

Merle climbed to his feet and looked over her head, his eyes scanning the forest around them. "They all got stabbed in the fucking head," he told her in a distracted voice, "'Course someone else did it; don't wanna meet the man that could stab hisself through the head." Gesturing with his prosthetic hand, Merle turned and walked away.

"C'mon kid, let's get outta these trees, its gettin' dark and smells like rain," he spoke as he walked away, and Linney hesitated only a moment before she followed him. Her mind was moving around and around the image of Joe and his dead men. "Merle," she commented, "They were after Rick, before, remember?"

Merle didn't turn, but she saw him nod and heard his grunt of agreement. They reached the road then, the bodies had only been a little ways off the road. Merle took one big step up the slight embankment to the pavement and turned to Linney automatically, reaching for her hand. He hauled her up after him and she kept one hand curled over her belly. There was a truck sitting on the street, obviously long abandoned, and the remnants of a little fire in front of it, two logs laying on their side next to it acting as seats.

Merle didn't immediately release her arm, and instead yanked her behind him. There was _a lot_ of blood on the pavement, on the outside of the truck, on the logs – it was pretty obvious that Joe and his men had met their ends here, not in the trees. _They were all killed up here and dragged into the trees, out of the way, by someone _not_ part of Joe's group – an outsider._

The bodies had seemed rather fresh, and the blood looked pretty new out here on the road, too. "I don't think we have to worry - no one's here anymore," she whispered to Merle, knowing that his senses were on high alert, just as her own were – something violent and vicious had happened here and she could almost feel it in the air.

Merle's body relaxed a little and he let go of her arm. "No, they ain't," he replied gruffly, "But it's only been a day or two since they _were_ here." Linney looked around anxiously, she was tired, but she had a major case of the creeps. Ever since they'd found the note from Maggie to Glenn, they'd been heading down a pretty defined path straight to Terminus.

Merle's distrust in the place meant he wouldn't let them follow the tracks, which he was convinced were a trap. Good to his word, they'd left the train-tracks at the first sign of a small town, hoofed it across the echoing expanse of the town's empty industrial area, and Merle had broken into almost ten cars before he found one with a map in it. Then they spent hours searching for a car that Merle could get to start, before they finally found a viable one. Then they were really off and running. She figured that was how they'd caught up to Joe's men, even though they'd started out after them pretty late, having spent a good long while searching for Molly.

When the car died, they'd begun walking again, Merle following the map, Linney following Merle. He'd made a 'detour' through a small stretch of forest to avoid a giant herd, and that was how they'd found Joe's men. They were so close to Terminus now that she figured it was only a day or two away.

"Get in the truck," he urged her, sniffing in sharply as the first raindrops began to fall. "Ew, no," she replied immediately.

The truck looked old and filthy, too dirty even for people like themselves, not to mention that the outside was streaked in blood. She turned her face up into the smattering of drops coming from the sky, and spoke with her eyes closed, "This is nice, I want to stand out here for a bit before we find somewhere else to sleep." Merle turned to her and she ignored him for a long moment, closing her eyes as she let the rain wet her face.

"Merle, I don't want to sleep in that truck, I don't know what happened here, but I think it was bad and I'm not real excited to climb into that nasty thing," she explained without looking at him. "Did it sound like I was askin'?" He snapped at her, and his tone immediately got her back up. She turned to him then, her eyebrows drawn together.

"Did it sound like I fucking care?" She threw back, and Merle ground his teeth together. He stepped towards her and his good hand shot out and grabbed her upper arm tightly, pulling her towards him. "Look here you little shithead, we're only out here 'cause ya wanna find yer fuckin' dead friends n' that's a deal I can take back anytime I want," he snarled and she pressed her lips together angrily in response.

"It's rainin', so get yer ass in the fuckin' truck," he ordered her, his voice making it clear that the smart thing to do would be to listen. Linney eyed him angrily for a long moment and then wrenched away from him. "_Fine,_" she said in a long suffering way, "Get your panties out of their twist." Merle rolled his eyes and followed her towards the truck, obviously making sure she intended to actually get in. She climbed into the backseat and then reached out and grabbed Merle's wrist before he shut the door.

"Where are you going to be?" She asked, unable to keep the worry from her voice; despite their bickering, her stomach burned and her heart sank when she thought about losing Merle. His glare softened at the look on her face and he gently pulled her his wrist from her grip. "Gonna look around, make sure it's all clear," he told her, speaking loudly enough to be heard over the rain, "But I can't see or hear for shit in a good, hard, rain, so I'll be back 'fore long."

"Shouldn't we go somewhere safer then? If it's going to be hard to hear? And see? How do we defend against that?" She asked worriedly, her face dead serious. Merle shook his head. "Ain't gonna be throwin' a party," he assured her, "If we can't see or hear anyone, then they can't see or hear or _smell_ us neither – we just gotta lay low for the night and it'll be fine come morning."

She took a deep breath and nodded, so Merle shut the truck door in the careful way they'd all mastered after so long of trying to exist in silence. He walked away and was lost in the downpour almost immediately. The rain pounded down onto the roof in a steady thrum, and Linney leaned back against the seat, letting her head rest onto the musty smelling fabric. She knew Merle would be careful, but she was worried. Being alone seemed unnatural. She turned her mind to the puzzle in the forest.

She was beginning to wonder if Joe and his men had caught up with Rick, except that the savagery with which Joe and the one knifed up man had been killed didn't seem on par with the Rick she remembered. _Besides, there was just one of Rick and a lot of them._ The numbers didn't add up. _Maybe there were others with Rick, maybe Rick was never alone._ It was a nice thought, it briefly lit her up inside, but it was snuffed out pretty quickly because, again, the violence they'd found went beyond self defense and into some kind of crazed territory. It didn't make her happy to think that any of her lost friends would be willing to kill so savagely, so brutally.

The only option that really, really, made sense, was Termites. Not the bugs, but the people. She wondered if they had come out to meet Joe, thinking he and his men were incoming survivors. _Maybe, but I don't feel great about their reactions to Joe and his men._ She wasn't super keen on entering the den of some savage beast. _We have to though, if Maggie and Glenn are in there._

Linney lay her hands on her belly, stroking gently. She knew that wasn't true, though, ultimately. If the Termites were crazy, she knew, deep down, that she couldn't go in after them, no matter how much it hurt to possibly leave her friends in there. She had to consider that Joe's men had turned on each other and before the end, possibly Rick, or possibly the Termites, had found the couple of men remaining and put them down for so savagely and monstrously killing their own. _Maybe Joe and the other guy were killed by their own men for some reason. Joe's guys were all lunatics, so it makes sense – they bickered or something, and then Joe and that one guy were slaughtered, maybe a couple of the other guys too…. Then what? _Linney took in a deep breath, ignoring the musty, almost moldy stink in the truck. _Then that's maybe when Rick or some Termites found the remainder of Joe's group, and killed them for being monsters._

It was an explanation that would have to do at this point – Linney was desperate to put her mind at ease. She wanted Terminus to represent salvation, not monsters capable of atrocities. She wanted her memories of Rick and her old group to remain sweet and pleasant, not tinged with worry for their mental well-being. She and Merle had been through hell and back since the prison fell, and she thought that, mentally speaking, they were holding up pretty well. _We're not monsters, we're the same as we've always been – a little more desperate maybe, but not bad people._

The rain began to fall even harder. The sun was almost completely set at this point as well and Linney shivered a little. She felt like a sitting duck, even though most of the windows were covered with disgusting towels or old shirts, meaning someone outside would be just as incapable of looking-in as she was looking out. The temperature was also dropping and she had let her clothes get damp outside and it was uncomfortable now. Linney dug through her backpack and pulled out the one sweater she had in there, a big, thick woolen hoody, obviously a men's garment at one point.

It covered her like a woolly dress, dropping almost to her knees, the sleeves dripping past her hands comfortably. She was desperate to pull the hood up too, but felt like she shouldn't dull her already hampered sense any more than the rain and the darkness already was. For comfort, she kept a hand resting on the huge hunting knife in its sheath on her leg. She ran her fingers idly up and down it, wondering if it had been too long, if she should do something about Merle's absence.

_He will literally kick you in the ass if he comes back and finds you gone, _she warned herself. She couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the mental image and tried to relax. With one hand resting on her belly, and the other on her weapon, she was able to calm down. Then, with the rain falling heavily all around, and the blackness of the encroaching night pressing against her eyes, Linney felt movement for the first time within herself.

Her hand dropped from the knife and joined the other on her belly and she could feel the slight, strange movements inside her. She breathed carefully, trying to focus everything inside herself. It was the weirdest sensation she had ever felt in her life, and at the same time, it felt so absolutely _right_ that she couldn't believe she'd managed to go without it this long. She rubbed her hands in slow, gentle, circles over her stomach, an almost shy smile on her face. She could feel the baby fluttering inside her, under her hands, but also within herself. It made her want to cry. _Daryl should be here,_ she thought, feeling a tear dribble over her face and down onto her lips which were still upturned in a smile.

She was so engrossed that she forgot to be startled when Merle abruptly appeared at the door to the truck, knocking once before yanking it open. She only jumped a little, but immediately reached for his hand. "What the hell? C'mon, it's fucking rainin' n' I just want to get in," he complained in irritation. She planted his hand against her stomach and pressed it down gently, flattening his palm and fingers. She could feel his arm go rigid as he prepared to yank away from her.

"No," she growled at him, "Feel." She could feel the movement within herself again, as the baby made its slow, swimming movements and she knew the moment when Merle could feel it too, because all the tension in his hand and arm drained away. She heard him breathe in softly and they stayed that way for a few long moments, Merle standing in the rain, his hand reached into the truck, feeling Piglet move around for the first time. Eventually, Linney released him and slid across the seats, allowing Merle to climb inside the truck.

They were each quiet for a few minutes, while Merle dug into his backpack, which he'd left in the truck with Linney, and changed his shirt for something dry and warm. Linney leaned forward and locked the front doors of the truck, knowing they'd be little good in terms of security, but still feeling better for it. She locked the door next to herself before leaning across Merle and locking his. Settling her backpack behind herself, Linney leaned up against her door and rested her feet on the seat, just next to Merle.

Feeling relaxed now that Merle was back again, she closed her eyes and rested her hands on her stomach again. Piglet was moving around again, languid, slow movements, but deliberate; this was not gas, or regular stomach gurgling.

"So the kid's really in there?" Merle spoke into the blackness and Linney laughed softly. "In case the growing gut wasn't enough indication for you, yeah," she teased him. "That the first time you felt 'im?" He asked quietly, and Linney nodded, before realizing he couldn't see her. "Yes," she replied.

"Don't ever make me stand in the rain again - over a damn baby, what the hell is wrong with ya?"

"Shut up, Merle."

"I ain't lettin' that little runt control me now, and he ain't doin' it later neither."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Silence for a few moments, then, inevitably,

"Can I feel it again?"

… … … … … … … … … … … … …. … … … … … … … …. … … … … … … …. … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Rick had to wonder about highs and lows.

High: They were on the path to salvation, a salvation called Terminus. Low: The group of savages he'd encountered at that house had caught up to them.

High: Daryl was alive. Low: They were all going to die.

High: No, instead, all the savage men died. Low: Carl was afraid of him now.

High: They reached Terminus, alive. Low: Terminus was a goddamn trap.

High: Almost all the people he cared for most in the world were also in Terminus, alive. Low: They were all locked up together in a dark, sweltering train car.

His eyes grazed the group around him, the familiar, comforting faces, as well the new ones he wasn't sure about yet.

The new man, Abraham, reminded him so much of the elder Dixon. He knew that Merle and this red-headed newcomer would either have hated each other or gotten along like a house on fire. _Where is Merle?_

He watched Sasha lean against Bob's shoulder, her face tired, and her heart on her sleeve. _Where is Tyreese?_

Rick saw Maggie quietly talking to Glenn, her face twisted in sadness after hearing of her little sister's disappearance from Daryl. _Where is Beth?_

He saw Daryl leaned back tiredly against the wall, his head tipped back, staring up into the darkness of the ceiling. _Where is Linney?_ That absence especially hurt for Rick, and Carl – he had always been aware of how important she was to himself and his boy, but just how important hadn't become apparent until he lost her.

Rick watched Carl, his boy, the reason he was still moving, still breathing. Carl was the only thing that fate had seen fit for him to keep, and he felt an almost frantic, painful pulsing of his heart at the thought of losing his son. He'd already lost Judith. He was haunted by that loss, haunted by the mental images of her death – but he could see pieces of his daughter, pieces of Lori, in Carl's face, and that offered some solace.

The air inside the train car was rank, heavy with smell, heavy with worry and fear, but also, heavy with anticipation, rage, and anger. They might have been missing a bunch of people, but Rick knew they hadn't come this far, fought this hard, for this long, in this stupid shitheap of a world, only to go out like this. They'd spent hours trying to build some defense for themselves in here, and he knew they intended to make it count if they were given an opportunity to fight back.

He'd meant it when he said that these assholes, these Termites, were fucking with the wrong people. He intended to have this whole community die screaming. That's what they were now, all of Rick's group: killers, survivors, a people made tough in a world that slaughtered the weak without mercy. Some of them may have been sickened by the notion, but they'd do it, they'd kill every last one of these Termite-bastards if it meant freedom.


	190. Chapter 190

***** Hey all – it's a long weekend up here in Canada, so I'm getting the hell out of Dodge and away from all things electronic for a few days – so I'm updating early! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

The smoke pointed them in the right direction. Before anything else, it was the smoke that told them something was up ahead. Thick, grey, choking, the smoke was beginning to permeate the air all around them, and Linney made Merle stop so she could wrap a piece of dampened cloth over her face, and then forced him to do the same for himself.

She kept quiet, for fear of being detected, and followed Merle's lead, trusting his instincts more than her own in such a strange scenario. The day after sleeping in the truck had been boring, mostly just following the same street for what felt like forever, before Merle veered them back into the woods, wanting to swing wide around Terminus to avoid detection. They slept uneasily in the woods that night, neither of them really getting much shut eye. The morning dawned strangely quiet, and Linney realized it was because all the animals in the forest had gone silent.

Merle's wide eyes met hers at the same time she realized what a quiet forest meant. _A predator._ As Merle urged her up a tree as quickly as she could climb, Linney knew something bad was coming. She and Merle weren't the predators. No giant bear was on its way through. _No, the only predator everything alive fears now is _them.

The two of them hunkered down silently in the tree, about 15 feet up from the forest floor, half hidden by the branches and leaves of their tree. A massive sea of the dead moved below them, their pace unhurried, languid, and almost casual: a herd. She felt intensely grateful that the quieting forest had warned them before the wave of death had a chance to wash up on them. They spent half the day in the tree, Linney's muscles and joints locking up so stiff and painful that she was worried she might actually fall out of it. Merle's jaw had jutted forth tightly as he eyed the threat below, his gaze never lifting to hers.

Now, choking back thick smoke, Linney almost wished they could rewind a couple hours to being back in the tree. _At least the air was clean up there. _She jumped when Merle grabbed her arm. "C'mon," he grunted, "This way, now." She didn't respond, but simply followed him as he trotted through the smoky forest. Something big was burning somewhere close and the two of them were directly in the path of the smoke, and she smothered another cough, praying none of this was hurting Piglet.

_First the herd this morning, and now this,_ she thought uneasily, seeing both things as omens that heading to Terminus was probably not a great idea. When Merle led her up an embankment, and then raced her along the edge, Linney felt her breath start to come easier; the smoke was clearer up here. She nearly ran right smack into Merle's back when he finally stopped moving, releasing her arm suddenly.

"Shit," he mumbled, and Linney pushed through some bushes and under his arm, so she could see past him. From up on this embankment they had a view of the entire valley spread out below them. There were the train tracks, where they ended. There were the downed gates. There were the smoldering ruins of the structures that used to occupy this once building-filled industrial area. One building, hardly more than blackened walls and smoking chunks, clearly showed the letters " –" on the front, and she knew that they'd reached the end of the line.

There were heaps and piles of charred and still-burning corpses everywhere, flaming vehicles still letting out little gasps of orange flame, and train cars on their sides, burnt to near-cinders. "No," she said quietly, taking another step past Merle. All thought left her head, and she brought her hands up to her face, curling them into fists and pressing them against her forehead.

"_No!" _She screamed suddenly, rage and frustration filling her voice. She screamed again, an angry, mournful sound, and Merle reached for her, jerking her back a step. "Shut up!" He insisted, his voice an angry hiss. She could hardly process his words and pulled away from his hands, turning to head down the embankment, into the doomed wreckage of Terminus. Merle snatched her shoulder in his hand again and halted her. "There's nothing left down there," he told her angrily.

Linney felt her eyes burning, knowing that it wasn't just from the sting of the smoke they'd fought their way through.

"No," she responded stubbornly, pulling against the grip he had on her, "Maggie. Glenn." Merle shook his head at her and she shook hers back. "Shut up!" She yelled at him, "They're here, Merle! _They gotta be here!" _Merle shook his head at her again, his face tight and hard. Linney hauled back and shoved him in the chest with both hands, as hard as she could, once, twice, three times – before he reached up and grabbed both her hands in his one, gripping them tightly.

"I tried to warn ya," he grumbled, pressing her hands to his chest, his face a sooty thundercloud, "I said, kid, I told ya – those people're _dead._" Linney blinked stupidly at him, before she began to shake her head again, fighting the grip he had on her hands, trying futilely to pull away.

"Shut up," she managed again, softer more defeated as the fight went out of her. She realized now that it was all well and truly over. Her second life, the one she lived with Daryl, Rick, Carl, and all the rest of them, that life was over, dead and buried; her last shred of hope was smoldering in the valley below them, a blackened wreckage.

Merle released her hands when she dropped her head, her face drooping weakly into an expression of utter desolation. She seemed to fold in on herself and then slumped to the ground, bringing her knees up to her chest the best she could, with the little Piglet-bump up front. She could feel Merle's eyes on her while she sat there, a silent lump on the ground, her face buried in her knees. She wasn't crying, she was finished crying – it was a waste of moisture at this point.

But her heart ached, a strange, throbbing pain that sunk deep into her chest and rippled through her body. "We can't stay here," Merle told her gruffly, and Linney ignored him. She wasn't ready to leave yet. It was like self-flagellation, forcing the hopeful part of her mind to watch the ruin below - the part of her mind that had stupidly dared to dream that they might actually find Maggie and Glenn – that part needed to die a slow and painful death, with the truth rubbed-in deep.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there before Merle suddenly grabbed her under the arms and hauled her to her feet. "Feel like runnin'?" He asked loudly, and she turned her gaze up to look at him and finally saw what was behind him. How she hadn't noticed the flaming orange wall advancing through this portion of the forest, she wasn't sure, she'd been so wrapped up in the death of her dreams. She watched Merle hastily shove the knife back into his prosthetic arm, and realized he'd been busying himself with his weapons while she sat and sulked, which accounted for his unusually unobservant state – she knew if Merle had been thinking straight he would _never_ have missed a burning forest creeping up on them.

"Oh shit! Shit!" She cried, really feeling the heat now. Merle pushed her on ahead of himself and they broke into a run. Tree branches slapped her face and neck as she ran wildly, Merle right behind her. Nothing ran through her mind then except getting away from the fire, as primal as a wild animal in the same situation. They were hardly fast enough and Linney leaned into her sprint, dodging fallen trees and roots sticking up to treacherously to try and trip her. She took a wrong turn and realized the fire was coming at her again and abruptly changed course a couple times to stay ahead of it.

She felt her lungs burning from the smoke and yanked on the cloth bandana she'd been wearing before, pulling it up over her mouth and nose again clumsily. It felt like she'd been running for hours when she finally stumbled out onto a road. She realized that the fire hadn't chased them this way; the wind had changed and so when she looked back behind herself she realized two things.

The fire was racing through the trees, but far from the road, and the wind had shifted its course; she was safe.

She was also alone.

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He was glad for these folks, he really was, it would take a man of stone not to appreciate the joy they were all experiencing. Escaping the house of horrors that Terminus turned out to be was enough to keep someone in a euphoric state for days, but finding that woman in the woods, Carol, had chirked this group up something fierce. Finding out that this one lone woman had single-handedly brought those predators in Terminus to their knees was enough to make a grin split his face, and when he'd been introduced to her, he knew his hearty hand-shake was hardly enough thanks.

"Hot damn, lady, ain't you something," he'd managed to say gruffly. Carol had smiled at him with one side of her mouth, a knowing look in her eyes, and he'd just smiled appreciatively and shaken his head, impressed with her gumption. _Those bastards had definitely been fucking with the wrong people._

When he watched Rick and his boy find the baby, alive and whole, well, even for a guy like him, it was enough to make his eyes sting. Abraham knew they'd finally stumbled upon the right kind of people, even if this Rick fella did look half-way crazed at times. Happy reunions had a contagious air though, and they were a very happy group that made their way down the road afterwards. He'd been content to hold the rear of the group with Rosita as they walked, keeping an eye on their surroundings, worried about walkers driven this way by the fire, concerned that some of those Terminus bastards may have made a successful run for it as well, with a taste for vengeance in their mouths.

They hiked down the small dirt road they were on unmolested, though. The forest surrounding Terminus like a ring was burning far behind them, and he hoped that meant that this place would be nothing but a barren blight on the landscape forever; no one else needed to die in Terminus ever again. When the sun began to set, Abraham had made his way to the front of the pack, to walk beside Rick as the man carried his little girl, a soft smile on his face, and a watery, dazed look in his eyes.

"We need to pull off here, friend," Abraham said firmly, "The dark ain't no place for a bunch of us to be walking around in."

"I know," Rick replied easily, pausing to press a kiss to his daughter's head, "Maybe we can just settle down on the road here, offer us a little bit of view around us." Abraham nodded, pleased that Rick was more than just a fighter; he saw sense in the things a man should see sense in, and that was a relief. Setting up camp for the night wasn't very hard, all they really had to do was sit down where they stopped – no one had much gear. Carol and the big guy, Tyreese, spread around some meager food and some water, and guards were posted for the night. Some to sit facing each direction of the road and two people in the forest, to circle their little camp.

Abraham and Daryl took the watch in the trees, each heading off in a different direction. He preferred to face an enemy head-on, with equal footing, and wandering the trees at night provided an unfair advantage to their enemies, but still, he knew it was important for them to patrol. After a couple of dark, boring, tense hours in the woods, Abraham decided he'd take a break, and leaned back against a tree for a moment. The trees around him were mostly quiet, only the odd brave sound from a night animal broke the silence. His back was aching, but he ignored it, enjoying the stillness that came with just being motionless for a moment.

He considered it lucky that he'd decided to take that break when, a moment or two later, there was rustling through the trees and a fairly big figure came stumbling across his path, not 5 feet away from him. He brought his knife up instantly, prepared to launch at the undead piece of shit, when the walker suddenly bent at the waist and braced a hand against its knee, coughing and then clearing its throat with a grinding, thick noise. It hawked and spat onto the ground, and then coughed a little more.

"Fuck," he heard the walker mutter, realizing then it was definitely a man, not a walker. Abraham flipped the grip he had on his knife silently, tucking it away. He pulled his gun out and moved like a dark shadow, stepping up to the man still coughing and clearing his throat and whacking him across the back of the head smartly. The cougher stopped coughing and fell to the ground instantly. Abraham stood and stared at the prone form, hardly visible in the weak moonlight that managed to make its way through the treetops.

Part of him knew he should just kill the fucker, because, given the current situation they were all in, it was pretty likely this dude was from Terminus. He pulled his knife again and knelt next to the guy, hoisting his arm up, but paused before he began the downward swing. His gut told him that Rick wouldn't be happy with this, and he needed Rick, all of Rick's group really, on his side, to help him get Eugene to DC. So he tucked the knife away and dragged the man back to the tree that Abraham had just been leaning up against.

He'd prefer to tie the guy to the tree, but he had nothing for binding on his person. He also didn't want to drag this guy back to camp – not with women and children there. So, he smacked the guy across the head again, knowing that two wallops from a man Abraham's size pretty much ensured the guy would stay down. He trotted off towards camp then, hoping that none of those undead assholes came along and decided to take a chomp out of the unconscious man while he was away.

"Rick," Abraham whispered when he reached Rick's side, "Wake up." Rick blinked blearily and glanced up at Abraham. "What?" He answered in a quiet, raspy voice. Abraham nodded at the treeline a few feet away, hoping Rick could see enough of his face to understand that it was important he get up immediately. He was relieved when Rick climbed to his feet carefully, picking his way around Carl, the baby, and Glenn's girl, Maggie, before following Abraham silently into the trees, checking his weapons at his hips as he did.

"What?" Rick asked again, his voice only slightly louder. "Found a guy, some fucker trying to sneak up on camp," Abraham told him, gesturing in the direction they were headed, "Thought he was a walker until he started fucking coughing – got a little smoke in his lungs, sounds like." He knew Rick was following his line of thinking, that it was an escaped Termite, by the way his entire body stiffened.

"Knocked 'im out," Abraham told him gruffly. Rick grunted in response and they walked silently, Abraham slightly in the lead. When the man bulldozed into him, charging out silently from behind the tree he was supposed to be lying unconscious against, Abraham was not prepared. They hit the ground and rolled, and his attacker seemed to be made of brick, because the blows he was landing with one arm felt like they hit like a truck.

"Motherfucker," the supposed-to-be-unconscious man snarled at him in a rasping voice, "I'll fuckin' kill you." Abraham and he grappled for a moment longer, and then the man had him on his feet, with what felt like a foot long knife held to his throat, as well as a gun to his head.

"Move n' I'll fuck ya up, princess," the man growled. Abraham felt shame and rage flood his chest and limbs and started to think of escape. He breathed out a little when Rick suddenly appeared a few feet in front of them, the shape of him dark, but his voice reassuring.

"Easy now," Rick said carefully, his voice firm, "We don't need to do anything else here." The man holding Abraham chuckled darkly and pressed the knife a little tighter to his throat. "Fuck you," the man snapped at Rick, "Do you fuckers got her? My girl, where is she?"

The air was still, and Abraham could _feel _the uncertainty rolling off of Rick. "What?" Rick asked, his tone slightly softer, "Who are you?"

"Who the fuck am I? What the fuck, asshole? Let's keep the pleasantries until later," the man's voice was an angry rasp, and Abraham inched his fingers down his leg, trying to surreptitiously grab a knife he had in a sheath there.

The forest was silent, except for the slight wheezing breath of the man holding him in place. "Merle?" Rick finally asked, his voice amazed and wondering. Abraham could feel the guy holding him flinch. "Holy fuck," the man said, his tone gone flat and limp in surprise, "Officer Friendly?"

He moved so quickly, that Abraham almost fell over. The man, Merle, Rick had called him, swept past Abraham and shot towards Rick, grabbing him by a shoulder and dragging him into a patch of moonlight. Abraham got a good look at the man, saw the prosthetic arm with the giant knife on the end, saw the matching stunned looks on each of their faces.

"You're alive, you wily fuck, Lin was right," Merle managed, slapping Rick on the back in what was meant to be a hearty greeting, and Abraham still wasn't sure if the guy was friend or foe, until Rick laughed, one loud, pleased sound, returning the slap.

"Wait, Lin?" Rick asked, "Is she alive? Where is she?" Merle opened his mouth to reply when there was a snapping sound off in the forest behind them and all three of them spun to the noise, weapons raised. Abraham dropped his arm when he saw Daryl slink from the shadows, crossbow up. His face drooped in relief when he saw Abraham, and he nodded curtly before looking over at Rick and Merle. His entire body stiffened in shock.

"Merle?" Daryl uttered, his voice so cracked and filled with disbelief that Abraham felt his chest constrict for a moment in uncertainty.

"Goddamn, boy," Merle replied, his voice equally cracked, nearly guttural with emotion. He shoved away from Rick and stomped towards Daryl. Daryl's arm holding the crossbow fell to his side, his entire posture drooping. The two men stood in front of each other for a moment, studying each other in the faint light of the moon. "You old bastard," Daryl rasped. Merle chuckled and reached for Daryl, swinging his flesh and blood arm around Daryl's shoulder, pulling him in for a rough, almost angry hug.

It was brief, but even Abraham saw something there, an important connection. The two of them moved back to Rick and there were a couple more rasped words of surprise and greeting, before Abraham cleared his throat abruptly and all three turned to him when he exclaimed,

"Anyone wanna tell me just what the hell is going on here?"


	191. Chapter 191

***** I'm back from vacation, and the madness of my best friend's wedding, so without further delay - here's a new chapter :) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

"Well, you're alone again," Linney spoke aloud to herself, her voice quiet and defeated, "What the hell is wrong with you? You couldn't slow down? You couldn't turn back once to make sure he was still running along behind you?" She had been berating herself for hours as she trudged along the road. She had no idea where she was, no idea where Merle might be – her mind wouldn't even allow her to consider that she had left him alone to die by being burned alive – and she had zero clue about what to do now.

Linney coughed harshly, her lungs desperate to expel the choking smoke that had infiltrated them earlier. She paused in the middle of the road, listening to the far off caw of some loud bird and shifted her backpack up a little higher on her shoulders. It was dark out, the road nothing but a thin, lit-up strip that snaked between the dark borders on either side made of the trees. She knew there wasn't a chance in hell she was going to stop and attempt to sleep even if it was fully nighttime. From a safety vantage point, she knew stopping to sleep was absolutely a stupid idea – there was nowhere to hide, and she had nothing to lash herself to a tree with if she risked sleeping in higher ground.

Besides, she was way too keyed up to bother with sleep. So, she walked. Down and down along the dark road, all night long, Linney put one foot in front of the other, her pace steady and easy. She stopped once to pee, once to eat a granola bar and drink her remaining water, and another time she paused and rested both hands on her stomach when she felt the reassuring motion of Piglet fluttering inside of her. _Thank you god, thank you, thank you, thank you,_ she turned her face up to the moon and closed her eyes, grateful beyond words that the baby was alive, that her crazed, headlong rush through the burning forest hadn't harmed her child.

When the sun began to rise, Linney took a deep breath, the slight creeped-out feeling that always accompanied the darkness finally leaving her. Her shoulders slumped a little in defeat regardless, though. She had thought that by the time the sun rose that she'd have a plan, an idea of what came next – in fact it was the one thing that drove her forward persistently throughout the night: _you'll know what to do come morning_.

Instead, she was no better off than before, except for feeling more worn-out. The road still stretched forward endlessly before her, and snaked into the distance behind her, the pavement looking like a grey scar between the lush green of the trees on either side of it. Linney felt her sense of reality slip just a little bit further and began to imagine a world where she simply walked forever, on a road that never ended. By the time the rising sun had begun to warm up the world around her, and she was beginning to sweat from exertion, Linney knew she was nearing a time when she simply _had_ to stop walking.

Her body wasn't exactly protesting, but she was thirsty, hot, and hungry, and a dim part of her mind was very aware that she might just be in shock or mildly stunned after escaping the fires, and was now unable to feel the pain her body was likely in. She began to scan the woods, hoping to see a trail or a dirt road, a partially hidden driveway maybe, something to indicate she could be within some safe walls soon. There was nothing though. Just herself and the road and the trees and the sky.

"Great, thanks," she muttered in the general direction of the sky. The sunlight was blurring the road up ahead of her, causing wavering lines to appear above the surface of the asphalt. It took her a long moment to realize that some of the lines were too tall to be a mirage. _Watch them be walkers, wouldn't that just be the way? _She heard proof of her own morbid self-teasing a couple of moments later; rasping, rattling breaths that were both loud and hungry, reached her ears.

"Oh, come on!" She couldn't keep the protest from bursting out and used the back of her hand to swipe the sweat from her forehead and then stopped walking. "Alright, alright: Four, I can handle four," she murmured to herself, sliding the backpack from her shoulders, letting it thump heavily to the ground behind her boots. The gun on her hip was useless, out of ammo, but she had a couple knives. She hefted a smaller one into her hand, testing the weight and focusing on the figures shambling towards her.

"You could run," she reminded herself aloud, "its ok to run." Linney shook her head at her own words, trying to banish the cowardly voice that dared to speak up. "Fuck off, you wuss," she hissed, starting to take slow purposeful steps towards the dead things that were growing closer and closer. The creatures were excited, and she figured that they didn't see much fresh meat these days.

"Come on then!" She called out, recklessly, angrily, perhaps even slightly crazily. It wasn't as if the walkers needed direction, or encouragement, they'd likely been heading this way for a while because they had smelled her from far off. One of them, a woman, was fresher, and faster, and was making ground ahead of the others. Her rotted features were twisted in something resembling an eager grin.

Linney laughed and stopped moving forward, taking careful aim and hurling the knife. Her laughter stopped when the knife sailed past the walker's head, brushing through the gore-matted blonde hair that remained on the side of its head. _Shit._ Her mind had a moment where it all it was able to do was curse at itself for failure; she was a lot more tired and worn down than she thought if even a shot like this was too much to accomplish.

Linney scrambled for another knife and realized the walker was too close. Instead of throwing the second knife, Linney stepped straight towards the creature, its arms coming up as if to embrace her. At the last moment she darted beneath the out-stretched arms and plunged the knife through its temple. The knife came loose with a wet slurping noise and Linney grimaced. She watched the walker's loose, boneless swoon to the ground and her lip twitched when the walker's head made a firm, meaty, thumping noise when it connected with the pavement

The next two were nearly upon her now and Linney moved a couple of steps backwards, bending and scooping up her backpack in one smooth movement. She looked up at the side by side walkers and chucked the bag full in the face of one of them. The distraction was momentary, but she used the seconds well, cramming the blade full-force through the face of the bag-free one. She couldn't pull the knife free and had to release the handle as the walker fell dead, ducking beneath the rotting fingers of the other walker, who had successfully fought off her backpack.

She let out a guttural snarling noise herself and reached for the other knife at her hip, a large hunting knife, so big it was nearly a short sword in her hands. Merle had insisted she carry it after he found it in one of the houses they'd scavenged, and she was nothing but grateful now, although she had been mildly unimpressed at the time.

"Small knives are really more my style you know," she'd griped and he'd made an irritated face at her. "Did I say that was for throwin'? No. It's for slicin' someone right the fuck open," Merle had lectured.

No stabbing was necessary this time, and she swung the large knife hard at the walker's head, tearing the forehead open and jarring her hand in the process. It was enough though, and the walker collapsed, dead.

Linney panted and then let out a scream when a hand grabbed her ponytail, yanking her backwards. _You fuckwad, you forgot the last one!_ Her mind screamed. Linney ignored her frightened inner voice that was shrieking in terror and risked the pain to her scalp by immediately dropping to her knees. The creature behind her was thrown off balance and crumpled down with her, though it didn't release her hair. She twisted away from it, whimpering at the savage yank on her hair that movement caused, and put her knee down hard on her attacker's other hand, holding it in place. The huge knife slammed down violently into the creature's face and then everything was silent again.

Dead fingers remained gripped into her hair and Linney frowned as she pried them loose. She stuffed the huge knife home in its sheath, and put her backpack on, pausing long enough to yank her other knife from the walker face it was still stuck in. Looking around and really seeing what had just gone down, Linney swallowed reflexively when the gravity of the situation hit her. "You should've run," she murmured, running her hands down her chest, and then down over her little bump. She thought about Piglet, warm and safe in his or her dark world inside her, and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment when she thought about what could have happened. She could have been torn apart, eaten alive, and no one would ever know, or ever find her, she'd just be more noise in the woods, until she was nothing.

"I'm alone," she murmured, her tone pathetic and lost, the reality really hitting in her waves. She could feel the last feel tendrils of being alert, of being sensible, snapping, and her mind dove right off the deep end. She continued to trudge down the road, as tears finally took her. She was scared, alone, and the forlorn feeling was painful. "Oh god, why?" She managed to sob out, between fits of crying, still, unceasingly, putting one foot in front of the other, again and again, "Why am I bothering?"

Linney began to shake her head, hard and angry, still walking, always walking, walking, walking, and walking alone. She was tired now, so tired. So hungry and thirsty, and her hips and legs were angrily throbbing. "_WHY?" _She screamed, pausing briefly, bringing her hands to her face, crying into them for a moment, before screaming wordlessly again.

"All of this, all of this, for nothing?" She cried, looking up into the bright sky, "This far? To be alone? _WHY?" _Linney kept walking, her hands curled into fists over her belly. "Do you want me to give up? Is that it? You're finally done fucking around with me? Should I give up?" She yelled angrily to the sky, "Give me a sign, buddy! Tell me! Tell me I'm done! Show me something! Anything!" She paused again and bent at the waist, bracing her hands on her knees as she leaned forward, tears and sweat dripping off her face and pattering down onto the pavement below.

"Just give me a sign, I can't do this anymore," she croaked sadly, her chest hitching with her sobbed-in breaths. She was answered with nothing and took a slow deep breath, and finally stood up straight, forcing herself to quit screaming and crying, quit staring at the clouds and praying for divine intervention. _Pay attention, asshole, _she snipped at herself.

She turned her tired-eyed gaze to the road in front of herself again and her breath strangled in her throat. Up ahead, sitting like a sturdy safe-haven, stood a church.

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"Did she burn?" Daryl asked dejectedly, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. Merle glanced over at him and shook his head. "Told ya I don't know, she was ahead of me, running 'er ass off, then that fucking tree fell between us," Merle's voice was angry, but still dejected enough for Daryl to realize just how fresh Merle's loss was, "Lost sight of her, damn near burned to a crisp myself." Daryl swallowed and nodded and looked away.

"She's tough," a voice spoke from behind them, and Daryl realized that Carl had been following along behind them, listening to everything, "If she's not dead yet, she's not gonna die anytime soon – she'll outlive us all, most likely." Daryl couldn't see the hope in that, he only shuddered at how similar those words were to the ones Beth had said to him. Merle grunted. "Maybe so kid," he managed to respond, "Now scram, we're tryin'a have a conversation here." Carl rolled his eyes but trotted up ahead to walk with his father.

"Kid's right, y'know," Merle told him, "She's probably kicked back somewhere cursing my sorry ass for getting separated." Daryl rounded on his brother then, grabbing his arm in a vise-grip and squeezing, his brows drawn down in a glare. "No she _ain't!_ She's alone!" He snarled, his voice bordering on a yell, "She's out there alone! You fucking lost her! She's alone n' she's fuckin' pregnant! _And you lost her!"_

Everyone came to a slow halt around them and Daryl felt his chest heaving with each pained breath he dragged through it. He glanced up and saw the newest addition to the group, the preacher man, gaping at him in wide-eyed horror. "The fuck you lookin' at?" Daryl yelled at Gabriel. The preacher shook his head rapidly, stuttering as he tried to think of some way to answer, finally not saying anything, only turning away. Daryl suddenly hated the man, distrusted him, and really wanted to beat on him.

Rick must have sensed it, because he marched away from Gabriel's side, striding up to Daryl and putting a firm hand on his shoulder. "Calm down," Rick ordered him, "Now. You're scarin' people."

"How can you –" Daryl began, his voice heated, and Merle added his hand to Daryl's other shoulder. "Get it the fuck under control, you're a goddamn Dixon, not some bleating little bitch." Daryl glared hatefully at his brother and dimly realized that that was what Merle had wanted, for Daryl to redirect his rage to someone who could take it, maybe even someone who deserved it.

"Gabriel says he has a church, a place we can rest, we need to get there, you understand?" Rick spoke in level tones, but his voice was firm and Daryl had no trouble imagining that the man would slug him full in the face if it meant calming him down right now. "You're bein' too loud, out here like this," Rick continued, his voice dropping lower, "N' you got every right to be upset, but this isn't the time for it, got it?" Daryl glared up at him from beneath his fall of dark hair and finally nodded. Rick held his gaze and continued, "Daryl, I promise you, we will look for her, I'm not leavin' the area until we've found her, understand? But these people need rest, food, and water, and we have to get them to safety first." Daryl managed another nod, this time the look on his face felt a little less hateful.

_Get it together,_ he urged himself, _you know she wouldn't flip out like this, you gotta be stronger shit than this._ They continued to walk and eventually Merle began to talk again, repeating all the shit he'd already explained to all of them the night before, while he sat in the middle of the makeshift camp in the middle of the road – obviously now, repeating it all again for Daryl, it was clear Merle was trying to provide distraction.

His brother had been warmly greeted the night before, something he knew still startled Merle, but he'd handled the hugs and astonished greetings with relative grace; as much 'grace' as a man like Merle could muster in any given situation.

Not everyone knew that Linney was pregnant, and when Merle started talking about the baby casually, more than one jaw dropped, and more than one bewildered glance was exchanged. "She's got her a pot belly startin'," he told them all in his gravelly voice, trying to make it sound like a jest, but failing, "Can't keep her hands off it neither, always pettin' it like a damn dog." Daryl had closed his eyes, trying to envision it.

"Is it healthy? Is she healthy?" Maggie had pressed worriedly, her features drawn tightly. Merle nodded and Daryl watched Maggie let out a relieved breath, her eyes closing for a moment. He thought about Lori and had to force himself not to puke, knowing that the Grimes woman was likely on Maggie's mind as well. "Kid seems fine," Merle spoke again when the murmurs around him had died down, "Was movin' around the other night, fuckin' creepy if you ask me, havin' something squirmin' around in yer gut like a big-ass worm."

Daryl had bit back the acidic retort on his tongue, wanting to tear Merle's head off for not appreciating the fact that he'd experienced all the things that Daryl was being deprived of while Linney was separated from him all this time. His painful longing for her was back, dogging his every step. Even finding the crying, hollering, preacher this morning hadn't been enough of a distraction, not really.

Now, the group began walking again, their momentary concern that he might be losing his mind passing. He supposed that even adjusting to grief was becoming a normal part of life for them, and observing it in others was growing easier to bear. They came across a few walkers killed in the road and Rick made them stop as he crouched next to them. Daryl and Merle moved to his side immediately, old habits kicking in immediately for Merle.

"These're fresh," Merle said suddenly, dropping to a knee quickly, examining the stab wounds, "Real fresh – maybe an hour or two at most." Merle looked up, his eyes scanning the road. He had an intense, almost frantic look on his face, and Daryl felt a shard of ice shiver down his spine. Merle's gaze caught on something and he lurched to his feet, knocking Rick over in his haste.

He bent over something laying on the side of the road, past where the group stood clumped together watching, and then he snatched a small object up. When his brother let out a whoop of delight, no one was more shocked than Daryl. Merle turned to him, a grin on his face.

"This is hers!" He exclaimed, suddenly spinning away, looking wildly through the trees, "These're her kills – _Linney! Linney! LINNEY!"_ Daryl and Rick charged him at once, and Daryl slapped the back of Merle's head.

"Shut the hell up, you dumbfuck – wanna bring every one'a the walkers in the area down on us?" He hissed and Merle turned to him, the grin still on his face. "You dumb bastard," Merle chortled, "Lin did this, this is her knife, she was _here_, not two hours ago."

Everyone was silent for a moment before murmuring broke out among the group and Daryl met Rick's eyes briefly, before pushing past both his brother and Rick and charging off down the road. He could hear them calling him dimly, but he didn't stop, he just ran down the road, screaming her name until his throat felt raw.


	192. Chapter 192

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

The church was empty. This in itself should have been a blessing, but there was a part of her that had been hoping that she would have found some people inside when she cracked the door open carefully and peered within. She'd whistled a few times, an almost unconscious throwback habit to her travelling days with her old group, but received no response.

Linney spent several long minutes creeping through each room of the church, and then silently scouting the grounds outside. Satisfied that she hadn't stumbled upon some elaborate trap for the unwary, Linney closed the doors and stuck a stick of wood through the inside of the handles, hoping that would be enough to hold them closed against any unwanted, undead, visitors.

She let out a small squeak of delight when she found water and a few cans of food, and without wasting a moment, pried the water open and guzzled it heartily. She found a can opener and said a silent thank you to the roof of the church before settling herself on a pew to devour her findings. She ate camping potatoes, sweet and slick peaches, and then, with a great sigh of contentment, drained the last of the bottle of water she'd been working on. Her stomach was nearly groaning in satisfaction at this point and she lay back on the hard wooden pew, staring straight up at the beams of the ceiling far above her.

In her mind's eye, she imagined her little Piglet enjoying the meal too and it made her smile drowsily, the effects of the food making her sleepy. Linney managed to climb to her feet a moment later when she realized she was about to fall asleep and that a hard wooden bench was not something her back would thank her for later, no matter how lovely it felt right now. She dimly recalled a couch in one of the back rooms and dragged herself in there, closing the door behind herself. The knob on the door had a lock on it and that was almost better than the food – it meant a more secure sleep.

The couch had pillows and blankets all over it, and to her it may as well have been a four poster feather bed for how sumptuous it looked right at that moment. A dim part of her mind was warning her that she wasn't as safe as she thought she was; that this placed looked too recently lived-in to be truly abandoned, but her exhaustion was too much to fight against any longer and she forced herself to think it was safe. The heat, the endless walking, the running before, the smoke inhalation, and the unending fear and worry was literally bringing her to her knees now, and she dropped her bag to the floor and nearly threw herself down onto the couch bed.

She was asleep within minutes, her body pouring itself into the soft comfort of the bed, her weary head glad for the pillows and her aching feet almost singing at the relief of being at ease, at long last. It didn't take long before she was dreaming, and she found the dreams odd and fraught with longing for Daryl, who was nowhere in sight in the dreamscape, only his voice was there, screaming and yelling for her in the background, just out of reach.

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Daryl's head connected soundly with the pavement when Merle bodily tackled him to the ground from behind, both of them grunting as they tumbled down.

"Mother fuckin' idiot," Merle hissed, "What the fuck you thinkin', boy?" His brother pushed himself off the ground and booted Daryl in the side. "Get up," he snarled at Daryl, "Git, now." Daryl blinked woozily, his head now pounding, and rolled to his side, crawling for a moment, away from Merle. He didn't care about Merle at this minute, not really, all he wanted was to get up and run. Run after her. Find her; she was close and he would find her.

"Ya said so yerself," he muttered to Merle. Other footsteps approached rapidly, and before another moment could pass, there were feet and voices around him as the group caught up to them. Merle had raced after his brother as soon as Daryl bolted down the road, screaming for Linney as loudly as possible, the others only following after a few brief, stunned, seconds.

"Goddammit, Dixon, was that necessary?" Rick growled, jamming his hand under Daryl's arm and helping him to his feet. Daryl tried to pull away, but the head-smacking he'd received on the pavement was making him feel drunk and sick now and he only stumbled a step away, waving an angry hand at Rick and Carol as they both made for him, to steady him.

"Fuck all a ya, leave me be, I'm goin'a find her," he spoke petulantly, his words slightly mushy from the lingering wooziness. "You're _bleeding_," Carol said emphatically, her voice both concerned and scornful. Daryl caught the murderous glare she shot Merle. "Did you really have to knock him down like that?" She snapped. Merle didn't say anything, only returned Carol's dark look and then rolled his eyes.

"We gotta find her and we're gonna make some noise doin' it, but there ain't no way I was gonna let him fuck off on his own," Merle spat, by way of explanation, and Rick breathed out harshly in exasperation. "Reign it in a little," he warned Merle, flatly, before turning to Daryl and grabbing his shoulder, "And what the hell were you thinking? That we wouldn't help? She's close, and she isn't going to get far, but running off on your own, screaming down every walker in a ten mile radius is _not_ the way to do it." Daryl could hardly manage the baleful look he sent Rick's way, and he flinched hard when someone pressed a wet rag to his forehead.

He turned angrily to find Maggie standing there, her face firm, a no-nonsense tightening around her mouth and eyes giving him pause when he would otherwise have shoved her away too. "Now you're bleeding," she scolded him, her voice like that of a mother to her misbehaving child, "You can't run off with a bleedin' head. We need to sit down, clean it up." Daryl opened his mouth to protest and Maggie's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't askin'," she warned him. Conceding temporary defeat, and well aware that his head hurt terribly, Daryl bent a little at the neck, allowing her to mop his forehead a little better.

"Um?" An uncertain voice broke through the tension, and, as one, the entire group turned to Gabriel, who looked nervous and scared. "My church, it's uh…" Gabriel trailed off and waved a hand behind himself. Daryl would've felt like laughing in other circumstances: the whole lot of them were standing on the road just in front of the little church, not one of them having grown aware of its presence. _We're all so used to the damn trees, _he thought stupidly.

Rick smiled briefly and shook his head at their ignorance, before waving a hand at the church. "We're here, let's get inside, and then some of us will head back out here and track her down," he ordered everyone. Merle bristled, looking ready to argue, but Rick grabbed his shoulder on his way by. "Ain't up for discussion," he told the elder Dixon, his tone firm and bordering on angry. Merle shook off Rick's hand and reached for Daryl, grabbing his arm and dragging him bodily towards the church.

"This is all your fault, fuckin' idiot," he hissed in Daryl's ear. Daryl shot a narrowed-eyed look at his brother and broke away from the grip Merle had on his arm as they reached the door. He reached out and pulled on the door handle and nearly fell when it didn't open. "It's locked, why's it locked?" Daryl spoke angrily and for the second time, the group rounded on Gabriel.

"Why the fuck is the fucking door locked?"

"Thought you said you were alone?"

"Planning on jumping us when we got inside?"

Many angry voices began to snipe at Gabriel and the man shook his head rapidly, naked fear on his face at the dangerous level of anger directed towards him now. "N-n-no!" He cried, putting his hands up in front of himself, "I swear, it was empty! I'm alone! I can't lock it! I lost the key!" He backed away a step, right into Abraham, and the big man dropped a big hand down onto Gabriel's shoulder.

"You better be telling the truth, friend," Abraham's deep voice warned Gabriel, not needing to continue with an 'or else'; his tone was enough. Gabriel was shaking like a kicked dog and Daryl had had enough. His head hurt, but the wooziness from the initial blow was passing and he turned to the door in a rage. He was furious, fucking _livid_, that this stupid priest and his shit-box church were delaying him, keeping him from Linney. With two savage kicks, he tore through whatever was holding the huge doors closed, hearing a splintering noise within. The doors banged open, ricocheting off the walls inside.

"Gonna kill anyone I find in here, asshole, so I hope this little game a yours was worth it," Daryl furiously snapped, before charging inside.

"Damn right," Merle muttered, moving quickly after his brother.

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The explosively loud noise, followed by banging and loud voices outside the closed door of her temporary bedroom, brought Linney to full alertness in seconds, her heart thumping in terror. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, no._ She lunged for her bag, snatching up her huge hunting knife. Crawling across the floor, the blankets still tangled in her feet, her foggy dreams still tangled in her over-tired mind, Linney made for the only window in the room. It was, of course, boarded shut, and she cursed silently, her head turning repeatedly to the muffled, angry voices outside, and the sound of things falling over and banging around outside the door.

The little lock on the knob seemed paltry and useless to her now, and she pawed at the boards ineffectually for a moment. Piglet stirred restlessly and Linney felt a sudden and pressing need to pee. _Great timing kiddo._ When the doorknob wrenched violently a couple of times, Linney turned towards the door, her face twisting in fear and sadness.

Whoever was out there was furious, and she knew in her gut it was because she had broken in and eaten their food, slept in their bed. _I'm fucking Goldilocks,_ Linney thought wildly, and crazy desire to laugh rippled through her. She suppressed the urge and looked around the room, wondering if she should try hiding. Before that line of thought could get very far though, the doorknob let out a disturbing cracking noise, as the person on the other side busted it open. Crouching in preparation, her brow drawing down in determination, while her stomach roiled in sickening terror, Linney resigned herself to trying to fight her way out.

The door was flung open and Daryl stepped into the room, furious, filthy, and bleeding, the snarling look of rabid fury on his face so hard and dark that she recoiled, even as her heart felt like it was stuttering spastically.

"Daryl," she breathed, her voice small and disbelieving, an absurd urge to cry washing over her, "Daryl. Daryl." She forgot how to say anything but his name, softly saying it over and over again. He stared at her like he couldn't understand what he was seeing, his eyes growing wider. Linney dropped her knife with a loud clatter and cried out loudly, "_Daryl!_"

His crossbow thunked gracelessly to the ground as he strode towards her immediately his quick pace devouring the space between them. He grabbed her up under her arms and pulled her tight to his chest, as he continued walking, until her back connected with the wall behind her. She brought her legs up around his waist and clung to him like a lifeline. He began kissing her face, her neck, her mouth, her hair, anywhere he could.

He started to laugh then, short, almost barking laughs that sounded bewildered and delighted, and Linney began to laugh-sob as she kissed him back, both her hands pushed into his hair and gripping him tightly. "You're here! You're here! Oh god, you're here!" She sobbed, kissing him even as she began to cry, the feeling of her grinding, tearing ache for him finally leaving her chest, letting her breathe again. His laughter was subsiding as he kissed her, muttering her name into her lips.

"Where the fuck did you go? What the fuck Linney? What the fuck?" He mumbled as he let her down to the floor, his big hands cupping her face. His eyes looked back forth between her own, wide and shiny; to her, he looked so vulnerable and heartbreakingly sad, that she could hardly stand it.

"I'm here, I'm right here, you found me, you fucking found me, how?" She spoke quickly, her voice feeling like it was dragging with near-painful intensity, "How did you find me? I lost Molly, and I lost Merle, and then you found me?"

"I found 'im first," Merle spoke from behind Daryl and Linney jerked in Daryl's arms, pulling to the side to see Merle standing a few feet from them, a smirk on his face. It took her a moment longer to see past him, to see everyone, _everyone_, standing there, smiling like idiots, some of them openly crying.

"I thought you were dead," she said quietly, her gaze darting back to Merle's, "I thought I left you to burn –" Linney's voice cut off when someone pushed past Merle impatiently. "Carl!" She yelled, at the same time that Carl yelled, "Linney!" She wrenched herself from Daryl and shoved past Merle to collide with Carl, hugging him so hard his hat fell off. She began crying anew, her fingers grabbing his face so hard he winced.

"Linney, ow," he mumbled, a smile pulling on his face. She felt like she might puke she was so happy, and just squeezed his face, before kissing his forehead and hugging him tightly, her eyes squinting closed as she did. He returned the hug just as happily, before hands were pulling at her, everyone else wanting in on the action.

The next few moments were a flurry of hugs and tears and happiness as she reunited with everyone, Rick's hug swinging her off the ground jubilantly. When she was back in the circle of Daryl's arms again, everyone sitting on the pews and the floor at the front of the church, she could hardly believe that this was even real; Linney finally felt sated – they were here, they were all here.

Except, except… Linney twisted in Daryl's grip and turned a panicked face up to him, her features beginning to crumple in sadness already. "No, no," she murmured, "Beth? Where's Beth?" She turned to Maggie, unable to properly absorb the regret on Daryl's face, and saw a ravaged expression of sorrow on Maggie's face that made her flinch.

Linney turned back to Daryl and pushed her face into his shirt, crying loudly. She never thought of Beth being truly gone – in her heart, she hoped that everyone she had been separated from were somehow together, the group together and complete, just without her. Since she never thought she'd see any of them again, it broke her heart to find out anyone was dead and gone, really gone.

"I lost her," Daryl told her, his voice laced heavily with guilt and self-loathing, "It's on me, I lost her." She turned her face up to him and shook her head, wanting to grieve for Beth, but wanting to spare Daryl her pain at the same time. Linney pulled away and took Daryl's hand, leading him from the group, through the pews of the church, to the far corner. Everyone was settling down now, food cooking, candles burning, bags off and feet up. Linney didn't want to bring them all down, so she decided that she and Daryl needed a moment alone.

As soon as they reached the darkened corner she turned to Daryl and pushed him to sit in the last pew on their side of the church, standing before him. "Lin, I'm sor-" he began, but she put her fingers over his mouth and shook her head. "No, don't, Daryl, it's not your fault, it's not," she urged him. He hung his head and she swallowed back the sob that wanted out, and forcefully buried the urge to cry for Beth; there would be plenty of time to mourn the girl, her friend, her ward, her sister, at night, where no one could see or feel her sorrow.

Linney began to unbutton the flannel shirt she was wearing and let the garment drop to the floor after she slid it off. Daryl looked up then, confusion on his face, his eyes dropping immediately to her figure beneath, very prominently displayed in the tight tank top she was wearing.

She turned slightly, so he could see the little bulge of her belly and she reached for one of his hands, placing it palm down on top of it. His face cleared of all guilt, all sadness, all remorse, and stark wonderment replaced it all. His eyes softened as a small smile grew on his mouth. Daryl brought his other hand up, letting them both lay protectively over top of her bump.

"You're…" he said softly, not finishing the sentence. Linney laughed, the sound feeling light, lighter than anything she'd felt in a long time, and she nodded. "Pregnant?" She supplied helpfully, and he looked up at her, a smile on his face. She pulled her shirt up a little so he could run his hands over her skin. It felt wonderful, the cool air, his large warm hands, and the slightest of turning movements within herself as Piglet repositioned.

Daryl felt it too. His eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas and he turned an almost silly smile to her then. She smiled back and bent towards him, kissing him soundly. He pulled away and she pouted, but only for a moment, watching as he bent to her stomach, kissing it lightly. She could feel his breath and hear the very slightest of sounds, and realized he was whispering something to her belly, to Piglet.

She couldn't understand the words, but she heard the tone loud and clear: love. She knew that tomorrow, the world would carry on, that the whole lot of them would have to carry on, moving forward and struggling with whatever came, but now, right now, she was ridiculously, stupidly, foolishly happy. She allowed Daryl to guide her to sit in his lap and leaned against him. He kept his hands on her belly, feeling the little flutters of their baby as her little Piglet danced around gently for him.


	193. Chapter 193

***** Hey everyone, it's been awhile, I know – sometimes I wish you could post authors-note only chapters just to give people a heads up, I totally would have. **

**So, if you're not interested, scroll to where the bold print stops****, ****otherwise you're hearing about my absence (in brief).**

**Anyhow, my own little Piglet came a few weeks early and we spent some time in the hospital helping him put on some weight, and then we came home and we spent some time learning just how little sleep a new mommy could run on (hint: the answer is zero, zero sleep). You'd think I'd have more time to sit and write, but you'd be totally and completely wrong, because no, no I don't, an 8lb burrito is keeping me fully occupied lol**

**BUT! This story has been teasing me, the plotline running through my head endlessly; I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, and planning for it. Yesterday my mother gave me a contraption called a Momaroo and I think it's going to change my life because my little Piglet loves the hell out of it – it looks like a regular car seat thing and then you turn it on and it moves around in all these patterns, like rocking, car ride, gentle ocean, etc etc…. sorry, I'm boring now, my life is all Piglet, all the time.**

**In case you are curious, my Piglet is a little chub, with the blondest peach fuzz hair in the world and great big blue eyes, and he likes to glare at everything like a newborn old man lol. Oh yes, and I feel I can say this in total unbiased fairness: he's absolutely perfect. I think I'm in love and I may need to keep him forever.**

**You guys are the best, I'm so grateful for all of you, all the notifications pinging away on my laptop while I wasn't able to get at it, made my heart happy, especially through some unpleasant moments at the beginning. I'm going to do my best to keep at this, but the time between updates won't be like before, I just can't sustain that right now!**

**I'm hoping I haven't lost my touch here, I feel so rusty… Please has a patience!**

**Oh, and, as per usual, I OWN NOTHING… except Linney and HER Piglet **** So, ENJOY**

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She couldn't stop staring at Carol. Everyone else was acting calm, and almost uncomfortably happy, but no one seemed at all weirded out with Carol. This bothered Linney on a few levels, because A) Carol had tried to kill her and would have been successful had Linney herself not been awake, B) Carol definitely successfully killed two other members of their group back at the prison, and C) Carol had tried to fucking _kill_ her. Linney felt at war with herself, as she sat on a couch cushion on the floor, in between Daryl and Merle, eating some kind of kids pasta treat from a can.

Everyone had insisted that she sit on the cushion, and then Maggie had insisted that she keep a cushion behind her back as well, while Carl kept asking her if she wanted more food, more water, more comfortable clothing, and so on and so on. _Ok, this shit's gonna get old real quick, now I know how Lori felt, everyone crawling up in her business constantly._ Daryl seemed oblivious to her growing irritation at all the attention, but Merle kept smirking at her, so she figured he understood her discomfort with it, although he clearly it found it highly amusing.

Carol was sitting on the far side of the group from her, next to Rick, with Judith in her arms, Tyreese right beside her. Linney felt her contemplative frown for Carol, twist up into a little smile at the big man's attachment to the baby. She'd gotten parts of the story briefly from Daryl, but not all of it. _I can be grateful Carol saved Judy and still want her to go away again._ She couldn't trust the woman, and it gave her a pang in her chest. It's like there were two Carol's in her mind: the Carol before the attempted murder, and the Carol afterwards. Linney missed the Carol of before, the tough as nails woman who was only out to care for and protect her own people. This new Carol, was ready to do anything that she thought was right, including sneak into the room of someone who trusted her complicity and kill them where they slept.

It sickened her. Carol kept her eyes off Linney, as if understanding that she didn't have permission to interact with her at all; earlier, during the frenzy of hugs and hellos when the group finally found Linney, Carol hung back with the new people, not even attempting to join the group's greetings. Linney moved her eyes away from Carol now and caught Rick's gaze as she did so, he was clearly studying her, and she knew instinctively that he was 100% aware of her Carol-thoughts and distrust.

Rick patted Carl's head where it was sleepily leaning back against the altar and then climbed to his feet. Her stomach sank as he strode over towards her, and she could sense a 'Rick-talk' coming. "Don't roll your eyes," he told her, stopping in front of her and extending a hand down to her, "I just wanna talk to you for a minute." She glanced over at Daryl, who simply shrugged before turning back to his own can of food, and then she sighed and reached for Rick's hand. "Up you go," he murmured as he hauled her to her feet from her spot on her floor cushions. He didn't release her hand and instead led her into the back room that she'd sought refuge in earlier in the day.

"I'm guessing you know what I want to talk to you about," he said immediately upon closing the door. Linney folded her arms across her chest and shrugged, looking away. "She tried to kill me, Rick, you know that," she answered him tightly, "I can't forgive that and I certainly can't forget that she failed to get me, but not Karen and David." Rick nodded and took a step towards her, his hands on his hips as he looked down at the floor for a moment.

"I know," he reassured her, "But Karen and David were going to die anyway." Linney glared at him and when he looked up and met the glare, it only deepened. "Rick, they could've died in bed, with their loved ones there, or nearby, passed away the way nature intended, not stabbed and sliced and set on fucking fire!" She shot back at him, knowing her raised voice was just a little too loud.

"I understand," Rick replied, "And if things had been different, and we'd stayed at the prison, she would not be with us." Linney widened her eyes and felt her mouth drop open for a moment in disbelief. "So it's ok for her to be with us now? Out here on the road? Are you fucking kidding me? How can you even stand to have her around Carl and Judy?" Linney replied harshly.

"I wouldn't have Judy if Carol hadn't been around," Rick replied reasonably. Linney took a deep breath and turned away from him, hating that it was true, and hating that she felt such a swell of gratitude to the woman for saving the baby they all loved so much. "None of us would be alive right now, if not for her," he continued, and Linney spun back towards him, saw the look of pain and anger on his face, and then strode towards him. She grabbed his forearm and looked up at him.

"What? How?" She asked in concern, her eyes darting past him to the closed door, to where Daryl and Carl were; she felt a flutter or unease just thinking that they'd almost died. One side of Rick's mouth twitched up. "Terminus was a trap," he told her, and she let out an unhappy breath at the news. "They lured people in," Rick continued, "And then locked them up, housing them for future slaughter."

"Slaughter?" She asked, not understanding. Rick shot her a wary look, almost as if he was afraid to upset her. "They ate people, Lin, they lured them in, locked them up and killed them, slaughtered them like animals and that's how they survived," Rick's voice seemed lace with disgust even now. Linney knew the grip she had on his forearm had tightened to the point where it must have been painful, but she felt locked into position. How long had she hoped that Terminus would be their salvation?

"All of us, except Ty, Judy, and Carol, were locked up in a train car there, they caught us all with their promises of safety," he explained, "They had Glenn, Bob, me, and Daryl right on the slaughter house floor, literally on the floor, it was…" Rick trailed off for a moment and Linney turned wide and horrified eyes up to him, until his gaze met hers again. "It was close, within seconds, there was nothing we could do, and it was almost over for us," he finished, his voice growing darker.

Linney let go of his arm and thought about what that must have been like for them, her stomach tightening in unhappiness at the images in her mind. "Carol unleashed hell on them," Rick added, "I don't know how, or exactly all the details, but she ended them completely."

"The fire?" Linney asked quietly, and Rick nodded. She turned away and the war inside her continued – she just couldn't find it in herself to forgive Carol for trying to kill her – _she didn't even try to talk to me first, to confirm that I was sick. Me! Someone she'd been with from the start, someone she was supposed to care for, she was just willing to throw it away._

"I will never not be grateful that she saved Judy, that she saved Carl, and Daryl, and you… all of you," Linney managed, "But Rick, I can't forgive her, I can't." She dropped her hands to her little bump and looked back up at him. "I can't Rick, she would have killed us without a second thought, without any hesitation, someone she was supposed to love, she would have snuck in and out, killing me in between the sneaking," her words were firm and when Rick finally nodded, she knew he understood.

"I'm not kicking her out," he added, "That doesn't mean I don't appreciate what you're saying, believe me, I do, but I can't, she's earned her keep." Linney felt a ripple of betrayal and backed away from him. "I wonder if you'd feel the same way if she had killed me, Rick, if I hadn't been awake, and she'd managed to murder me," she shot back at him, the hurt and anger in her voice clear. Rick shook his head.

"That would be entirely different," he told her, his voice so hard and gruff that she almost flinched. "Why?" She couldn't help asking, the part of her that felt hurt because Rick was taking Carol's side over hers needed to know, needed the validation.

Rick turned for the door, away from her, and his hand rested on the doorknob, his voice low and steady as he answered, "If she'd killed you, I would have ended her the moment I found her."

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Merle was a pretty astute guy. Most people wrote him off as a crazy, stupid redneck, with anger control issues, and hell, maybe he was some of the time, but other times, he could read people like an open book. And he really liked the read he was getting off of Abraham, but not his nerdy little pal, the scientist fella, Eugene. The man had a dopey, yet somehow furtive look on his face all the time, Merle thought, and it did not fill him with confidence at all.

What surprised him, was how hard Abraham had bought into what Eugene was feeding him. Sure, maybe there was some kind of team working on a cure in Washington, but he honestly doubted that. They'd been down this road before, and it always ended in more dying. _Just gonna be a bunch of dead politicians, if you ask me_. But nobody was asking him, and that bugged him too. _Why we goin' on this damn fool's mission with them? We got the baby, and Linney, they need a place to lay their heads – not more wanderin' down the road._ Truthfully, Merle was sick of worry – he'd had a belly full of worrying the past little while and what he really wanted was a little rest and relaxation.

Besides, Eugene was lying, about something – maybe everything, Merle couldn't tell, he just knew that the stink of desperation coming off the man was worse than the nastiest cologne and that made him wary. His group was mostly altogether again though, so he supposed he should just be content for that reason, for now. Merle shifted his position from where he was leaning, on night watch, and glanced over to where his brother and Linney were sleeping. The elder Greene girl had insisted that Linney sleep on the couch, but Lin wasn't having any of it, instead laying all three cushions on the ground, next to Daryl's bedding, before glaring over at her friend.

"Will this do, you old boss-cat?" She'd snapped at Maggie, and received a satisfied smile in return. Now she was on the furthest edge of the cushion, cuddled right up against Daryl's chest, both of his arms wrapped around her protectively, even in sleep. He wasn't grossed out by the display of affection like he normally was, he understood, part of him wanted to haul the two of them around with him for always too, because he just couldn't stand the thought of not having them nearby. _Don't tell them that, girl'd make that damn moon-pie face she gets when you bring on some feelings._

The other person on watch was Rosita, the hot as shit friend of Abraham and his nerd-buddy. He didn't mind her, easy on the eyes at the very least, good fighter he'd heard too.

"Hey," he hiss-whispered to her across the dark and sleeping church, she looked up from her position peering through the cracks of the boarded-up front window, and shot him a quizzical look. "What?" She whispered back, impatience in her tone already. _Damn girl, calm down, I haven't even pissed you off yet._

Merle raised his hand and his prosthetic arm with the knife on the end of it up into the air, in a make-peace gesture, as he strolled over to her. "I'm just wonderin' what the plan is, sweetheart. We're just gonna waltz into DC, and there's gonna be a welcome-party for that guy? _That guy?_" Merle's voice was quiet, but he made sure it was every bit as incredulous as he was. Rosita didn't need to be told who "that guy" was. She folded her arms over her chest, a glare growing on her face.

"That guy may hold the secrets to saving the world," she replied in a soft, fierce voice, "_That guy_ is smarter than you could ever hope to be." She stood up straight and unfolded her arms, putting her hands on her hips and shooting Merle a dangerous look. "_That guy?_ The one I see you all staring at like he's some kind of waste of skin? That guy's gonna be the reason your ass gets saved, everyone's ass gets saved, once we get him to DC." Merle just stared at her for a long moment, finding that her attractive qualities were far-overridden by her defiant nature, and her stubbornness. _She must chew ole Abe's ear off terribly when they get to disagreeing._

Merle simply nodded his head at her. "I get that's what he told you, and I get that sounds mighty sweet," Merle responded, letting his voice rasp over his drawl in a slow fashion, "But I can't believe a fine, upstanding gal such as yourself, or a guy like ole' Carrot Top over there, are falling for what's likely to be some horse shit. Ain't you seen enough, girl? This world hasn't shown you enough shit and death, yet? Don't you get it? There ain't no 'they' in DC, there ain't no 'they' anywhere. Ya'll are leadin' your own way to a death in another state is all – nothin' waitin' in DC but more walkers." He finished with a growl, realizing that he sounded threatening, but he couldn't quite word what he wanted to say out loud, because sentiment was not his strong suit: you and Abraham are good people and I want you with us, not marching off to die in the old nation's capital; Eugene is lying to you and that makes him bad news.

He pissed her off though and she turned her back on him. Merle stared at the back of her head for a long while, before turning and lumbering away, making several rounds inside the church. He knew at this point they were all riding the incredible high of being alive, and being together, and he hoped that Rick would wake the fuck up over the next couple of days while they rested and prepared to move on. _We can't go to DC, ain't gonna be nothin' there for us._

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His mother had always told him that lies were a sin and a shame, and that dirty liars would be caught in their shame, eventually. He had to assume that his own 'eventually' was actually not that far off now. It was easier to have your story believed when you only had to convince a couple people, any more than that though and you were led into difficulties; too many minds would be thinking it over, and the more minds involved, the higher the likelihood that at least one of them would see right through you.

What was worse, was that he actually _liked_ this group. So many tough people, so loyal to one another, there was an absolute safety in their numbers, as far as Eugene was concerned, and he didn't want to go trekking off to DC anymore. _Maybe I ought to come clean, maybe they'll get over it,_ Eugene thought, turning over in his bedding, trying to get comfortable; there was nothing comfortable about the hard wood floor, but he had to concede that at least it wasn't outside, out in the open. _There is certainly something to be said for walls._

He knew he couldn't reveal the truth now, though, he was in too deep, he was committed to this course – he could only hope that playing the role he was best at, the role that came naturally to him, the coward, would help him. _I could just walk right to Abraham and say, "Abraham, I don't want to go to DC anymore, it's dangerous, and we'll likely die, and living is too valuable."_ The voice in his head was strong, but Eugene could feel something in his chest shrivelling up at the thought of actually speaking those words aloud.

_I may be important to him, I may be the reason he has this mission, but the mission is bigger me than me now, Abraham will not stop until we get to DC, and then he'll know, they'll all know._ He'd heard the terrifying man, Merle, speaking in his rasping voice to Rosita – Merle saw right through him, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. A man like Merle might kill a man like Eugene, just to make sure his own people didn't follow Abraham on his path to DC.

Eugene quickly slowed his breathing and closed his eyes when Merle walked by him again on his rounds. Peering through slitted eyes, he could see the one-armed man staring at him, his face set and hard, the knife on the fake arm glinting in the little bit of moonlight that seeped through the cracks in the window boards. Merle was studying him, in a cold, calculating fashion. Eugene couldn't repress the slight shudder that travelled up his spine under the scrutiny, and Merle saw it, smirking a little before he turned and strode away.


	194. Chapter 194

***** Piglet and I are doing great, thanks for all the PMs guys (he is turning into the most delightful chubby thing)! ****I had some grandmas descend on us this weekend and got a little free time for just me, so of course I beelined for my obsession, excuse any typos, I was frantic to get this out haha…. Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Molly didn't know Beth. She saw her almost every day, but she didn't know her. She hid her smiles and tried not to stare, but since she didn't know Beth, it wasn't supposed to really matter that much.

She turned her good eye back down to the tub of warm, sudsy water she was washing the breakfast dishes in, and muttered to herself, "You don't know me, you never did, you never will." She remembered the fierce look in Beth's eyes, the almost furious clench in her jaw, and the hard line across Beth's forehead. It made her feel lonely and sad.

The dishes clinked lightly against each other, and Molly tried to focus. Mostly, because she was little, people were nice to her. Sometimes, because she was little, they just ignored her. Other times, because she was little, some of the people here were mean to her. Just the day before, the big jerk guy, Officer Gorman, had pulled her hair really hard, making tears come out of her eye.

"Do you think this is alright?" He'd shouted at her, shoving a plate right up against her nose, hard, dried-on bits of some kind of food on the surface. His other hand grabbed her ponytail so tightly that she felt like crying. "Huh? You ugly little shit? You think I _want_ to eat off a dirty dish? How about you don't eat for a little while, until you learn to do it right?" He'd yelled right in her face and Molly had pressed her lips together and shook her head back and forth, as best as she could with the tight grip on her hair.

"I'm sorry Mr. Gorman! I'll do them better! I didn't mean to!" She'd yelped, his grip finally releasing on her hair. He dropped the plate heavily into the tub of water she'd been working in front of, splashing the whole front of her and the floor, and wasting the water.

"It's _Officer_, kid, don't make me tell you again," he'd snapped, before turning away and leaving the cafeteria. He was always mean, she knew he liked to hit people, and liked to scare people, and he did both with her. Molly had sniffed back tears, scrubbing furiously at the dishes for much longer than normal. Dawn finally came and found her, crying as she wiped and wiped at the plates. Dawn was one of the mostly-alright ones. At least she never hit Molly.

"How come you're still here? You're supposed to be done in here by 9, and then go upstairs," Dawn had called to her as she entered the otherwise empty kitchen. Molly's jobs were varied, fairly light-duty stuff since she was a kid, but Dawn was very strict about schedules, and expected everyone to pull their weight, to pay back what they owed.

Molly's first job was to wash the plates and utensils after breakfast, then wipe the tables, then go upstairs and find Noah, and he would usually give her a broom to sweep an area that already looked clean, or tell her to fold towels, or sometimes, if it was a really great day, he'd sneak her some crayons and paper and let her hide away in an empty room, coloring. Noah was always nice, he reminded her of Ben, and that made her happy.

After helping Noah, she had to clean up after lunch, just the same as breakfast, and then Dawn always made her learn something, which Molly found stupid – she didn't think school mattered anymore, but Dawn insisted that education would _always_ be important, especially when things got back to normal. Molly had to fight not to roll her eye. The first time she rolled her eye, Dawn let Gorman slap her for being so rude.

Molly had held her stinging cheek and frowned. "Nothing is ever going to fix everything again though!" Molly had protested, "There are walkers everywhere!" She'd gotten another slap for her protests and learned to just say nothing if possible.

The day Gorman pulled her hair, Dawn didn't seem interested in Molly's explanations. She had held up an imperious hand and cut Molly off. "He works really hard to keep you safe, to keep this whole place safe, and if you can't do your one little job properly, well then honey, we're going to have to kick you out," Dawn had explained in her you're-not-very-smart-are-you voice, "And if you get kicked out, you know what happens, right?"

Molly had hung her head, refusing to answer, thinking briefly of Merle and Linney and wishing she'd never left the house. "Look at me," Dawn ordered her, and Molly turned her eye up, meeting Dawn's hard gaze. "Now answer me," Dawn persisted, "Tell me what happens to little girls like you out there."

"I'll be ripped apart in seconds, and it will hurt more than anything else in the whole world," Molly answered quietly, repeating the words that Dawn had told her dozens of times. Each time it was like a knife to her heart, because all she could think about was Matty. _It hurt him more than anything else in the whole world. He got eaten up and ripped apart and died and I'm alone._

"That's right, now finish up in here, quickly and properly, then get upstairs and do your job," Dawn stepped a little closer, to where Molly stood on the chair she used to reach the countertop where the tub of washing sat, and she reached out and grabbed Molly's chin, holding it firmly.

"It's a miracle that you're alive, children just don't survive this kind of thing, and you did, that makes you special," Dawn told her, her voice a little softer, "But you need to appreciate this place and the people who risk their lives to keep it so safe, because being a child doesn't mean you can't be killed. And it certainly doesn't mean that you get to sit back for a free ride."

Dawn released her chin and Molly again wanted to tell her about Matty, about her mom and Woodbury, about the prison, she wanted to tell Dawn that she knew more about kids dying than Dawn did. _You came from nowhere and you don't know anybody, understand?_ Beth's hard voice filled her head, and Molly simply nodded at Dawn and then turned back to the dishes.

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She had nearly lost her wits when Gomez and Bryant walked through the doors with Molly in between them. Beth felt she could safely say that Molly was the absolute last person she had ever expected to see alive ever again. Her instincts kicked in before any other part of her did, and Beth had immediately turned away and ducked inside a supply closet, her heart thundering in her chest as she listened to Molly's little voice speaking to people, being introduced, talking to Dawn.

A knife had twisted itself slowly in her chest when she heard Molly tell Dawn, "I was with my friends, Linney and Merle, but then the bad men came and took Merle, and Linney went to get him, but they never came back." The little girl was led away, to be checked out by the doctor, fed, and put to bed (as it was quite late at this point), and Beth listened as the other inhabitants of the hospital muttered in shock to each other at seeing a living child again. It was like seeing a ghost these days.

_I've seen lots of kids! Babies too! _Beth screamed in her head, her mind whirling as she tried to get a grip on this weird situation. It was made more difficult by the fact the Beth hated it here and felt imprisoned and in danger all the time. Now she had Molly to worry about. She straightened up in an absolute panic as it struck her that Dawn was not likely to be happy to know that Beth knew Molly. She couldn't explain why, but she felt in her gut that she was right. If anyone knew that she and the little girl shared a past, had a bond, it put Molly in danger.

_Please don't let her say anything to Dawn until I get to talk to her_. Noah had found her in the closet then, startling them both when he opened the door and walked into her. "Jesus, Beth! What the hell are you doing hiding in here?" He panted, one hand clenched in a fist at his side. Beth's eyes darted around as she tried to think of a lie, and she opted for tears, pressing her face into her hands and fake-sobbing.

"It's just, seeing a child again, it was just too much, I never thought a kid could live, and it hit me _so _hard, I had to hide, so that little girl wouldn't see me cryin' and get scared," Beth babbled out behind her hands. Noah awkwardly patted her shoulder and she peeked out at him to catch the expression on his face. She could tell that he thought she was acting strangely, but she didn't think he realized she was lying.

That night, Beth had laid in her bed, twitching with anxiety, waiting for the sounds of everyone else going to sleep to die down. When total silence covered the hospital, Beth slid out of bed and eased out the door into the darkened hallway. Molly's room wasn't far, and as she approached the door, she could hear crying behind it. Beth opened it slowly and silently, slipping in without even Molly noticing.

She moved quickly across the room and nearly pounced on Molly, pressing a hand immediately over the little girl's mouth, to keep her quiet. Molly let out a muffled squeak of dismay as Beth pulled her from her bed and over to the window. The moon was up and the sky was cloudless, so she knew Molly would see her face and know her. The relief that flooded Molly's expression was huge, and she immediately reached her arms for Beth, grasping at her arms, trying to hug her.

"Molly, no, wait," Beth whispered urgently, "This is real important, you have to listen to me, and you _have to be perfectly quiet."_ Beth laid a hand on Molly's little shoulder and shook her, twice. "Understand? _Quiet_ or somethin' bad's gonna happen." Molly nodded and Beth removed her hand, kneeling in front of Molly to put them face to face.

"I'm so happy to see you Molly, but you need to understand somethin', while you're here, to keep us both safe, _you don't know me,_" Beth's whisper was firm and angry, and she gripped Molly's shoulder tightly, "These people, some of them might seem nice, but they're not, most of them are bad Molly, really bad, and they might kill us if they know." Molly had swallowed hard, a tear welling out of her eye and sliding down her face. It broke Beth's heart, but she knew that Molly was a kid, and that she needed to be the strong one here.

"Don't talk about the prison, or anyone, don't say anything else," Beth continued in her hushed tones, "You don't know anyone, not a one!"

"But I already told them about Merle and Linney!" Molly whispered in horror, her face crumpling in fear. Beth pressed her lips together and nodded curtly, before replying, "They're both dead, so it doesn't matter, but no more stories – got it? You came from nowhere and you don't know anybody, understand? If they ask, just act real sad and say you don't remember, just Merle and Linney, and they're gone forever." Molly's mouth pulled down into a frown and she began crying in earnest, silently, but heavily.

"I don't want them to be dead, Beth, I want them back, can't we go and find them? The police officers said they'd help but then that lady told me they couldn't help and I had to stay here or else I'd be dead," Molly's voice was soft and watery, but grew harder when she continued, "I never would've left, I never would've stopped waiting for them if I knew they were gonna take me away and not help!" Beth pulled Molly in for a hard hug, gripping the girl tightly. Molly's little arms came up and clung to her desperately and for a few minutes, Beth gave in to her emotions and gripped tightly at the little piece of her lost life.

Abruptly, she pushed Molly away. "Now, you can't look at me like you know me, you can't talk to me like you know me, you can't ask about me, you can't sit with me, you can't visit me – if I'm mean to you, or ignore you, it's because I'm trying to keep you safe; as long as we are here you don't know me, you never did, you never will," Beth's words hit Molly hard, and she could see the little girl struggling, but Molly had been through a lot. She understood fear, pain, and most importantly, death – so she took Beth's words and warnings seriously.

"I don't know you, you're a stranger," Molly whispered back finally, and Beth nodded, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "Molly, I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life, I'm so glad you are alive," Beth told her quietly, "I will find a way to get out, to get us both out, but until I say so, you don't know me, got it?"

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Escape on its own was hard enough. Escape with a little girl was harder. Noah had lowered Beth down the nightmarish elevator shaft first, her whole body shaking as she tried to gasp in quiet breaths. It was a soot and blood-streaked hole that the dead were tossed down, the pile of truly dead corpses at the bottom sending up a waft of stench so powerful that it burned the nose.

When her unsteady feet finally touched down to the hard metal edge of the blown in elevator, Beth felt a brief sense of pure elation, which was swiftly squashed when she glanced down into the elevator, through the large, ragged hole on top, seeing the rotted mess inside it. Her hands moved swiftly, untying the rope, and stepping to a more firm position on the edge as Noah yanked the rope back up.

A moment or two later, Molly's feet appeared over the edge of the elevator shaft, and then her distant pale face peered down. "Close your eyes, don't look down, got it?" She heard Noah whispering frantically. Beth felt every muscle in her body freeze up as Molly was let down, hand over hand, by Noah. Beth found herself praying, praying the little girl would make it safely, that they wouldn't get caught, and mostly praying for freedom.

Beth inched around the elevator ledge, positioning herself to grab Molly. She caught hold of the little girl's legs and pulled her in towards the wall. She was proud of Molly, clearly the girl was petrified, but she didn't make a sound. Beth made sure her small sneakered feet were planted soundly and then pressed Molly's shoulders against the wall. "Don't move, don't look down, don't make any noise," Beth said quietly, her fingers deftly untying the rope from Molly's waist.

They both looked up anxiously as Noah began to make his way down, his journey far less smooth than hers or Molly's had been – he had to climb down, and the danger was greater. Beth stifled a scream when a very dead arm came shooting out at the partially opened elevator doors two floors up, the rotting, claw-like fingers just barely missing Noah's skin. He let out a yelp and kicked at the air, scrambling in vain to get away.

She glanced over at Molly and saw the girl's face turned away, into the wall, her eye screwed shut and her mouth open in a pant, utterly terrified for Noah and simply unable to watch. Noah let out another yelp as he released the rope and came freefalling down the shaft, through the ripped open top of the elevator itself, landing hard and rough on the heap of bodies.

"Noah!" Beth called out in a whisper, immediately sitting on the edge of the elevator and dropping herself down next to him, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" She landed with a meaty, squashing thump and realized that her breaths were coming like gasps.

"I'm ok, I'm ok, oh god, I'm ok," Noah was saying over and over again in a weak voice. Beth managed to get to her feet and looked up for Molly. The little girl stood pressed up against the wall where Beth had left her, in her over-sized hospital top, the bottom half tied off at her waist, the pants cinched tightly and cut short to fit her properly.

"Molly, come to the edge, come on, quickly now," Beth whispered hoarsely, trying to keep her ragged fear from her voice. Molly hesitated a moment, and then lowered herself to a sitting position, her feet dangling over the edge. "Will you catch me?" She called out softly, her voice sounding tiny and lost.

"You know I will, come on now Molly, we have to go!" Beth replied hurriedly. She braced herself as best as she could, Noah climbing to his feet and holding her steady. Molly flipped over to her stomach and used her arms to lower herself. Beth managed to snag her feet, and with Noah's help, they got her down. Molly began to whine in distress, softly, but fearfully, as soon as she stood with them, looking around at the utter carnage surrounding them.

Beth grabbed her face and forced Molly to look at her. "Molly, stop it, now, we have to go, don't look at the bodies, only at me or Noah, got it?" Beth demanded fiercely, feeling sweat trickle down her back. Molly's one eye was so wide that Beth worried she might pass out, but the girl nodded and bit her lip, looking fixedly up from the bodies.

Beth led the way, her gun in front of her. "Stay behind me and don't make a sound," Beth hissed back at Molly, as Noah took the flashlight and stayed behind the little girl. Things happened so quickly then, it felt like each movement was in tune with her heartbeat.

A walker grabbed Noah and Beth fired the gun, Molly shrieking in fear when she did. The walker fell and suddenly more came out of the darkness of the service area they were in. Beth shot again, and she briefly saw Noah snatching Molly away from the grip a walker had on her shirt, the fabric tearing.

Beth fired the gun again, and again, the three of them scrambling as the light shook and bounced from the dying flashlight, Molly crying, and Noah yelling as they dodged and ducked what seemed like a hundred hands. Beth shot another and then another, and then suddenly, ears ringing painfully from the explosive bang of the gun in the enclosed space, her other senses were overloaded as Noah found a door to the outside, shoving it open. They all nearly fell in their haste to get out, and Noah slammed the door shut behind them. The smell of fresh air felt exotic after the fetid stench in the black service area. The sun was so bright that Beth feared she might be blinded. The outside even tasted wonderfully fresh.

They didn't have long to enjoy it. Beth charged ahead, all her lessons with Linney and Carl at the forefront of her mind as she shot more walkers, kicked back others, and stomped in a couple skulls for good measure. Noah was following behind, half leaning on and half dragging Molly along with him. Molly looked nearly deranged with fear, her face filthy and smeared with blood from the spatter of exploding skulls, but she doggedly kept up.

Beth climbed through the ripped fence, listening to the rattle of Noah and Molly coming after her. "Go! Go!" Beth yelled at them, stopping to fire the gun a couple more times at the alarming advance of walkers that had been lurking outside. When it clicked, empty, she threw it down and glanced up just in time to see two things. First, Noah and Molly had made it through the final fence, they were outside and safe from the group of walkers within, and second two officers were barrelling down on her.

She thumped heavily to the ground, the tackle that brought her down almost unnecessary in its brute force. The air left her lungs in a whoosh, and she just barely managed to turn her face to avoid smashing her chin into the cement.

Molly was screaming for her, but Noah met Beth's eyes, and she prayed with all her might that he read the message in them: _RUN. RUN._

So, the two of them left her, and ran. The officers were yelling at her, but she ignored them. As Noah and Molly disappeared from sight, running away, Beth smiled. They were free.


	195. Chapter 195

***** I have no idea when I'm going to actually post this, but I wrote it in the same frenzied evening as the previous chapter **** Grandma-babysitting FTW! Also, I'm not saying certain conversations early-on in this chapter happened in real-life between me and my husband, but I will say that 'bigger' is a no-go in this house now. **

**Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney*****

She spun around on her heels again, that crawling, itchy feeling of being watched making her feel antsy. Eyeing the treeline carefully, Linney squinted out in to the early dawn light, scanning the shadows and the shade, the dark corners, and the parts still covered by a faint line of low-hanging fog. She heard nothing. She saw nothing, and chalked it up to the insane dreams that chased her all night –vivid as hell and confusing to boot.

Linney continued out a little further, to the place just off the back steps of the church, where Tara and Rosita had dug a quick latrine for the women. She knew that Daryl was right at the stop of the steps, out of view of her, but clearly watching the trees and the yard, so she took a breath and unbuckled her pants, which was a relief on all its own since they were so tight. It was her third time going since midnight, something that irritated her greatly, but Daryl seemed to take it all in silent stride each time she woke up and he went out to stand watch while she relieved herself.

She almost toppled over with her lack of focus now, though. She was really feeling creeped out and couldn't pinpoint what it was. She scanned the forest uneasily again, the sensation of being watched growing unshakeable. Linney finished quickly and climbed to her feet, already moving towards the steps before her pants were even done up. The button on the pants wasn't cooperating and she still had the heebie jeebies from what was likely just a really nosy squirrel, and the combination made her feel like breaking something in frustration… and then crying… or eating a cake, she wasn't sure which sounded more appealing.

"God damn hormones," she huffed, glaring murderously down at her pants, still fighting the button. "What?" Daryl asked from his stance at the door. Linney looked up and curled her lip. "My dumb pants won't do up," she told him flatly, "I don't know what's wrong with them."

"You're bigger, that's all," Daryl commented easily, not looking at her as he said it, his eyes drawn to the forest border as well. Linney stared at him in disbelief. "I _am_ not!" She replied indignantly, her hands dropping from her waist to plant on her hips. Daryl's gaze shot back to her at her tone, and his eyes widened just slightly, his expression freezing warily.

"Um," he began, but he wasn't able to finish because Michonne's voice ran over top of his at that moment.

"Daryl Dixon, do you have _any_ sense in that head at all?" Linney turned at the words, watching the woman approach them from around the side of the building; Michonne had been on watch by the doors for the early hours of the morning. "Do you understand that phrase is completely off limits for you now?" Michonne continued. Daryl shrugged, glanced over Linney and hid a flinch at the look on her face, before turning back to Michonne.

"She's growing a kid in there," he offered flatly, his hand waving at the general direction of Linney's bump, "Don't mean nothin', just that she's makin' room in there."

"Bigger is such a gross word," Linney put in, taking two steps up to him and pausing, "I am _not _bigger!" He opened his mouth to respond, and she could tell from the look on his face that his response was not an apology. _He just doesn't get it, don't freak out,_ her calm inner voice told her.

_He thinks you're huge already_, her snarky voice interjected, _what a dick._ Linney agreed with the snark. "Well, maybe since you think I'm so disgusting and huge, I'll just get out of your way!" She snapped at him, shoving him aside and going into the church. She could hear Michonne behind her saying, "It's the hormones, they get pretty crazy around the second trimester; she was equally as liable to just start crying or laughing."

Daryl's response seemed rumbly and confused and Linney walked away towards the open area before the altar in the church. Everyone was mostly still asleep, and Linney made a beeline for Maggie before too many people could try to talk to her. "Maggie," she whispered, reaching out to shake her friend's shoulder, "Maggie wake up." Maggie cracked an eye open and managed a tired smile.

"It's good to wake up to you again, Lin," Maggie replied sleepily, "But still, go away for a bit." Glenn, who was snuggled into Maggie's side, mumbled something and then rolled over. Linney eyed him cautiously and then shook Maggie again. "Maggie please, I need your help with something… uhh delicate," Linney whispered more insistently. Maggie's eye opened again and she made an exasperated face before sitting up and moving away from Glenn.

She climbed to her feet and Linney immediately dragged her into the side room of the church, one that had doubled as a little meeting room, and also a storage room – she knew Rick, Carl and Judith were in the office, so this was her best shot at privacy.

As she shut the door, Maggie yawned loudly. "This better be good, Linney," she mumbled around the yawn. Linney turned to her and gestured at her pants. "It must've been some miracle that I had them done up yesterday and through the night, because I can't get them done up today and they're my only pants," she explained hurriedly, "I need you to help me do them up."

Maggie stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Are you serious?" She managed to ask, and Linney swatted her arm. "Shhh! Shut up! I don't need every single person here knowing I'm too big for my own goddamn pants!" Linney protested, "Please just help me do them up!" Maggie was shaking her head, trying to hold in her laughter and not doing very well.

"Oh Lin," Maggie said, finally breathing out calmly when she appeared to finally absorb the dismay on Linney's face, "Look at them, they aren't going to do back up, I don't even know how you managed to sleep in these!" She pulled Linney's hand from the waistband and held them in her own. "Lin, how have you even been getting in to them?" Her friend asked sympathetically.

"Well, they haven't been the greatest fit for a little while, but…" Linney's voice trailed off and her mouth pulled down in an exaggerated frown, "I guess today it was just too much."

"It's a good thing to grow out of your clothes right now, you _want_ that, it means the baby is healthy, that things are normal," Maggie soothed her, and Linney nodded reluctantly. "I know, and I'm happy, I just need pants, and I'm so hungry, and it's all Daryl's fault for saying I'm getting huge," she tried to explain, but it wasn't working. However, the absurdity of her statement was not lost on her and she dissolved into giggles with Maggie.

For a moment they lost themselves to the silly moment, Linney soaking it in through her pores. Just being around a friend, this friend, knowing almost everyone else was outside, was like a balm to her. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I make a suggestion?" A timid voice sounded from the door way, and Maggie and Linney whirled to find the preacher there, Gabriel.

"Don't sneak up on a pregnant lady!" Maggie scolded, and he ducked his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, really, I overheard, and I thought I could help," he explained in a hurry. Linney found it in her to smile at the fearful man and stepped towards him, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. "That would be great," she replied pleasantly.

He smiled, relieved, and pointed her towards the very back of the little room they were in, where two large plastic tubs stood, their lids closed tightly. "That's where we kept the clothing donations – I've consumed all of the food and drink in here, but had no need for the clothes," Gabriel spoke as he knelt before the boxes, and wrenched the lid off both containers, "Use whatever you need."

He left them quickly after that and Linney knelt in front of the open containers, peering inside them before she began to dig. "There's probably stuff in here for everyone," she commented over her shoulder, "But I'm taking first dibs on any pants that might do."

"Look for a stretchy waist," Maggie offered, "Something you can grow into, that will grow with you." Linney grunted and lost herself to digging in the musty smelling clothing. Maggie left the room at some point as Linney rifled through the clothes, disappointment growing as she found stuff that would be great for Judith, a few of the men, and possibly even for Eugene, but nothing that really fulfilled what she was envisioning for herself. Her stomach growled loudly and she rested her forehead against the bins in defeat.

"Well this is just great," she muttered, gripping an entirely too-big pair of men's jeans in her hands.

"Those won't fit," she heard someone speak from behind her and turned to see Carol hesitating in the doorway. Linney felt herself stiffen and climbed to her feet, stepping to the side of the bins as Carol approached them. She knelt in front of them and began picking through the heaps of clothes deftly, plucking a few items as she went.

"These will work," Carol murmured, pulling out blue, flowered leggings and placing them on her lap, "And this." She pulled out a light yellow sundress with shoulder straps, and then peered up Linney. "You can keep wearing your tops over these, but the dress is loose and should work right up until the end, and the leggings are stretchy, and they may last too."

Linney didn't reply, she'd seen both of those things and immediately dismissed them for being things she wouldn't typically be caught dead in. She reluctantly saw the sense in what Carol was saying though. Carol got up and stretched her arm towards Linney, the clothing in her hand. "Take them, you'll feel better, I promise you," she urged, "Comfortable clothing and shoes make all the difference."

Slowly, Linney reached out and took the clothes from Carol's outstretched hand. "I'm not forgiving you," she said bluntly. Carol shook her head. "I don't expect you to; I don't blame you for not wanting to," she replied quietly, "But I can't apologize for what happened – I wanted to keep everyone healthy and alive. I was only thinking of the greater good."

"Literally over my dead body!" Linney blurted out suddenly, and loudly. Carol didn't flinch and Linney clenched her jaw, trying to force herself to remain calm. "You didn't even hesitate," she said in a more controlled voice, her hands fisting around the clothing she held in them, "Not for a moment, and it was me, Carol, not relative newbies to the prison – but _me_."

Carol nodded, her face serious. "I have to live with what almost happened, and what did happen, for the rest of my life, among other things," Carol said firmly, "That's my penance for doing what I thought was right. Now that you're here, I will do anything, _anything_, to keep you safe and from harm. Both of you." Carol gestured at Linney's belly, and Linney swallowed hard.

"I still can't forgive you," Linney finally answered, her voice scratchy, "I can't." Carol nodded. "Get changed into something comfortable, there'll be food waiting for you," was Carol's answer, before she turned away and left the room, softly closing the door behind herself. Linney stood staring at the door for a while before slowly going about changing. Her heart and her head were still tangled up over Carol.

_She saved them all_, her mind whispered as she slid on the leggings. _You would be dead, a burned up corpse, both of you, if you hadn't been awake, _was the follow up message as she pulled on the sundress. Conflicted mind or not, her whole body was immediately more comfortable in combination of loose, stretchy, and soft clothing. Linney pulled her plaid top on, rolling up the sleeves and leaving the buttons undone down the front. When her boots were on, she strapped on what weapons she had, and ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times, before pulling it back into a ponytail.

She strode over to the stained mirror hanging on the back of the door and looked at herself. The colours went well together in a weird sort of way, the blue bottoms and yellow top only really standing out because they were so clean in comparison to her dark blue plaid top. The leggings had a lot of give in them, and she didn't feel like a sausage anymore, which was nice, though, when she really looked at her midsection, she saw that the way the dress hung really made it obvious that she had a little bump underneath.

_I'm doing this for you kiddo,_ she thought at Piglet, _I'd wear walker guts and a tutu for you._ She got no response, but her stomach growled loudly and she smiled as she smoothed a hand over her belly, before heading out to eat with everyone.

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They didn't get very far. Noah felt hobbled to the point of exhaustion, and Molly was a mess, sobbing silently as she stumbled along next to him. They had no weapons, and no food, no idea where to go, and they were both pierced with the loss of Beth, right through the heart.

Noah knew his immediate concern needed to be getting Molly off the street. He'd spent a lot of time staring at the part of Atlanta that surrounded the hospital, dreaming of where he'd go if he ever broke free for good. There was an apartment complex nearby, only a handful of blocks away, and he imagined that they might find all kinds of rest in there. Maybe weapons, hopefully food.

He glanced down at Molly, at the ripped open back of her hospital scrubs. "Did you get scratched?" He asked her hoarsely. She turned her face up to him, her one eye shining wetly, the other a scarred ruin. It made him wince to see that, despite all her crying, only one side of her face was actually soaked with tears. It was a strange, and almost eerie effect on her little face.

She shook her head, her dark hair swinging back and forth. "I don't think so," she replied quietly. "Can I check?" He asked her carefully, pausing to look around quickly, to ensure they were still alone on the little side street they'd taken. Molly nodded solemnly and he crouched, grunting in pain at the fiery hurt shooting up his leg. Pulling open the torn sides of her shirt, he saw that her skin was whole, no scratches, and definitely no bites. He let out a sigh of relief and got to his feet.

Taking her hand again, he urged her onwards, taking the turns he hoped were right until he reached the apartment he'd gazed upon so often. He had the flashlight still, and experimentally clicked it on and off a couple of times, before carefully pulling open the front door to the little 4 storey building. The hallway inside was pitch black, and it smelled. Immediately in front of them was the elevator, off to the side was the mailboxes, the office door, and to the other side, the staircase. Molly's grip on his hand grew tighter as he led them towards the stairs. The office was closer, but an office wouldn't be likely to offer much in the way of food, kid's clothing, or a bed. The staircase was empty, and Noah silently thanked god for small favors, his heart banging and crashing in his chest, as they ascended.

At the second floor, he paused, pressing his ear to the door which led out the second floor hallway. He couldn't hear anything, although he was fairly certain that even if there had been a noise, he might not have heard it with the way his own heart's adrenaline-fueled beating was whooshing in his ears. He cracked the door open slowly and peered down the hall. There was much better visibility in here; at the far end of the hallway there was a large decorative window on the wall, and it let in a lot of light.

There were bags and boxes strewn all through the hallway, and every door along it was shut. He could see all the way down to the end of the hall and was silently thankful, yet again, that they hadn't encountered anything dead. Slowly easing into the hallway, pulling Molly with him, he let the stairway door shut softly behind them. _At the very least, we can camp out in this hallway – nothing dead here, just the cops to worry about if they managed to track us down._

Molly stood quietly next to him, still as a statue, even her breathing was quiet now. He shot her a shaky smile and then led her towards the very first apartment door, pausing just in front of it to press his ear against it. He couldn't hear anything, and he listened for a good long time. Satisfied when he heard nothing, he stood back and reached for the door knob, only to have Molly suddenly reach out and slap his hand away. He looked over at her in irritation, his mouth opening to snap at her and ask why she'd done it, but he stopped at the look on her face. She held her finger up to her mouth, to signal quiet, and she stepped back from the door, pulling Noah with her.

Molly pointed at the bottom of the door, and Noah flinched when he saw a moving shadow against the light that seeped under the door. Clearly something was inside, moving around in between an unfettered window and the door, casting its shadow. It was such a small detail, something he would never have thought to have looked for, and he stared at Molly admiringly for a long moment. It occurred to him that she had been out in the world a lot longer than he had, and he wondered at who must have shown her how to be so sharp. She pulled away from the door and he followed her, until she released his hand.

He watched her grab a couple of the backpacks on the floor, and she walked with them to the furthest end of the hallway, beneath the decorative window. Molly made her way back to him and pointed at a few of the other bags and boxes, indicating he should help her move them. After a few minutes of quiet back and forth, they sank to the ground beneath the window, surrounded by bags and boxes of all sizes.

"It's not safe," Molly finally whispered, "We don't know what's in those people's houses, but if we're quiet out here, then anything in there won't know we're outside." He smiled at her, liking her good sense, and agreeing with her; they had no weapons, he was injured, and she was a little one-eyed child, their chances were not good in any sort of confrontation.

"Let's see what's in these bags," he replied. It took their minds off of Beth, rifling through the bags, took their minds off the fact that she had been caught, dragged back inside, and would be held responsible for Molly and Noah's getting away. Noah focused himself wholly on looking through their loot, unwilling to let his mind dwell at this moment. Beth would want him to keep Molly safe above all else. The earnest and serious expression in her eyes when she'd explained to him who Molly was to her, and why they had to bring the little girl with them, had told him everything he needed to know about how important the girl's safety was to Beth.

They found food, juice boxes, and kid's clothes that were a little too big for Molly, but way better than the torn-up adult-sized top she had on now. She changed into a pair of grey sweat pants, a little boy's blue t-shirt, and a black hoodie. They didn't find any guns, but they did find a couple of knives. Noah found some men's clothes and made Molly turn around so he could change.

They ate, and Noah pulled out the few blankets that had been crammed into a couple of bags, and he spent a couple of minutes laying out some bedding for them. Molly looked beyond exhausted, and he was nearing a point of being so tired that it made him feel delirious. There was no first aid at all for his leg, but he knew that most of it was from his injury from prior to coming to the hospital, just exacerbated now by his fall down the elevator shaft. An ace bandage now wasn't going to do much anyways.

He did find some ibuprofen and he took a couple pills, swallowing them down with some juice. He turned to Molly, to tell her they'd figure things out in the morning, but she had laid down on her bedding and was fast asleep. Noah watched her for a while, and then stared out the window at the darkening street for a while longer, before finally laying down himself.

Sleep came quickly, and with it dreams filled with an odd mixture of hope, fear, and dread for whatever was to come next.


	196. Chapter 196

***** So, yeah, it's been awhile – babies change your life, who knew? Plus we moved, plus I'm tiiiiired alllll the time. Why I'm tired all the time, you might ask? Oh, probably because I'm pregnant again hahaha *abruptly stops laughing* Yeah, we went from 'I guess I can't have my own babies' to 'HAVE ALL THE BABIES' pretty quickly. **

**Ladies, let me tell you, if anyone says breastfeeding lowers your chances of getting pregnant again, punch that person in the face – like directly in the face, do it for me. I don't care if its grandma, she's a liar.**

**So anyhow, my wee Piglet is a hearty chunk of baby now (going on 8 months old and crawling and grabbing EVERYTHING), and I've got more time to write, which is nice – I promise you that I'm not posting one chapter and then disappearing – this chap is one of 5 already written and ready to go, and I'm working on an additional five more as we speak. I still will only let out one or two a week, but I'm pushing myself hard to make sure I always have a reserve of them.**

**I have lost like 1000 followers and at least a 1000 favs in my absence, and while that makes me sad, I know I totally deserve it, because it's hard to follow something that's just gone. I'm sorry guys.**

**Watching the finale and the mofo, bs, cliffhanger last week has made me fucking **_**driven**_** and I CAN'T STOP thinking about it, or TWD. I mean, I've read all the comics available many many times, so I was honestly expecting something far different to happen. I'm scared down to the tips of my toes about Daryl, and my hubs says I can't watch the premier in early October if I'm going to be a basket case about it, like I was during the finale, since I'll probably throw myself into labor lol**

**Enough with A/N! Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

"Obviously there isn't enough food for all of us long term," Rick began, facing the group, which was roughly spread out among the pews.

"Just another sign we oughta be headin' out to DC - now, like today," Abraham loudly interjected. Linney turned her head from Rick and took in Abraham's tight, determined expression. She still wasn't certain about these new people. Tara seemed alright, Rosita was a little stuck-up maybe, Eugene just stared and stared all the time, which was unnerving, and Abraham, quite frankly, scared her a little. He had a fierce, one-thought expression on his face most of the time, and she was never certain if he was going to get up and speak or pull a gun and kill something.

Daryl, recently forgiven, was sitting next to her, one hand resting just at the back of her neck, but otherwise not sitting too close. She didn't want to go to DC. Daryl was pretty blasé about the whole thing, and Merle… well Merle shot daggers at Eugene each time he looked that way, so she was pretty certain that he'd rather go back to Woodbury then follow Eugene anywhere.

"We can't go on empty stomachs, with no supplies, that's suicide," Rick replied, fairly reasonably for him, as far as Linney was concerned, "I'm not dragging Judith or Linney to hell and back on foot, with no food." Everyone turned and looked at her and she felt her face and ears burn under the scrutiny of so many eyes. For a moment she felt ridiculously guilty.

"I'm not saying that we should, I'm getting that bus fixed up today, we could leave by nightfall," Abraham shot back, his fists clenching and unclenching while he spoke. Linney watched his fists, concerned about the kind of damage fists like that could do, then shook her head to banish the thought. _He's on our side._

"Are you serious?" Michonne said incredulously, standing up, "Are you new? Travel at night in an uncertain vehicle is a terrible idea." Abraham opened his mouth to reply and Rick waved a hand brusquely through the air, cutting conversation short before it even started.

"Look, we aren't going anywhere today, and there's no way we're driving around at night, we've got the time to collect ourselves, collect supplies, and do this right," he turned to Abraham, squinting his eyes a little as he regarded the red-head, "You wanna make it to Washington? Then you do it smart, don't charge off half-cocked, it'll get you and everyone else killed."

Abraham clenched his teeth, a glare growing on his face, and Rosita climbed to her feet, pushing him backwards and whispering at him angrily. Linney couldn't catch all the words, but she understood the tone and the expression on Rosita's face well enough; calm down, be patient, you know they're right, don't be an asshole.

As the two of them left the building, off to work on the bus, Rick gathered up a group to go scavenging, threatening Gabriel into joining them. Linney climbed to her feet, ready to go offer her help, but Daryl's hand immediately grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"Where the hell you goin'?" He rasped at her, "Not a chance you're goin' with them." She turned and glared at him. "Pregnant or not, I'm ten times more capable than almost everyone here, they need me," she replied hotly, wondering if she hadn't forgiven him too soon at the same time.

"No, this needs you," Daryl replied, placing one finger briefly on her bump, "So sit your ass down." She had no reply to that which didn't sound ridiculous (_no, you sit _your_ ass down), _so she sat.

"What am I supposed to do around here all day?" She groused quietly after Daryl got up and walked away. Merle was joining Rick's group, heading towards the door with Sasha, Bob, Michonne, and Gabriel, and he waved at her mockingly. She shot him the finger, but quickly tucked the hand away when Maggie approached with Judith. She plopped the baby onto Linney's lap and it became immediately clear that they wanted her to babysit.

"Oh no," Linney said, wrapping her arms securely around Judith and getting to her feet, "No way, I'm not the nanny." Maggie raised an eyebrow at her. "Everyone else is either helping with the bus, securing the windows and the loose boards on the far side of the church, or standing guard," Maggie explained, "And you don't get to be part of any of that."

Judith reached up and grabbed a hank of Linney's hair in her chubby fist, pulling gleefully on it, making Linney cringe and gasp a little from the pain. "Ahh, ahh, no, bad Judith, quit it or I'll tie you up," she barked at the precocious youngster. Judith gave her a gummy smile and went back to picking at Linney's hair, not laughing once, even though she was amused.

Except for the odd cry now and then, Judith was a remarkably quiet baby. A product of her environment, Linney thought, which struck her as a little bit sad. Maggie had walked off and Linney circled the inside of the church once before she was so bored she wanted to cry.

"Well, no way we're staying in here, this is dumb," Linney explained to the baby, stooping to grab a blanket off one of the pews before heading out the back door. She took a seat at the bottom of the steps, spreading the blanket in front of her and putting Judith down on it. She pulled one of her empty knife sheaths off her arm and gave it to the baby, checking it quickly for any walker blood splatter, because, as she predicted, Judith put it immediately in her mouth.

It was nice to sit, rest, feel the sun and not be sweating from exertion. Piglet was relaxed as well, no bouncing and moving, and Judith had lay on her side, facing Linney, chewing slowly on the leather sheath as she drifted toward sleep. She could hear the muted sound of her group working on the bus and the siding of the church. She could hear bugs, and birds, and the rustling of the leaves as a soft wind blew. She could feel eyes on her.

Linney's head pulled up in a rush, locking on the treeline again. She heard a twig break and her head shot in the direction of the sound, seeing a bush moving around far too violently to be an animal. She climbed to her feet immediately, scooping Judith up in her arms in one movement.

Abandoning the blanket, Linney decided it was time to not be alone back here, and edged towards the side of the church, her eyes locked on the bushes. She could still feel eyes on her, and a strange stillness to the air. This wasn't walkers, her gut was certain. People were always worse though, so she finally spun on her heel and ran for the bus, not pausing to see if anything emerged from the bushes.

She nearly collided with Abraham and he put both of his meaty hands onto her shoulders to hold her steady. "Whoa, whoa, missy, where's the fire?" He barked at her. Linney met his eyes briefly, before peering behind herself anxiously.

"I know this sounds crazy, but I was sitting out back with Judy and I heard sounds in the bushes, and I just _felt_ like I was being watched, you know?" She spoke in a rush, her hands gripping the baby tighter. Abraham regarded her seriously for a moment before turning to Rosita, who was standing behind him, one hip leaned up against the bus.

Linney followed his gaze and met Rosita's own serious eyes. "You think there's someone hiding in the forest, watching us?" Rosita asked her bluntly. Linney nodded, and then shrugged, stepping away from where Abraham's hands still gripped her tightly. "I may be paranoid, but a walker wouldn't move around and not come for us, walkers don't hide once they've spotted their prey. Someone watching, spying for some reason, would have stayed hidden," she explained, keeping the anxiety from her voice.

It seemed to be enough explanation for Rosita and the red head, they both grabbed weapons and made for the back of the church. "Eugene," Rosita called to the shy, lurking man, "Take her back inside. Now." Eugene stammered and nodded and Linney watched the two of them move quickly around the church.

"We should get inside," Eugene told her, stretching a hand in her direction, "Get inside, where it's safe." Linney stared at him for a moment, and then eyed the trees beyond and behind the bus, again feeling watched. She shook her head quickly, trying to banish the creeped out feeling. _Maybe you're just straight up going nuts_, she told herself, as she turned and quickly followed Eugene around to the front of the church. They ran into Glenn and Maggie near the front steps and she told them what was going on.

"Eugene," Maggie said earnestly, "Get them inside, then find Carl, and get him inside too." Eugene nodded dumbly and lightly took hold of Linney's arm, tugging her gently towards the entrance. "Wait!" She called after Maggie, as she and Glenn moved off in the direction of the bus, "Is everyone going off into the woods now?" They both nodded at her seriously and she pulled a hand away from gripping Judith to reach out towards them.

"Well, wait, Eugene and Carl can sit with Judy and I'll come –" she began earnestly, but they both cut her off with a vehement, "_No!_" Eugene gently tugged at her again and she pressed her lips together tightly in irritation, but followed him inside. He left her and Judy sitting in the back room and then came back several minutes later with a very irritable Carl.

"I should be _helping_," Carl protested as Eugene ushered him in. "I understand, but they were very clear, all of us had to be in this room, especially you, because you're best suited to protect the pregnant woman and your sister," Eugene explained in a flat and matter of fact voice. This mollified Carl, and he took up a protective stance at the open office door, his back to Linney. She lay the now-sleeping Judith in her makeshift crib and turned to Eugene, a small smile on her face.

"Well done," she whispered, "I see what you did there." He glanced over at her and shrugged, though a small pleased smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "Afraid it's not entirely a lie," he offered sheepishly, "The boy, you, even the baby, are probably better at defending yourself and others than I am." She stared at him, surprised by such honesty.

"You looked shocked," he said, his eyebrows pulling together in worry, "I thought you were a good fighter; you're not actually worried are you? That I might have to protect you?" She smirked and shook her head, taking a step towards him and sitting lightly on the couch next to him. "I can handle myself, so can Carl, you're just oddly open about things that most people would be embarrassed to say out loud," she responded. Eugene shrugged.

"I rely on my intelligence and my ability to think my way through any situation, and my travelling partners rely on me to do the same," he spoke rather haughtily, but Linney was watching his face closely and narrowed her eyes at what she saw there. "Why are you lying to me right now?" She asked him shrewdly, and his head whipped towards her quickly, alarm in his eyes.

"Lying?" He asked sharply, his voice high-pitched with concern, "I don't need to lie, my intelligence –" She waved a hand through the air, cutting him off, her eyes moving back and forth between his own. "Look man, I don't care how smart you are, just don't lie to me and mine – it's not necessary," her voice was firm, but her brows narrowed, "In case you haven't noticed, we're a pretty mixed bag around here, just own it – but quit fucking lying."

Eugene's eyes darted uneasily towards the door, to check on Carl, she was sure, to see if he was listening, but they saw the door way was empty. "Damnit, Carl," she murmured, climbing to her feet. Her hands automatically went for her weapons at her waist and on her arms, patting them in quick succession as she strode to the empty door and looked around the church interior, seeing it was empty as well.

"Damnit!" She cried, knowing that the headstrong boy had gone outside. She whirled back to Eugene, pointing at him. "Don't move, got it?" She snapped, "Stay with the baby and don't you dare let anything happen to her or you'll personally answer to me." Eugene paled, but nodded, and Linney shut the office door quickly. She charged for the back doors, figuring that was likely where Carl had gone. She opened the door and was immediately met by two men she'd never seen before.

The beat-up looking one in the ball cap pressed a gun to her forehead in a movement too fast to prevent. The other one smiled and snatched up her hands as she reached for her weapons. "Now _you_ we haven't met yet," he said, his voice smarmy but hard, "But thank you _so_ much for sending everyone away for us, that made this much easier."

She opened her mouth to respond, to scream for Eugene, something, but the one in the ball cap spun the gun in his hand and smacked her across the head with it. The blinding spray of pain was momentary before she began to crumple to the floor, her last aware thoughts recognizing that someone's arms thankfully caught her before she could hit the ground.

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He was never more at peace than when he was hunting, because it gave all his baser instincts an opportunity to come alive and stretch out. He felt like an animal himself, moving silently, intuitively, fluidly. He'd spent all day sliding from shadow to shadow, tree to tree, a loop of small game hanging dead over his shoulder. He'd seen some deer droppings, and felt certain that if he really pushed it, he could bag the deer itself. His mind's eye pictured bringing back that much meat, knowing how well it could feed and nourish the kids, and more specifically, how good it would be for Linney and the baby.

Daryl paused, back resting easily against the tree he was hiding behind and wiped a hand across his forehead, the regular humidity in the air more oppressive than usual as the afternoon began to give way to the evening. He heard a distinct noise, a man-made noise, and readjusted his grip on the crossbow, preparing his movements in his head. _Turn, step, raise weapon, fire._ He spun around the tree and came face to face with Merle, his finger only a millisecond away from pulling the trigger.

"Jesus Christ boy," Merle grouched, "You a fuckin' amateur? Watch it!" Merle shoved the crossbow away. Daryl replied in a grumble of irritation, "Should know better than to sneak up on me, idiot." He slung the crossbow over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at his brother and nodded his chin back in the direction Merle had obviously come from.

"You're supposed to be out on a run," Daryl's voice was low, trying to keep it quiet so they didn't spook off every living thing nearby. Merle had other ideas, as he started to laugh, the sound rough and scratchy.

"Damn food bank had a swamp growin' in its goddamn basement!" Merle spoke, chuckling, shaking his head as he laughed, "We went in the swamp water, of course - you know Officer Rick like's hisself a challenge, and the damn preacher man near pissed his pants when a buncha his ole dead churchies came at 'im, lookin' like swamp things!" Merle was bent over in amusement, and Daryl just shook his head.

"You're an asshole," he muttered, shoving past Merle, deciding he'd have to throw it in for the day; anything living nearby was likely driven off by his brother's braying laughter. Merle followed along next to him, still laughing.

"They was all shook up after, said they were headin' back to church, but I thought I'd come on out and get ya myself, get away from them buzzkills for a bit," Merle's gravel-voice explained his presence and Daryl found himself wishing he'd gone deeper into the woods, so his brother couldn't have found him. _He'd have found you, you know it – he's a dick, but he ain't a slouch in the woods when he wants to be. _

They walked silently for a bit, and Daryl was reminded of the fact that he liked his brother's company – _when he's not being a total asshole._ "I think DC's a mistake," Merle spoke abruptly into the stillness, almost like he couldn't hold it back a second longer, and Daryl turned to look at him. "Why? Sounds alright to me," Daryl replied, "It's worth the risk, don't you think?"

Merle stopped and grabbed Daryl's shoulder tightly, his face uncharacteristically serious. "Yeah I would think, if it wasn't bullshit," Merle answered gruffly and Daryl's brow tightened in concern. "What?" He asked, and Merle hawked and spat to the side before answering.

"That chubby shit is a lying fuck," he responded harshly, "Weird fucker is just full up with shit, why can't ya see it?" Daryl blinked at him blankly for a moment, and then shrugged. "You just hate 'im cause he's smarter than you," he scoffed at his older brother, turning to walk away. Merle snatched up his arm and halted him.

"Listen t'me," Merle hissed, "Only way that fat shit is smarter than me, is that he managed to find the most gullible motherfuckers in the world to buy his load."

Daryl glared at him, but Merle paid him no mind and continued, his rasping voice cutting through the heavy, humid air, "Look, Ole Carrot Top's alright, and his lady's a tough bitch, but that mullet-wearing-fuck is lying through his teeth, or I ain't a Dixon. We can't follow that pack of lies anywhere." Daryl opened his mouth to refute this, but paused, taking stock of the normal anger on Merle's face, but also the underlying seriousness.

"Daryl! Merle!" They heard a voice yelling at them from the road, which wasn't that far ahead, and they made a run towards it, knowing they'd have to revisit Merle's concerns later; they recognized the voice that called out to them. They jogged to a halt in front of Carol. "There you two are, Rick met me on the road on the way back to the church and he wants everyone back there, so plans to move can be fought out" she said calmly. Daryl raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why weren't you back at the church? Why were ya on the road?" He asked, watching her face, seeing the lie there even before she answered. "I was out looking for a car for the group all day," she responded easily, too easily; Daryl knew her well enough to catch the lie, "Then I ran into Rick before I got back and he asked me to try and find you guys so we could all get back." Merle grunted in disbelief and chuckled.

"Yer a terrible liar," he told Carol gruffly, "Officer Friendly caught you out tryin' to make a run for it, didn't he? You tryin'a split off from the pack, sweetheart?" Carol shot an exasperated look at Merle before looking back to Daryl when he spoke. "Why're you tryin' to leave?" He asked her, his own voice growing lower in concern. She shrugged.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she answered flatly, "I don't know if I can stay, don't know if I should." Daryl eyed her carefully as they walked along, pausing at a car in their path when she did. Merle walked a little further down the road to where it crossed with another street, looking up and down the slowly darkening stretch; nighttime was approaching in the sudden way it did this time of year.

"This is about Lin," Daryl said slowly. Carol shook her head as she wrenched open the driver's door and bent inside, turning keys that were in the ignition; he could hear the faint dingle of the key chain. "Not just her," she answered, her voice sounding as unsure as he'd ever heard it. "There are things, things that happened," she began, before straightening up and eyeing him carefully.

"Don't tell me," he offered, "Don't matter anymore." She frowned and shook her head, dipping back inside the car again. The engine started with a roar and her lips twitched slightly in satisfaction when she straightened to look at him again.

"So that's it, ya'll just fuck off, leave just like that?" He tried to keep the hurt from his voice; other than Linney and Merle, the woman in front of him understood him better than most. She'd done wrong, but he knew her, despite the hot flare of anger he'd felt when he found out that she'd tried to kill Linney, knew that she never did anything without thinking of their people, of helping their people – she carried absolutely no malice whatsoever for Linney, would die without complaint for Linney and their baby if she thought it would help.

Besides, he was always trying to be more solidly capable of separating deed from intent, something that most people could not do, something that his brother and his father had never been able to do. She had intended to kill Linney, for reasons that horrified him in their cold logic, but she hadn't _actually_ killed Linney, and instead had saved Judy, saved Tyreese, saved all of them.

"I can't stay here, I don't deserve it," she answered quietly, and Daryl was about to respond when his brother whispered urgently from the road up ahead, "Car comin'." Carol turned the car off immediately and they all hunched down. A vehicle drove by the crossroads, clearly not seeing them, though it wasn't going especially quickly; the deepening shadows of the approaching night hid the three of them well. Daryl felt a bolt of electricity flash through him, from brain to feet. The white cross, the dark car, the tinted windows. It was the same car, _the same damn car,_ the same one that took Beth.

He jolted to his feet and sprinted to the crossroads, watching it drive away. When he spun back to them, both Carol and Merle were watching him warily. "That's the same one, the same fuckers!" He managed to spit out. "What?" Carol asked, uncertainty flooding her voice. He shook his head and jogged to the car, shoving past them both, and he slid into the driver's seat.

"They took Beth, that's the same car – they took Beth, they got Beth!" He growled at them, slamming the driver's door shut after himself. Carol glanced at Merle and ran for the car, jumping into the passenger seat.

"We'll get her," she answered quickly, calmly, and Daryl nodded at her. His utter failure in losing Beth, in failing her, flooded back, and he had a clear course to redemption in front of him – he imagined Maggie's face, Linney's face, if he brought Beth back, imagined the burning hole her disappearance had left in his own heart being fixed.

"Stay with Lin," he said to Merle, leaning out the window, "Keep her safe, and tell her I'm bringin' Beth back." Merle nodded shortly, a dark glare on his face. "She ain't gonna like it," he answered, but Daryl couldn't be stopped at this point, the frantic need to save Beth flooding his veins; Linney couldn't possibly be safer, surrounded by the whole group, with Merle to protect her – Beth was in the hands of her captors and he could stop it.

"Tell her I'll be back," he snapped at Merle, before driving off quickly. He saw Merle in the rear-view mirror, his dark silhouette outlined against the encroaching darkness behind him, and then Daryl turned the corner and sped after the car they'd seen, headlights off, heart in his throat. _Forgive me Lin, I'll be back, and I'm bringin' Beth home._


	197. Chapter 197

***** I'm such a weinie - I was all, "Oh I'm going to post once per week, make this last" but here I am, dying to post another chapter regardless. NO SELF CONTROL, says the woman who can't stop getting pregnant lol**

**Maybe consider this like a treat because TWD isn't on tonight (FTWD is, I'll be watching that... though it's a poor man's TWD to be honest - in my mind, if it isn't inspiring ridiculous plot bunnies in my over-active imagination, than it's probably not the best thing ever)...**

**Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney! *****

She smelled the outside: rich earth, damp leaves, and heavy, wet, air. She couldn't figure out why she could smell the outside when she was in bed, Daryl by her side. "Mmhmmmrhhg," she mumbled, trying to roll over and discovering that her hands were stuck on something. _What?_ Her mind couldn't make sense of why her arms wouldn't move with the rest of her body and her eyes popped open, seeking answers.

Nothing made sense. She was on her side, face against the ground, and she _was_ outside. The sun hadn't set yet, but twilight was upon her, casting weird purple and navy shadows everywhere. "Mmrrruhhh," she tried to call Daryl's name and that was when she became aware of the gag over and inside her mouth. The fabric tasted awful, dry and sour, and she pressed futilely against it with her tongue, her shoulders rolling as she attempted to reach for the gag with her hands. They were bound behind her, attached to something that wouldn't let her move very well.

She tried to twist her bound hands, feeling the scratchy rope pulling at the delicate skin around her wrists, trying in vain to reach a knife. Her mind was bleating at her in stupid terror, flashes of Shane, of the Governor, of Sheena, attacking her senses. She knew on a vague level that she'd sustained a head injury, and that was part of why she felt so senseless and fearful, but on the other hand, she was trapped again, terrified and vulnerable. _Judith! Carl! _She was remembering now, she had meant to go find Carl, useless Eugene left watching the baby, and there were men at the door, strange men.

Linney twisted her head, feeling her cheek scrape at the dirt on the ground. When her head was angled down, she saw the person watching her. It was just one man. It was the guy from the door, the one without the hat, the one who looked and sounded smarmy.

"Hello," he said smoothly, a slight smile parting his lips. His teeth beneath the smile were white, straight, and she swallowed spastically, trying to struggle more, harder, growing hideously afraid again. One of his eyebrows rose up slightly and he shook his head, his eyes turning away from her for a moment, something like shame forcing its way onto his face.

"I know what you're thinking, what you think this is, why we took you," he told her, speaking in a firm voice, "But that's not what we are, what I am; we will _never_ be those men, those people." Her brow drew down as she ferociously yanked at the bindings on her arms, feeling pain shoot up her arms to her shoulders. She ignored it and pulled harder, determined to do anything to get free.

His eyebrows shot up in concern and he reached for her, shifting around on the ground as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Linney twisted and tried to kick at him, cursing through the gag as she swung her bound feet at him. He easily deflected the movement, smiling a little as he pushed her feet back down and held them down with a knee.

"You are a fighter," he told her, as if complimenting her, "You're also a hell of a lot younger than we thought, not that that makes a huge difference." He lifted her shoulders from the ground, partially dragging her up off the ground and leaning her up against something behind herself. She realized then that her hands were bound together at the end of a short span of rope, which was tied to a pole. "We didn't meet you before," he told her almost apologetically, sitting back in front of her, assessing her, "So we weren't sure, especially because you always have Daryl with you, or the big guy, his brother, right? Those two are sharp, we had to really keep our distance when they were outside."

Linney glared at him and tried pulling at the rope again, trying to use her legs to launch away from the pole. _Broken arm would be worth it to get away_. He shook his head. "Look, stop trying to get away, we've made sure you can't and you don't want to risk hurting the baby," his voice was bordering on friendly, not quite nice, but neighborly almost, "You _are_ pregnant, we know that for sure now, we weren't certain before; it's hard watching from a distance you know. But once you were knocked out and I was carrying you back, it was pretty obvious that you didn't just have a pot-belly! I said to Martin, see? She's not getting chubby, it's a baby! Daryl's right? Congrats."

She pushed hard at the gag, trying to force it out of her mouth, wanting to cuss this guy a blue streak. He smiled at her. "You pose a problem: we know you're important to them, to Rick, to Daryl, to Carl, to everyone – but you're _pregnant_. I mean, we've never encountered that before, so we weren't really sure, morally, you know, what to do with you," the man smiled at her, as if his actions were to be applauded. Linney glared at him and looked around frantically, trying to figure out where she was, get her bearings.

"They won't find you," he answered her unspoken thoughts, "They won't know where to look." _Yes they will, _she insisted silently, trying to mumble the words through the gag. "We won't be giving you back regardless," he assured her, as if that was a real concern for her, "I mean, we're going to kill them, all of them, but we'll probably keep you; I don't think killing pregnant women is a line we're ready to cross, not yet."

Horror was rising like a flood in her chest, making her want to puke. She could feel Piglet moving around in almost painful ripples of movement that seemed panicked to her. _Please baby, please calm down, I promise it will be ok,_ she urged her belly.

She swung wide eyes back up to the guy watching her, deciding to play weak and pathetic from now on out – if he professed morals of any kind, she planned to exploit the hell out of them. She let real tears crowd her eyes, let her face grow terrified and slack, forced herself to begin sobbing softly behind the gag. The man said nothing though, just watched her quietly.

"My name is Gareth," he introduced himself, "I'm pretty sure your name is Linney, right?" She stared at him, letting her eyes go as wide and wet as possible and then let a shiver ripple through her body, before she nodded meekly.

Gareth settled a little more comfortable, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Linney, we aren't going to kill you, and we aren't going to hurt your baby," he promised her, leaning forward a little and reaching his hand towards her belly. She flinched, a frightened squawk coming from behind her gag, but he just rested his hand on her bump.

"We haven't seen a pregnant woman since this began, you know?" He told her, his voice soft and wondering as one of his fingers rubbed at the material of her dress, as if to pet Piglet, "We hadn't even seen a baby until Judith." Gareth sat up and smiled at her again, his hand leaving her stomach.

"I am going to have to kill Rick though, and all your friends, especially Carol," he spoke easily, as if it this were all so much idle chatter, "We'll spare Judith, I think, but not Carl. He's no helpless child. He'll die with the rest of them." His eyes met hers and at the mention of Carl she let a furious, dark scowl color her features, unable to hide the knee-jerk reaction to the boy being threatened.

"Oh ho! Don't' like that, do you?" Gareth mocked her, watching her expression, "He's your brother, right? Is Rick your father?" Linney glared balefully at him, wanting to lunge and rip him apart with her bare hands.

"Either way, I sent my people back, they're going to grab someone else, we gotta eat, you know. We discussed you, we really did," Gareth explained, "There were a couple who thought it might be a novelty, a pregnant woman, maybe that's better for us, healthier, you know? But the rest of us aren't ready to cross that line."

She felt a wave of oily nausea flow over her, retching behind the gag. She realized who these people were then, who Gareth was, why he knew everyone, and why he hated them. _Terminus, sweet Jesus, how are they not dead? Rick said they were wiped out! How could he be so wrong? So stupid?_ She felt woozy for a moment when she realized exactly what it would mean if these people actually did kill her, what would happen to her. To Piglet. She heaved again, and this time actually threw up in her mouth, and of course began to choke on it.

At first, Gareth watched her shrewdly, obviously thinking it was trick, but when she really began to turn blue, he leaned forward and tore the duct tape off her face, her gag and the puke coming out immediately afterwards. Grimacing, he grabbed her cheeks and forced her mouth open, using his other hand to sweep out her mouth and the back of her throat, clearing the way for her to breathe again. Coughing and spluttering frantically, Linney sucked in the air and tried to clear her throat and wind pipe. Gareth wiped his hands on his pants and sat back, watching her.

"You didn't know who I was?" He asked her, curious, and she shook her head.

"Rot in hell you sick motherfucker," she rasped at him, "I _will_ get loose and when I do, you're going to die screaming." He laughed.

"You really have to be Rick's kid," he said amusedly, "Idle threats, Linney. Besides, I think Daddy's got dibs on me, at least that's what he said." Gareth laughed, as if tickled by the notion of Rick threatening his life.

"Fuck you," she managed, still coughing as she tried to catch her breath. There was noise behind her and she tried to turn, tried to see, but it had gotten too dark out. It didn't take long though before she realized it was a group of other people, five of them, and they had an unconscious Bob with them.

"Bob!" Linney yelled, "Bob! Wake up!" She turned to Gareth, and the hat-wearing shit head, Martin, with him, yelling furiously at them, "What did you do? What did you do?!" Martin laughed and knelt down right in front of her, putting his face up close to hers.

"It's chow time kiddo," he told her, a laugh in his voice, while his bruised eyes looked back and forth between her own. She sneered at him and threw her forehead forward as hard as possible, bashing him in the nose viciously, hearing the bone break and the satisfying _squish_ of blood gushing from it. He threw himself away from her then, cursing and swearing and Linney blinked her eyes a couple times to clear the slight wooziness that came with head-slamming him, but then managed a bright and vicious smile for him. _Hershel always said I had a thick skull, you dumb fuck._

"Hey!" Gareth yelled, when the guy threw himself towards her, wrapping a hand around her throat and squeezing, "Martin! Stop!" A moment of struggle later and Gareth had wrenched Martin off. "We don't harm pregnant women, we aren't them, we aren't monsters," Gareth warned him, "Back off, we're all hungry; let's get this started, alright?"

Martin stilled and nodded, meeting Gareth's eyes for a long moment before turning to Linney with a sick, blood-stained smile. "You've got a front row seat," he told her maliciously, and she felt her breathing coming faster and faster.

"Bob! _Bob! Bob!"_ She began to scream at her companion, desperate for him to wake up, part of her knowing what must be coming, but completely unwilling and unable to comprehend it. They dragged Bob towards her, laying him out in front of her on purpose, and then they tied a tourniquet around his leg, above the calf.

Linney began to scream, wordless, horrified, loud shrieks. Anyone listening would have thought _she _was being butchered for food. After a few minutes, Gareth grabbed a bandana and tied it around her head and mouth, his hand wet with Bob's blood. Linney screamed and screamed behind the cloth, partially muted. The smell of Bob's blood was bad: thick, harsh, and coppery. However the hot smell of his flesh over the fire they built was worse.

She couldn't look away and was screaming herself senseless at this point and it must have irritated Gareth because he finally put a t-shirt over top of her head, blocking off her sight. She could smell though. It felt like the night stretched into a painful eternity, trapped beneath the t-shirt, smelling Bob's flesh cooking, listening to the monsters eating.

"Linney?" She heard a familiar voice, Bob's voice, weary and strained, and whipped her head towards the sound. She cried behind her new gag, trying to say his name, straining against her restraints again.

"You got taken," he spoke woozily, "We were looking, because you… you… were just gone, Carol was gone, Daryl…" Linney screamed behind the gag, not prepared for Daryl to be missing in addition to everything else. _He's out of it, he's crazed and in pain – Daryl isn't missing!_

She wrenched herself harder, kicking her feet against the ground, desperate to be free. This was an utter nightmare and she found herself reaching her mental bounds for being able to deal with it. Her struggles were all futile and she could hear Bob's horror and bewilderment as he began to speak to their captors, his dismay that they had her too.

"Let her go, you can't be such monsters, let her live, let them live," Bob was pleading. Linney felt herself start crying again, her muffled screams ending as she began to sob beneath the t-shirt. She almost stopped listening at that point, simply hanging her head and crying, the fight gone out of her. _This just cannot be real. It can't be._

Finding out Bob was bitten, finding out about tainted meat, didn't help, though part of her was distantly aware that there was some dark humor in the situation; she just kept seeing it, seeing someone she'd known for nearly a year (which was forever these days) be cut, skinned, cooked, and eaten, right in front of her.

"Sooo, we're gonna head out," Gareth's voice spoke from right next to her face, making her jump, her head whipping back and forth beneath the t-shirt again. She'd zoned out for so long, she had no idea what time it might be. Gareth yanked the t-shirt off her head and she saw it was still pitch black out. The rest of his crew was gathering their things, hauling Bob away from her.

"I mean, don't worry, we will definitely be back," Gareth reassured her, "We just want to drop Bob off and get this whole thing started, you know?" She heard a noise behind her and realized the rope attaching her bound hands to a pole had been cut, when Martin shoved his hands in her armpits and hauled her up.

"No! No! No!" She cried behind the gag as he half-carried her, half-dragged her, away, the words coming out as "Nuh! Nuh! Nuh!"

In her fear-drowned mind, she imagined all manner of horrible things they were dragging her to, and it was not helping her sanity at the moment. Trying to be fierce, trying to be brave, these were alien concepts at this point.

Gareth followed casually, and Linney heard a vehicle door opening. She turned her head and Martin shoved her in the back of an incredibly beat-down van that was sitting, looking like a rust sculpture in the parking lot of what she now realized was a school. _We were in the playground,_ she thought wildly. Martin shoved her further into the open back of the van, forcing her to lay down on the floor, and knelt next to her shoulder, tying her bound hands behind her, to the base of the passenger seat.

"I don't give a fuck what Gareth says," he hissed at her in a furious whisper, as he worked at newly restraining her, "First we're gonna kill the kids, then we're going to torture your friends, then I am personally taking some alone time with you, and you'll need to pay for my nose." Linney's eyes turned to his and she shuddered at the blank rage on his face. He crawled out of the van and Gareth moved to stand in the door, leaning a hand up against the side of it.

"So the school is _also_ full of walkers," he told her conversationally, "Just thought I should warn you. We being out here has really riled them up." He turned and looked over his shoulder, back at the school doors. "And they are _really_ close to breaking that glass, so once we leave, you'll be snug as a bug in here, and safe, if you shut your mouth and don't make noise; if they get out, and you're behaving, then they won't even know you're here."

He leaned in to the van briefly, putting his face a little closer to hers, and gently patted the side of her belly. "I really don't want to see you dead, you've got a new life in you, and I want to be a part of bringing that into world, I've decided," he spoke softly, again in that neighbourly tone of voice, "But your friends and family, they have to pay – that's just how it has to be." He stepped back and shut the door, leaving her in darkness.

She heard them leaving, and then the night fell silent and she was truly able to hear the walkers in the school; Gareth had not been lying about how many there were – a symphony of growls and snarls reached her ears, even inside the van. As quietly as she could, she set about trying to wrench her hands free and then heard what she hadn't been able to hear before: the squeaks. Every time she struggled or strained or moved around, the van let out squeaks and squawks; it truly was a rust-bucket.

She couldn't do anything, she finally decided, the risk was too great. If those walkers got out, and with so many, she knew it was entirely possible they might realize she was here, if this van was making noise, and they would find a way in, likely through the glass. The risk was just too great, so she simply lay on the cold metal floor of the van and thought about Piglet, thought about Daryl, imagined life back at the prison fondly.

She felt certain that she was eventually going to die at the hands of these Terminus freaks; Gareth might have lofty ideals now, but she was pretty certain that the level of hate his group had for hers was too much, and he'd give in to a baser instinct, and then she'd be like Bob. She could only pray that they would hold off, wait until Piglet was born, let her baby live.

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Bob said they had her. Said they had her tied up, gagged, and blind folded. Unharmed, but senseless with fear. Rick pressed his hands to his face, then to his temples, and looked up, seeing the worry, rage, and fear echoed on Merle's face. "We go find them, and we fucking gut those motherfuckers while they're alive and screaming," Merle growled. Rick took in a breath, trying to calm himself, knowing that Carl was listening.

"Bob doesn't know where they were, he's delirious as it is," Rick responded, his voice emphatic, "We can't just go out there and wander around, hope to find them."

"He said it looked like a school," Merle responded immediately, "How many of those could there be around here?" Rick shook his head. "They want that, they want us to go after them, it gives them the upper hand," Rick responded, "We could be walking into anything; these people have proven to be experts at laying traps." Merle shook his head and looked ready to argue, but Carl cut in.

"Dad, they want you to go after them, they expect it," the boy offered, earnestly, "So do like they expect." Rick and Merle both turned to Carl, brows furrowed in disbelief. The boy continued, laying out his idea, his expectations. The more he spoke, the better it sounded. And that was how Rick found himself, surrounded by all their strong fighters, trudging out into the dark. All of them, except Carl and Rosita, who remained at the church to guard the vulnerable, were armed to the teeth and looking for blood. And Linney. Rick swore to himself that if these Termite bastards had harmed her, he would ensure that death would not be swift.


	198. Chapter 198

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING - except Linney *****

It was working so well. Rick and his people were idiots. Gareth shook his head as he and his own people stood around the back interior doors of the church, waiting for someone, Carl maybe, to reply from behind the door. They'd heard the baby, he knew they were in there.

"It'd be a real shame if we were to hurt your little friend here," Gareth said out loud, smiling over at Martin, enjoying this part, the joking, the mind games, "Poor little Linney, and her little baby, it would be a shame if we were to hurt the two of them, right?" Martin guffawed once, enjoying the game himself, before all hell broke loose.

Gareth had always thought he had a violent streak, after all, eating people took a bit of a toll on the psyche and required a certain level of cold detachment that most people couldn't muster. It's why the new Terminus had flourished so well; once his core group of people were chosen, they had no end of unsuspecting people wandering in, providing fresh meat. Since most wanderers couldn't fathom the idea of becoming like the very thing that had caused the civilized world to come to an end (ie – "people" eating people), they provided ample sustenance for Terminus residents; hardly anyone ever saw the sense in their way of life.

However, Rick's people were savage. He'd never seen anything like it. It took less than a minute for all Gareth's people to die. And yet, Rick's people kept punishing the corpses, a level of rage on their faces that shocked even Gareth. He'd viewed fresh human corpses with such clinical eyes for so long, that he couldn't understand why anyone felt the need to be so _messy_ with a dead body. It was stupid and wasteful.

He felt pretty certain he was next, especially when a dead-eyed Rick approached him. A heavy boot clouted Gareth in the back, and he tumbled forward violently. His head smacked against the ground and he looked over his shoulder to see Merle there. This man's eyes were not dead and calculating. This man's eyes were alight with a wild fury that told Gareth he was about to be hurt, and hurt a lot. And he was right. Merle's fist was like concrete, but the knife on the end of his prosthetic arm cut much worse.

"That's enough," Rick ordered flatly, a few minutes later, and Merle pulled back. "Where is she?" Rick asked coldly, "Tell me now."

Gareth spat out blood and shook his head, using his knowledge to buy himself some time. "I'll take you to her," he bargained, knowing this could go badly for him, but willing to bet they wanted their pretty little pregnant girl more than they wanted his blood.

He was wrong of course, in a way, because it turned out that they could have both. Merle clouted him hard enough to make Gareth see stars, knocking out teeth and breaking his cheekbone, before hauling him to his feet and kicking so viciously at the side of his knee that Gareth's bone breaking made a loud, horrible _crack_. He hollered then, and the two of them, Rick and Merle, each grabbed an arm and dragged him out of the church, making him walk on the leg.

Gareth's head lolled around loosely and he caught glimpses of Rick's little army gathering behind them, their arms and faces still streaked with the blood of Gareth's own friends. _Well, _he thought dazedly and disjointedly, _we misjudged the hell out of them._

He was marginally pleased when they reached the school and found that the walkers had indeed escaped the building and were milling about like a bored crowd. The pack of humans arriving seemed to liven the crowd up though and Gareth thought for a moment that he may have a chance to get away. When Rick and Merle and the others moved swiftly away from him, into the crowd, Gareth watched for a moment as they began to quickly and efficiently slaughter the walkers.

He turned around slowly and painfully, preparing to go as quickly as possible into the woods, but a stone-faced Maggie stood behind him, a gun pointed at his head. He hadn't realized she was there. "Don't you fucking move," she warned him, her voice hardened with anger. He had spent so much time watching these people that he almost felt a little betrayed that she wasn't acting like her normal friendly self. _That's because you're the bad guy, dummy,_ the voice in his head warned him.

"Tell me now, where she is," Maggie growled at him, her face a picture of deadly determination, "I don't see her, and that means that when they are done, those two," she pointed past him, to Merle and Rick, "Are going to fuck you up to make you tell them." Gareth eyed her wearily, swaying heavily on his feet. He smiled at her, knowing his destroyed face was a grotesque sight.

"Nah," he replied, simply, his voice rasping on the one word. Maggie's face further twisted in rage and she shoved him to the ground as hard as she could. He landed harshly on his stomach and he felt his ribs sing with the pain of broken bones, and then she put a boot in his back, holding him down. The pressure from her boot actually seemed to help the pain in his ribs, and from this new, much more comfortable position, he was able to watch as Rick and his army wiped out the rest of the dead. Things were silent for a long moment before Rick roared at him in a throaty, furious voice, "_Where is she?"_

Gareth didn't reply, he only laughed. There was the slightest of pauses and then they all heard a new noise. Muffled yelling and a distinct thumping.

Things got worse for him then, because Rick and Merle made a beeline for the van and yanked the door open, Merle diving in first and emerging a few moments later with Linney, his arm under her shoulders, holding her up while she leaned heavily on him. He could hear Maggie sigh in relief above him and rolled his eyes in their damaged sockets. _I can't believe they actually thought I'd kill or maim a pregnant woman, these people are sick._

Rick bent to Linney and they spoke quietly, until her eyes moved past Rick, seeing Gareth. He expected rage, but she just looked shocked and instead shook her head back and forth several times. They all walked closer then, and Gareth struggled to come up on his knees, Maggie's boot disappearing from his back. He turned his face up to Linney as she neared him, her eyes refusing to look at him, her intent clearly being on just getting away.

"I thought," he panted, making her pause and look down at him with wide and wet eyes, "I thought you'd want to kill me yourself." She swallowed hard, her mouth pulling down at the corners, and she looked away, up to Merle's attentive face. "No," she said quietly, "I don't care what happens to you." She moved on and he watched her go.

_I misjudged her, too, I guess, _he thought thickly and regretfully, as Linney disappeared into the night with Merle, Sasha and Rosita at their sides. Rick shoved him violently to the ground then, pulling out his red-handled weapon. Gareth's eyes locked on the red of the handle, his mind shrieking stupidly at him: _He promised! He promised you! _

"I would've let her," Rick spoke in a throaty growl, "You were hers to end, if she wanted." Gareth stared up at Rick's face, seeing nothing there but a desire to kill him, and he watched, the world slowing down around him, as the glinting blade of the red-handled weapon descended. He watched as Rick kept his promise, and killed him.

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The walk back seemed to take forever. Merle realized it was likely his own anxiety that was making him feel that way, and it was not a feeling he enjoyed. Linney was leaning very heavily against him and he asked her for the fourth or fifth time if she needed him to carry her.

"No," she murmured, "I'll be fine." He could tell she was lying, and he could tell she was also crying, because each time a shaft of the moonlight hit her face through the trees, he could see her cheeks shining wetly. He knew she just needed quiet and a bed, and to be safe; he didn't intend to leave her side. _Figures, Daryl takes off on a fucking side trip and this shit goes down._

As they neared the church, he turned to Sasha, gesturing her closer. "Think you can get in there and have them all back off? Make room for Lin to just get to that couch and sleep – she don't need no warm reunion right now," he spoke seriously and Sasha nodded curtly, before jogging off ahead of them. He watched her go and shook his head a little, surprised at how calm she was being. _That chick is tough._ He wasn't particularly attached to Bob, but he had a sense of outrage that a member of _his _group had been harmed and was going to die. He knew he'd be livid if it was a person he was close to who was about to bite the dust.

Merle could tell when Linney's legs just decided they were done, because she started to teeter forward. He halted and bent to her, scooping her up in his arms, mindful of the blade on his prosthetic. "Heya, Hot Pants," he called to Rosita, who rolled her eyes before turning to him, her lips pursed in irritation.

Merle smiled at her and then nodded at the knife on his arm. "Fold that in, would ya? Don't want 'er to get her legs cut up," he asked. Rosita nodded, moving and tucking the knife down with a firm click. She paused and leaned closer to Linney's face. Merle glanced down too and saw that her eyes were closed.

"I think she's just asleep," Rosita said quietly, straightening up and meeting his eyes. He took a breath, relief in his bones, and they kept walking. "She's got to be totally exhausted, she's going to need to sleep off the adrenaline and sleep off how freaked out she is," Rosita continued, walking alertly at his side. Merle grunted in acknowledgement. "Ain't nobody disturbin' her, until I say so," he growled. He looked over at Rosita and saw her regarding him shrewdly.

"What's the deal with you guys?" Rosita asked, curiosity in her tone, "She's not your kid, I know you guys aren't _that_ hillbilly, so what is she?" Merle snorted, feeling his lip curl up in a wry smile as he looked at her. "What's it matter to you?" He asked her rudely, his tone as uninviting and snarling as it ever was. Rosita shrugged.

"I like to know what makes people tick, and I like to know what we're dealing with, always," she answered briskly. Merle was silent for a moment, formulating how to answer.

"She's Daryl's girl," he told her, "Got a Dixon in her belly." She squinted at him and then shook her head, turning away from him.

"No, that's not _just_ it," she said decisively, "There's more to it." He paused a moment to heft Linney up in his arms, getting as a good a grip on her as he could, distantly grateful that he could now see the church up ahead. "Her daddy was as close as a brother," he said very quietly, very gruffly, "Her momma was just about the sweetest gal I ever met; I owe them both."

"You love her, like a father," Rosita said softly, but frankly. Merle didn't answer, but he looked down at Linney's worn, exhausted face, took in the swell of her belly beneath where her hands rested limply on it. Her wrists were bloodied from the rope that had been tight around them. He felt a surge of something, an emotion he preferred remained nameless, both in his head and all around him. He looked over at Miss Hot Pants again and couldn't believe he was having this conversation with her.

"Fuck off, will ya?" He bitched at her, glaring as best as he could in the darkness.

"You do," Rosita told him, looking satisfied. They neared the steps of the church and she went up first, opening up the door for him. Merle glanced down at Linney again and said gruffly, in a nearly silent voice, "Like she were my own."

He pretended to ignore the smug look on Rosita's face as he walked into the soft glow of the church.

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Linney woke up to sunlight. She could feel it caressing her face warmly and softly. She could hear a few brave birds outside, chirping their little hearts out. She also heard a loud, grating snore. Her eyes popped open and she looked around the office at the back of the church, hardly believing she was there. Slowly, carefully, she shifted around, sitting up, wincing at the pain in her wrists when she bent them. Looking down, she saw that each wrist was neatly wound in gauze.

She looked down when the snore sounded again, and saw Merle, lying on his back on the floor in front of the couch she slept on, a rolled up jacket beneath his head, and a small blanket over his mid-section, mouth hanging open as he slept, snoring loudly on each inhale. She smiled at the sight. Her mind reached back, reminding her that she had some memories to reconcile from the day and night before, but she recoiled from them, not wanting to remember, not wanting to deal with what she'd seen, heard, and smelled.

A part of her mind neatly wrapped up the entire event in her head, threw it in a box, and tossed the box in a mental ocean. Linney scooted down to the end of the bed and brought her bare feet to the floor, avoiding Merle's own large booted feet, which partially blocked her clear exit from the couch. Free from the burden of the memory, she allowed herself to take stock of what she needed right this minute. Top of the list was to pee, followed up closely by food and then some water.

She stood up and took one step and then paused when she heard Merle's voice croak out behind her grumpily, "Where d'ya think yer goin'?" Linney turned and looked down at him, smiling a little. "I need to pee," she replied calmly. He blinked a couple of times and sat up. "Ok, hold it for a sec," he told her, pulling himself into a seated position and then climbing to his feet. He walked over to the office door and opened it for her, and Linney followed him out. Everyone was laying in their beds around the open space at the front of the church, so she tip toed past them, trying to be quiet.

Outside, Merle led her up against the church, just at the bottom of the steps and turned his back on her. "I don't wanna go this close to the door," she told him immediately, "Anyone could walk out and look down see me here."

"Tough titty, sweetheart, ya ain't goin' any further on my watch," Merle's voice spoke implacably, and she could tell that his jaw was clenching, even from behind. Grumbling a little to herself, Linney went about her business as best as she could. As she went, she distractedly hoped that they managed to find a place with at least an outhouse, because she suspected that crouching to the ground like this was going to get harder and harder to do as she got bigger and bigger.

Back inside, they were immediately greeted by Maggie and Rick, both of whom were waiting in the entryway of the backdoor. Linney felt her face turn red when she saw them, wondering if one or both had stepped outside and seen her going pee.

"Oh Linney," Maggie said softly, stepping towards her and hugging her tightly. Linney pushed her off almost immediately, a strained smile on her face. "Hey, hi, I'm fine, don't be so grabby," she said stiffly. Maggie's face was momentarily hurt, and she looked away to hide it.

Rick put a heavy hand on her shoulder and Linney grit her teeth, feeling the muscles in her jaw rolling with the movement. "How are you today? Are you alright?" He asked seriously, concern heavy in his voice. She stepped away from him too, fighting to keep the smile on her face.

"Why is everyone so touchy feely? I'm fine!" She nearly shouted the last part, her fake-happy tone loudly filling the area in an alarming way. She flinched at the sound of it and then shook her head briskly, before turning and walking away from them, back to the office. She could feel all the eyes of the group on her, but firmly kept the memories at bay, and refused to give in. _There is nothing wrong right now. I'm fine and everything else is fine and I'm not dwelling. I'm fine. _ Linney shut the office door and sat on the couch, placing both hands firmly on her stomach, unaware when she began to rock a little back and forth, almost like she was in pain.

"I'm fine," she whispered, closing her eyes tightly and praying she would feel the baby move soon. She knew Piglet hadn't moved since the night before when she'd felt the hard, almost painful movements, and the baby was normally an early morning dancer, swirling around in there. This morning she felt nothing.

"You're fine though," she repeated, "Stop thinking about things, it's fine."

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"Something is seriously wrong," Michonne said, exiting the office. Everyone except Sasha, Tyreese, and Bob stood clustered outside the office. Bob was laying on a bed on the floor, on the other side of the church, Sasha and Tyreese keeping him company. They were all very aware that he did not have much longer.

Michonne looked around at the expectant faces surrounding her and took a deep breath. "I'd say, physically, she's alright, although she mentioned she hasn't felt the baby move all day long today," Michonne began, trying to stay calm. Rick and Maggie winced at the same time, Maggie's eyes tearing up almost immediately.

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything though, I remember going long stretches with nothing, especially early-on," she tried to reassure them. She was the only person present with practical, first-hand experience at actually being pregnant, so Michonne knew why they were all expecting her to have all the answers. She didn't have them all. _I'm not a doctor._ _I'm also not even a mother anymore._

"What's wrong then?" Merle barked impatiently, waving a hand back at the room, "Maybe the kid's just napping or growing or some shit. So, what's wrong with Lin?" Michonne gazed back at him, meeting his fierce eyes, seeing his worry buried beneath the bravado. His attitude didn't get to her, she knew what is was to fear for a loved one. She nodded.

"She is acting like yesterday didn't happen at all," Michonne said. There was quiet for a moment. "Isn't that a good thing?" Carl asked quietly, "She's not upset by it? That's a good thing, right?" Almost everyone shook their heads.

"No, because she is acting as if _literally_ the events of yesterday and last night did not happen to her at all. She's repressing it, and that is really dangerous," Michonne explained.

Rick sighed heavily. "And she knows about Daryl being gone?" Rick asked incredulously. Michonne nodded, meeting Merle's eyes again, waiting for him to fill in the blank for the group.

"She don't seem to care," Merle finally said, reluctantly, "She just ignored it when I tole her he'd up n' disappeared with Carol, goin' to Atlanta."

"So she's fucking snapped then," Abraham offered, his tone loud and blunt. Everyone turned to him and Michonne couldn't keep the irritated look off of her face. "What?" He continued, defensively, "I got eyes, I've seen 'em together; no way the girl doesn't care that her man 'up and disappeared'."

Michonne had to agree with that. The group broke up then, going up quietly doing little tasks indoors; Rick had insisted no one go outside today, even if the Terminus threat was gone completely, he was being cautious. She snagged Merle's arm when he turned to go.

"Come in with me, come sit with her, she needs you there," Michonne insisted. To his credit, Merle didn't resist, just bobbed his head and went into the office. Linney was sitting on the floor, cross-legged, cleaning her weapons. Her bag was neatly packed next to her, Daryl's bag on her other side. She looked up and gave them each a brittle smile.

"What're you doin', sweetheart?" Merle asked her gruffly, moving to sit on the couch behind her. Linney looked over her shoulder at him and gestured at her weapons. "I'm preparing to leave," she said reasonably, "Thought we were going to head to DC?"

Merle's eyes darted up to Michonne's and she saw her concern mirrored in his gaze. "We ain't goin' anywhere," he told her bluntly, "Not 'til Daryl gets back, and even then, not 'til Bob passes on." Michonne watched Linney's face twitch at that, a shadow crossing her features, and then she shook her head briskly and slapped that painful smile back on.

"So, yup, I'm ready to go, ya'll just let me know and I'll head out to the bus," she replied calmly. Michonne took in a deep breath, and was about to reply when she heard Rick call her from outside the door. Merle nodded at the door with his chin.

"Go on," he urged her in a low voice, his gaze moving down to the back of Linney's head, as she bent forward to put her knives back in their sheaths, "I'll stay with 'er."

Michonne nodded and left the room, letting out a breath when she got to Rick outside the door. He was holding a red-faced Judith and Michonne couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at the sight of the baby.

"It's my watch, but she is fussing up really badly right now," Rick explained, a pained expression on his face, "She's going to disturb everyone if I put her down now, she won't even take Tyreese right now."

Michonne took in the baby's red cheeks and drooling mouth and wrinkled up her nose a little when she responded. "That's a teething face if I ever saw one," she told him quietly, moving to walk past him. She paused and patted Judith's head before grabbing up her katana. "I'll take watch, you're going to have your hands full I think," she offered quickly.

"He needs to come back soon," Rick said quietly, turning to face her, his eyes going to the window, out to the darkening sky. She followed his gaze briefly, very aware that everyone had expected Daryl and Carol back by now, possibly with Beth; she was feeling a sinking pit in her stomach at the thought that something had gone wrong.

"I know," Michonne responded quietly. She walked away without saying more, going out to sit on the front steps for watch. She found herself praying, which she found odd; it was not a habit of hers, regardless of the fact that they were currently living in a church.

_Please fix this. Whatever is going on, just fix it – we need to be whole, and we need to move on, leave this nightmare behind us._

The night was silent around her, and she wondered why she even bothered. _No one is listening._ It was dark and silent for a little over an hour after that, before the bushes began to rustle, off to the right of the church. Michonne climbed to her feet, tense and alert, pulling her katana immediately.

As she crept towards the very likely dangerous noise, she thought, _this is the exact opposite of what I wanted._

Then Daryl stepped out of the trees. "Oh thank Christ," she said immediately, the relief in her voice heady and palpable. He eyed her for a moment before turning back to the trees and calling out to someone, "C'mon out."


	199. Chapter 199

***** Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney *****

Noah was gone again. Molly sighed and rested her chin on her hands as she leaned on the window sill. They were still living in the hallway of the apartment building, Noah said it was because it was 'strategically safe', but Molly was pretty sure it was because he was afraid to move them.

_You're being mean,_ Molly scolded herself, her eyes following Noah's figure as it disappeared on his way deeper into the city. She sighed and sat up, resting her back against the wall next to the window. She really wanted Noah to just find some guns and then rush back to the hospital and save Beth. _Beth can save herself, Linney said girls gotta save themselves. _Molly imagined charging into the hospital on horseback, rescuing Beth and running away with her. _We'd find Linney and Merle and it would be alright again._

She'd mentioned finding Beth, and then finding her other friends, to Noah, but he always said, "We'll see," before changing the conversation. She knew he was afraid; afraid of the walkers, afraid of the city, afraid of the people at the hospital, but he was determined they'd somehow make everything right again. So, he went into the city every day, trying to find weapons. Molly glanced down at the hammer lying to the side of where she was sitting, Noah said it was her weapon. She knew just about anything could be a weapon, Merle had told her so, but she also knew she was really small, and the hammer wasn't a big one.

_Maybe you won't need to use it,_ she comforted herself. Molly reached for a granola bar and chomped down on it hungrily. They had tons of food. Noah seemed to have no problem sneaking around Atlanta and finding stuff to eat and drink, it was just weapons that were hard to find.

Hours went by, and Molly watched the sun move across the sky outside the window, watched the morning give way to midday, which slid into afternoon. She'd snacked, napped, colored a little bit in the coloring books Noah brought back with him yesterday, but mostly she stared out the window and prayed Noah would come back. She couldn't imagine being all alone, forever.

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Noah felt a lot of pressure. Not just to stay alive, either. He felt pressure to procure food and water for himself and Molly. He felt pressure to keep her safe and happy. He felt pressure to find weapons. He felt the constant pressure of his freedom, too. Beth did not have freedom. He knew, without a doubt, that if their roles had been reversed, Beth would've found a better place to hole up, have armed herself like an one-woman-army, and found a way into the hospital again, rescuing him and killing anyone who stood in her way. Beth was not afraid of things the way he was, and he admired the hell out of that.

He would never be so brave, or so clever, as Beth was. She acted as needed without over-thinking or under-planning. He couldn't do that.

Which is part of why he was having such a hard time right now. He'd left Molly this morning, his spirits already sinking, as he headed out on what he assumed would be yet another fruitless search. His wandering through a nearby office building seemed like it was going to yield nothing, yet again, until he spotted them. Two people. Well-armed. Tough as nails. He wanted their weapons. So he ambushed them, threatened to actually hurt the woman, which left him feeling like a bag of shit. He seriously doubted he'd actually be able to hurt her or the guy she was travelling with, these two strangers who had done nothing to him.

_You were just thinking of Molly, thinking of Beth, _he told himself, again, _you have responsibilities to other people. These two weren't anything to you. _He ran and he hid, in another building, nearby. Catching his breath, calming his heart, staring at the gun and the crossbow, wondering how on earth he intended to use these two things to save Beth.

_You aren't going to use them to save her, _his conscience told him, _all you did was condemn those two strangers to death. _His inner voice was right, he knew that. He knew that, because he had panicked, he had essentially sentenced the two of them to death. He may as well have shot them outright; that would have been kinder than the fate Atlanta would have in store them, unarmed in the center of the city as they were.

He sat in the reception area of the office he'd wandered into, as if he were waiting for an appointment, and hung his head. _Instead of murdering them, you should have asked for their help, you idiot. _

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He was a father now. He was going to be a father. He shouldn't be here. Daryl looked around, his eyes widening in fear, and realized he had seriously erred in coming to Atlanta, in thinking he and Carol alone could save Beth with any ease, and escape unscathed. Linney was alone. Alone and pregnant. And he left her. Gripping the steering wheel of the slowly tipping van in one hand, and Carol's shaking hand in the other, he thought of Linney with the group, safe, and unharmed, but without him. Their kid growing up with no dad.

_What the fuck have you done? _

The fall took forever, but happened so quickly. The air bag exploded in his face and it felt like a solid punch. They both sat, breathing in shaky rasps, for several long minutes, listening to the impact of walkers stupid enough to fall after them off the overpass.

"You ok?" He asked Carol, because it was what you asked after falling off an overpass. "Yeah," she answered quietly, lying. They looked at each other, Carol flinching minutely when a walker landed partially on the crackling windshield, guts and blood going everywhere. His mind flashed to Linney again and he shook his head.

"We gotta get outta here," he rumbled, glancing over at his friend. It became apparent very quickly that Carol was hurt, badly. As much as he wanted to cut and run back to the church, immediately, he knew that Carol needed to sit and rest, and maybe get some first aid, or at least some pain killers into her.

She couldn't go far, and they found themselves close to where that stupid kid had high-jacked their weapons, in the building next door. Carol's breathing was harsh, and laboured. He got her up a flight of steps, into an office that had clearly once been a home to survivors, and he checked her over.

"I'm a pretty terrible doctor," he told her gruffly, trying to bandage up a cut on her cheekbone. She stared at him with the same shrewd, knowing eyes that had been seeing through his shit since the start and said, "You shouldn't be here. You should be getting back, she needs you, and_ they_ need you." Daryl sat back, peering at her through his hair, eyes narrowed.

"And you? You gonna come back?" He asked her harshly, "Gonna run off, just leave us?" Carol snorted, and looked away. "It's no big loss, all I've brought is death," she muttered. He shook his head and sat on the window sill next to her. "No, you saved us, saved that baby and Tyreese," he said flatly, "Don't matter what you meant to do, you didn't kill anyone that wasn't gonna die anyways."

"Would you think that way if I'd killed her? Killed your child?" She asked him calmly, one hand cupping her obviously dislocated shoulder. He stared at her, knowing the answer, knowing he wouldn't be needing to think one way or another if she'd done that; he would have killed her, without hesitation, in retribution. Carol's eyes moved across his face, reading what she saw there.

"I thought so," she said softly, looking away. "Can't leave now anyways," he told her after a few silent moments, and she looked over, confused and questioning. "What?" She asked him, her eyebrows going up, "Why not?"

"Said you'd help me get Beth back, gotta keep your end of that deal before you take off," he explained, a small smile hinting around the corners of his mouth. Carol harrumphed and looked out the window again. When they heard banging around deeper into the building, the throaty snarls of a walker, and the obvious sound of struggle, they leapt to their feet, grabbing their stuff and running into the halls.

Daryl had the machete he'd picked up on their way in, gripped tightly in his hands, and had to use it three times before they found that goddamn kid who'd stolen their stuff in the hall, grappling with a walker. Against his better judgement, he killed the walker from behind. The kid stood there, their weapons in his hands, opening and closing his mouth, before he suddenly turned and darted away.

"Goddammit," Daryl grumbled, running after him. They kid had a strong limp on him, but was quick regardless, and made it around several hallway bends before his head long rush ended with him tripping and falling, his fingers squeezing the trigger on Carol's gun in his hands. The shots were deafening and pointless, a total waste of ammo, smattering a wall in front of him with holes. Daryl caught up with the kid, who shoved both weapons away from himself when Daryl skidded to a stop in front of him.

"I'm sorry," the kid panted, "Please, I'm sorry, just take it, I fucked up." Daryl bent and snatched the weapons up, slinging the crossbow back onto his back, where it felt at home. He handed Carol her gun wordlessly when she finally caught up to them. The kid rolled warily to his feet, eying them both up, but mainly keeping his eyes on Daryl, clearly seeing him as the threat.

"Why'd you steal our weapons?" He snapped at the kid, letting his voice come out in a sharp bark. The boy jumped, stepping backwards, until he was up against the window. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I needed weapons, I have to have weapons, I have to protect her, I have to save them," he babbled, his eyes moving between the two of them.

"Who?" Carol asked reasonably, the huge gun hanging at her side. The boy swallowed anxiously and looked away, outside, and then his whole body went rigid. "Oh god, oh no, oh god, oh no," he began to moan, backing from the window, past the two of them, his hands up.

"They must've heard the shots! I gotta go, they're gonna find me, find us!" The boy explained, panic nearly garbling his words, "Run! We have to run! You have to run!" Daryl looked over at Carol and she raised an eyebrow.

"Who's comin'?" He yelled at the boy, trying to shock him out of his ranting.

"The hospital, the people at the hospital!" The boy cried, pressing his fingers to his face. The kid yelped when Daryl leapt forward and grabbed his shoulders, his own heart beginning to beat a little more frantically. "Which hospital?!" He yelled at the boy again, angrily, shaking him roughly.

"Grady! Grady Memorial!" The boy called out, his voice terrified, "They're coming! I saw them! We have to go!" Daryl felt a rising up of hope at the same time he felt his heart drop; the kid was terrified of this place, if Beth was there, then things were not good for her.

"A blonde girl, was there a blonde girl there? Young? Pretty?" Daryl barked at him, "Did you see a little blonde girl there?" The boy's face stilled, his eyes going wide as he looked at Daryl, clarity crossing his features, chasing away some of the fear.

"Beth? Are you talking about Beth?" He asked Daryl, his voice awed.

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Molly ate her fourth granola bar of the day and sighed heavily. She knew it would be dinner time soon, and she was worried that Noah wasn't going to make it back before dark. He always told her he'd be back before dark. She was growing extra worried because she'd heard a car driving around outside about an hour ago, heard the screech of brakes being slammed. She was really scared for Noah.

The hallway looked lonelier and emptier than usual at this time of the day; the light outside didn't stretch much further down it, through the window, than where she was sitting. _The worst part is being quiet,_ she thought despondently, _Noah says I can't even talk at all, just in case a monster hears me, or even worse, someone from the hospital. _

She guessed she knew about how to be quiet though, knew _all_ about being quiet. Merle and Linney had taught her the importance of it, but even before that, she learned that staying quiet made people leave you alone, and when people were leaving you alone, then they weren't staring rudely at your face, or saying mean things.

Molly tossed the granola bar wrapper in to the air when she was done eating, and watched it flutter to the ground, glinting as the sun hit the silvery insides of the wrapper on its twisting descent. It landed, and at the same moment, she heard a loud noise from downstairs. Molly blinked stupidly at the wrapper, her mind momentarily wondering how a wrapper landing on the carpet could make a bang, before she jumped to her feet.

_Someone's coming up the stairs!_ She could tell, by the footfalls, that it wasn't Noah. That was another gift from Linney, learning to analyze by listening. Noah walked with a limp, and was quick on his feet, his scuffling, shuffling steps were nimble and quick. These footfalls, treading heavily up the stairs, were certain, commanding, and deliberate.

Her heart was pattering away, and she could feel sweat on her face, but Molly took a deep breath and picked up her hammer, moving slowly down the hallway to stand about ten feet from the doorway leading from the stairs. _What would Linney do? _She remembered the one thing that Linney had told her, and even the other kids back at the prison, over and over again: being small doesn't mean being weak, it just means being faster and smarter than the bigger guy.

Molly figured if it was a monster, she would find a way to kill it. If it was a bad person, she would try to act scared until they got close and then she'd hit them in the head with her hammer as hard as possible.

She was hoping it was a monster, they were a lot more predictable than people. Luckily, it was neither. The door cracked open, and the face that peered carefully into the hallway was Daryl Dixon, Merle's brother, Linney's boyfriend.

"Daryl?" She asked, astonished, the hammer dropping from her hand with a heavy thunk, before she half-screamed, "_Daryl!"_ He smiled quickly at her, looking behind her and around the hallway, before dropping his crossbow to his side.

She ran for him, so happy to see another piece of life from the prison that she didn't care who it was. Daryl was always a little scary to her, not in a mean way, but he was just so quiet, not like his brother, not like Linney, who each went out of their way to pay attention to the little kids. Daryl seemed surprised when she threw herself at him now, and when he knelt down to her level, to even out the hug, she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck, tightly. His hand came up hesitantly and pressed to her back, and Molly started to cry, total relief flooding through her entire body.

"Are we getting Beth? Are we going home? Is Merle here? Where's Linney?" She was asking him a lot of questions, very quickly, and he pushed her away, putting a big hand on her shoulder.

"Gonna get you back to where you need to be," Daryl told her, his face hard and serious. A face like that would've scared old-Molly, prison-Molly, but this Molly, stuck-in-Atlanta-Molly, thought his face was the best thing she'd ever seen. He stood up, took her hand, and led her outside, to his truck, to Noah, to the way home.

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"C'mon out," he told them gruffly, "Noah, bring 'er out, it's safe." Noah stepped from the shadows, Molly's little hand in his. Daryl watched as Michonne's eyes went wide and then a smile split her face. She dropped to her knees, holding her arms out for the little girl. "Molly?" She said in disbelief. Daryl looked down and saw a big silly smile spread on Molly's twisted little face and she accepted the hug eagerly. Michonne scooped the girl up, hugging her tightly as she looked at Daryl.

"How?" She asked him, shifting Molly to her hip. He knew the kid was approaching an age where she probably didn't need to be held much anymore, but she was small, much like he'd imagined Linney would've been at that age, and he understood why people couldn't resist treating her as someone much younger.

Daryl took a deep breath. "People that took her, were the same damn people that took Beth," he said, and then nodded his chin at Noah. "Same people that took him too," he continued, "This is Noah, he saw Beth, was trapped with Beth at this place in Atlanta."

Michonne looked shocked, and turned an incredulous face to Noah. "Is she alive?" She asked him, her brow crinkling in worry. Noah nodded eagerly, his gaze going to Daryl's quickly. "She was, yeah," the boy said, "We tried to escape, all three of us, but they got Beth, only Molly and I made it away."

"They got Carol today," Daryl said in a gruff voice, trying to hide his self-loathing, and his worry, "We gotta get everyone together, get 'em out there, get the two of them back." He watched as Michonne turned a worried gaze to him, indecision playing on her features.

"What?" He barked, impatience from the day coloring his tone. Michonne glanced down at Molly, and then put the little girl down. "Noah is it?" She asked the boy, and he nodded. Michonne tilted her head towards the church.

"Take her to the stairs for a minute," Michonne said shortly. Noah listened without hesitation, even though he hadn't even been told her name yet. Daryl felt his stomach sinking, the look on Michonne's face only meant one thing: something bad had happened.

"Is it Merle?" He managed, his voice throaty with upset. Michonne took a step towards him, putting her hands tightly on each of his arms, as if to hold him in place.

"Let me start with – everyone is here right now, alright?" She told him sternly, and he nodded when it became apparent that she was waiting for it. She swallowed and continued, "People from Terminus, survivors, have been following us all this time, watching us, and they wanted revenge."

Daryl felt his stomach roil. "What happened," he growled, preparing to shove her away and go inside on his own. "They took Linney," she told him softly, tightening her grip on him as he immediately tried to wrench away.

"Let me go!" He snarled at her, and she shook him as hard as she could. "Daryl! We got her back, they had her almost all day yesterday, and last night, but she's back, she's not badly hurt, settle down!" Michonne's voice was harsh and loud, and he was forced to let the words sink in. "Then what's wrong?" He asked, his tone rude, "Why the fuck you keepin' me waitin' like this?"

She let him go then. Her face was serious and she began to lead him back to the church, explaining softly as she went, everything she knew about what had happened, what Linney had been through, seen, and had been done to her. About how she was acting. Michonne told him about Bob. His heart sank and he felt sick. He felt guilt. A lot of it. _You're a fucking waste of skin, a failure, knew you shouldn'tve gone. This is on you._

"This isn't your fault," Michonne reassured him at the bottom of the steps, as if reading his mind, "By the time you'd decided to leave, she was already gone. And she's back now, and you're back now; we can work on getting her better."

He felt his heart twist. He knew about trauma, he knew about getting your head fucked up, losing part of your mind. He was only surprised that none of them had fallen apart sooner; their lives now were nearly constant horrors and traumas. Daryl swallowed hard, looking down at Molly, a little girl he'd honestly expected to never see again. _You lost Carol, you lost Beth, but you saved Molly,_ part of his mind tried to soothe him, _you saved a kid, saved this little girl_. An angrier part of his mind reared up and snarled at him, as he reached for the door of the church:

_But now you've lost Linney too, sounds like, good luck getting her back, not that you deserve her._


	200. Chapter 200

***** Holy Shitballs, chapter 200 *****

"Lin?" Glenn's head peeked around the door, and Linney lifted her face to him, smiling briefly. "Hey Glenn, what's up?" She asked softly. He stepped into the room, shutting the door behind himself, looking around the office uneasily for a long moment.

"How are you feeling?" He finally asked her. She shrugged and patted the sofa next to herself. "I'm good," she answered, her voice still quiet and faint, "I think Piglet is asleep."

He blinked at her, pausing, a question on his face, before his eyes dropped down to her little belly. He felt a ripple of unease unfurl in his chest when he saw the way her hands were splayed over top of her stomach, her fingers shaking slightly.

"What do you mean?" He asked her, slowly stepping towards the couch and lowering himself to a seated position next to her. She turned her face towards him, but her eyes didn't meet his. "He's not moving around for me today," she told him, in a near whisper. He didn't know what to do with that statement. Glenn tilted his head trying to catch her eye, but she turned away. He felt wholly unsuited for this task.

Merle had slipped out of the room a little while earlier, shocking Glenn when he asked him specifically to sit with her.

"Ya known 'er longer than any a these chumps," Merle had said brusquely, "For some reason she's always liked you, maybe she needs that now." His eyes had been so hard, his expression tense and tight. Glenn hadn't been sure he could do anything to help, but he'd nodded at the worried elder Dixon and gone to the office.

Now, sitting beside Linney, seeing her so oddly subdued, so quiet, not herself at all, he felt sick, and could understand how worried Merle was. "I don't think babies move all the time," Glenn ventured, "Michonne mentioned that in the second trimester, babies don't always –" Linney waved a hand at him, quickly. He could see her throat working.

"Not with him, he's been a big mover, he's gotta just be sleeping then," she told him, the edge in her voice obvious, "Stop it."

"Are you hurting anywhere?" Glenn asked carefully. He knew right now everyone was secretly worried that something terrible had happened to the baby. They knew she'd been handled roughly during the ordeal, had an obvious head injury (the blue bruise that bloomed out from her temple a ways before disappearing into her dark hair was proof of that), and had experienced such distress and fear, that it only made sense that the baby could have been harmed. Michonne seemed to think that Linney would be in physical distress if that were the case, and oddly, Eugene was arguing with her on that point, telling anyone who listen that mental suffering could often hide physical pain.

"Does anything hurt you? Your back, your stomach?" Glenn pressed, hoping to get some information out of her.

Linney's hand moved directly back to her stomach and she hopped to her feet, moving quickly to the other side of the room.

"Nope!" She exclaimed, the ragged bit of panic in her voice making her otherwise perky tone sound ridiculous, "I feel fine!" Glenn got up and followed her, reaching for her shoulders and holding her in place when she began to pace. "Linney," he said once, quietly, "You are not fine." She shook her head rapidly and he could see her grip slipping.

"I'm fine," she whispered, tremulously, "Everything is fine, and I don't know why you people can't just leave us alone right now?" She turned her face to look up at him and Glenn recoiled slightly at the emotions warring there. Her mouth was smiling, shaking, but smiling. It didn't reach her eyes. He released her shoulders and stepped back, her liquid, terrified eyes cutting into him harshly.

"Are we going to DC soon?" She asked him quietly, blinking rapidly as some tears escaped her eyes and made their way down her face, "I think I'm ready to leave this place." Her sudden obsession with DC, her desire to leave the church as soon as possible to go to DC, was something else worrying people. _It's her escape from what happened, getting away from here means leaving behind what happened. _He shook his head and her smile brightened as she tried to use it to hold back whatever she was really thinking, really feeling. "Linney please, just talk to me about this," Glenn urged her, "You know I'll listen, just talk to me." He'd never wished harder to see Daryl Dixon's face than in that moment, but he knew he was on his own right now.

She took a deep breath, and then shook her head, rubbing gently at her stomach, looking down to follow the motions of her own hands. "I think you should leave us alone," she told him quietly. Glenn didn't respond. Outside the office's closed door, near the front of the church, he could hear sudden exclamations, many voices, loud voices, suddenly talking urgently, calling one another. He turned his head towards the door and then back to Linney and watched as she moved to the couch and sat down again.

He could tell the noises outside frightened her, her hands were shaking again, but she looked up at him and emphatically said, "_Leave, please."_ He didn't want to leave, didn't think her being alone was going to help her current state of shock at all. However, the door opened behind them just then and Glenn was shoved out of the way before he could reply, Daryl barrelling past him. Glenn stood there dumbly and watched as Daryl dropped to his knees in front of Linney, one of his hands going to her own hand on top of her stomach, his other reaching up and holding one side of her face.

Glenn felt like an intruder as Daryl began to speak in a low, rapid voice to her, apologizing over and over again for leaving her, leaving _them_. Glenn backed towards the open door, closing it gently on the placid look on Linney's face as she smiled at Daryl and told him everything was fine.

_Shit._

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Noah was a plucky kid, Daryl had to give him that. As Daryl sat in guilty misery in front of Linney holding her hands and staring into her distant eyes, he could hear Noah outside the office door, explaining everything he knew about Beth, about Grady Memorial, to the group. Daryl was distantly grateful that he wouldn't need to regale them all. It didn't mean as much to him anymore.

"Lin, c'mon, this ain't right," he said to her slowly, squeezing her hands gently, "You're made of tougher shit than this, you gotta just face it. I can help." She looked down at him, pulling her hands out of his, touching the side of his face briefly.

"No," she said softly, her eyebrows drawing together, "No, Daryl, just no."

"What did they do to you? Did they…" he paused, swallowing hard, choking on the words, on the thoughts, "Did they touch you, did they…" He couldn't finish.

Linney's jaw clenched at his words, and he saw a flash of anger go across her face quickly.

"No!" She almost yelled at him, "Drop it! Everyone! Enough! I'm _fine!"_ Her hands dropped sharply to her stomach, lightly gripping it and gently shaking it. "Come on, kiddo, wake up, now, please," she began to plead softly, lightly jiggling her little bump, as if to wake a sleeping person. Daryl felt his heart moving up his throat, utter horror growing inside him. He was suddenly terrified that she'd not only lost her mind, but that they were losing the baby too.

Moving slowly, so as not to startle or enrage her, he climbed up on the couch next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down, to lay on the couch with him, her back nestled up against his front. She rested her face on his arm, and he held her, one hand across her chest, one hand resting on top of her belly.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, into her hair, "I never shoulda left, please forgive me. I'm so fuckin' sorry, Lin, I'm so sorry." She didn't respond, just lay there, one hand on her stomach, the other tucked under her head. He heard things quieting down outside, heard the voices get lower, and eventually realized that Linney was finally asleep. He resisted the urge to cry, even though he felt a huge swell of loss choking him, burning his throat. He gently rubbed her stomach, trying to breathe evenly, calmly, matching his breaths to hers as she slept.

_C'mon kid, wake up, please._

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The consensus, the next morning, was that they were going to give Linney time and space, quit bothering her, and let her breathe. Merle found he couldn't stop staring at her, couldn't stop expecting her to shoot him a sly smile and suddenly burst out with, "Ha! I gotcha good, Dixon! Of course I'm alright!"

The plan was to go get Beth, and Carol, to set things to right, to complete their group again. Merle spooned in another mouthful of the shitty beans he was eating for breakfast, grimacing at the taste. Molly, leaned up against his leg, and clingy as a snot bubble, wouldn't let go of him, not since she laid eyes on him the night before.

He'd been standing there next to Officer Friendly when the front door burst open and Daryl barged in, he'd shoved his way through the crowd, his intent clear, and people got out of his way, let him get to Linney. After Daryl, a scrawny black kid and Michonne walked through the door and Merle had shrugged at the sight. _Damned if we don't love our strays,_ he'd thought to himself in mild irritation. What he didn't see was the blonde girl that his brother had been going after in the first place. Or Carol. Merle had shaken his head and met Rick's eyes for a moment. The sheriff looked dark and serious as he took in the scene, obviously unhappy that there was no Beth and no Carol.

"_Merle! Merle!"_ A little voiced had yelled his name and Merle turned to it. He blinked stupidly at the sight of Molly, shoving past Michonne, and pushing through the crowd wildly, coming straight for him.

"Molly?" Merle heard Rick speak her name in quiet disbelief, before Molly collided with Merle's legs, like a little 40 lb wrecking ball. The kid was blubbering at this point, so he'd felt forced to reach down and pick the annoying little squirt up. Her face was red and mangled looking as she cried in relief, her scar standing out starkly against her otherwise pale skin. Molly cried into his shoulder for a few minutes, while he held her, using his prosthetic arm to support her weight, while his other hand patted awkwardly at the kid's back.

He could feel her ribs, and her spine, she'd never been a big kid, but she was too skinny now. This made his back go up; this kid was his responsibility. He'd found her in the woods way back in Woodbury, and then found her again, with Linney, in the woods after the prison fell. She clung to him like an over-heated squirrel, her crying petering out when the group finally seated itself.

Maggie had brought the kid all kinds of food and Molly had sat contentedly on Merle's lap and eaten all of it. That made him pleased. He'd told her so too, "Gotta get some meat on those bones, kid, not even a walker'd want a piece of you like this." She'd nodded emphatically at him, devouring everything they gave her. Then, while the group listened to that string bean of a teenager, Noah, explain everything to them, Molly had leaned back in her seat on Merle's lap, resting her head against his chest and falling asleep.

That night, a smug looking Rick had told Merle to skip watch, because "Molly looks like she needs you more." Molly was asleep in Merle's bedroll, and he'd grumbled a little about being inconvenienced as he pushed her over to make room for himself. The overheated squirrel was back then, and she'd rolled over in her sleep and clung to him again, as if she was afraid he'd leave her all over again.

Merle had stared down at her little dark head, eventually tentatively running his fingers through her dirty hair. He remembered his own daughter, the one time he'd seen her as a child, when she was around Molly age: his girl had been everything he wasn't. She was smart, tidy, polite, well spoken, and she'd been such a pretty little thing.

Molly, with her clump of dirty brown hair, her wickedly scarred face, and boney little body was a far cry from the healthy, pretty blonde daughter he'd met once, a lifetime ago. _Met her twice, though, didn't ya? Ya, that's right, n' ya had to kill her that second time, what a good fuckin' daddy you were then. _His mind was viciously providing him with images of the young blonde dead woman, half-torn apart, that had lurched out towards him from the little house she'd lived in with her momma. He'd put her down, immediately – no Dixon was going to be one of those _things_.

Merle did what he did best, and repressed the memories he didn't care to think of and pushed away the feelings he didn't care to have, and then looked down at Molly, as she lay snoring and contented on him. He thought maybe he could do right by this kid, if he could manage not to lose her again.

Now in the bright of morning, in the church, Molly sat against him. She was eating her own half-can of beans, one arm looped around his leg to make sure he couldn't leave her, while the other spooned up her food. She seemed determined to fatten up as quickly as possible.

"Y'know I gotta go, kid, right?" He said to her baldly, when everyone was done eating and she and he had moved to stand near the open back door. She nodded sadly, and turned her scarred face up to look at him.

"You'll come back this time, right?" She asked innocently, and he felt a ripple of guilt.

"Why the hell wouldn't I?" He barked, making her laugh. "Well, you didn't last time," she reasoned and he glared at her.

"Didn' have a whole helluva lotta choice last time," he snarled at her. She smiled at him like he'd said something sweet to her and leaned against his leg, one hand reached up to grip at his prosthetic arm. He made an uncomfortable face at the top of Molly's head, but didn't shake her off. Rick approached then, a wry expression on his face.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Rick commented, glancing down at Molly's hand where it was gripping Merle's metal arm.

"What the fuck do you want? If ya came over just t'piss me off, ya'll can get fucked," Merle drawled in an irritable answer. Molly giggled and Rick raised his eyebrows at the little girl before looking back up at Merle. "You still good to come? I said the same to Daryl: I'd understand if you want to stay," Rick offered, his eyes concerned. Merle shook his head.

"Not a chance, Sheriff, we got some retribution to deliver, right?" Merle shot back, meeting the other man's eyes. Rick shrugged. "Yeah, but if you wanna stay with Linney, I get it," he said, explaining his offer. Merle glanced past Rick, to where Linney was sitting with Michonne, deep in conversation, Maggie on her other side, nodding along. He saw Daryl walk by, his arms full of the organ pipes they were going to use to ring the front and back entrances when the majority of the group was off on their rescue mission.

His brother couldn't take his eyes off of his girl, the stark expression of guilt and worry on his face painful even for Merle to look at too long. "Nah, we gotta make this right," Merle growled to Rick, "Maybe gettin' the Greene girl back will help."

Merle's eyes went back to Rick, and he saw their leader looking sadly at the other side of the room, where Sasha was curled up next to Bob, on his bed on the floor. Merle felt his face twitch. "He ain't gonna last much longer," Merle said, his tone unusually gentle, for him. Molly made a little sound of unhappiness and Merle pulled his arm from her grip, pushing her towards where Tara was sitting with the baby.

"Go on," he ordered her, his tone hard, "Git over there n' help with the baby, make yerself useful." Molly made a face but went willingly enough. Rick waited until she was out of earshot before answering Merle. "No, he won't," Grimes' voice was a low rumble, "He's gonna fade, probably before we leave." Merle grimaced at that and watched Sasha smiling as Bob spoke to her, which was clearly a struggle for him at this point.

"Damn shame, that boy was a good shot," Merle rasped quietly. Rick clapped his arm briefly, and walked away, leaving Merle to stand alone. He decided to go outside, needing to get away from all the emotional bullshit dogging him inside: Bob and Sasha's heartbreak, Linney and her robotic reactions, Molly and her neediness – it was all too much for him. Outside he found Daryl violently assembling the ring of organ parts, the preacher man watching him with a disapproving frown.

"Got a problem, Father?" Merle called out mockingly, trying to lighten the mood; he knew Daryl was having a hard time and could use a little levity. Gabriel turned to watch him approach, his eyes flat and hard. "While you desecrate my church?" The preacher asked sarcastically, "No, not at all." Daryl glanced up, flicking his hair off his face and regarding the preacher with distaste.

"Don't gotta stay and watch," Daryl offered unpleasantly, and Gabriel's lip twitched. He turned and walked away, going down the side of the church, watching the other members of their group boarding up windows. Merle watched Gabriel walk away and shook his head. "That dude is a dumbass," he muttered, and Daryl grunted.

"Gonna help?" Daryl asked harshly, pausing again and glaring over at him. Merle shrugged, raising his hands into the air. "Don't got two hands, lil brother, how can I?" He responded, his voice drawling and teasing. Daryl grumbled something unintelligible, and grabbed another pipe, shoving it violently at the ground. Merle watched him work out some of his frustration and emotion for a few minutes, knowing he should offer some advice or something, but not really having any idea of how or where to start.

Daryl paused again and shot an irritated look over at him. "You got somethin' you wanna say?" He snapped at Merle, his voice angry. Merle shrugged and replied easily, "Not really. Got anythin' _you_ need to say?" Daryl threw the metal pipe in his hands to the ground and stomped the few steps over to Merle.

"Always gotta be a fuckin' smartass, don't ya?" Daryl raged at Merle, shoving both his shoulders, "Just fuckin' say it! Say yer fucking piece and be done with it! Don't wanna keep this shit up all day!" Merle raised an eyebrow at Daryl, and shook his head, not saying anything.

"You think it's on me? It's my fault? I shoulda stayed, right? Just fuckin' say it! It's my fuckin' fault, right? You blame me?" Daryl ranted, stepping back and pacing a little, "Don't you fucking worry, because I sure as hell blame me, don't need your judgement too." Merle watched him, eyes narrowed, face mostly blank, but still said nothing.

Daryl finally stopped his angry pacing and took a deep breath, hanging his head. "I shoulda stayed," he said quietly, the self-loathing in his voice thick and palpable, "Now the baby might be…" He didn't finish, just angrily shoved a hand across his eyes. They were silent for a moment, before Daryl managed to say, "That's on me."

"You done?" Merle finally said, after Daryl seemed finished with his outburst. Daryl tilted his head and met Merle's eyes, glaring, as he nodded curtly.

"You are one arrogant prick if ya think this is somethin' ya'll had _any_ control over," Merle said harshly, "She was long gone by the time ya left, little brother, this was gonna happen no matter what – not a fuckin' thing you coulda done."

"No," Daryl began, the argument rising in his voice, "I coulda – " Merle slapped Daryl upside his head, startling him. Daryl looked at him, his face going red. "What the _fuck?"_ Daryl shouted furiously, his posture tightening angrily. Merle crossed his arms over his chest.

"You are such a fuckin' pussy," Merle said snidely, "Thinkin' yer _feelin's_ and yer special lil heart are just the center of the fuckin' world." Merle spat on the ground, and then took an angry step towards Daryl, a glare settling on his face as he regarded his little brother.

"Yer so fuckin' busy tryn' to blame yerself, that you ain't helpin' no one. Not her. Not anyone here, not yer kid," Merle was being vicious, and he knew it, but he also knew Daryl needed a fucking reality check. His younger brother regarded him carefully, the earlier angst draining from his face, real sorrow replacing it.

"Even if it ain't my fault, the baby, what if he's… he ain't movin' in there, Merle, not anymore, she says," Daryl's voice was quiet and pained, clearly already mourning a loss that was not even confirmed yet. This time, when Merle slapped Daryl upside the head, he did it harder. Daryl looked up at him, anger and hurt mingling on his face.

Merle leaned towards him, venom in his voice when he spoke, "You dumb fuck, that kid ain't dead." Daryl stood up a little straighter, the very faintest flicker of pathetic hope on his face. "How d'you know?" He asked in a rasping voice. Merle raised an eyebrow and smiled at his younger brother.

"That little shit kicker's a Dixon, ain't he?" Merle barked out, watching as Daryl nodded dumbly. Merle smirked and continued, "N' nobody kills a Dixon, but a Dixon."

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She could feel her control slipping as she knelt next to Bob. The procession of goodbyes had turned the little room into a silent tomb, and Linney wanted out. Bob smiled up at her though, his weak grin still jovial in that way Bob had.

"You're alright, Lin, you know that," he told her quietly. She nodded at him. "Sure, I am, I'm fine," she replied, trying to be positive. Her mind was tearing itself apart. The memories she'd thrown away, the ones she refused to acknowledge, were straining at the seams of their confinement. Bob was sick, injured, dying, and she knew he'd been bitten, but part of her was screaming behind the mental restraint she'd built, screaming that it was so much worse than just a walker bite.

Bob reached out a weak hand and patted her stomach, twice, before his arm fell to rest beside him. "Take care of him," he murmured to her, "I hear Bob's a real cool name." She laughed, abruptly, quietly, and then put a hand to the side of Bob's face.

"I'm glad we found you," Linney told him, by way of goodbye. He smiled and Linney got to her feet and walked away. She passed Sasha and Tyreese, not stopping to look at them as she rushed outside of the office. Everyone was solemnly gathered there. Bob had indicated that he was fading fast, could feel the end rushing to meet him, and wanted to go on his own terms. He wanted his goodbyes and then he wanted to leave them. Linney moved over to stand between Daryl and Merle, Daryl's arm coming up to wrap around her when she did.

Molly was crying into Merle's shoulder, sitting on his hip as he held her. Linney glanced over and saw that while Merle's prosthetic arm supported the little girl, his good hand was absentmindedly patting her back. She swallowed hard at the sight, hoping that Merle was getting his second chance at being the kind of father he never could have been in his past life.

Linney looked down at her tummy, rubbing her hands over the bump. _Wake up, sleepy head, please wake up, it's not time for you to go away._ Daryl's hand came down to rest on her belly then, next to her own hand, and she watched him absent-mindedly swirl his thumb around in small circles. She glanced up briefly when the sound of Sasha crying escaped the room where Bob lay, and she knew that Bob was gone now.

The huddled group began to softly mourn along with Sasha, and Linney felt her own hot tears dripping down her face. Somehow this worse was than losing someone suddenly. Daryl's arm tightened around her and he turned her slowly, walking her away from the office door, to the front of the church. He turned her, pulling her into a hug.

"S'alright Lin, just let it out, he was a good guy," Daryl grumbled into her hair, and she cried a little more, not stepping away from the embrace. When her tears faded, she remained in the safety of his arms, and sniffed, trying to get herself together. That was when she felt it. Her hands dropped from around Daryl abruptly, going to her stomach immediately. Daryl grasped her shoulders and held her away from himself swiftly, alarm spreading like a fire across his face, fear right behind it.

"What is it? Lin, please, tell me what it is?" The panic in his voice made her look up at him, her eyes huge and delighted, shocked in a good way. "He's moving again," she said quietly, her voice reverent. Daryl blinked at her stupidly for a moment before lowering his own hands to her belly. She grabbed his palm and placed it firmly over where she could feel Piglet fluttering.

"Right there, feel it?" She asked him quietly, looking up at him. She saw that his eyes looked suspiciously watery, but he was smiling, the raw relief on his face making him look happier than she'd ever seen him. She stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to his mouth, before he spoke.

"I do," he replied, his voice low and gravely, "I feel 'im."

***** Happy 200 guys! *****


	201. Chapter 201

***** My trusty proof-reader, my little sister, told me she thought the last few chapters were, and I quote, 'dark as shit'… she's not a TWD watcher (I know, right? Like wtf is wrong with her – I swear we're related though), BUT I made her sit and watch a couple episodes with me, from around this point in season 5, and she got it then. Sorry if it's been dark, but we aren't talking about source material filled with unicorns and cupcakes!**

**Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING – except Linney! *****

Leaving Linney the second time was much harder than the first time, although he knew, by the look on Michonne's and Carl's faces that folks would be hard pressed to get through them to harm her. Daryl sat in the driver's seat of the cube van they were taking into Atlanta, along with Abraham's fixed up bus, Rick beside him, and stared through the church's open front doors, to where Linney stood, a screaming Judy in her arms, Molly on Linney's other side, her hand clutching the side of Linney's dress. Father Gabriel stood a ways behind them, in the back, and Carl and Michonne were standing like sentries in front of everyone.

"They're gonna be fine," Rick said gruffly, almost more for himself than for Daryl, "They got weapons, they're boarded in, and if things go sideways, they know where to fall back to until we can get them." Daryl's eyes closed briefly when he thought about the absurdity of the 'fall back' place being the school where those Terminus fucks had taken Linney. Abraham and Rick had assured him repeatedly that they'd killed all the walkers there though. It would do in a total pinch. The doors on the church began to close, and his last glimpse was of Linney turning away with Judith, moving deeper in to the church.

He and Rick were silent for several good, long minutes as they drove off – not much needed to be said on their drive in to Atlanta. Daryl knew where he needed to go, and any other planning was only going to happen once they got there. There was occasional thumping and movement in the back portion of the cube van, and Daryl hoped that everyone crowded in back there was alright. He knew the bus was keeping up alright because he could see it following gamely along behind them in the side mirrors.

"Surprised that Abraham and his people stayed?" Rick asked him, after twenty long, silent minutes had stretched out. Daryl grunted and shrugged.

"Thought they wanted Glenn and Maggie to go with 'em, Tara too," Daryl finally responded in a grumble only slightly louder than the grumble of the van's engine, "But, I don't think Maggie's goin' anywhere until we get Beth."

"DC can wait," Rick muttered grouchily, turning to look out the window, one hand scratching idly at his beard. Daryl made a scoffing noise and Rick turned to him, instantly asking, "What?" Daryl shrugged, not taking his eyes from the road.

"You sound as excited as m'brother; Merle thinks that dude is lyin' 'bout DC, so he ain't too happy 'bout goin' on out there neither," Daryl told him, "Don't know what I think yet, pretty sure Georgia's done us in though, maybe it's time to try somewhere else." He could hear Rick shifting about at this news, knew that their leader had grown an absurd amount of trust in Merle. "Did Merle happen to say, why?" Rick pressed, his voice getting flatter, ignoring everything Daryl said except Merle's suspicions. Daryl shrugged.

"S'like he's got a bad vibe from that guy, I don't know, I don't pick up on it, but Merle, he thinks Eugene is lyin', is _damn_ certain of it," Daryl explained, part of his mind already drifting away from this conversation, wondering what Linney was doing right now. _Hopefully she's resting, not trying to do anything stupid._

"Pull over," Rick's voice was a sharp, deadly thing, and Daryl looked over at him, momentarily alarmed. "What?" He asked, not sure he'd heard Rick correctly. Rick's brow drew down into a look of complete irritation.

"Pull the damn van over, so we can settle this," he snapped angrily, "_Now! Pull it over, now!" _Daryl clamped his teeth together, feeling the muscle in his cheek tic, but did what Rick asked. As soon as the vehicle stopped, Rick launched himself from the passenger seat, leaving the door hanging open as he stormed towards the back. _Eugene wanted to ride with Glenn and Maggie, he's in the van._ A glance in the side view mirror showed the bus slowing to a halt, Abraham already moving to jump out.

"Oh shit," Daryl muttered, grabbing up his crossbow and leaping from the driver's side. "Rick!" He called, running towards the back of the vehicle, even as he could hear Rick throwing open the van's sliding rear door. "Wait up," he yelled, as he came into view, just in time to see Rick grab a startled and terrified Eugene and heave him out the back of the van. Eugene tumbled gracelessly and heavily to the cement.

Everyone was yelling and trying to climb all over each other to stop it. Merle leapt out of the bus after Abraham, and immediately grabbed onto the redhead's arms when he saw Rick accosting Eugene. _Like he already knew what was gonna go down. _Rick stomped over to where Eugene was cowering on the ground, his hands up lamely in front of himself, as if to hold off an attack. "_Rick!"_ Abraham was roaring, grappling with Merle, trying to get at his friend, "_Rick, what the fuck?!"_

"Tell us!" Rick's guttural voice cut through the clamor, "Tell the truth, there's nothing in DC! Right? We figured it out, now you tell us the _truth_ goddammit." Everyone froze, and Daryl realized that what he'd said in the van had unintentionally backed up and confirmed thoughts that Rick himself had already been mulling over. Merle grunted his agreement, nodding along, and Daryl met his eyes for a long moment, but Merle only smirked and looked back to Eugene.

"No, no, no," Eugene was muttering, shaking his head back and forth. Daryl felt bad for the guy, a stupid reaction, he knew, but he released Tara's shoulder, where he'd grabbed her when she first flew out of the van, partially to stop her from falling, partially to hold her back from Rick. He moved quickly, over to Rick, who held a hand up to him.

"Stop," Rick said harshly, and Daryl did. "Rick man, stop this shit, the dude's scared," Daryl said in a gravelly voice. Eugene was still shaking his head. Rick moved his gun closer to Eugene's head, his voice a guttural snarl when he spoke again, "We don't have time for this shit and you people don't mean much to me yet, now tell me the truth, or I _will_ just kill you right here."

Daryl was beginning to think that Rick was unbalanced, more so than he'd realized, the stress of everything since the prison fell just being too much for him. He didn't think Merle was right himself, and even if Eugene was exaggerating his importance in the DC-mission, he still felt pretty certain that there was likely _something_ left in DC and Eugene seemed to know an awful lot about it.

That all changed though, because then Eugene said, quietly, defeat in his voice, "Yes, it's a lie."

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Linney sat on the floor in front of the altar with Molly, watching the little girl play with some ratty toys they'd found in the same room with the charity clothes bins. Judith was sitting up in front of Linney, leaning against Linney's legs, pacifier in her mouth, watching Molly's play in fascinated stillness. _They're not close in age, but it's good for Judy to have a kid around_, Linney thought, part of her marvelling at the fact that things like children's social groups even mattered to her now.

She patted her belly gently, thinking that Judy was going to wind up being good for Piglet too.

A few feet behind her, Father Gabriel was scrubbing like a madman at the bloodstains on the floor. Linney peered over her shoulder, watching as Carl tried to reason with the man, get him to stop scrubbing, get him interested in weapons instead. Michonne was resting with exaggerated casualness on the front pew near the two of them. Linney knew Michonne was as leery of the preacher's current, crazed actions, as Linney herself was. He was sweating all the time, his eyes wide and glinting with animal fear almost constantly, now on top of that, the maniacal scrubbing; several screws were obviously loose.

Linney considered going over there, snapping at him to quit it, but didn't want to risk Judith starting up again. The grumpy, teething, baby had wailed and screamed after Rick left, and nothing, not even Carl, could calm her down. Even Molly was acting unusually sensitive, and had cried some fat crocodile tears when Merle left. Keeping Judith on her hip, Linney left Michonne and Carl to board shut the front door, and went straight into the little storage room, urging Molly in after her, hoping to distract the girl's tears away. When they found a dusty bin of well-used toys, she and Molly managed to drag it out of the stuffy room, out into the open space and Molly calmed down, Judith following suit after a few moments.

So now, Linney felt a little trapped. She was absolutely not afraid to admit that she would much, much rather be out on the rescue mission. At the same time though, she had no interest in endangering Piglet ever again, and she had vague sentiments regarding how stupid and reckless she'd acted up until now in that regard. She still refused to release certain memories, but it seemed like almost everyone finally felt alright with letting that be for now; Bob's death the day before had tampered down everyone's emotions, and that only helped Linney's current case of denial go unchecked. She was happy about that. _Some things aren't worth thinking about._

"The cars only go here, Judy, that's what cars do," Molly patiently explained, tapping at the section of floor she had decided was a road. Linney sighed quietly, feeling slightly bored and craving cheeseburgers.

_I don't want to be the babysitter forever, _she thought to herself, watching as Judith leaned forward, a chubby hand snatching at one of the toy cars Molly had set up on her pretend street, _but once they get Beth and Carol, we can finally go to DC. Everything's gonna get better then._

"I'm going to go lay down," she heard Gabriel speak behind her and turned slightly, to watch him back away from Carl, a machete hanging limply in his hands, "I'm not feeling well, I need to lay down." His wide, scared eyes locked on Linney's for a moment, and she watched him with concern, before a nearly guilty expression crossed his face and he darted into the office, shutting the door behind himself.

"He's fucked up," Carl muttered.

"Carl!" Linney chastised him, as Molly giggled at the language. He smirked at her briefly and strolled over to where Linney was sitting on the floor, dropping down to sit next to her. "Give it a break, Linney, it's not like she hears any better from Merle," he replied drily, "Or _you."_

"You're turning into a snot face," Linney muttered, "Don't think I like it." She met his eyes and he realized she was joking and they both smiled. Keeping a hand on Judith, she reached over and brushed Carl's hair back from his face.

"Can I please cut your hair?" She pleaded with him, "You're getting as ridiculous as Daryl is about the hair cutting." Carl's face darkened and he pulled his head away from her, looking away, towards the stained glass windows above them.

"No one cuts my hair anymore," he muttered, "Just leave it be." He shifted position and held his arms out to Judith, who seemed happy enough to scoot herself over to him, allowing Carl to pull her onto his lap. Linney stared at the two of them, Carl grown almost entirely out of his childhood and well into being a teenager, and Judith, sweet, silent Judith, long past the point where she should have started talking and walking. Despite those two delays Judith had a spark in her eyes that told you she just _knew_ what was happening around her; her silence was borne of the tense environment she'd been raised in, her lack of walking due to a necessity for the adults around her to run, move, escape, quickly.

Linney examined Judy's hair, somewhere in between blonde and brown, her blue eyes so dark a shade that Linney felt certain they were going to be brown one day. Linney still thought that Judith looked more like Carl than anyone else, and she guessed that was a blessing as well. _Oh Lori, you'd be so proud of them._

It hit her then, thinking about Lori, and staring at Carl, his long hair; Lori always cut his hair before. She was the last one to cut his hair. _That was a little over a year ago now, _she remembered, it had been one of the first quiet nights at the prison when Lori had trimmed it for him. Linney opened her mouth to ask Carl if that was it, if he wouldn't let anyone cut his hair now because that was something only his mother ever did for him. Carl glanced over at Linney, raising his eyebrows.

"What?" He asked, seeing the look on her face. She couldn't do it. Chickening out, Linney closed her mouth and shook her head. "I'm hungry, I'm going to risk getting up and grabbing some food," she said quietly instead, nodding her head toward Judith, who was running her toy car up and down the denim on Carl's shin. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, clearly aware that she was lying, but nodded. Linney eased herself up, her back smarting slightly as she made it to her feet, using Carl's shoulder for balance.

Slowly, she backed away from the kids, and was pleased when Judith didn't seem to care. "Not going to be able to get up like that, off the floor, for that much longer," Michonne said amiably from behind her, and Linney turned and smiled at her ruefully.

"I don't know if I can do it now," Linney griped, rubbing the small of her back, "What I wouldn't give for a big, fat, recliner." Michonne chuckled, and Linney plopped down on the pew next to her. They watched the kids, until Michonne reached over to a backpack sitting on the floor, pulling out a bag of granola mix.

"Eat this," she ordered Linney, pushing the bag into her hands. Linney took the bag and curled her lip at it. "This looks boring," she complained, holding the bag in front of her face and examining the insides. Michonne snorted, and Linney looked over guiltily.

"Sorry, the baby's just craving pretty much everything we don't have right now," she explained to Michonne, sheepishly. Michonne gave her an indulgent smile and leaned forward, patting Linney's belly briefly. "Of course he is," Michonne murmured, "But momma needs to think about energy and fiber, baby will eat just about anything at this point."

Linney laughed a little and reached into the bag, snagging a handful of the granola and dried fruit inside the bag and then dropping it into her open mouth. She nodded with her chin towards the office door while she ate. "So," Linney said, talking around her mouthful of food, "He's totally bonkers right?"

Michonne raised an eyebrow at Linney and seemed to repress something, looking away for a long moment. Linney felt the uncomfortable flutter of her buried memories for a moment, a mean voice in her head hissing, _you're the one who's gone nuts, kiddo._

Linney crammed in another mouthful of food, to try and bury the voice, and finally Michonne responded. "He's afraid, he's been sheltered, and this world, and us, scare him," Michonne explained slowly, considering her words as she said them. Linney nodded and thought that was awfully charitable of Michonne.

"So he's a coward," Linney replied flatly, "A judgemental one at that. Charming." She watched the kids for a few moments, before turning her attention to her food again. "I wish he wasn't coming with us when we leave for DC," Linney spoke quietly, "I just want it to be us, you know? We've earned some 'us' time, right?" She turned to look over at Michonne, who was smiling softly at her.

"Yeah, we have," Michonne answered her, "But part of what makes us 'us', is that we take in those who need it."

"We take in strays," Linney corrected her, smirking a little. Michonne rolled her eyes and climbed to her feet, stretching, before she turned to Linney, nodding at the empty granola bag. "Was that enough? Are you still hungry?" She asked, concern in her voice. Linney shrugged, getting up and tucking the plastic bag into the little trash bag they had going.

"It's no big mac," she responded, a laugh in her voice, "But it'll do." They were both silent for a moment, watching Molly try to show Judith how to make a teddy bear dance, before Michonne turned to Linney again, gesturing at the office door.

"I'm going to check on him," she said, "Make sure our newest stray is doing alright." Linney tightened her lips and shrugged again, making her way over to a pew across the aisle, where they'd lain out bedding for someone to rest on or sleep on.

"I'm gonna nap, that's almost as good as big mac," she muttered. Linney eased herself down, listening vaguely as Michonne had a murmured, concerned conversation with the preacher. She must have dozed off then, because the next thing she knew, she was waking up and heard screaming, lots of it, from out front.

"How did he get outside?" Michonne exclaimed, rushing by the pew where Linney lay, Carl hot on her heels. Linney sat up, rubbing at her eyes and looking around when she heard Judy crying. The baby had been napping as well, in her little make-shift bassinet.

Linney went to her and lifted her up, and the baby settled against her, hiding her face in Linney's hair. "What is it Linney?" Molly asked, where she was crouched and shaking in front of the altar, her toys forgotten. Linney shushed her and waggled a hand at the little girl. "Hush it, kid, come here, now," she urged. Gabriel's screaming went on and on, and Michonne and Carl were working feverishly at the door.

"Molly, grab the baby's bag," Linney ordered the little girl, looking around frantically for the carrier she knew they had for Judy. When she spotted it tucked under a pew a few feet away, she wasted no time, bending to it and stuffing Judith inside it, before slinging the carrier over her back. Molly came trotting back with the bag and Linney wrenched it open briefly, peeking inside and making sure everything was in there. She climbed to her feet in a hot hurry when the front doors were finally wrenched open and they all realized why Gabriel had been screaming; there were dozens of walkers without.

Linney grabbed Molly's arm in a tight grip, Judith heavy on her back, as Michonne, Carl and Gabriel turned and ran down the aisle towards them, the crowd of the dead not far behind them. Michonne was screaming now, too,

"_Run! Linney, run! The office, run!"_


End file.
